Let's talk Covid here

[Blackduck59]

Well, someone suggested we have this thread so here it is. Please let's be civil.

I don't have much to add from what I have posted elsewhere. Just as the T shirt says "This is our shot" get registered and get vaccinated. Unless you have an actual medical reason to decline, get it done.

[Fouremco]

Dw and I, as well as our adult children and their spouses are all vaccinated (1st shot) and waiting for our 2nd. DW and I have our appointment for the 2nd shots at the end of July, but are hoping that the date will move up.

 

DD and her family live in La Belle Province, and the rest of us in Ontario, and there are so many differences in how things are handled, from lockdowns to vaccinations to kids in school. 

[gnome12]

Since all of Ontario's reopening plans are linked to vaccination percentages, I wonder how many Ontario residents got vaccinated elsewhere, particularly in the US, and how counting them in might affect the numbers.

[Fouremco]

1 minute ago, gnome12 said:

Since all of Ontario's reopening plans are linked to vaccination percentages, I wonder how many Ontario residents got vaccinated elsewhere, particularly in the US, and how counting them in might affect the numbers.

Not enough to make it statistically significant, I'd imagine. 

[broberts]

Funny the things I really miss. My hair is longer than it has been for fourty years and I hate it.

[iancal]

I am interested to know what type of documentation we will get in order to confirm vaccination with those carriers and countries that require it for passage or entry.   Not to mention the many employers who will require proof of covid vaccination for employment purposes.

 

We have had the first shots.  They appear on our Provincial Health database along with every other vaccine, flu shot,  medical consult, etc. since 2007.  I assume all Provinces have different health care information systems.  

 

Will the feds co-ordinate it?  Will it simply be some flimsy card that we carry in our vaccination books?  No idea.  But we need to know if we plan to travel out of the county in the fall and winter.

 

Ditto for what I suspect will be the annual covid booster shot that may replace our annual flu shots.

Edited May 24, 2021 by iancal

[Blackduck59]

I don't think anybody has a firm grip on what the "official" document will look like (even the powers that be). For now we have "the card" they gave us, I'm carrying it in my wallet so I'm sure I have it with me when it's time for my second shot. After that it will be kept with my passport. It's a flimsy thing easily counterfeited but it's what we got. Will the same scofflaws that won't follow protocols, won't wear masks, demand they be able to do whatever they want, buy or make fakes? Of course they will. Think of them as the buffet slobs and chair hogs of the covid era. The only difference is if they are exposed chances are they will be at the mercy of the laws of the land they are visiting. It could be costly, way more than the free vaccine or the $10.00 fake credential.

[broberts]

7 hours ago, iancal said:

I am interested to know what type of documentation we will get in order to confirm vaccination with those carriers and countries that require it for passage or entry.   Not to mention the many employers who will require proof of covid vaccination for employment purposes.

 

We have had the first shots.  They appear on our Provincial Health database along with every other vaccine, flu shot,  medical consult, etc. since 2007.  I assume all Provinces have different health care information systems.  

 

Will the feds co-ordinate it?  Will it simply be some flimsy card that we carry in our vaccination books?  No idea.  But we need to know if we plan to travel out of the county in the fall and winter.

 

Ditto for what I suspect will be the annual covid booster shot that may replace our annual flu shots.

 

I received a receipt from the Ministry of Health. It was printed and given to me at the end of a 15 minute side effect wait.

[lostinparadise999]

52 minutes ago, broberts said:

 

I received a receipt from the Ministry of Health. It was printed and given to me at the end of a 15 minute side effect wait.

Some of the EU countries have on their country tourist website the protocol for arrivals. All travellers must complete the PLF. 

This is an example of the one for Greece: https://travel.gov.gr/#/

 

- As of May 14th, travelers arriving in Greece are required to have a negative PCR certificate from a testing laboratory, for a Covid-19 test taken no later than 72 hours before arrival.
This test is mandatory for all tourists (including children over the age of 5), regardless of the epidemiological situation in the country of departure.

- Proof of a negative test is not required however for all travelers that have completed their vaccination (i.e., 14 days have elapsed since the last vaccination, depending on the doses required) and hold a vaccination certificate.

Acceptable vaccines are: Pfizer BioNtech, Moderna, Astra Zeneca/Oxford, Novavax, Johnson + Johnson/Janssen, Sinovac Biotech, Gamaleya (Sputnik), Cansino Biologics, Sinopharm among others.

- Proof of a negative PCR test is not required if the traveler was tested positive with COVID-19 in the past 2 to 9 months. This can be proved either by presenting a positive PCR molecular test result performed by an authorized laboratory or a medical certificate confirming that the holder was tested positive with SARS-CoV-2 virus infection.

- Every traveler who arrives in Greece, regardless of the certificate in their possession, may undergo a random health screening. If you are selected, please keep in mind that the screening is mandatory. In case of refusal, authorities reserve the right to refuse entry into the country. The selection is made through a targeted sampling system ”EVA” used also in the summer of 2020.

- Important clarification: Entry of tourists in Greece is not subject to vaccination. Presenting a vaccination certificate greatly facilitates the procedures upon arrival. However, in no case is a vaccination or antibodies certificate considered a "passport".

- The countries from which entry is allowed, under the aforementioned conditions, without the requirement for subsequent self-isolation are: EU & Schengen Area countries, USA, UK, Israel, Serbia, UAE, New Zealand, Australia, South Korea, Thailand, Rwanda, Singapore, the Russian Federation, North Macedonia, Canada, Belarus, Bahrein, Qatar, China, Kuwait, Ukraine, and Saudi Arabia.

 

[gnome12]

Canada is talking to the EU, and I'm pretty sure that we will come up with something that is compatible with theirs.

[iancal]

I hope so.  My daughter had her second Pfizer shot this weekend-at a pharmacy.  She was not given any paperwork.   She was told that public health will provide the documentation on request.

 

We do not anticipate even considering a cruise until late 2022 but we do have a number of land trips at the top of our respective bucket lists for hopefully late fall and for a snowbird trip next winter.

[burnabyjean]

For those of us in BC, you can login to Health Gateway, click on your vaccination entry, and there's a digital version of your vaccination card that you can download as a PDF. I have that stored on my phone, so it's always available.

[TeaBag]

Well said, Blackduck.  There are always those who think the rules don't apply to them.  I really wish we cold get a vaccination card similar to our drivers licence that would have our picture on it.  I suppose the forgers would get around that too but it would be a bit more difficult.  I worry about people getting on a cruise with fake credentials.  We are not cruising till 2022 either.

 

When we get our second shot, I suppose it will be noted on the little card we got in the beginning.  I think we will laminate ours so it doesn't get torn.

[TeaBag]

3 hours ago, burnabyjean said:

For those of us in BC, you can login to Health Gateway, click on your vaccination entry, and there's a digital version of your vaccination card that you can download as a PDF. I have that stored on my phone, so it's always available.

Thank you for this, burnabyjean.  Did you used to live in Burnaby?

[burnabyjean]

8 minutes ago, TeaBag said:

Thank you for this, burnabyjean.  Did you used to live in Burnaby?

Yes, we lived in Burnaby for 24 years, but retired to Naramata 7 years ago.

[Magicat]

Back in mid March, Mississippi announced that anyone 18 and over could get vaccinated.  Since we own property there, we discovered we were eligible.  Now back in March, you have to remember, the Canadian government had really messed up with the vaccine accessibility, so we took it upon ourselves to "get it done."  I work in Mexico and live here full time with my wife.  Two shots, 3 weeks apart and by end of April we were totally vaccinated with a card as proof and an online proof of vaccination from the Mississippi Department of Health.  

 

As for the card, get it laminated.  Office Depot was offering to laminate vaccination cards for free.

 

As for those who want to falsify a vaccination document are not too smart.  There is the chance that they could spread it to someone who has a legitimate reason for not getting vaccinated.  But if they got it they could be in for a world of hurt.  

 

Looking forward to going on our B2B cruise in September.  Fingers crossed it sails.

[lostinparadise999]

On 5/24/2021 at 4:48 PM, Magicat said:

Back in mid March, Mississippi announced that anyone 18 and over could get vaccinated.  Since we own property there, we discovered we were eligible.  Now back in March, you have to remember, the Canadian government had really messed up with the vaccine accessibility, so we took it upon ourselves to "get it done."  I work in Mexico and live here full time with my wife.  Two shots, 3 weeks apart and by end of April we were totally vaccinated with a card as proof and an online proof of vaccination from the Mississippi Department of Health.  

 

As for the card, get it laminated.  Office Depot was offering to laminate vaccination cards for free.

 

As for those who want to falsify a vaccination document are not too smart.  There is the chance that they could spread it to someone who has a legitimate reason for not getting vaccinated.  But if they got it they could be in for a world of hurt.  

 

Looking forward to going on our B2B cruise in September.  Fingers crossed it sails.

For those interested in doing a Europe and TA back in Oct 2021, Holland America on the Carnival Corp website has announced Eurodam will be taking over Westerdam cruises. Also all passengers must be 2 dose vaccination and provide proof. 

https://www.carnivalcorp.com/news-releases/news-release-details/holland-america-lines-eurodam-extends-2021-mediterranean-cruise

[lots-of-km2]

Hi all. Really glad that you have a Canadian corner now.  Woo hoo!

 

When world travel resumes full steam ahead, it would be better if governments relied way less, or not at all on paper proof (which is easy for scoundrels to counterfeit).   Reliance should be on government digital records or registries that are linked to passports, drivers licenses, Trusted Traveler Programs, and, in the case of Canada, Nexus cards.  

 

Cruise ship companies will be under the gun to maintain disease-free, safe environments for passengers and crew on their ships.   They will need to work very hard to win back the confidence of travelers, and to enforce safe behaviour on the part of travelers, too.  I've booked a lengthy cruise for December, 2022, but would have no hesitation to cancel if, over the next year or so, voyages aren't proven to be safe from a health perspective. 

 

Proof of vaccination ought to required to be submitted by a passenger weeks before they  board a cruise,  not at the check-in desk, so that the cruise ship company has time to scrutinize the legitimacy of the submitted information.  People who are caught gaming the system should be penalized financially (losing their deposits or worse) and barred from cruising with the company for life.  

 

[TeaBag]

Very well said.  i agree totally.  Never thought of them using the Nexus card.

[lots-of-km2]

Thanks! 

 

And cruise companies should be compelled to report any fraudulent documentation they come across to the CBSA, US Homeland Security, and Interpol.  Forging vaccination status ought to be a crime everywhere.

[middlehaitch]

Agree with having the vaccine linked to already established ID. 

 

In BC our Drivers License is also our Service Card so it should be able to be linked there, but as I said on the main boards for international travel it would be easier to have it linked to a passport via a visa application for a particular country or as a visa type add on to your current passport accessible via the chip until passport renewal where there would be a vaccine element to the application.

 

(IE: If I enter the USA with my British passport I have an 'esta' digitally attached which is renewed bi annually and digitally attached to my passport, no paper copy, an extra line could include my vaccine info.)

 

Of course the down side to this is it has to be an international agreement for it to work as part of a passport not a visa type add on for a particular country which would be complicated enough. I think it would be good if the WHO (or similar as non political body as possible) got involved in the implementation of international proof of vaccination guidelines/recognition. 

 

Heck it's a mess and complicated whichever way you look at it because everywhere has developed their own data collection method, or not, and think its the best.

 

Cheers, h (who swore to leave he covid threads alone as they are not good for me 🥂) 

[lostinparadise999]

Good news for BC...they shorten the 2nd dose to 8 weeks. Yes! we have a cruise in Oct and will meet requirements. 

[Magicat]

Finally some positive news coming out of Canada on Covid.

[iancal]

It depends where you live. We expect to be age eligible for our second Pfizer (Alberta) next week

 

Our daughter lives in a small Alberta location.  Vaccination uptake (unfortunately)  in the area is not as  good as it should be. The pharmacy keeps a list of people who can come for the first OR second shot at a moment's notice.  Their goal is not to let a drop of the vaccine go to waste even if it means bending the rules.

 

As a result, she (35 years old)  got her second Pfizer shot last week.  Her husband is on the same list for his second shot.....should be in the next two or three days.

Edited May 28, 2021 by iancal

[lostinparadise999]

6 hours ago, Magicat said:

Finally some positive news coming out of Canada on Covid.

Well 80% over 70 and 65% over 12 have received 1 dose in BC. Overall 65% for BC...just the 30 to 50 age group is lagging behind...too busy working. But very little vaccine hestiancy. Lots of teens getting the shot even when parents are not allowing them, but all they have to do is go to a clinic and they will get a shot, no appointment necessary for them. They know if they want a life they need to do what is necessary.