The COVID-19 pandemic

[Acitta]

I am out of ideas, then, unless something in the registration form flagged you as lower priority for some reason (and I don't think we should be sharing personal, or let alone medical, information here). And I assume you have already been checking your spam folder.

Two things I would suggest:

• Walk-in pharmacy option
  
• Register at an additional pharmacy or three
  

I just got a text and email from Rexall. I am booked for Saturday.

Today I got an email from the Region, but I already booked at Rexall.

[tomh009]

I just got a text and email from Rexall. I am booked for Saturday.

Today I got an email from the Region, but I already booked at Rexall.

When it rains, it pours!

[ac3r]

I barely noticed a sore arm as well. The needle they use is a lot smaller than most needles used for vaccines which really helps.

Good to know people on this forum are finally getting it! Make sure you keep an eye on your phone or e-mail over the next few weeks for your next appointment notification. It'll come in when it's your time.

[taylortbb]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/moderna...-1.5990166

Some good and some bad news on vaccine availability. Moderna is going to fall 1-2M doses short of their contract for this quarter (Apr-Jun), but we've secured an additional 6M from Pfizer for this quarter. So that's net an additional 4-5M doses in Q2.

That catch is it's going to be very heavily biased towards June. Pfizer will be deliver 2.5M/week, and Moderna is indicating most of the doses they do deliver will be later in the quarter. I think 4-5M doses/week just between Pfizer and Moderna seems likely for June, which is 571k-714k doses/day for June that we'll have to administer. Our current 7 day average is 279k doses/day (include Astra-Zeneca), so that's a pretty big increase. The public health mass vaccination clinics will have to run long hours.

The additional ~1M/week (total ~2M/week) from Pfizer for May is great news though. That's more than we likely would have gotten for Pfizer + Moderna in May before this announcement.

[tomh009]

FRIDAY 2021-04-16

Waterloo Region reported 78 new cases for today (12.1% of the active cases) and one more for yesterday for a total of 62; 605 new cases for the week (+3), averaging 15.5% of active cases. 627 active cases, +157 in the last seven days.

An average of 1,348 daily tests for the past week for an average positivity of 6.41% (ouch).

3,920 doses of vaccine administered, with a seven-day average of 3,776. At this pace, the dose count will reach 70% of the total regional population on 2021-07-02 (+1 day).

Ontario reported another new all-pandemic high of 4,812 new cases today with a seven-day average of 4,292 (+84). 3,151 recoveries and 25 deaths translated to an increase of 1,636 active cases and a new total of 39,977. +10,350 active cases for the week and 152 deaths (22 per day). 64,304 tests for a positivity rate of 7.48%. The positivity rate is averaging 7.77% for the past seven days, compared to 6.62% for the preceding seven.

701 patients in ICU (+42 today, +149 for the week) and a total of 1,955 patients hospitalized (+463 for the week).

115,634 doses of vaccine administered, with a seven-day average of 100,553, first time we're breaking 100K on the weekly average. At this pace, the dose count will reach 70% of the provincial population on 2021-06-18 (-1 day). The regional completion date currently lags the provincial one by 14 days (+2 today).

• 851 cases in Peel: 61.6 per 100K
  
• 1,469 cases in Toronto: 50.1 per 100K
  
• 491 cases in York: 44.2 per 100K
  
• 192 cases in Niagara: 42.9 per 100K
  
• 268 cases in Durham: 41.5 per 100K
  
• 366 cases in Ottawa: 36.8 per 100K
  
• 50 cases in Brant: 36.8 per 100K
  
• 204 cases in Hamilton: 35.2 per 100K
  
• 175 cases in Halton: 31.9 per 100K
  
• 123 cases in Middlesex-London: 30.4 per 100K
  
• 56 cases in Eastern Ontario: 27.6 per 100K
  
• 60 cases in Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph: 22.1 per 100K
  
• 74 cases in Windsor-Essex: 19.0 per 100K
  
• 101 cases in Simcoe-Muskoka: 18.7 per 100K
  
• 30 cases in Southwestern Ontario: 15.0 per 100K
  
• 61 cases in Waterloo: 9.9 per 100K (based on provincial reporting)
  
• 12 cases in Lambton: 9.2 per 100K
  
• 7 cases in Northwestern: 8.0 per 100K
  
• 13 cases in Leeds, Grenville & Lanark: 7.6 per 100K
  
• 15 cases in Kingston Frontenac: 7.3 per 100K
  
• 20 cases in Sudbury: 5.1 per 100K
  
• 6 cases in Thunder Bay: 4.0 per 100K
  
• 4 cases in Chatham-Kent: 3.8 per 100K
  

Only regions with at least two cases per 100,000 population

New records set in Toronto and Hamilton ...

[tomh009]

US and Canadian daily vaccination rates per million (seven-day average).

   

[ZEBuilder]

Today the government announced more restrictions in a effort to slow covid down, they include the following with some starting tommorow and the rest on Monday:

- 25% capacity at big box stores
- The outdoor social gathering limit goes from 5 to 0 essentially limiting all gatherings
- 10 people cap for places of worship
- Extension of the stay at home order by two weeks making it last until may 20th
- non essential construction is shut down
- restrictions on outdoor amenities
- police will have the authority to ask anyone why they're outside their home including pulling people over to do so and people must provide a address and can be fined $750
- checkpoints at provincal borders with exceptions for essential travel
-25% of future vaccines to the 13 hotspot regions

I really hope these work but I have my doubts

[danbrotherston]

Today the government announced more restrictions in a effort to slow covid down, they include the following with some starting tommorow and the rest on Monday:

- 25% capacity at big box stores
- The outdoor social gathering limit goes from 5 to 0 essentially limiting all gatherings
- 10 people cap for places of worship
- Extension of the stay at home order by two weeks making it last until may 20th
- non essential construction is shut down
- restrictions on outdoor amenities
- police will have the authority to ask anyone why they're outside their home including pulling people over to do so and people must provide a address and can be fined $750
- checkpoints at provincal borders with exceptions for essential travel
-25% of future vaccines to the 13 hotspot regions

I really hope these work but I have my doubts

This one really ticks me off. Leaving aside the fact that it will be (not even could, WILL) be used to further oppress minority groups, all I need to do is say I'm going to go congregate indoor with no masks with hundreds of other parishioners at Trinity Bible Chapel and apparently I'll be fine. Police have already demonstrated they refuse to enforce the restrictions we have against certain groups (they have no problem going and ticketing student parties), so......what exactly is the point here?

And again, Ford refuses to implement the biggest policy failure which is paid sick days...
Churches still allowed to hold (small) in person services.

But the playgrounds are closed...thank goodness I have absolutely nowhere to take my toddler /s

Yeah, this does nothing to improve the rock bottom regard I have for our government.

[tomh009]

- police will have the authority to ask anyone why they're outside their home including pulling people over to do so and people must provide a address and can be fined $750

This one really ticks me off. Leaving aside the fact that it will be (not even could, WILL) be used to further oppress minority groups, all I need to do is say I'm going to go congregate indoor with no masks with hundreds of other parishioners at Trinity Bible Chapel and apparently I'll be fine. Police have already demonstrated they refuse to enforce the restrictions we have against certain groups (they have no problem going and ticketing student parties), so......what exactly is the point here?

I really doubt there will be many police stops, let alone tickets handed out. I believe this is included in order to get people to take the restrictions seriously, which has been a real issue. This threat might have at least some impact.

Because, a week into the stay-at-home order, the new cases are still rising rather than dropping: there is no indication so far that anything has improved with this stay-at-home order.

[ZEBuilder]

This one really ticks me off. Leaving aside the fact that it will be (not even could, WILL) be used to further oppress minority groups, all I need to do is say I'm going to go congregate indoor with no masks with hundreds of other parishioners at Trinity Bible Chapel and apparently I'll be fine. Police have already demonstrated they refuse to enforce the restrictions we have against certain groups (they have no problem going and ticketing student parties), so......what exactly is the point here?

I really doubt there will be many police stops, let alone tickets handed out. I believe this is included in order to get people to take the restrictions seriously, which has been a real issue.

People are still not gonna take them seriously just based upon how they have acted from the other previous restrictions. The Canadian Civil Liberties Association for example is bashing the Ford government already because of the law around more police power, so if anything that particular restriction and the rest are just gonna make people act out more against the government because there's too much control making our situation worse.

[danbrotherston]

This one really ticks me off. Leaving aside the fact that it will be (not even could, WILL) be used to further oppress minority groups, all I need to do is say I'm going to go congregate indoor with no masks with hundreds of other parishioners at Trinity Bible Chapel and apparently I'll be fine. Police have already demonstrated they refuse to enforce the restrictions we have against certain groups (they have no problem going and ticketing student parties), so......what exactly is the point here?

I really doubt there will be many police stops, let alone tickets handed out. I believe this is included in order to get people to take the restrictions seriously, which has been a real issue. This threat might have at least some impact.

Because, a week into the stay-at-home order, the new cases are still rising rather than dropping: there is no indication so far that anything has improved with this stay-at-home order.

I dunno what impact it will have, give an ounce more credibility to the privilged whining about tyranny, give an ounce more fear to the minorities used to being persecuted. While WRPS has stated they will not be doing this, other police forces might actually do it, and that would be worse.

I understand where you are coming from, the data I've seen suggests that this order is not being effective. I lay that blame completely on Ford...the history of waffling, the muddied communication of this order. The failure to effectively communicate a vision. The whining and complaining about other governments, it's turned everyone off. Whether they are following the lockdown or not, they are not listening. That's leaving aside the problems with the actual policy which mean that I can go to church and sing in a crowd (10s a crowd right), but I cannot take my toddler to play in the damn park.

I don't know what the right action is NOW, I have no idea how you fix this, all I know that the lead up to this has been incompetent and almost intentionally so...if not for this action, as a general "we are out to prove governement is bad" philosophy of the conservative party.

[jeffster]

Canada really needs to shut its borders, forbid international travel, and not allow vacationers to taxi into Canada to avoid hotel quarantine. It should have been done long ago, in fact. The hardest hit provinces are all the ones that have international travel (Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal).

I am not 100% sure that eliminating outdoor activity will help much. I haven't seen a lot of evidence that outdoor activity spreads infections. A lot of the infections in Peel are the result of large family units in Brampton and in Toronto, heavy use of the TTC, not to mention factories and warehouses not following protocol.

Either way, until we get those above things contained, we're going to be in a world of hurt until everyone is vaccinated, and, most likely, yearly vaccinations. We're in this for good.

[plam]

Canada really needs to shut its borders, forbid international travel, and not allow vacationers to taxi into Canada to avoid hotel quarantine. It should have been done long ago, in fact. The hardest hit provinces are all the ones that have international travel (Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal).

I am not 100% sure that eliminating outdoor activity will help much. I haven't seen a lot of evidence that outdoor activity spreads infections. A lot of the infections in Peel are the result of large family units in Brampton and in Toronto, heavy use of the TTC, not to mention factories and warehouses not following protocol.

Either way, until we get those above things contained, we're going to be in a world of hurt until everyone is vaccinated, and, most likely, yearly vaccinations. We're in this for good.

Shutting borders is necessary but not sufficient. Workplace outbreaks are a problem too. Paid sick days. Understanding that it's airborne would help.

There is very little evidence that outdoor activity is the dominant problem. We're pretty sure that there was a case transmitted during an outdoor walk in NZ. But Canada has different problems.

[ac3r]

Waterloo regional police won't conduct 'random vehicle or individual stops' under new COVID-19 measures: https://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/waterloo-re...-1.5391028

Thank fuck. That has to be the dumbest thing Doug Ford has thought up so far. Random police stops if you're driving or walking down the street? That would enrage people and make this even worse in regards to compliance. Medical doctors are speaking out against it saying this is not what they had in mind in terms of increased measures.

[jamincan]

The restrictions are having no effect because the government lost all credibility that they actually mean anything long before this point. That's probably why they added the whole police power bit - to try to drive home that they really mean it this time. They're like the parent who repeated warns their kid that they'll get in trouble if they continue, but never carries through with the consequences. Nevermind that the restrictions *still* are totally laughable. I can't go backcountry camping on crown land anymore, but it's totally okay for me to be working next to my sick coworker b/c protections they used to have were taken away by this government. Nevermind that this government is turning away federal assistance for political reasons while at the same time asking for assistance from political allies out west. I used to think Ford was mostly benignly incompetent, but my god do I despise him now.