# Austria to begin lockdown on the unvaccinated tonight



## chic (Nov 14, 2021)

At midnight tonight, Austria begins a lockdown on the unvaccinated. Unvaccinated people will only be allowed to go : to work ( I guess you don't transmit covid at your place of employment? ) to the grocery store, for walk, to get vaccinated.  Deja vu all over again?


----------



## Shero (Nov 14, 2021)

Well done Austria (one of my favourite countries) !!!!!


----------



## Shero (Nov 14, 2021)

.
Singapore declared those who remained unvaccinated by choice would have to foot their medical bills from next month.
Oui - foot their own bills!
Well done Singapore.


----------



## CarolfromTX (Nov 14, 2021)

Wow. I’m appalled. Will the unvaccinated have to start wearing a yellow star or a scarlet letter? Or perhaps a big letter U.


----------



## Warrigal (Nov 14, 2021)

And this is the reason...



> Roughly 65 per cent of Austria's population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, one of the lowest rates in western Europe.



and this...


> the country grapples with a record surge of infections and growing pressure on hospitals.



Unless most of a community gets vaccinated then things cannot go on as normal because the virus will just keep picking off the unvaccinated. The virus survives this way, just as cows thrive in lush pastures but may not survive in a drought affected paddock.

If 95% of people are vaccinated then the virus finds it much harder to reproduce and those people who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons will be a lot safer. We vaccinate for ourselves, our friends and for vulnerable people in our communities.

Vaccination is not a set and forget process. Viruses mutate and vaccine effectiveness wanes over time but they tend to hold the line by making it harder for the virus to find hosts in whose cells it can reproduce itself.


----------



## chic (Nov 15, 2021)

CarolfromTX said:


> Wow. I’m appalled. Will the unvaccinated have to start wearing a yellow star or a scarlet letter? Or perhaps a big letter U.


In Austria of all historic places?  It is turning into medical apartheid.


----------



## chic (Nov 15, 2021)

Warrigal said:


> And this is the reason...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


And there is antibody dependence enhancement which is a valid concern, but one which everyone dismisses as a conspiracy theory but it is not. It should at least be studied more thoroughly so people will know with more certainty what to do. Or redevelop the vaccines so the spike proteins never penetrate the nucleus of our cells as they sometimes do.


----------



## rgp (Nov 15, 2021)

chic said:


> In Austria of all historic places?  It is turning into medical apartheid.



 Indeed ......... Call Warsaw, tell'em to open the ghetto.


----------



## Furryanimal (Nov 15, 2021)

Here in Wales you can’t get into large crowd outdoor events or attend an indoor concert,theatre or cinema( and probably pubs and restaurants soon) without showing a Covid Pass proving you are double jabbed.Or proof of a negative test.
We haven’t gone down the ban the unvaccinated route yet but it wouldn’t surprise me if Wales and other places followed suit.
And it’s something that needs stopping in it’s tracks.
Threads such as this are difficult to comment on without involving politics but it is worrying that folk are effectively being told that if you want a life you have to comply.
I complied purely because I feared being banned from things.
That is wrong.


----------



## StarSong (Nov 15, 2021)

People who choose to be vaccinated accept the risks and consequences of that action including feeling ill for a couple of days, maybe dealing with rare (but very real) life-threatening side effects, probably needing booster shots to remain protected and possibly suffering a breakthrough case.        

People who choose to not be vaccinated likewise take risks and consequences including possibly becoming very ill or dying from Covid.  
Living with certain restrictions are among those consequences. 

I threw a baby shower for my soon-to-be grandchild and made it clear on the invitation that only fully vaccinated people were welcome. My niece and her family weren't vaccinated so they couldn't come.

The choices are clear.


----------



## Packerjohn (Nov 15, 2021)

You know good people I am sick and tired of this Covid stuff.  When I read yesterday what they are doing in Austria I thought to myself, hey, that makes sense.  Why punish everyone because a small minority don't want the needle?  We have been punished now for going on for 2 years.  Ya, I know about freedom of choice and I love my freedom too.  Actually, I hate wearing those ugly masks but man, 2 years of Covid is way too long.  We have to get that herd immunity or whatever they call it and get on with our lives.  I hope the government here in Canada gets inspired from Austria's ruling but I'm not holding my breath.  Big Pharma rules this country and they are laughing all the way to the bank.


----------



## squatting dog (Nov 15, 2021)

Furryanimal said:


> I complied purely because I feared being banned from things.
> That is wrong.


That reminded me.


----------



## Sunny (Nov 15, 2021)

Furryanimal said:


> Here in Wales you can’t into large crowd outdoor events or attend an indoor concert,theatre or cinema( and probably pubs and restaurants soon) without showing a Covid Pass proving you are double jabbed.Or proof of a negative test.
> We haven’t gone down the ban the unvaccinated route yet but it wouldn’t surprise me if Wales and other places followed suit.
> And it’s something that needs stopping in it’s tracks.
> Threads such as this are difficult to comment on without involving politics but it is worrying that folk are effectively being told that if you want a life you have to comply.
> ...



Furry, we all have to "comply" with all sorts of things, all the time. That is part of the price we pay for living in a social environment. If you don't want to comply, you can always be a hermit, living alone in the woods, never go anywhere or interact with another human being, and no one will bother you.

To go to concerts, restaurants, etc., as most of us like to do we have to comply with stuff like paying for tickets (or for our food), sitting in the theatre seat that our ticket tells us to sit, we have to observe certain social norms such as wearing clothes, not loudly raving and ranting, and so on. For some shows and movies, we have to be a certain age to be admitted.

I don't hear anybody saying, "That is wrong."  Only the vaccine which may be keeping you alive is mentioned in that way.


----------



## ManjaroKDE (Nov 15, 2021)

rgp said:


> Indeed ......... Call Warsaw, tell'em to open the ghetto.


Warsaw is in Poland.
Hitler was born in Austria.


----------



## rgp (Nov 15, 2021)

ManjaroKDE said:


> Warsaw is in Poland.
> Hitler was born in Austria.



yes I am aware .... but thanks anyway.

It was meant as a comment regarding the Hollocaust.


----------



## ManjaroKDE (Nov 15, 2021)

rgp said:


> yes I am aware .... but thanks anyway.
> 
> It was meant as a comment regarding the Hollocaust.


----------



## hollydolly (Nov 15, 2021)

chic said:


> At midnight tonight, Austria begins a lockdown on the unvaccinated. Unvaccinated people will only be allowed to go : to work ( I guess you don't transmit covid at your place of employment? ) to the grocery store, for walk, to get vaccinated.  Deja vu all over again?


Hmmmm so un-vaccinated people will be potentially allowed to transmit C-19  in the workplace, and to people in the supermarket but not in a bar.....


----------



## Murrmurr (Nov 15, 2021)

Sunny said:


> Furry, we all have to "comply" with all sorts of things, all the time. That is part of the price we pay for living in a social environment. If you don't want to comply, you can always be a hermit, living alone in the woods, never go anywhere or interact with another human being, and no one will bother you.
> 
> To go to concerts, restaurants, etc., as most of us like to do we have to comply with stuff like paying for tickets (or for our food), sitting in the theatre seat that our ticket tells us to sit, we have to observe certain social norms such as wearing clothes, not loudly raving and ranting, and so on. For some shows and movies, we have to be a certain age to be admitted.
> 
> I don't hear anybody saying, "That is wrong."  Only the vaccine which may be keeping you alive is mentioned in that way.


On the medRxiv website (a preprint server for Health Sciences, operated by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York) is a recent study that shows both vaxxed and unvaxxed people carry a similar viral load (particularly w/the Delta variant). So _everyone_ who has been exposed can transmit covid.


----------



## Ruthanne (Nov 15, 2021)

squatting dog said:


> That reminded me.
> 
> View attachment 194655


----------



## chic (Nov 15, 2021)

rgp said:


> Indeed ......... Call Warsaw, tell'em to open the ghetto.


I doubt they'd call it a ghetto these days. Maybe an education center, or a reassignment camp, or my personal favorite, a shielding center to Protect you.


----------



## chic (Nov 15, 2021)

ManjaroKDE said:


> Warsaw is in Poland.
> Hitler was born in Austria.


The Warsaw ghetto was in Poland though.


----------



## Shero (Nov 15, 2021)

CarolfromTX said:


> Wow. I’m appalled. Will the unvaccinated have to start wearing a yellow star or a scarlet letter? Or perhaps a big letter U.


.
No, they will have to wear a big "I" on their forehead for ‘Ignorant’
.


----------



## Warrigal (Nov 15, 2021)

squatting dog said:


> That reminded me.
> 
> View attachment 194655


A quote, but from whom?


----------



## win231 (Nov 15, 2021)

chic said:


> At midnight tonight, Austria begins a lockdown on the unvaccinated. Unvaccinated people will only be allowed to go : to work ( I guess you don't transmit covid at your place of employment? ) to the grocery store, for walk, to get vaccinated.  Deja vu all over again?


Yes, "Austrian Covid" is a considerate virus.......it only infects "certain" people while they're doing "certain" things.  Austrian Covid understands that people have to work & shop.  
Here, "American Covid" is also considerate.  You have to wear a mask while you walk into a restaurant, then you take it off after you sit down - inches from people in the next booth.  American Covid knows you're eating & it knows you can't eat with a mask on.


----------



## Don M. (Nov 15, 2021)

The longer this virus lingers, and the more it mutates, the greater the chances that these mandates and lockdowns will continue.  There are so many people who refuse the vaccines, and even still some who think this is a hoax, that any improvement in the numbers will likely be short lived.  It took a long time to eradicate polio and smallpox, and it looks like Covid may also be a concern, for years.


----------



## Ruthanne (Nov 15, 2021)

Don M. said:


> The longer this virus lingers, and the more it mutates, the greater the chances that these mandates and lockdowns will continue.  There are so many people who refuse the vaccines, and even still some who think this is a hoax, that any improvement in the numbers will likely be short lived.  It took a long time to eradicate polio and smallpox, and it looks like Covid may also be a concern, for years.


Yes and it seems that's just the way it's going to be.  Very sad.


----------



## Furryanimal (Nov 15, 2021)

Sunny said:


> Furry, we all have to "comply" with all sorts of things, all the time. That is part of the price we pay for living in a social environment. If you don't want to comply, you can always be a hermit, living alone in the woods, never go anywhere or interact with another human being, and no one will bother you.
> 
> To go to concerts, restaurants, etc., as most of us like to do we have to comply with stuff like paying for tickets (or for our food), sitting in the theatre seat that our ticket tells us to sit, we have to observe certain social norms such as wearing clothes, not loudly raving and ranting, and so on. For some shows and movies, we have to be a certain age to be admitted.
> 
> I don't hear anybody saying, "That is wrong."  Only the vaccine which may be keeping you alive is mentioned in that way.


I don’t think that and being forced to have a vaccine for a virus with a greater than 99% recovery rate is the same thing at all.
Being forced to get medicated with a rushed vaccine for which none of us have any idea of long term side effects in order to have a life is completely wrong.
Vaccination has not stopped Covid.It has to die out on it’s own as Spanish flu did-with no vaccination.
i can’t help thinking ,having studied Pandemics ,that the measures we have taken with this one are prolonging it.
I chose to get vaccinated for reasons explained earlier.And will get my booster for the same reason.
But it is a slippery slope that for some reason folk don’t seem to have a problem with.
If anyone is happy to have their daily life controlled by the government then rejoice.Because every time the vast majority comply it will lead to further intrusion.


----------



## Ruthanne (Nov 15, 2021)

Furryanimal said:


> I chose to get vaccinated for reasons explained earlier.And will get my booster for the same reason.


Good for that, shows good reasoning!


----------



## chic (Nov 16, 2021)

Furryanimal said:


> I don’t think that and being forced to have a vaccine for a virus with a greater than 99% recovery rate is the same thing at all.
> Being forced to get medicated with a rushed vaccine for which none of us have any idea of long term side effects in order to have a life is completely wrong.
> Vaccination has not stopped Covid.It has to die out on it’s own as Spanish flu did-with no vaccination.
> i can’t help thinking ,having studied Pandemics ,that the measures we have taken with this one are prolonging it.
> ...


Furry, many are seeing this now and are not happy to have so much government intrusion dictating their lives. It's true, compliance is the problem not the solution. Compliance will just result in more mandates to be complied with.


----------



## Bretrick (Nov 16, 2021)

How would that be policed?
Random stops by police to check status?
Totally wrong in my opinion.


----------



## Shero (Nov 16, 2021)

Germany also under lock down, kids from age 12 onwards and adults . No entry for anyone to public places except supermarket and pharmacy under strict supervision!


----------



## Shero (Nov 16, 2021)

Same with Greece, unvaccinated people only allowed to buy food in the supermarket and pharmacy.
.


----------



## squatting dog (Nov 16, 2021)

Warrigal said:


> A quote, but from whom?


Me.


----------



## hollydolly (Nov 16, 2021)

Bretrick said:


> How would that be policed?
> Random stops by police to check status?
> Totally wrong in my opinion.


In Spain this is exactly what happened during the height  of the Pandemic. People were only permitted to leave their home  between certain hours  on certain days to shop at their nearest supermarket , nearest pharmacy or to go to the doctor or hospital with an appointment letter.

other than that they could take a walk ( for example to walk a dog)..but only in their own street ...

Prior to leaving the house they had to print out a permit ... and  the Guardia Civil  were stationed everywhere  on street corners,  and stopped people regularly to check that their status permit allowed them to be in the area they were in.. if not there was a huge fine meted out to them .

My daughter who ran a business which required her to drive between Malaga and Gibraltar several times a week, had to use her ingenuity to try and get shopping from a large  supermarket ( there was one tiny shop in her mountain village which had little stock)  and fit a Doctors appointment into her journey which would have otherwise been out of her immediate permitted area..


----------



## Bretrick (Nov 16, 2021)

hollydolly said:


> In Spain this is exactly what happened during the height  of the Pandemic. People were only permitted to leave their home  between certain hours  on certain days to shop at their nearest supermarket , nearest pharmacy or to go to the doctor or hospital with an appointment letter.
> 
> other than that they could take a walk ( for example to walk a dog)..but only in their own street ...
> 
> ...


What about those who never had printers?


----------



## hollydolly (Nov 16, 2021)

Bretrick said:


> What about those who never had printers?


This is what happened to many... they had to get family or friends to print permits for them or if they had an internet cafe in their area they could use that, but believe me when I tell you this was extremely strict , and many of  police are already extremely corrupt in Spain, so  your fine could be anything they decided .. and people had no redress.


----------



## win231 (Nov 16, 2021)

Shero said:


> Germany also under lock down, kids from age 12 onwards and adults . No entry for anyone to public places except supermarket and pharmacy under strict supervision!


Very smart.  'Cuz Covid isn't allowed in supermarkets & pharmacies.


----------



## Murrmurr (Nov 16, 2021)

Shero said:


> Germany also under lock down, kids from age 12 onwards and adults . No entry for anyone to public places except supermarket and pharmacy under strict supervision!


Are people sending their toddlers to the store for them, then, and hoping for the best? Is it now up to kindergartners to carry the protest signs? I can't imagine how that's going to work....although, kindergartners are pretty good at throwing rocks.


----------



## Shero (Nov 16, 2021)

Murrmurr said:


> Are people sending their toddlers to the store for them, then, and hoping for the best? Is it now up to kindergartners to carry the protest signs? I can't imagine how that's going to work....although, kindergartners are pretty good at throwing rocks.


Easy question. Masked and limited entry into the store. Same as was done during the previous lockdowns all over the world.


----------



## Warrigal (Nov 16, 2021)

Furryanimal said:


> Vaccination has not stopped Covid.It has to die out on it’s own as Spanish flu did-with no vaccination.
> i can’t help thinking ,having studied Pandemics ,that the measures we have taken with this one are prolonging it.


My mother in law's father died from the Spanish flu, leaving his wife a widow and his five children fatherless, without a bread winner. They became homeless and the children were separated for some time. Spanish flu also affected their access to a good education. The family survived and came back together again but if only there had been a vaccine back then...


----------



## Shero (Nov 16, 2021)

INDONESIA made inoculations mandatory in February, warning that anyone who refused to be vaccinated could be fined or denied social assistance or government services.
.


----------



## chic (Nov 16, 2021)

The delight some take in medical apartheid and the introduction of a two tier society is mind numbing but hardly surprising. However when a side effect of a drug is Death, it's a personal choice and any government daring to mandate such upon its citizens is criminal.


----------



## Shero (Nov 16, 2021)

** CANADA in October said it would place unvaccinated federal employees on unpaid leave and require COVID-19 shots for air, train and ship passengers. It will also require all its 338 lawmakers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 when they return to work on Nov. 22.


----------



## Shero (Nov 16, 2021)

FIJI introduced a "no jab, no job" policy in August, with unvaccinated public servants forced to go on leave and subsequently dismissed if still unvaccinated by November. Employees at private firms could also face fines and companies could be forced to stop operations over vaccine refusals.


----------



## win231 (Nov 16, 2021)

Warrigal said:


> My mother in law's father died from the Spanish flu, leaving his wife a widow and his five children fatherless, without a bread winner. They became homeless and the children were separated for some time. Spanish flu also affected their access to a good education. The family survived and came back together again but if only there had been a vaccine back then...


Yes, if only there was a flu shot back then........
And , if only it worked better than the current flu shot........


----------



## CarolfromTX (Nov 17, 2021)

I’ll bet lots of the people so adamant about showing vaccine cards are just as adamantly opposed to voter ID.  I wonder why?


----------



## CarolfromTX (Nov 17, 2021)

Shero said:


> Germany also under lock down, kids from age 12 onwards and adults . No entry for anyone to public places except supermarket and pharmacy under strict supervision!



And you’re perfectly fine with this? Scary that you’re happy to see civil liberties flushed down the toilet.  If lockdowns worked, why is this pandemic still raging? The mortality rate is less than a percent.   That’s a risk I’m willing to take.


----------



## Shero (Nov 17, 2021)

.
*France will charge the unvaccinated for Covid tests, in a bid to speed up inoculations.*

In addition to a law requiring a health pass to enter many indoor venues.
.


----------



## Don M. (Nov 17, 2021)

It appears that several nations are reinstituting lockdowns and mandates.  Many of those nations....Europe and the Far East...have much denser populations than most parts of the U.S., so their increased cautions are probably understandable.  I won't be surprised if s.ome of our larger cities follow suit with Winter and the holidays approaching...which will cause more people to congregate indoors, and drive the U.S. numbers substantially higher in coming weeks and months.


----------



## todalake (Nov 17, 2021)

CarolfromTX said:


> And you’re perfectly fine with this? Scary that you’re happy to see civil liberties flushed down the toilet.  If lockdowns worked, why is this pandemic still raging? The mortality rate is less than a percent.   That’s a risk I’m willing to take.


Substitute smoking for covid vaccinations.    Can't go into most restaurants and smoke,  is that a civil liberty flushed down the toilet?
You can smoke all you want but can't expose others to the smoke.   Same as unvaccinated,  you can incur the risk but lockdown limit you exposing others.


----------



## win231 (Nov 17, 2021)

CarolfromTX said:


> And you’re perfectly fine with this? Scary that you’re happy to see civil liberties flushed down the toilet.  If lockdowns worked, why is this pandemic still raging? The mortality rate is less than a percent.   That’s a risk I’m willing to take.


Some people who chose to be vaccinated see this as "Punishment" for those who don't make the same choice they made.
And they love it!  Gives 'em that smug feeling.


----------



## chic (Nov 18, 2021)

win231 said:


> Some people who chose to be vaccinated see this as "Punishment" for those who don't make the same choice they made.
> And they love it!


Or for people or groups of people they simply disapprove of. And the governments will bow to the will of the majority.


----------



## Sunny (Nov 18, 2021)

Good point, todalake.

Of course, some of the geniuses who are so resentful of this life-saving vaccine are probably the same people who resent not being able to puff their poisonous smoke at everybody.


----------



## win231 (Nov 18, 2021)

Sunny said:


> Good point, todalake.
> 
> Of course, some of the geniuses who are so resentful of this life-saving vaccine are probably the same people who resent not being able to puff their poisonous smoke at everybody.


Yes, I live for the moment.


----------



## hollydolly (Nov 18, 2021)

Germany to introduce tighter curbs on unvaccinated​Germany will limit access to restaurants, bars, gyms, hairdressers, cinemas, theatres, and events to the vaccinated in many regions, Justin Huggler reports.
In the worst-hit regions the vaccinated will also have to show a recent negative test to attend such events.
Germany will impose new restrictions by region based on the hospitalisation rates.
The rate is measured by the number of people admitted to hospital with coronavirus per 100,000 inhabitants over the past seven days.
Where the rate is over three, access to restaurants, bars, gyms, hairdressers, cinemas, theatres, and events will be limited to the vaccinated (and those who have recovered from the virus).
Where the rate is over six, access will be limited to the vaccinated and they will have to show a negative test.
Where the rate is over nine, regional governments will be empowered to take unspecified additional measures as they see necessary.
This is in addition to the decision earlier today that access to the workplace and public transport requires a negative test, and anyone who fails to provide one at work can be sent home and have wages docked. 
Greece to impose further restrictions on those not vaccinated​Greece will impose further restrictions for those not vaccinated against coronavirus next week, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the prime minister, has said.

The measures were announced by Mr Mitsotakis in a televised address to the nation and include barring unvaccinated citizens from all indoor spaces including cinemas, museums and gyms.
Swiss cases hit 2021 high but government will not introduce new Covid rules​Switzerland's health minister insists new Covid-19 restrictions are not necessary, despite daily new cases quadrupling in a month to an all-year high.
"We are clearly facing the fifth wave," Alain Berset told a news conference, adding that the course of the pandemic "will depend on the behaviour of all of us".
He said the surge in cases was worrying as "the number of adults who have no immunity is too big".
A vaccination drive last week lifted the sluggish jab uptake of recent months and ministers hope the increased pace can be sustained.
Local authorities given new powers to impose face masks in schools UK​Face masks are set to return to schools as local public health directors have been given new powers to bypass Whitehall and introduce tougher restrictions on children, Camilla Turner reports.
Changes to official guidance now mean that regional public health officials can impose masks on secondary school pupils without the move being sanctioned by Downing Street.
Previously, local authorities needed the Government's sign off before introducing new Covid restrictions in schools.
Covid infections rise sharply among UK's school children​Covid-19 case rates among school children in England have risen sharply, new figures show.
A total of 722.9 new cases per 100,000 people aged five to nine were recorded in the seven days to Nov 14, up week-on-week from 484.5.
The rate for 10- to 19-year-olds is 694.2, up from 571.7.

The figures, from the UK Health Security Agency, are likely to reflect the return of pupils to school after the half-term holiday in late October.
Case rates have also jumped for all age groups between 20 and 59, though the week-on-week increase is smaller. Rates have fallen in age groups for people aged 60 and over.
Cases up 14.5 per cent in the UK compared to previous week​The United Kingdom recorded 46,807 daily Covid-19 cases today, the highest since Oct 22, and 199 deaths, official data showed.
On a seven-day basis, cases were up 14.5 per cent on the week before, and deaths within 28 days of a person testing positive for Covid-19 were down by 9.8 per cent. 
Meanwhile, a total of 50,679,073 first doses of the Covid-19 vaccine had been delivered in the UK by Nov 17, government figures show. This is a rise of 33,092 on the previous day.

Some 46,087,958 second doses have been delivered, an increase of 22,120.
A combined total of 13,879,311 booster and third doses have also been given, a day-on-day rise of 384,421.

US buys 10 million courses of Pfizer’s coronavirus treatment pill​Joe Biden, the US president, has announced the United States is buying 10 million courses of Pfizer's Covid-19 treatment pill, in a $5.3 billion (£4 billion) deal he touted as "critical" to fighting the pandemic.
This week, Pfizer applied for US emergency use authorisation for its Paxlovid antiviral pill, shown to be highly effective in preventing hospitalisation and death among high-risk patients.
While the deal hinges on the treatment's approval by the Food and Drug Administration, Mr Biden said he had taken "immediate steps to secure enough supply for the American people".
"Today, I'm announcing that we have purchased 10 million treatment courses of the Pfizer antiviral Covid-19 pill, with delivery starting at the end of this year and across 2022," he said in a statement, adding that the treatments would be "easily accessible and free".





The president said that widely-available vaccines remain America's 'strongest tool' in the fight against Covid-19  Credit: Jim Lo Scalzo/Shutterstock 
Mr Biden said the antiviral "treatment could prove to be another critical tool in our arsenal that will accelerate our path out of the pandemic".
Among newly-infected high-risk patients treated within three days of the onset of symptoms, Pfizer's pill has been shown to cut hospitalisation or death by nearly 90 per cent.
​
Italy’s daily tally of new infections increases​Italy reported 69 coronavirus-related deaths today after 72 yesterday, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections rose to 10,638 from 10,172.
Italy has registered 133,034 deaths linked to Covid-19 since its outbreak emerged in February last year, the second-highest toll in Europe after Britain and the ninth-highest in the world. The country has reported 4.9 million cases to date.
Patients in hospital with Covid-19 – not including those in intensive care – stood at 4,088 on Thursday, up from 4,060 a day earlier.
There were 55 new admissions to intensive care units, increasing from 39 on Wednesday. The total number of intensive care patients rose to 503 from a previous 486.
Czech Republic and Slovakia tighten restrictions for unvaccinated​The Czech Republic and Slovakia tightened restrictions on people who have not had Covid-19 shots on Wednesday to try to encourage more to get vaccinated and ease the burden on hospitals.
The measures echo steps taken against unvaccinated people in Austria and parts of Germany as Europe faces rising infections.
The Czech government approved plans to allow only those who are vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19 in the past six months to enter restaurants, attend certain events and use various other services from Monday.
Slovakia took a similar step, in what Prime Minister Eduard Heger called a "lockdown for the unvaccinated".

Italy debates lockdown for unvaccinated​Italy is debating whether to follow Austria’s example and introduce restrictions for the non-vaccinated, a contentious move which has divided opinion.
Vienna announced on Monday that it was placing two million of its citizens who have not been fully vaccinated under a new lockdown. They are only allowed to leave home for necessities such as going to work and buying food.
The governors of five of Italy’s 20 regions have declared themselves to be in favour of adopting the same approach, amid growing alarm over a possible fourth wave of Covid-19 infections.
Although 84 per cent of Italians over the age of 12 are double-jabbed, that still leaves around seven million who have still refused to have the vaccination.​
Potential Italy lockdown faces backlash​The governors of five of Italy’s 20 regions have declared themselves to be in favour of adopting a lockdown for the unvaccinated - but they are facing pushback. 
The group includes Matteo Salvini, the leader of the hard-Right nationalist League, and Giuseppe Conte, another recent prime minister.
Walter Ricciardi, an advisor to the health ministry, also said that for the moment Italy does not need to follow Austria’s example. “We don’t need a lockdown for the unvaccinated,” he told a radio programme on Wednesday.
“Austria took this decision because it is behind with the vaccination programme and has a rate of Covid cases that is 10 times greater than ours.”
Only around 65 per cent of Austrians are vaccinated – one of the lowest rates in Western Europe - while 84 per cent of Italians over the age of 12 are double-jabbed.​​

Why are deaths high in Russia?​Russia is seeing record Covid-19 deaths and high case numbers, something health experts have blamed on low vaccination rates and lax public attitudes toward taking precautions. 
Fewer than 40 per cent of Russia's nearly 146 million people have been fully vaccinated, even though the country approved a domestically developed Covid-19 vaccine months before most of the world.




Graves at Novoye Kolpinskoye Cemetery where deceased Covid-19 patients are buried in St Petersburg, Russia  Credit: Peter Kovalev/TASS 
To boost immunisation rates, the government said new restrictions would take effect next year and limit access to many public places, as well as domestic and international trains and flights, to those who have been fully vaccinated, have recovered from Covid-19 or are medically exempt from vaccination.
In total, the coronavirus task force has reported over 9.2 million confirmed infections and more than 260,000 Covid-19 deaths, the highest death toll in Europe. 
Reports by Russia's statistical service, Rosstat, that tally coronavirus-linked deaths retroactively reveal much higher mortality. They say 462,000 people with Covid-19 died between April 2020 and September of this year.​
Poland could see 40,000 cases​Poland saw the number of positive tests increase to 24,882 on Thursday, and deaths climb to 370, reports Matthew Day from Warsaw. 
The rapid rise in infection numbers from around 2,500 cases a month ago has triggered warnings that case numbers could soon hit 40,000 in the worst case scenario, according to Adam Niedzielski, the Polish defence minister.

Despite the increases the Polish government has been reluctant to introduce any new restrictions. 
It has so far preferred to strengthen the enforcement of existing regulations such as the wearing of facemasks in confined public spaces, while encouraging people to get vaccinated. Only about 53 percent of the Polish population has been fully vaccinated.
Italy debates lockdown for unvaccinated​Italy is debating whether to follow Austria’s example and introduce restrictions for the non-vaccinated, a contentious move which has divided opinion.
Vienna announced on Monday that it was placing two million of its citizens who have not been fully vaccinated under a new lockdown. They are only allowed to leave home for necessities such as going to work and buying food.
The governors of five of Italy’s 20 regions have declared themselves to be in favour of adopting the same approach, amid growing alarm over a possible fourth wave of Covid-19 infections.
Although 84 per cent of Italians over the age of 12 are double-jabbed, that still leaves around seven million who have still refused to have the vaccination.
​

AstraZeneca's new Covid antibody treatment 'more effective than vaccines after six months'​A coronavirus drug derived from immune cells of Covid survivors gives better protection than vaccines after six months and could last for a year, trial results suggest.
AstraZeneca announced on Wednesday that its antibody injection AZD7442 reduces the risk of symptomatic Covid by 83 per cent six months after a single dose.
In contrast, vaccines can wane substantially in the months following an injection, even after two doses, with the AstraZeneca vaccine falling to around 40 per cent effectiveness, and Pfizer about 60 per cent.
​

Lockdown the unvaccinated if cases grow, says Italian minister​Restrictions should be imposed on the non-vaccinated if Italy's virus situation worsens, a minister said today, reports our Italy Correspondent_* Nick Squires. *_
During the worst of the pandemic, Italy's 20 regions were designated either yellow, orange or red, depending on the number of contagions, with yellow signifying the most moderate number of cases and red the highest. 
The colour designations have not been used for a while but if any region turns orange again, a special lockdown for the unvaccinated should be considered, says Pierpaolo Sileri, the undersecretary for health.
"A lockdown for the unvaccinated is not the strategy to be implemented with the current numbers, but it could be weighed in the case of a move to an orange zone," he told Italian radio.
"It should be kept on the table, like many other options, but the situation is under control".
The governors of five regions have called for new restrictions to be imposed on the unvaccinated, as has happened in neighbouring Austria.

On the ground in Austria​Austria is currently battling one of the severest outbreaks of the virus in Europe, reports Justin Huggler. 
It recorded more than 15,000 new cases on Thursday, and has a seven-day incidence of 989 per 100,000 inhabitants — nearly three times as high as the UK’s.
Hospitals in Salzburg and Upper Austria are overloaded and there are unconfirmed reports of dead bodies being stored in the corridors.




A medical staff tends to a patient on an intensive care unit at a hospital of the Salzburg  Credit: BARBARA GINDL/AFP 
"You put dead corona patients in an airtight plastic bag, zip it shut, and that's it," an ICU nurse told the Austrian Press Agency.
Austria has already seen widespread protests against the lockdown for the unvaccinated, and the new measures are expected to provoke further anger.
Thousands of people took to the streets in Graz, Austria’s third largest city, on Wednesday chanting anti-lockdown slogans, and a major rally is planned for Saturday in Vienna.​
Full lockdown to hit Austria​A full coronavirus lockdown will be reimposed in at least two regions of Austria next week, reports our Berlin Correspondent_* Justin Huggler. *_
Austria became the first European country to impose a lockdown on the unvaccinated this week, while those who have had both jabs remain free.
But Salzburg and Upper Austria say that is not enough. They plan to put everybody, including the vaccinated, back under lockdown from next week.
Regional governments in the two states have been lobbying for a full national lockdown, and announced on Thursday if there is no agreement they will go it alone.
Austria is currently battling one of the severest outbreaks of the virus in Europe. It recorded more than 15,000 new cases on Thursday, and has a seven-day incidence of 989 per 100,000 inhabitants — nearly three times as high as the UK’s.
Details of the restrictions under consideration were not immediately available, but the two regions could be the first in Europe to go back into full lockdown.

Cases skyrocket in France​France registered more than 20,000 new confirmed coronavirus infections on Wednesday for the first time since Aug 25 as the fifth wave of the epidemic picked up speed.
The health ministry reported 20,294 new Covid-19 cases, taking the total to 7.33 million and the seven-day moving average of new cases to above 12,400.
France's Covid-19 incidence rate - the number of new cases per week per 100,000 people - rose further to 129, although that remained well below neighbouring countries such as Germany, Britain and Belgium where such rates are several times higher.
What could be next for Germany?​Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel said a national effort was needed to block the wave of infections battering the country. 
Ms Merkel wants tighter restrictions and new steps to be introduced by federal and regional leaders, particularly those in severely affected areas. 
A draft of the document set to be discussed by the chancellor and officials includes measures forcing people to show proof of vaccination or recovery or a negative Covid-19 test on public transport and at work and imposing tighter restrictions for leisure activities.




A man is tested at a Corona testing station in Duisburg, western Germany  Credit: INA FASSBENDER /AFP 
In addition, financial aid for companies and individuals hit by the crisis could be extended by three months to the end of March 2022.
Ms Merkel appealed to vaccine-sceptics to change their minds and called for a speedier distribution of booster shots.
"If enough people get vaccinated that is the way out of the pandemic," she told a congress of German city mayors.
Belgium: Alarm signals are red​Belgium has tightened its coronavirus restrictions in a last ditch effort to avoid a full lockdown. 
"All the alarm signals are red," said Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. "Europe's map is quickly going red, and we are the same."
Children over the age of 10 will face compulsory mask-wearing, lowering the bar from the current age of 12.
Working from home will be enforced from Saturday for four days of the week. 
And a Covid Safe Ticket, a pass showing vaccination, testing or recovery status, will be required for all theatres, cinemas and museums.
It is thought Belgium will roll out a third booster vaccination by the end of April 2022. 
​
Melbourne's pubs and cafes can have unlimited patrons from Thursday night, while stadiums can return to full capacity as authorities lifted nearly all remaining Covid restrictions for the vaccinated residents in Australia's second-largest city.
Indian states are sitting on more than 200million doses of vaccines due to a reluctance among people to get inoculated, the chief executive of top vaccine maker the Serum Institute of India has said.
Overuse of antibiotics and other antimicrobial drugs during the pandemic is helping bacteria develop resistance that will render these important medicines ineffective over time, the Pan American Health Organization has warned.
Moderna Inc said it had applied to the US Food and Drug Administration for authorisation of its Covid booster vaccine for all adults aged 18 and older.

​
T_he bold Text is not mine...._


----------



## John cycling (Nov 18, 2021)

hollydolly said:


> Joe Biden, the US president, has announced the United States is buying 10 million courses of Pfizer's Covid-19 treatment pill, in a $5.3 billion (£4 billion) deal.



This shows yet again that the mandates are being imposed because of politics, greed, power and control, none of which have anything to do with "helping" the people, but quite to the contrary of that notion.


----------



## hollydolly (Nov 18, 2021)

This is 28 minutes long... the first 10 minutes is worth watching if you don't watch any more than that.... at around 11 minutes if you want to watch , he interviews people in their own homes who've decided not to have the vaccine and their explanation as to their reasons why ..

sorry forgot the link *duh*....


----------



## Becky1951 (Nov 18, 2021)

"US buys 10 million courses of Pfizer’s coronavirus treatment pill"​
After the news today.....

FDA Asks Federal Judge to Grant It until the Year 2076 To Fully Release Pfizer's Covid-19 Vaccine Data

I wouldn't trust the pill!

https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/317161


----------



## Warrigal (Nov 18, 2021)

Thanks for the information, @hollydolly. Heard this morning on ABC News Radio that Europe is the only place where Covid deaths are rising. Everywhere else death rates are either falling or stable.

"Give me liberty or death" has morphed into "Give me liberty and death".

Because of the different seasons (we are approaching Summer) Australians tend to lag behind northern hemisphere countries when it comes to flu and Covid. What is happening to countries to our north over Winter will surely repeat here when Summer is over.

In a couple of months I will be eligible for a booster and I will certainly have one before March.

I am planning to have a family gathering on Boxing Day this year. I invite all of the grandchildren plus their significant others and our daughter. Every one of them is fully vaccinated except for the partner of my eldest grand daughter. Yesterday she asked me if her partner could come, even though he has not been vaccinated. I had to say no, because if he should come then another grand daughter, who has a little two year old, would surely stay away. One or more of my grandsons might also choose not to come.

I have been advising him that he needs to get vaccinated before university goes back next year because if he does not, he may have to continue with online learning and will be disadvantaged compared to students able to attend lectures. He has a choice but choices have consequences and judgement is required when deciding what is the best option.


----------



## John cycling (Nov 19, 2021)

todalake said:


> Substitute smoking for covid vaccinations.    Can't go into most restaurants and smoke,  is that a civil liberty flushed down the toilet?
> You can smoke all you want but can't expose others to the smoke.   Same as unvaccinated,  you can incur the risk but lockdown limit you exposing others.



You got the first part right, but your conclusion is bass-akwards, as my Mom used to say.
The vaccinated are the smokers, who are trying to spread their poisons to the rest of us who don't have them.



Sunny said:


> the geniuses who are so resentful of this life-saving vaccine are probably the same people who resent not being able to puff their poisonous smoke at everybody.



Smoking is life-saving?      I'm not surprised that you would come to such a conclusion.
.


----------



## chic (Nov 20, 2021)

John cycling said:


> This shows yet again that the mandates are being imposed because of politics, greed, power and control, none of which have anything to do with "helping" the people, but quite to the contrary of that notion.


It looks like a power grab to me.   This doesn't seem to have much to do with health at all, but control over another's body and their medical choices. If you can't claim sovereignty over your own body, you're a slave.


----------



## Devi (Nov 20, 2021)

New Harvard HCW study shows recovered immunity is far stronger than vaccine protection
https://stevekirsch.substack.com/p/new-harvard-hcw-study-shows-recovered

The Harvard Study:
Continued Effectiveness of COVID-19 Vaccination among Urban Healthcare Workers during Delta Variant Predominance
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.11.15.21265753v1.full


----------



## Warrigal (Nov 20, 2021)

This is what Austria is dealing with.




Looks pretty serious to me.


----------



## Shero (Nov 21, 2021)

Good for you Austria - it starts today!!!!


----------



## win231 (Nov 21, 2021)

Aw, shucks......I had a trip planned to Austria & now I have to cancel it.


----------



## chic (Nov 22, 2021)

This is what Austria is dealing with, in Vienna anyway.


----------



## Shero (Nov 23, 2021)

Few years ago my husband and I went to a ball at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna. The palace is open for such events for large corporations. It wa a grand and joyous event and now to see these anti vaxxers crowding Michaelerplatz is horrible and very sad, very sad!
.


----------

