Austalian state likely can't contain Delta, will let it rip

[starfro]

www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-07/nsw-delta-variant-may-never-be-controlled/100273956

Be thankful that here most vulnerable people are double jabbed, whereas over there it's far, far fewer.

Delta cannot be contained, it's too transmissible.

@callinda

May not have prevented all outbreaks but it could have been tried. I don't think the answer is, well we can't stop the lorry drivers so we'll just let anyone in with no quarantine!

Some of my Aussie rels keep telling me that we would have been fine to just let in lorry drivers. They like to tell me the drivers should be made to stay in their cabs in the UK. I think they visualise the big Australian lorries and landtrains that the drivers can live in for days without needing to mix with the locals, rather than the thousands of fairly small trucks that struggle to wheeze their way up the hill out of Dover every day. Lots are owner-driven and scarcely have room for the driver to sleep in the cab, never mind toilet facilities, or some way to wash themselves or cook - for that they have to get out. And Dover isn't the only port with Ro-Ro facilities, lorries come into many other ports from all over Europe.

The other thing is that hundreds of thousands of Brits were abroad on short trips when the scale of the Covid problem began to become apparent. I can't see us organising quarantine supervision for so many in a couple of weeks as they sought to return. About 650 flights land in Heathrow alone per day (or used to), so that would be a lot of people to organise when we weren't sure what we were facing. By the time we realised all those people had arrived and spread around the country.

The other thing is that hundreds of thousands of Brits were abroad on short trips when the scale of the Covid problem began to become apparent. I can't see us organising quarantine supervision for so many in a couple of weeks as they sought to return.

Yes this is true, and additionally quite a few of the Brits in Italy, which had the most cases at the time, were children on school ski trips. Don't think anyone would have been in favour of separating them from their parents to keep them under guard in hotels for two weeks! People who came back from the worst affected areas were actually told to isolate at home for a week or two IIRC, but clearly we didn't catch everyone that way.

The trouble is you don’t get normal life as they did for most part of year if any cases come in as you have to do quick lockdowns every time. Do even one or two cases coming in each week is too much for zero Covid route.

You need borders shut and even then it gets in.

How do people feel about Morrison’s (non) strategy prior to the Sydney outbreak? Do you think he’ll lose the election on the back of this?

The general consensus overseas is that the Australian federal government got off to a good start back in March 2020, then seemed to do literally nothing else, other than make bad purchasing decisions regarding the vaccines.

The U.K. border is just a totally different entity to the Australian border. Useful comparisons can’t be made.

Totally agree

In today's telegraph a journo has written 'Australians were quietly smug that they had got it right and that swift lockdowns and nothing else would do the job'
But are not so smug now that they realise they should have been cracking on with the vacinnes instead of shunning the Astra Zeneca.
They are panicking now!

I don't know anyone in Australia who has been either "smug" or who are "panicking". Surely you understand that journalists write this sort of rubbish all the time - doesn't mean it's true!

Oh I know a couple of smug Aussies in my family. Tbf they're very critical of their own govt now

@Mandalay246

In today's telegraph a journo has written 'Australians were quietly smug that they had got it right and that swift lockdowns and nothing else would do the job' But are not so smug now that they realise they should have been cracking on with the vacinnes instead of shunning the Astra Zeneca. They are panicking now!

I don't know anyone in Australia who has been either "smug" or who are "panicking". Surely you understand that journalists write this sort of rubbish all the time - doesn't mean it's true!

The comments section of U.K. news sites last year were bombarded with smug comments by Australians. It was very real, and very annoying.

I would really object to "smug". That implies pleasure and is not what I have felt from anyone. Horror, at the death toll, worry, for vulnerable family in the UK, sadness in not being able to see family, scared for the future, relieved that we hadn't had many deaths, frustrated with leaks from quarantine and slow vaccination... all these words would be a better characterisation of the general emotions. There will always be some idiots who post provocative things online, but they exist everywhere.

@callinda

I would really object to "smug". That implies pleasure and is not what I have felt from anyone. Horror, at the death toll, worry, for vulnerable family in the UK, sadness in not being able to see family, scared for the future, relieved that we hadn't had many deaths, frustrated with leaks from quarantine and slow vaccination... all these words would be a better characterisation of the general emotions. There will always be some idiots who post provocative things online, but they exist everywhere.

That is your experience, there in Australia. Smug and crowing are two words I feel very comfortable using to describe the attitude of many Australians I encountered online last year, and even within my own extended family back home in Oz. It embarrassed me. Covid is not a game, there is no way to “win” at dealing with it. Sacrifices are made whichever path is chosen. Many Australians last year simply closed their eyes and ears to the tens of thousands of citizens based overseas they slammed the door on, the price paid for your transient “normality”.

Incidentally, the Oxford definition of smug:

“Having or showing an excessive pride in oneself or one's achievements.”

Nothing there about taking pleasure in other’s pain.

@sashagabadon

Imo it’s inevitable that Covid will spread throughout Aus and NZ eventually. It’s just a question of when. It can’t be stopped and shut borders just kick the fan down the road. Both countries need an impossibly high level of vaccination including children. It can’t realistically be achieved. Conversation over there does seem to be changing and some people are realising what a predicament they are in now and that zero Covid is false narrative. They do have the benefit of watching us opening up to see how much vaccination helps but we have high levels of natural immunity which they don’t have so they need more vaccination. It seems the politicians are still lockdown enthusiasts but more sensible people are starting to think about changing the conversation to living with Covid ( just like we have had to as well, we’re just further on in the process) 2022 will be a tough year for both countries I think.

I remember some saying the same about 2021 with these countries last year

To be fair the U.K. displayed a lot of smugness about its vaccination programme a few months ago.

They’re quieter now the other European nations are overtaking us on % population fully jabbed. Mainly caused by delta meaning one jab wasn’t as protective as previously, AZ being banned for under 40s and lower stocks of Pfizer than az.

None of us should be smug. Things can change very quickly.

They are panicking now!

You sound really delighted about this.

It is not the World Cup or whatever, it's a fucking pandemic. Shadenfruede is unpleasant.

Many Australians last year simply closed their eyes and ears
many Australians I encountered online last year

I have no doubt that you could have encountered some individuals who expressed such views. This pandemic has been an opportunity for people around the world to choose to show the best or the worst of human nature. We've seen both.

But to suggest that such individuals represent the attitude of the country as a whole is simply false.

Likewise I know that the gleeful They are panicking now! attitudes of some posters on this thread do not represent the vast majority of the UK.

@IndigoC

Incidentally, the Oxford definition of smug:

“Having or showing an excessive pride in oneself or one's achievements.”

Nothing there about taking pleasure in other’s pain.

The connotation is definitely there. Especially if you're pairing it with a word like "crowing". Do you honestly think the majority of Australians were watching people dying and cheering?

Incidentally, the Oxford definition of smug:

“Having or showing an excessive pride in oneself or one's achievements.”

In other words the many posts on here about the UK and its vaccination programme.

@echt

There were also good reasons for our vaccine roll out to be slow. We just didn't have the same urgency they the UK did

There were not good reasons. Incompetent federal government did fuck all. They had one job. One job.

Sorry, another job. Complete lack of help when hotel quarantine shown to leak. Oh, hang on, it was happening in a Labor-governed state.

Federal are a bunch of cunts. As an English teacher of 40+ years, I am certain this is the collective noun.

I thought it was a group of politicians was an “Incompetence” but if you combine that bunch with counts it rings more true.

I will truely lose faith in Australia as a functional country if those useless cunts get back in at the election. (Nsw or federal)
If they do I suggest joining NZ as the West Islands is a valid choice.

@Wildewoodz

To be fair the U.K. displayed a lot of smugness about its vaccination programme a few months ago.

They’re quieter now the other European nations are overtaking us on % population fully jabbed. Mainly caused by delta meaning one jab wasn’t as protective as previously, AZ being banned for under 40s and lower stocks of Pfizer than az.

None of us should be smug. Things can change very quickly.

Which European countries were you thinking of?

I am pleased, but not smug, with UK vaccination programme, but don't consider it a race with other countries. Rather a race against the virus.

If other countries catch up or overtake I will be more than happy, as it means less chance of importing more to UK.

But according to World in Data, we are still ahead of most of the major European countries.

Spain has 58% of population fully jabbed, 11% partially jabbed
UK has 56/13
Ireland 56/12

Italy, France, Greece all much lower.

Im not sure I see "smug" in Uk vaccination programme. More relief. It has been a long long time witha lot of lockdowns and restrictions and the vaccination programme is showing some hope of a way out. Absolutely relief and joy here at some return to normality and kids back at school properly after 2 disrupted school years! It has been hard.

And yes will absolutely be pleased to see every country fully vaccinated! I honestly can't think of anyone who wants the Uk to be the only country with a high vaccination profile. If nothing else its in everyones self interest to have the world vaccinated.

Yes sheer relief at the vaccination programme here and almost tearful at how keen everyone was to have it. I help at the vaccine centre near me and just wanted to hug everyone who queued up. Not smug in the least.

Thankyou Newborn for your work with the vaccines. After being cautious for so long I wanted to hug everyone at the centre (obviously didn't!) And was tearful on the way out. Perhaps it's hard for some to understand what it has been like.

I think maybe pride at having invented and rolled out a jab in 12 months.

Pride and amazement at what British science had achieved. And relief.