International COVID-19 Megathread

[SnowLabrador]

Have you guys heard about the Delta Plus variant in India?

[SnowLabrador]

With regards to Duterte's suggestion...even a broken clock is right twice a day. If Trump supporters won't get their vaccines, we should try something like that here.

[SnowLabrador]

https://www.twitter.com/ESYudkowsky/status/1425619567703773184

But yeah the world will continue to drive a 500km/h supercar of globalism without the seatbelts and breaks required in their new technical monstrosity, because Western populates got a bit tired of ThE sAnITaRy DiCtAtOrShIp

Not everything LessWrong says is correct, but this is 100% spot-on.

[SnowLabrador]

I still don't understand how America's vaccination hesitancy is large enough to overwhelm healthcare systems-deaths should be much lower since most vulnerable people are protected (even more than the average vaccination rate). The wave is clustered disproportionately in the South, but even then, 76% of over 65s in Mississippi are fully vaccinated.

The Delta variant.

[SnowLabrador]

Any country that tries to impose any sort of major lockdown this winter on a *mostly vaccinated* population is going to encounter significant resistance. Almost everywhere, vaccines have been sold as a de facto "passport to freedom" and people won't take kindly if they think they have been sold a pup.

That sucks, because lockdowns will be necessary thanks to the Delta variant.

[SnowLabrador]

Any country that tries to impose any sort of major lockdown this winter on a *mostly vaccinated* population is going to encounter significant resistance. Almost everywhere, vaccines have been sold as a de facto "passport to freedom" and people won't take kindly if they think they have been sold a pup.

That sucks, because lockdowns will be necessary thanks to the Delta variant.

A vaccinated adult is less likely to die from coronavirus than a bee sting, even with the delta variant around. Lockdowns will not be necessary, and any country using them should instead look to vaccination.

Thousands of fully vaccinated people have died in the US alone. Just read FacesofCOVID like I do.

[SnowLabrador]

Hot take: Americans will never be allowed to travel internationally again. Or at least, we'll be the last country where COVID remains endemic.

[SnowLabrador]

WHO says it’s time to lift COVID-19 restrictions calling travel bans “ineffective”

I think that should be up to each individual country. Some may never reopen their borders, and that's okay.

[SnowLabrador]

WHO says it’s time to lift COVID-19 restrictions calling travel bans “ineffective”

I think that should be up to each individual country. Some may never reopen their borders, and that's okay.

I doubt that Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Austria will fully lift their COVID restrictions and border restrictions until COVID cases drop to zero worldwide.

Considering our dependency on tourism, that would be equal to economic suicide,so I am confident we will drop pandemic restrictions at some point

No country depends on tourism. As much as I used to love traveling, I'm willing to give it up for good if that's what it takes to end the pandemic and prevent future ones. Plus it contributes to climate change; I feel guilty every time I get on a plane.

[SnowLabrador]

As everyone on this forum knows, I've generally been supportive of stringent mitigation measures for COVID. However, I think this is just a little overkill.

[SnowLabrador]

https://www.salon.com/2022/10/04/bq1-xbb-variants-resistant/

TLDR: There's a new COVID variant that's resistant to vaccines AND treatments. We're back to Square One.

[SnowLabrador]

The article doesn't say that. It's an awful lot of coulds and maybes.

In any event, I have my booster booked.

SnowLabrador thinks China's approach to covid is the correct one. He's dooming for the sake of dooming.

Please explain why not doing a lockdown was worth losing a million people and counting. I'm not saying we need a total lockdown now, but the fact that "pro-life" people aren't willing to put a piece of cloth over their faces is just sickening. To be clear, I think China's strategy now is somewhat overkill, but that doesn't mean it was never warranted.

[SnowLabrador]

It looks like we are on track for the World Health Organization to officially declare an end to the COVID pandemic as early as next spring:

WHO reports 90% drop in world COVID-19 deaths since February

Honestly, I don't see the need for WHO to declare the pandemic over. Name one country other than China that doesn't act like it's over already.

[SnowLabrador]

China is going to suffer greatly in the next few months, but it's not because of their higher population density. I don't envy them at all. What a tragedy.

[SnowLabrador]

I'm going to post this here, but feel free to tell me if I'm derailing from the topic.

I'm currently on vacation in Japan, and I see a lot more masks than in the States. Almost every local wears them on the trains, and most of them even outdoors. When I landed at Tokyo-Haneda I received the pink health card telling me what to do if I develop symptoms and/or test positive. I wish the US could care so much about public health - the average Japanese person is even more COVID-cautious than I am!

Even on non-COVID topics, the train system is probably 20 years ahead of Europe and maybe 50 ahead of the States. So there's that. I wish we could be more like Japan.

[SnowLabrador]

This is not the flu, it never has been, and if all the COVIDiots have anything to say, it never will be. I'm going to keep wearing my mask in public indoor spaces.