Australia loosing their minds at being offered the Oxford Vaccine..

[MoirasRoses]

I’ve just been pottering through Twitter & came across a trending thread re-Australia mostly buying the Oxford vaccine. They are losing their minds at being offered the less effective vaccine & accusing the government of wanting to ‘kill them’ & being corrupt & pals with Trump (no idea what he’s got to do with a vaccine from the UK).

Why this major over reaction? Compared to the much more positive & hopeful reaction here? I thought more recently data showed Oxford to be 90% if given 12 weeks apart? And even if only 60%, more than good enough? I was reading an article where a couple doctors were saying almost 100% of people did not need hospital treatment or became seriously ill after one dose. That’s incredible..

@MRex Australia is part of the covax initiative and has contributed financially to this.

@MRex apologies I didn't read your response correctly- long night with DS so it's all a bit fuzzy!

As I said, he's enjoying life in Australia, but has commented that many of his friends and associates are feeling restricted by the constraints.

The constraints are largely related to border closures, which are in response to mini-outbreaks. Parts of Sydney had a sort of “lockdown-lite” over the festive season in response to a handful of cases of community spread.

Not being able to travel between states is a pain for many, probably more so if you’re a tourist. There are howls of protest from some, but actually most people suppprt the restrictions.

That said, day-to-day life is pretty “normal”. The media breathlessly reports any new positive case and public health are working very hard to keep track of new community cases with cases arising from returned travellers in quarantine.

Otherwise, everything is open. Shops, pools, work, kids’ sport, beaches, libraries, child care, restaurants. It’s our long summer holiday here but parents are getting ready for their children to start school again. Hospitals are offering a normal device.

Does your son read the news?

What is clear about this thread is that the shit-stirring OP has never been back.

@eaglejulesk

As I said, he's enjoying life in Australia, but has commented that many of his friends and associates are feeling restricted by the constraints.

Are you seriously trying to tell us that your DS feels restricted by the constraints in Australia, yet there are no constraints in the UK?

No I'm not.

I'm trying - obviously very badly - to say that many of DS's friends are conscious of the restrictions placed on travel (mainly back to their home countries for holidays), whilst still being aware that they are lucky to be in a place so unaffected by Covid.

I don't think they believe Australia have done the wrong thing, but that it is having an impact on their mental health.

His friendship group is mainly UK and Irish, and they feel a long way from those they care about. But they still love being in Australia!

No mention of UK constraints - it's about people.

@nolongersurprised

Does your son read the news?

Avidly.

Of course we are conscious of the restraints! They are a pain in the arse.

I don't like having my movements restricted or being told how many people I can legally have in my home. I don't like any of it.

However, I see the news from the UK and the US and accept that these restrictions are the lesser evil.

Your son is presumably a UK citizen? If so he is free to leave.

If I had to choose where I was going to be locked in. Sydney is the top of the list.

There is a global pandemic. Some inconvenience may be experienced.

@Icanseegreenshoots

I think it is okay to feel very proud of the Oxford team, in the same way that the Germans were very proud of their vaccine. It is called national pride. I am proud of lots of things - my children, my country, my work. When we won lots of medals at the olympics and so on.

It is very motivating to feel the country is behind you, whether you are developing a vaccine or an invention or a team sport.

The vaccine is an incredible achievement. As a volunteer I played my part, so yes definitely feeling collective pride as do most people. It is wonderful news, and will save millions of lives.

Yep it’s great and good work on volunteering.

I’m pretty proud of UK scientists etc all round including sequencing, MRHA, JCVI etc .

If they don't want it we'll have it back thanks. Plenty of uses for it in the UK.

Then if they get stuck and there's not enough Pfizer I'm assuming their own scientists will soon come up with their own alternative........tumbleweed.....

*Your son is presumably a UK citizen? If so he is free to leave.

If I had to choose where I was going to be locked in. Sydney is the top of the list.*

He doesn't want to leave, he loves life in Sydney, but would like to visit home. He knows it is not possible at present, and lives with it. I don't think I can say it any more clearly! But please don't think that missing home from time to time equates to dissing Australia.

*Does your son read the news?

Avidly.*

So, depending on where he lives in Sydney he can wake up, visit a gym, swim at the beach, go into work, go to a cafe for lunch, swim at a public pool after work, go out for drinks, dinner and go to the movies.

Yet he is hankering for the U.K. because he thinks the government have imposed fewer constraints?

@nolongersurprised

He can and does - and appreciates how fortunate he is.

He misses the people he loves back in the UK and would like to visit. He accepts he can't. It's a compromise. But yes, the UK Govt. has imposed fewer constraints, and many would say that's a bad thing.

I feel that everything I say is being interpreted as a slight against Aussie and Australia - that is not my intention and I'm getting a little bored of it now.

However, this last 12 months has made him realise how 'controlling' the Aussie Govt have been (not bashing - fact) in comparison to the UK. He and his many young professional colleagues are questioning whether they want to stay longterm.

ajandjjmum
This is what you posted - that compared to the U.K. your son found the Australian government “controlling”.

It’s bemusing really, given how unrestricted day-to-day life in Sydney is compared to lockdown in the U.K.

The UK gov has imposed fewer restraints than the NSW gov?

I have to say I am surprised by that. I was under the impression most hospitality was closed, visitor numbers were restricted and you were all only supposed to be going out for "essentials"?

If you are not complaining (on your son's behalf) or "dissing" the Oz approach what are you actually trying to say?

It is annoying that he can't return to Oz after visiting UK family at the moment. I get that. It is annoying and upsetting that I can't visit family in Canada.

But there are worse situations at the moment. Far far worse.

What does he actually want to happen? To be able to jump on a plane home, return when it suits with no quarantine? Well I want that as well. But again. Global pandemic. A bit inconvenient.

Night all.

I too am surprised nolongersurprised.

In the last week I have swung by the office, been out for multiple meals with friends, visited my mum, been to the beach twice, done a couple of grocery shops and just generally had a normal (if somewhat more pleasant/relaxed because it's January) week. All completely within the restrictions.

Sure wearing a mask in some situations is new and not fun, and more places needing reservations/needing you to move on after a couple of hours isn't ideal but all in all I am feeling pretty damn lucky.

We won't know for years (if ever) what the "best" approach is/was. But for now I am feeling confident with the Health advice we are being given and am accepting if not happy about the restrictions.

Dr Kerry Chant had better get some sort of medal and a long paid holiday of her choosing when this is over. Goddam Boss that woman.

If you live in Sydney and feel hard done by because there are a few sensible restrictions to keep you safe from a global pandemic, then, honestly I have very little sympathy. Yes, we can’t have big groups to our houses (because that’s how the virus took hold in Melbourne), but it’s summer, meet up at the beach or in a park - then you can meet 30 of your friends.
Ok so you can’t travel interstate - well, travel in NSW then. I’m currently on holiday in Byron, it’s busy and bustling, I’m having a lovely time.
Yes we can’t get back to see family and I’m sad about that. But equally, you can’t DO anything in the U.K. at the moment anyway, so there would be no point going back.
I could understand people feeling hard done by if everyone else was just living their lives as normal and we were the only ones restricted but we have so few restrictions on day to day life compared to other countries.

Those restrictions are being felt by a lot of us here in Australia but generally most see it as fair trade off to be healthy and have few restrictions on daily life. Of our social circle we have people missing their close family in Brazil, NZ, Wales, Japan, South Africa, England and Finland.
We really are a multicultural bunch over here.

I too am surprised nolongersurprised.

Well, there’s nothing to stop the poster’s son leaving Australia and enjoying fewer constraints in the U.K. and a “less controlling” government.

I can’t do a day trip over our border lines but this weekend my DC have planned athletics, a surfing competition, we’ll shop for new school shoes, run on the beach and DH and I are going out to a restaurant. Very constraining.

@AllAussieAdventures "goddamn boss that woman"
Amen to that.

Bleurgh school shoe shopping. That is next week. I wouldn't mind so much if that was banned.

Australia got a long way towards developing our own vaccine but had to abandon it at a late stage as it was giving false positives for HIV.
Concerns are expressed about the choice of Oxford as it is being reported as having 62% effectiveness.
We look at the shitshow we see taking place in the UK and are grateful every day. In Melbourne we endured a bitterly long hard lockdown so that we didn't have tens of thousands of deaths.

I'm in North Queensland and my day to day life has been completely unaffected by covid. We have never had a case in my town. Maybe we will at some point but... so far nothing.

Obviously I miss my family in the UK, but other than not being able to leave the country my life has carried on as normal. Our local economy seems fine. Everything is open. There are no limits on meeting with friends, whether inside or out. My daughter's daycare has been open this whole time. My husband's job has been unaffected. We go out and do exactly the same things as we were doing before this all happened.

I'm amazed that anyone could feel "restricted" here when compared to what is happening in the rest of the world.

Also, you can actually leave if you need to. I have friends who have been given permission to go to funerals or visit sick relatives in the UK. They were allowed back in as long as they did the hotel quarantine.

@Mrbob

And I think it is fairly obvious why we can’t open up until we have a really effective vaccine if you actually think about the maths. We are happy to wait because we can. And there is no need to design a new vaccine if there is a perfectly good one- we can wait until the hardest hit countries have got going on vaccinations and then wait for later batches because we don’t have the urgency. In the UK ANY vaccine which will reduce the catastrophic death rate will help. Here, using a less effective vaccine and opening up will INCREASE our death rate

Yes, exactly.

@ajandjjmum

I can understand your sons point of view, being on the other side of the world from friends and family can be hard, but is made easier knowing it’s just a plane ride ( or 2 or 3 really) away.

But I’m guessing there is a bit of whinging Pom coming out from your son, having a moan for the sake of moaning. Nothing wrong with moaning to family about minor things, but I think what has got people’s backs up, is you trying to pass his complaining to you as proof of how shit and controlling Australia is.

As you have said he enjoys his life in Australia and doesn’t want to leave.