How are you all dealing with coronavirus and the restrictions... #2

I understand the logic @BreakForTheLight I felt very similarly.

It depends how your country is dealing with freedoms following vaccination? Are they allowing vaccinated people to do things before everyone has been offered? That is unfair.

In the UK we've been told any vaccination allowances (big venue events) would only be after everyone has been offered the vaccine. Actually it's doubtful vaccine passports will happen at all there are so many drawbacks.

Glad your mum is getting her vaccine too!

It’s weird, @BreakForTheLight. We have 1.13 million accumulated COVID cases out of a population of about 19 million. But I don’t know anyone personally that had COVID. My husband only knows of a former co-worker who’s around 40. His was a moderate case, but he did hear that he had to make regular visits to a pulmonologist for a while afterwards to check his lung function, which was affected. I know of many people in US and Brazil that have gotten COVID, but not here. A lot of people we know are able to telecommute and have respected the restrictions (as much as we hate them sometimes). Maybe that’s why. I’m so glad your mom will be vaccinated soon.

Then there are those young, healthy people that get hit hard. We just saw a report on this soccer player from Argentina. He used to play in the Chilean league, so he’s well known here. He’s mid-30s, in excellent physical condition but ended up getting COVID twice. I’m wondering if the second time was the Brazilian variant. Anyways, he is having a rough time recovering from the second bout. He’s been left with heart damage. It doesn’t sound like it’s sure if he’ll be able to go back to playing.

The pressure cooker is being cranked up a notch. People continue to be pissed off about the low level of financial assistance that is being given out and the mountain of requirements to request it. What most seem to want is the option to access more money from their retirement accounts. Thursday the Congress is supposed to vote on that. The President says he will veto it and if is veto is overruled, he will take it to the Constitutional Court to keep it from taking effect.

As you can imagine, that did not go over well. So, the President came out on TV yesterday to announce another direct assistance program. Supposedly, it is more accessible, but again, it’s not as easy to qualify as they make it out to be. If he takes the pension withdrawal to the Constitutional Court, I think things are going to get ugly. There were already some disturbances last night. If we hit June and July and there are still a lot of restrictions on movement and mask requirements, it could get even worse.

The vaccination process has more or less slowed to a halt. This week Mon-Wed is for each municipality to do a vaccine inventory and catch up with people 48+ that haven’t gone yet. Thu-Fri is only for 47-year-olds. I wonder if they don’t have enough vaccines to do many first doses since the government has rejected calls to open up more age slots. I guess it’s good for me if they are making sure they have enough for second doses.

Here the only benefit of being vaccinated that is being discussed is exempting people that are fully vaccinated from having to do a full quarantine (no permits to go out at all) if you’ve been in close contact with a positive case. I’m not sure if that is a great idea due to the prevalence of Sinovac. Nothing has been set in stone yet. It’s starting to feel a bit weird to me that I am likely to have significantly more protection than most people here due to me getting Pfizer.

@Discombobulated – I was just wondering something. I don’t recall hearing about the AstraZeneca clotting problems in the UK. Is an issue there was well like in continental Europe? It seems like the vaccine is working well in the UK. Here Covax is supposedly sending AZ doses too. It’s approved for men over 18 and women over 55. There seems to be some hesitance about receiving it. I guess we’ll see what happens. It looks like we are going to need it to step up the vaccination rates.

@rechu yes the AstraZeneca has been linked with rare clotting disorders in the UK too. It is small numbers but there were sadly some deaths. It is mostly younger people affected but they say for my age (49) I still have more chance of getting and dying from covid than a rare clot. It's a risk benefit balance. In under 30s that changes as they have very small chance of covid complications.

So the outcome is under 30s are to be offered an alternative vaccine - probably Moderna or Pfizer. My age group are still being given AZ.

That's interesting about the difference of male and female age guidance but it makes sense as the clots were mostly in women I believe.

At least for now, fully vaccinated people are being treated as people with a negative test result. So they can do everything that would require a negative test result without getting a q-tip up their nose first etc.

I bought another concert ticket the other day but this one I regret now. Oh well, I don't think this concert is going to happen anyway in which case it'll be refunded. I bought it because I didn't want to miss out and I'm so desperate for something positive but I can't really support this concert.

The first one I bought a ticket to is in my city and this artist is doing several more live dates in summer, so with corona measures in place at the venue I don't think it's much of an issue.

This new concert though..... it's a British and a US musician and it's a one off weekend thing. People might be travelling from all over Europe to go there which is really not something we should be doing??? (I mean they're not that famous so it wouldn't be that many people) To be honest, I kind of hope these get cancelled.

Edit to add: 8000 people protesting against Corona measures with no masks and no distance, that's just what we need. Police has had to get back up from all over the country. So tired of this shite

@Discombobulated - The risks do sound pretty low, definitely lower than getting a serious case of COVID. I hope people aren't put off from getting the vaccine. We need those doses.

@BreakForTheLight - I am crossing my fingers that the concert works out for you.

And the news today from here, an idiot congressman said, in response to a discussion of people going hungry due to losing their job or business as a result of COVID, "There's no hunger in this country, we have community soup kitchens" and then went on to say how the country has risen in solidarity to form these kitchens. The soup kitchens have sprung up because the government has done little to help those in need make it though lockdowns that make it impossible for them to work. Of course there is hunger, that's why there are soup kitchens. Many people that never had to turn to this assistance before now have to because they are suffering economically. Well, I guess a good thing was that spurred me to make a donation to an organization that is feeding people in many areas. I had been meaning to do something like that.


Oh, and there was a veterinarian in a northern city, Calama, that was busted giving canine octuple vaccines to people! One of the diseases that the inoculation protects against is canine coronavirus. No, I am not making this up.

Whaaaaaaaaat? That is insane! What is a vet even doing vaccinating people?

So we're getting a curfew. No leaving the house between 10 PM and 5 AM. Not that I was planning too, anyway, there's nowhere to go.

My state is now offering anyone who wants it the AZ vaccine, apparently not just people with priority anymore. I think I'd rather have a different one, though..... there's supposed to be more of the other's coming in as well soon and *supposedly* by the end of June priority should be gone completely and everyone can get it.

Two Chile vets investigated for giving dog coronavirus vaccines to people | South China Morning Post

We have been under varying curfew restrictions since October 2019. Not like there's anywhere to go either!

I got my 1st AstraZeneca vaccine this morning and so far so good, it was busy but well organised in the centre and it went smoothly.

I'll be surprised if I don't have a poorly reaction tomorrow as so many of my family and friends did but if I do it'll be short-lived.

I'm feeling incredibly thankful - when I think back to this time last year we didn't know if there would be an effective vaccine. Even now there are countries which do not have sufficient vaccine and they are suffering terrible 3rd waves. My vaccine is not something I take for granted.

On the up side, now we can meet up in groups of 6 outdoors I was able to meet up outdoors with my friends yesterday for a picnic. It was so good and made me realise how little I need to be happy- good friends, food food, sunshine. I hadn't met up with them for 14 months!

Yay, I am glad you got your first vaccine @Discombobulated! Getting together with friends sounds so nice. I wonder when I will be able to do that.

I hope you won't have to wait too much longer @rechu your vaccination was hopefully a step nearer to that day.

It was odd you know, we just picked up where we left off, I think good friendships can do that. It was tough not hugging though!

Bit of a rough night last night after my AstraZeneca dose, sweats and shivers, and took paracetamol which helped a bit. Apparently it's quite usual!

Remember when a cough was just something irritating your throat or maybe a harmless cold? Ugh. On my way out this morning, a neighbour was on the way to check his mail from the floor below my mine. Halfway down the stairs, he starts coughing, doesn't stop until he's outside. First thing that came to my mind "Oh god he'd better not have covid, I have to walk through those aerosols"

I don't want to think like that I miss human contact. And all the re opening maps are more positive for..... "normal" people. If you don't have any friends to meet up with and had the workplace as your only form of social contact, you're still screwed. Going back to the office is probably the last thing that's going to happen. Is it even IN any plan?

How did I wake up this morning full of motivation and am I now sitting here feeling lonely and sad?

I got both doses of Pfizer over a month ago. No side effects. I still can't go anyplace and still have to wear a mask. I probably already had covid from trips to Boston in early 2020. I used to travel between Boston and Montreal all the time for concerts and spend lots of money. Now I am just saving money. I might need it if I have to quit my job from all the stress. If I had been saving money for the past 10 year like now I would be in a much better position.

How are you feeling now?

I think I might have finally lost my mind over lockdown. The last couple of days, everything just seems funny This morning I was laughing for like half an hour over something a co-worker wrote to me and it wasn't even *that* funny

Lol! At this rate, we are all gonna end up pretty affected.
Today, I was watching the News and I recalled you because there has been given a concert as an experiment to see if it’s safe to celebrate concerts following certain safety rules. In this case, a previous test and the use of FFP 2 masks. The outcome is kind of promising because noone got infected.

The Netherlands has been doing lots of test events but no one is entirely clear on what exactly they are testing and how. It's all a bit of a mess over there. They're also loosening restrictions with numbers that are over three times what triggers the "emergency brake" in Germany

The one win for common sense was when a planned "test event" for 10.000 people (yes, 10.000!) was cancelled. Health care workers from a hospital nearby started a petition against the event, which was signed by over 300.000 people.

More talk of giving vaccinated people more freedom in Germany. Maybe my parents can finally come to visit in a few months. Haven't seen them since September last year. Although I would also like to visit my home town again but I'm still not expecting my vaccination any time soon.

Hi @BreakForTheLight I'm feeling good now thanks, it was just a couple of days, shivers, a little joint pain and sore arm.

Hoping that your parents can visit soon! It sounds promising for the summer. I know Germany are a little behind UK with vaccination, but our experience shows infection/serious illness rates really drop off once you hit 50% vaccinated especially when the vulnerable are done.

A little behind that's somewhat of an understatement.

My state has given the ok for everyone to be vaccinated with AZ, no age limit (or at least people 18 and older? Not sure to be honest) and no priority, but I just checked my GP's office's website and they're not vaccinating people under 60 with AZ so I wouldn't be able to get it anyway. And I'm still a little apprehensive of AZ. Both my parents had Pfizer with no more side effects than a sore arm. As someone who hasn't even had the flu in 20 years, a fever or shivers would freak me out

Glad to know that you are going well.
I knew it. My neighbour, whose wife, was vaccinated with AztraZeneca told me that she felt a little under the weather for a couple of days. But, that’s it.

In Spain there is being considered the choice to apply people who received AstraZeneca as a first dosage, receiving a second dosage but of a different vaccine.

Glad your parents are getting their vaccines. My aunti who is a dependent person received already her second dosage of Pfizer and my mum is gonna receive her first dosage next week.

I wanted to say that human stupidity is bigger than the universe.
I’m worried and upset for what it’s happening in India.
I can’t forget the images I saw on TV of crowds and crowds going on a pilgrimage to river Ganges.

I’m not putting the blame on Indians. I’m trying to spotlight how much daring most of us had been along this pandemic.

I hope I didnt worry you about side effects, they were very mild, just like that feeling when you wonder if you're getting a cold and then your system fights it off, nothing as bad as flu. It's funny but I had no colds at all this year due to social distancing and masks I think so I had forgotten what a cold feels like. My instinct was to hide myself from my family in case I infected them with germs but of course there was no infection just a normal side effect.

Oh no it wasn't you, just the general stories you hear about AZ having more side effects. Just yesterday the news came out (reputable source, not some image shared by conspiracy theorists on Facebook) of a 32-year-old dying after receiving her AZ vaccination.

It seems like every country is setting their own age limit - in some countries it's only for 30 and up, others are sticking to 60 and up..... I'll get what I'm offered, I just hope it's Pfizer. Or the Janssen, one shot and you're done.

Here AZ is 55 and up for women and 18+ for men since the clots seem to be an issue for women. That means that it's pretty much only going to be used for men, since most people over 55 have already been vaccinated.


My husband and I took a week off from work last week. We are still locked down, so we didn't get to do much. At least this time the plant nurseries are allowed to operate in lockdown and we were able to buy and plant some bushes for the front yard. They are supposed to grow fast, to we hope they will provide some shade by next summer. We also did a few other projects around the house, like painting, and disconnected from the computer.


The high rent district of Santiago was let of lockdown but not most other areas of our region. Honestly, my area is over 300 active cases, so they are not going to free things up at that rate. Anyways, now that the rich and powerful move out of lockdown, they will forget about other areas like mine even if they do improve. We are doing better with the pace of vaccinations than the national average. A friend who lives in another region said that cases never went down there, but after 8 weeks they were quietly moved to phase 2 without any explanation as to why. We are at 6 weeks and 2 days. I'd like to get my hopes up for something like that, but the Health Undersecretary has said in the past that there is a higher standard set for the Metropolitan Region.

Even with the lockdowns and the fast rate of vaccinations (this week first doses correspond to healthy people in their early 40s), active cases only went down 6% between two weeks ago and the past week. Deaths went up 4%. So, we still are making almost no progress. I don't know when we will see the supposed impact of Sinocrap on deaths. They keep moving the goalposts.

All I know is that if it's a few weeks past when I get my second dose (I go on May 12th) and I am still locked down, I am going to be pretty pissed off. There is talk that the Health Ministry is working on a plan that would eventually allow more freedom for people who are fully vaccinated. I have no idea when that will take effect, though.

Yay for plants! I've started buying them online as I don't even know anymore what the shopping rules are like over here. Yesterday I got some flower pots and potting soil and split two of my plants into several pots, today or tomorrow I'm getting a few more plants delivered. Will see how the quality is and then maybe order some more. I plan on turning my flat into a jungle

EMA starts rolling review of COVID-19 Vaccine (Vero Cell) Inactivated | European Medicines Agency
Oh no really hoping I can get a different vaccine soon!