P&O Cruisers - What are things like where YOU are?

[Dermotsgirl]

43 minutes ago, wowzz said:

But the experts also said that the difference was due to the later roll out of the second vaccination of the AZ vaccine, with consequently a delay to greater protection. 

Not therefore that depressing at all.

Two doses of Pfizer = 88% effectiveness against symptomatic disease with Indian variant

 

Two doses of AZ. = 60% effectiveness against symptomatic diseases.with Indian variant. 

 

Bearing in mind most people have had AZ and the Indian variant is more infectious and on the rise, I think there is some cause for concern and hope the decision makers don’t try and ignore this 

 

 

[Eddie99]

I hope I am being unnecessarily pessimistic, I really do

 

Some interesting material here, though hardly a quick read

 

[wowzz]

21 minutes ago, Dermotsgirl said:

Two doses of Pfizer = 88% effectiveness against symptomatic disease with Indian variant

 

Two doses of AZ. = 60% effectiveness against symptomatic diseases.with Indian variant. 

 

Bearing in mind most people have had AZ and the Indian variant is more infectious and on the rise, I think there is some cause for concern and hope the decision makers don’t try and ignore this 

 

 

Sorry, that's not the correct way to interpret the figures.  The AZ figure merely reflects the current position. As more and more of the population receive the second AZ vaccine, the figure will increase.  

[wowzz]

25 minutes ago, Dermotsgirl said:

Two doses of Pfizer = 88% effectiveness against symptomatic disease with Indian variant

 

Two doses of AZ. = 60% effectiveness against symptomatic diseases.with Indian variant. 

 

Bearing in mind most people have had AZ and the Indian variant is more infectious and on the rise, I think there is some cause for concern and hope the decision makers don’t try and ignore this 

 

 

Sorry, that's not the correct way to interpret the figures.  The AZ figure merely reflects the current position. As more and more of the population receive the second AZ vaccine, the figure will increase.  

[kalos]

Jonathan Van Tam was on TV a few weeks ago and was talking about variants and vaccines

and was saying that they were looking into swapping the vaccines over when it came to  using

them as a booster .  So every chance of everyone getting a more balanced protection from our 

main two vaccines . 

In another more recent one he was saying we are going to come to a time where we will have 

to rely on our common sense and not expect a new rule every time a new variant hits the street.

That means people following current hygiene protocols and guidance . People who can go out 

and get vaccinated should do so .If they are fit enough to walk around shopping centres and    restaurants then they should do the right thing and get jabbed ASAP  as this will help stop the

spread and new variants emerging amongst us and could save lives .

[Eddie99]

My final current affairs/politics take for today - it will be very interesting to hear one D Cummings being grilled by the Select Committee later this week.  He’s currently having a grand time on Twitter, stabbing Johnson, Valence and others in the back, front & sides.

 

Apologies for veering from “What are things like where you are?”  I don’t think I started it but I’ve been happy to pick up the baton & hint at my satisfaction level with the current regime

 

Back to the personal

It’s yet another cold, windy day but so far no rain - although it’s forecast.  We had a long walk, met a whippet we haven’t seen for ages, so the pup had a good run, watched a little of the U13 rugby and came home to enjoy a Sunday G&T (roll on sunshine when that can become a Bloody Mary outside a pub).  A TV sporty day beckons, along with a Cook lazy-cook’s lunch.  TV movie tonight.  How crazy would we have become without everything available on our various screens?

Highly recommend if you haven’t tried

https://www.cookfood.net

Edited May 23, 2021 by Eddie99
Typo

[yorkshirephil]

3 hours ago, kalos said:

 

We were once catching a cruise up at North Shields so stayed overnight up there .

The next morning walking around their shopping centre we decided on a snack from the 

Subway shop . On entering the shop the bored looking server asked " What can I get you ?"

After a minute of looking at the menu board Mrs Kalos and I placed our order.

The lad looked at us and said " Sorry I can't do that ... anything else ?"  So a quick look

at the menu board and we asked for our alternative choice and yet again  the lad said

" Sorry I can't do that, either "  So we asked well what can you do ?

He said anything that did not contain bread as his bakery van had not delivered yet !

A sandwich shop that couldn't make sandwiches  but at least he knew what we would

have bought had he had any bread in his shop 

 

 

Saw this and thought of kalos

[Dermotsgirl]

41 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Sorry, that's not the correct way to interpret the figures.  The AZ figure merely reflects the current position. As more and more of the population receive the second AZ vaccine, the figure will increase.  

this is what it says

 

'The difference in effectiveness between the vaccines after 2 doses may be explained by the fact that rollout of second doses of AstraZeneca was later than for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, and other data on antibody profiles show it takes longer to reach maximum effectiveness with the AstraZeneca vaccine'

 

You've invested a 100% certainty on a cautious maybe.   That's not the correct way to interpret data.

 

We can only go on the information we have now. 

 

 

[wowzz]

8 minutes ago, Dermotsgirl said:

this is what it says

 

'The difference in effectiveness between the vaccines after 2 doses may be explained by the fact that rollout of second doses of AstraZeneca was later than for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, and other data on antibody profiles show it takes longer to reach maximum effectiveness with the AstraZeneca vaccine'

 

You've invested a 100% certainty on a cautious maybe.   That's not the correct way to interpret data.

 

We can only go on the information we have now. 

 

 

I accept that I may be being optimistic.

However, I was trying to point out that the 60% figure for AZ was not as bad as it would appear at first sight.

[peteukmcr]

So after a very disappointing Eurovision result for the UK, and the fact I cannot work today due the final league game being played at the Etihad (which is our testing and vaccination centre), I'm catching up on here. The reason we cannot work today is that Manchester City have reclaimed their car parks for today's match and that's where the Regional Testing and Vaccination centre is located. Meaning the mobile units cannot be restocked nor be accessed for us to get on the road.

 

In terms of testing and vaccinations, as I read the north west was mentioned, we are now being deployed to areas with a surge in cases and are operating longer hours (that's a strain on your legs and back I can tell you). We have been at an Academy this week ensuring all pupils and staff were tested (10 hours), then yesterday we were another town (9 hours) where there has been an increase in positive cases, together with 3 other mobile units within a 1 mile radius. The town had also been provided with additional vaccine, equivalent to 5,000 extra doses and people of all ages could just turn up, and if eligible, they would be vaccinated. There were queues of over an hour with hundreds turning up. So, work is taking place to try and limit the spread.

It is even more important that all teams (and their families) self test (lateral flow test) on a regular basis and ours were negative this morning.

Edited May 23, 2021 by peteukmcr

[peteukmcr]

Another disappointment in the travel industry is the continuing downturn in demand. This is evident, despite cruises resuming from Southampton (MSC Virtuosa maiden voyage was on the 20th, Viking Venus was on 22nd from Portsmouth) because Blue Island (who took on the Manchester to Southampton route after the demise of Flybe) have cancelled our flights in mid August due to the lack of demand. So now we'll have to travel by train to Portsmouth for our Scarlet Lady Long Weekender at a higher cost and of course taking longer to get there.

[ann141]

13 minutes ago, peteukmcr said:

So after a very disappointing Eurovision result for the UK, and the fact I cannot work today due the final league game being played at the Etihad (which is our testing and vaccination centre), I'm catching up on here. The reason we cannot work today is that Manchester City have reclaimed their car parks for today's match and that's where the Regional Testing and Vaccination centre is located. Meaning the mobile units cannot be restocked nor be accessed for us to get on the road.

 

In terms of testing and vaccinations, as I read the north west was mentioned, we are now being deployed to areas with a surge in cases and are operating longer hours (that's a strain on your legs and back I can tell you). We have been at an Academy this week ensuring all pupils and staff were tested (10 hours), then yesterday we were another town (9 hours) where there has been an increase in positive cases, together with 3 other mobile units within a 1 mile radius. The town had also been provided with additional vaccine, equivalent to 5,000 extra doses and people of all ages could just turn up, and if eligible, they would be vaccinated. There were queues of over an hour with hundreds turning up. So, work is taking place to try and limit the spread.

It is even more important that all teams (and their families) self test (lateral flow test) on a regular basis and ours were negative this morning.

On a slightly more positive note Formby (in the North West) was one of the areas to see a spike in the Indian variant.Subsequently there was surge testing and vaccinations opened to anyone over the age of 18 (My niece aged 20 was vaccinated)  and now numbers of cases have fallen 🙂 I am hoping that new areas where the Indian variant has been identified  will adopt similar testing/increased vaccines to help stop the spread.It seems likely that in places like Bolton and Blackburn it had already spread before there was the chance to try to prevent it spreading.

[peteukmcr]

18 minutes ago, ann141 said:

On a slightly more positive note Formby (in the North West) was one of the areas to see a spike in the Indian variant.Subsequently there was surge testing and vaccinations opened to anyone over the age of 18 (My niece aged 20 was vaccinated)  and now numbers of cases have fallen 🙂 I am hoping that new areas where the Indian variant has been identified  will adopt similar testing/increased vaccines to help stop the spread.It seems likely that in places like Bolton and Blackburn it had already spread before there was the chance to try to prevent it spreading.

That's what we're involved in. Where we'll be tomorrow I don't know as yet (we get notified around 8pm the evening prior to deployment).

[zap99]

34 minutes ago, wowzz said:

I accept that I may be being optimistic.

However, I was trying to point out that the 60% figure for AZ was not as bad as it would appear at first sight.

We are still able to discuss this because the vaccine has prevented a good many from dying. One may be more effective than the other, who knows. If more folk had not declined the jab, perhaps a few of them, or their relatives would have been safer. Wowzz you should know by now that folk like to find some horror story to spread. It makes them happy. I blame to Eurovision variant.

[Harry Peterson]

2 hours ago, Dermotsgirl said:

Two doses of Pfizer = 88% effectiveness against symptomatic disease with Indian variant

 

Two doses of AZ. = 60% effectiveness against symptomatic diseases.with Indian variant. 

 

Bearing in mind most people have had AZ and the Indian variant is more infectious and on the rise, I think there is some cause for concern and hope the decision makers don’t try and ignore this 

 

 

You can be very sure they will conveniently overlook it. That’s a very large number of people with a pretty low protection from the AZ vaccine, on top of all the unvaccinated, and on top of somewhere between 500,000 and a million people with suppressed immune systems for whom the vaccines may not work at all.

 

And afterwards it’ll be ‘we had no idea that it would take off like this with so many cases, and so much long covid’.

[ann141]

31 minutes ago, peteukmcr said:

That's what we're involved in. Where we'll be tomorrow I don't know as yet (we get notified around 8pm the evening prior to deployment).

Thank you.Its a really valuable job in helping stop the spread of covid. My hubby has just come in from volunteering as a Steward at our local vaccination centre and is feeling peeved as Joe Root captain of England cricket team came in whilst hubby was on his break!

[Ardennais]

I really enjoyed Eurovision, but then I always do. I actually voted for Italy! The UK entry was pretty dire to be honest. Poor song, badly sung.  To get any points in the jury/public vote,  a song would have to placed in the top 10 out of 26 and there was simply no way that the UK entry would have been placed above another 16 entries. 

Edited May 23, 2021 by Ardennais

[zap99]

3 hours ago, Dermotsgirl said:

Two doses of Pfizer = 88% effectiveness against symptomatic disease with Indian variant

 

Two doses of AZ. = 60% effectiveness against symptomatic diseases.with Indian variant. 

 

Bearing in mind most people have had AZ and the Indian variant is more infectious and on the rise, I think there is some cause for concern and hope the decision makers don’t try and ignore this 

 

 

No doses, 0% effective. Let's hope all those folk catching it because they won't have the jab studied statistics🤔

[zap99]

10 minutes ago, Ardennais said:

I really enjoyed Eurovision, but then I always do. I actually voted for Italy! The UK entry was pretty dire to be honest. Poor song, badly sung.  To get any points in the jury/public vote,  a song would have to placed in the top 10 out of 26 and there was simply no way that the UK entry would have been placed above another 16 entries. 

One county got 0 points. Greece vote for Cyprus, Cyprus vote for Greece. The German lot with the middle finger to Eurovision got more votes than us. The fake ' heavy metal ' lot won it. How much licence payers money do we throw at this nonsense every year🤔.

[Eddie99]

My searches would suggest something far below £500,000.  A definitive figure of £310,000 was quoted for 2012

 

It’s not my thing at all, never has been, but I’d say the entertainment value for a huge proportion of the uk is high.  Beats much of the output, £ for £

[Ardennais]

26 minutes ago, Eddie99 said:

My searches would suggest something far below £500,000.  A definitive figure of £310,000 was quoted for 2012

 

It’s not my thing at all, never has been, but I’d say the entertainment value for a huge proportion of the uk is high.  Beats much of the output, £ for £

I’m surprised! I thought it would have been far higher so I would agree that it’s good value for money. I know that countries vote for their buddies but come on, even Ireland and Australia didn’t think that the UK entry deserved any points. And ‘I’m Amanda Holden’ was terrible too with her stupid ‘joke’. What’s clever about admitting that you’re stupid?!  Anyway we’ve always watched Eurovision and love the dottiness of it all. My Mother and I had a good chat about it on the phone this morning!

[kalos]

1 hour ago, zap99 said:

One county got 0 points. Greece vote for Cyprus, Cyprus vote for Greece. The German lot with the middle finger to Eurovision got more votes than us. The fake ' heavy metal ' lot won it. How much licence payers money do we throw at this nonsense every year🤔.

Greece vote for Cyprus, Cyprus vote for Greece... It's traditional ..What's 12pts between friends .In Eurovision there is a lot of hidden talent on the stage , I've never seen it but I'm sure it's there

Our family had a lot of talent within it , my auntie Doreen did well on opportunity Knocks back in the day.. She used to lock her self in a box and saw herself in two. The crowd must have liked her as she took 1st and 2nd place . The most talented though without doubt had to be my Granddad !I remember a talent scout coming up to me in a workingman's club and he said to me  ...."Kalos your Granddad is just like Elvis !"  I asked  "Really ,is it the way he moves or

sings ?"The guy said "No mate we think he's dead on a toilet seat " Lucky though he had just past out from too much drink . I do not watch Eurovision but it's just a bit of harmless fun, just like me

 

 

 

Edited May 23, 2021 by kalos

[Ardennais]

5 minutes ago, kalos said:

Greece vote for Cyprus, Cyprus vote for Greece... It's traditional ..What's 12pts between friends .In Eurovision there is a lot of hidden talent on the stage , I've never seen it but I'm sure it's there

Our family had a lot of talent within it , my auntie Doreen did well on opportunity Knocks back in the day.. She used to lock her self in a box and saw herself in two. The crowd must have liked her as she took 1st and 2nd place . The most talented though without doubt had to be my Granddad !I remember a talent scout coming up to me in a workingman's club and he said to me  ...."Kalos your Granddad is just like Elvis !"  I asked  "Really ,is it the way he moves or

sings ?"The guy said "No mate we think he's dead on a toilet seat " Lucky though he had just past out from too much drink . I do not watch Eurovision but it's just a bit of harmless fun, just like me

 

 

 

Kalos - that’s your best ever post! Love it.

[SarahHben]

The highlight of Eurovision last night for us was the actor from Will Ferrell’s Eurovision film who announced the Icelandic vote asking for the song JaJa Ding Dong while staying in character  😁  

When my girls were younger they used to get really upset that U.K. never did well, had to explain every year that it’s very political. 

[Ardennais]

There’s definitely a political side to it, but having such dire entries doesn’t help either? And Italy themselves haven’t got many natural allies either, 

nor the French and Swiss who came second and third. I mean they don’t belong to any ‘blocs’ as such.