The net result of France's vaccine passport is that France (which was lagging badly in Europe) now has the second-highest rate of at least partially-vaccinated people in the G7, and is rapidly closing the gap on second doses, as well. That's kinda the unspoken element with the passports: if they work in convincing people to get immunized, and all evidence is that they do, they aren't going to be necessary for terribly long.
Don't think it's unspoken really, it's pretty obvious that it's the main reason for them. As you say France had relatively low rates when they brought it in. Don't think it'd make a huge difference here; think the vast majority of adults who are gonna get it have done so by now. I'm glad we're not pressing ahead with it. There was incidences in France of police approaching those sat at outside tables at cafes demanding vaccination evidence. Ridiculous. I think forcing that on nightclubs would have put lots out of business and meant more illegal raves personally. Good that common sense has prevailed
On another point I've noticed that 'passports' have started appearing on the black market, so unvaccinated could have got round it if they so wished anyway.
Yeah was chatting to someone the other day who attended an event here where you needed to show proof of being jabbed/negative test (I guess just on the NHS app?) and said in the queue people were texting each other some forged thing which got you in even if you hadn’t done either
I've been to several events now where they have said in advance that you'll need to show proof of being double jabbed/negative test and none of them have actually asked to see it when I got there.
We've got to the point where most are vaccinated (that have been offered it) and more age groups will be offered the vaccine so we have to restart life somewhere and learn to live with COVID. No point in vaccine passports now....like many laws, it will affect the honest people without affecting the lawless who will find ways round it. No point in unenforceable laws that just piss people off. If you are really fearful of catching the disease you won't want to go to nightclubs anyway. The situation may change if there is a large rise in cases, but personally I think we are over the hump (based on no real research because I don't go on social media much....where apparently all the real scientific facts are posted)
This memorial is on the Torrevieja seafront. I think it is quite stunning in it’s simplicity. It translates as “You left alone, but remain forever in our memories”
But giving adults who aren't going to get it a reason to get it is the aim. It's still really important that the 10% or so of likely-persuadable adults take action, and the way to do so is to impose (mild) consequences for being free riders. Denmark was the first country to introduce a vaccine passport. It worked. They have the highest vax rate in Europe. And now they don't need to have any internal restrictions anymore. This has been a consistent issue: the unwillingness to accept short-term inconvenience leading to much longer-term inconvenience (and also the mass sickness and death thing). I've had to show identification for 15+ years in order to gain access to various establishments, and it hasn't been a big deal. Even the one time I got kicked out while on a work bar crawl because they thought I was underage and using someone else's ID (I was not, I was 22 or 23) was mostly funny and not at all the end of freedom as we know it. It's also not like governments are the only ones pushing this. My boss has decided not to get vaccinated yet, because he's waiting for the rest of us to grow a third arm or something. His synagogue has now banned unvaccinated adults. Not a government action: their rabbis have decided that adults have a duty to get vaccinated, and have shut the doors to any that don't.
Looks like the Premier League are considering banning people who refuse to get vaccinated from stadiums.
It might help matters if the government, who advise the wearing of masks inside buildings, actually wore masks themselves. This, “It’s up to you” attitude, is causing the virus to continue spreading and creating problems for businesses that insist on masks being worn, as the non mask wearer rightly points out that it isn’t law. I think masks, inside, must be made mandatory again, at least until numbers are down. It is still mandatory to wear masks in shops and bars (masks off when seated) over here in Spain and there are still some restrictions on how many people are allowed inside a bar. I have seen long queues outside banks, because of the way rules are being implemented. Even the beaches are still roped off into sections to stop people from getting too close to each other and I have seen people being ejected from the beach for entering at the wrong place and setting up in a zone that is designated as a pathway. And if you are in crowded areas outside, I would guess something like a festival or market, you should be wearing a mask.
Notice that Scotland’s vaccine passport won’t recognise vaccines from the rest of the U.K. Good job. I know the NHS is a devolved organisation in Scotland, but it is absolutely mental that your health records can’t transfer properly between different parts of the U.K. its the same damn country, at least for now.
I'd expect a lot of non-governmental venues will. They certainly are in North America. I realize that the exact protocols vary by place, but I just have a .pdf copy of my immunization record saved on the home screen on my phone. Was less of a nuisance than finding the digital copy of the event ticket that was in my email, frankly. It's an IT problem, but I'd imagine that it's something that will be sorted in fairly short order. We had similar issues here with vaccination between provinces, as health care is all administered provincially, but it got sorted.
A number of places in the Hague are refusing to implement the corona check regulations. "Grote Markt, Den Haag, O'Casey's Irish Pub etc, who now also decide not to do QR access." Being in a high risk group, a pensioner with COPD, I avoid crowded and/or poorly ventilated places unfortunately that will include O'Casey's and the Grote Markt if they are at all busy. Some places are saying they are relying on their customers to behave responsibly. Having faith in responsible behaviour is misplaced in my experiences of the general public over the last 18 months or so, quite the opposite in fact.
Ha ha ….. the NHS have been trying to get a decent IT system working for years and the government have spent god knows how much on “consultants” etc to get it done, but when I used to take my old Mum to QA in Cosham they couldn’t access her notes from Southampton General (she lived in Locks Heath, so it was always a coin toss as to where she ended up when the home called a paramedic). When I asked the medical staff, I was told “it’s two different NHS areas, so we can’t access the information. We have to request it and they’ll send it in a few weeks”. Incredibly frustrating - for them as well as me.
The Canadian Prairie provinces, which tend to be heavily right-leaning, took the "COVID is over because we say so" approach. ...it hasn't gone terribly well. (That's the premier of the province) And now they're instituting vaccine passports after bashing the rest of the country for planning to have such.
The UK's "most vulnerable" hospital patients, who are unable to build up an antibody response to Covid, will be offered new drug Ronapreve from Monday. The new Covid treatment, approved just last month, uses a pair of laboratory-made antibodies to attack the virus. It was famously used as part of the suite of experimental medicines given to US President Donald Trump last year. The antibody cocktail has been shown to reduce hospital stays by four days and cut the risk of death by a fifth. The government said it had secured sufficient supply of the new therapeutic for eligible NHS patients across the four nations to cover the forthcoming winter. Health Secretary Sajid Javid said he was "thrilled it will be saving lives from as early as next week". "The UK is leading the world in identifying and rolling out life-saving medicines, particularly for Covid 19, and we will continue our vital work to find the best treatments available to save lives and protect the NHS," he said. The new treatment is expensive and priority will be given to those patients at greatest risk of becoming severely ill. It will be offered to those over-50 without the necessary antibodies, and those aged 12-49 who are immuno-compromised - for example those with certain cancers - who struggle to mount an antibody response, either through being exposed to Covid, or from vaccination. The government said guidance would be sent to clinicians imminently so they can begin prescribing the treatment as soon as possible.
It’s great that new vaccines and treatments are being developed and rolled out, but let’s not forget that the government has written to parents with children that have immunodeficiency issues and told them that they MUST be sent back to school. They still give with one hand whilst taking away with the other.
A mate from work tested positive yesterday, myself and the wife did lateral flow yesterday and today…….thankfully negative. My mate said his symptoms are a headache and he feels like he has a hangover……still got taste and smell though.
