NZ back into lockdown.

[Malin52]

1 case in the community. All of NZ back into lockdown Level 4 because no link to border found.

Hard and fast.

[quote 50ShadesOfCatholic]@EileenGC

Re your take on it seeming crazy to lockdown over one case. I can follow that thought process but it won't be one case, there will be more, and besides, NZ's strategy has worked brilliantly. We've had so much more freedom than virtually every other country.

Can't wait till our vaccination numbers are up though.[/quote]
But what happens when a good % are vaccinated and they decide to reopen the borders? Vaccines don’t stop transmission, so what’s the solution then? Every time there’s an imported case or a death (both of which we’ll have for a long while), the country goes back into lockdown? Or will they never reopen the borders for fear of one single case coming into the country?

This virus will only get more and more aggressive, and will become similar to the flu - you can’t eliminate flu.

What does freedom mean for those who haven’t been able to see their families, or work as they used to, for 1.5 years?

I don’t get the logic in stopping vaccinations? U.K. managed to continue vaccinations without missing a single day and that was during both a January Alpha outbreak and a Delta April one.
Vaccines are a bit like planting trees. The best time to plant one is 20 years ago, the second best time is today.
NZ may also be making a mistake with sticking to the 3 week dosing schedule although apparently are increasing this to 8 weeks soon ( despite Jacinda criticising the U.K. for making this exact decision to extend the gap 8 months ago )

There could be many factors contributing the slow vaccine rollout. I'm not sure what availability is but remember NZ don't have the same free GP service we have here, you have to pay to see a doctor. I believe there is a shortage of medical staff too/those trained to deliver the vaccine (isn't there everywhere though?).

NZ are in winter at the moment too, maybe a factor? I am struggling to believe that it was caught off something shipped in, surely this is a stretch after everything we know? Some poeple must be going in and out?

Interesting article in the paper recently regarding investment heading out of NZ and Aus because of their very strict stance. They need to get vaccinating quickly, they've only got a population of 5.5m in total.

Lots of people are not happy with how things are BUT we are a democracy, and a very democratic one at that (proportional representation) and so accept that the people in charge speak for the majority.
NZ is a very compliant place. For all it's out there, rough tough, number 8 wire can do attitude, fundamentally we are a nation of well behaved small town folk.

@EileenGC
The strategy for re-opening borders was announced last week. We are already bubbling with Cook Islands (popular holiday spot) and will continue to bubble up as vaccine rates rise. Conditions will vary depending where visitors are arriving from but New Zealanders will not have to go into managed isolation and there are tiers for other arrivals depending on where they've come from and their vaccine status.

@Whichjab

What is going to happen when everyone is fully vaccinated ? The UK shows that being vaccinated doesn't stop people from becoming symptomatic and doesn't stop the spread. Will the government still lockdown as deaths will still happen even if 100% of the population is vaccinated.

I'd like to assume both Australia and New Zealand are going to learn to live with covid and accept some deaths once they reach their vaccination target. Locking down has just kicked the can down the road with a much lower death rate than other countries.

We have increased to a 6 week schedule.
She (just assume we mean Jacinda) said that the vaccine centres will close for 48 hours until they are sure they can be safe. I had my vaccine this week and none of the staff were masked and we were all sitting together - 100 plus people, in a mall - so they will need to step up the bio security if they are to continue to vaccinate. But I expect we will start again in 3 days.

New Zealanders will not have to go into managed isolation and there are tiers for other arrivals depending on where they've come from and their vaccine status.

What I don’t understand about this is as follows …

This won’t keep delta out. It won’t keep it spreading when it arrives.

Is it supposed to? Or will there be a slow prepping of the public to accept a level of community transmission (along with inevitable hospitalisation and deaths) in the longer term?

@Jackgrealishscurtains

Where I live - a large University city in the south of the South Island, vaccines are free to all ages in walk in clinics across the city. Anyone over 16 can get the jab.

So why are only 20% of the population vaccinated? I can't believe how slow the programme has been to be honest - they have had the perfect opportunity to get everyone done really quickly, and the population is relatively small as well? What has been happening?!

It’s been a phased rollout in most parts of the country. We had a huge shipment arrive a month or so ago and it’s been ramping up since then. Prior to the main shipment arriving it was focused on border workers and the most vulnerable

Im assuming Jackgrealishcurtains lives in Dunedin. Only 120,000 people live there. Even if every one of them took up the vaccine it wouldn’t have much impact on the overall numbers.

@sashagabadon

I don’t get the logic in stopping vaccinations? U.K. managed to continue vaccinations without missing a single day and that was during both a January Alpha outbreak and a Delta April one. Vaccines are a bit like planting trees. The best time to plant one is 20 years ago, the second best time is today. NZ may also be making a mistake with sticking to the 3 week dosing schedule although apparently are increasing this to 8 weeks soon ( despite Jacinda criticising the U.K. for making this exact decision to extend the gap 8 months ago )

NZ isn't stopping vaccinations, the programme has paused for two days to get a few things sorted.

The time between boosters is now six weeks or longer if you choose. I have chosen 8 weeks.

To the poster whose in-laws have not been vaccinated yet, there are stories like that so I guess the service varies between areas. My teenage daughter has had her jabs and got a next day appointment for first one so there is plenty of availability in some places. I agree that it is disappointing that the roll-out is not more consistent.

Vaccines are definitely available to younger people - I've been emailed and text messaged to book in (already fully vaxxed as in health sector) and only 40. Was in local library last week and they did an announcement asking anyone available to attend local vaccine centre walk-ins as there was availability.

There are a few regions which are behind but most are proceeding well. There does appear to be a large group of hesitant people and I expect a large group of people who are not registered with a GP/have equity and access issues to get to vaccine clinics but there have been mass events to try and reach them.

I believe the vaccine roll out and lockdown have all been done well. The main issue seems to be MIQ spaces and people with genuine need unable to book in with others gaming the system.

@TheKeatingFive

New Zealanders will not have to go into managed isolation and there are tiers for other arrivals depending on where they've come from and their vaccine status.

What I don’t understand about this is as follows …

This won’t keep delta out. It won’t keep it spreading when it arrives.

Is it supposed to? Or will there be a slow prepping of the public to accept a level of community transmission (along with inevitable hospitalisation and deaths) in the longer term?

Nothing will keep delta out but obviously it'll have less impact once vaccine rates are up.

The delay in vaccinations was mainly caused by the fact that NZ did not arrange to get most of their first lot of vaccine delivered until July. We completely wasted months and months when everyone could have been double vaccinated by now.

It is frustrating to go straight to Level 4 but it is what it is and hopefully will not be for long. I am hoping it will be the huge push to get the vaccinations done. It is my birthday next week and we were planning a few days away and a few meals out with friends to celebrate - have cancelled the hotel and hoping the meals will be able to ahead next week-end.

Nothing will keep delta out but obviously it'll have less impact once vaccine rates are up.

Sure, but I’m interested in how explicitly this is being spelt out?

Trust in Ashley.

@TheKeatingFive
Honestly I can't remember but it was detailed last week. See covid hasn't been part of our lives for months so lots of us don't follow every announcement.

People are very compliant. The announcement was at 6pm and driving home at 9 the roads were deserted.

Apparently NZ are experiencing abnormally high numbers of paeds with bronch/RSV presentations. Our modelling predicts that for the UK on winter, with covid as a factor. Interesting that they now have a confirmed positive, is it possible that it’s out there in a different way and hasn’t been detected?

Oh @FiveShelties I hope your birthday celebrations go ahead!!

I was at Italian cooking tonight and the tutor brought champagne to celebrate "the last supper"

@Arriettyborrower

Apparently NZ are experiencing abnormally high numbers of paeds with bronch/RSV presentations. Our modelling predicts that for the UK on winter, with covid as a factor. Interesting that they now have a confirmed positive, is it possible that it’s out there in a different way and hasn’t been detected?

Yes on both counts. We keep hearing about RSV. And we will apparently.genome sequencing will be done on this one case tomorrow so we'll have a better idea where it's come from.

@Arriettyborrower

Apparently NZ are experiencing abnormally high numbers of paeds with bronch/RSV presentations. Our modelling predicts that for the UK on winter, with covid as a factor. Interesting that they now have a confirmed positive, is it possible that it’s out there in a different way and hasn’t been detected?

RSV levels here were very high a month or so back, but were low last winter. Which model are you looking at as I'd be interested to see? The stuff I've seen says that this winter is likely to be back to usual levels.

So what happens when 80% of the country is double vaccinated? People will continue to catch and die of Covid for many years to come.

Will NZ accept any Covid deaths or keep their borders closed indefinitely?

The border re-opening strategy was announced last week. But nothing much will change this year.

NZ has a very vulnerable indigenous population. That group of people are also less likely to have family and business overseas. And they are equal partners in all political decisions, by law.
So, we may not open our borders for some time, or at least not in the same way as other countries, because a very significant part of our population simply don't want that.

Lockdown because of one case??? Wow.

Thank god I don't live there. To keep locking down like that isn't sustainable, will they do this forever then?

@Fiercestcalm

The NZ response was the right response for us and the death rate percentage backs this up. Slow to vaccinate? Hmm.. getting vaccines down here, organising staff and also waiting to check the vaccine was as safe as possible would be other factors… I don’t think NZ could have done it any other way … except for making ridiculous exemptions for millionaires.

7 day lockdown ( I’m in an affected area) if that’s what it takes…. For the death rate not to increase .. so be it.

I think NZ has a fair bit to be proud of re its handling of COVID, support for the vulnerable and swift decisive action…. As someone with the right to live in the Uk or NZ I know where I’d rather be and with which Prime Minister ….

You have to open up eventually. Doesn't seem like NZ are doing very well with the vaccine rollout. Be interesting to see how it plays out but covid will come to you at some point. Hopefully it will be once almost people are vaccinated