Denmark demonstrates that a Corona Pass app that tracks negative test results and vaccine status is allowing bars, cafes, restaurants, museums and other social events to safely open. The key word being "safely". Florida shakes head in disbelief, pounds another White Claw, buries it head in the sand after shouting "All Hail DeSantis" ‘Stark contrast’: how Covid pass is helping Denmark open up The ‘coronapas’ has enabled places such as bars, restaurants and museums to welcome people back https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...ast-how-covid-pass-is-helping-denmark-open-up Outside Forum, a concert venue turned coronavirus test centre in Copenhagen’s university district, the queue was starting to build up before a sunny Labour Day weekend. As he waited, Casper Beckers, 25, was monitoring the WhatsApp group where the night’s festivities were being planned, starting with a board game bar, then cocktails. “It’s huge, such a stark contrast,” he said of the shift since Denmark introduced its coronapas (coronavirus pass) system last month, allowing much of the country to open up. “The bars are all open and I finally get to see people again almost like normal. Last time I was at a bar, it was crowded to a point that I thought it was a little bit irresponsible.” Since 21 April, places such as bars, cafes, restaurants, museums, sports stadiums and tattooists have been open for anyone who can show a negative test result less than 72 hours old, or a completed vaccination, using a coronapas digital certificate. Currently, people have to provide evidence via the MinSundhed (My Health) app, or on a paper printout. At the end of May, the digital coronapas will be released in its final form. It will also be enough for people to be able to show that they have tested positive for coronavirus and recovered within the previous 180 days. Test centres have been set up in every district across the nation, allowing a record 1 million people to be tested last week – about one in every four adults. Many get tested several times a week. Inside the concert hall, Beckers was guided to one of the 60 booths and was out again within 10 minutes. The result was expected to be on his phone in no more than half an hour. This time he had only had to wait for a few minutes, but the queue can stretch to more than an hour (the waiting time can be checked on a website). At the busy Spisebar 20 in the hip Nørrebro district, the owner Tanya-Maria Solskov said the return of her customers has been “amazing”. The only downside was that the different formats used by different test providers made it time-consuming to check documents. “It almost requires us to have an extra person working down here,” she said. “I think they should support us with some extra money, because it’s normally not our responsibility, and we’re already struggling after they closed us down for four and a half months.” The biggest opposition to the passes has come, predictably, from the Men in Black anti-lockdown activists, who have mounted near-weekly protests against Denmark’s restrictions. Stephanie Risum, from the female Mammas in Black wing, boasts that she has been successfully flouting the coronapas requirement, for example by eating at the upmarket Café Viktor the day before without showing a pass or wearing a mask. “You can just say ‘I’m exempted’ and under law they can’t ask you for proof,” she said. For her, the pass is simply a way of pressuring people to take the vaccine. “What they’re doing right now is they are forcing you to take a vaccine that you don’t trust, and we’re not going to do that.” Back at Forum, though, Lindsay Lebensohn, 34, who had taken advantage of the reopening to have her hair dyed a vibrant purple, shared none of these concerns. “We’re going to the Tivoli amusement park today because our kid just finished kindergarten yesterday,” Lebensohn said. “And then tomorrow she’s sleeping at her best friend’s place, so her parents can go out and get wasted.”
A commentary from the Prime Minister regarding the spread of COVID in the region. If surrounding countries don't control their spread then it is a just a matter of time until a new variant crosses the border that the current vaccination is ineffective against. We'll be wiped out if we can't control Covid now: Bhutan PM https://www.hindustantimes.com/worl...trol-covid-now-bhutan-pm-101621833604006.html
Australia was one of the first countries to shut their borders and still locks down entire states over single digit COVID case numbers for periods of time. Their economy must be in tatters, right? No, it's now better than before the pandemic started. Australia's economy 1.1 per cent bigger than at the start of the COVID pandemic, GDP data shows https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-02/gdp-march-quarter-economic-growth-covid-rebound/100184004 Australia's economy has bounced back from the COVID recession, growing by a much-better-than-expected 1.1 per cent over the past year. As recently as a few weeks ago, most economists were hoping that Australia's economy might just get back to where it was before nationwide pandemic lockdowns from late March to May last year. But not only is Australia's economic output bigger than it was before the national lockdown, it also recovered from the previous quarter's bushfire and early pandemic-driven decline, and is 0.8 per cent larger than its previous peak. The experience of Melbourne florist Shane Sipolis over the first few months of the year is typical of the rebound, as people and businesses started to regain confidence to book events. "After weeks of normality, we kicked back off again and a lot of our weddings that had been backlogged from the year before … started to really pick up," he said. With the events sector playing catch-up, it was even busier than pre-pandemic. "We even had one weekend where we had to try and get eight weddings done," he said. "A lot of them had actually more money to spend — they were coming back to me and asking to increase the floral budget." Australia comes out of COVID smelling roses Deloitte Access Economics said there were only five other countries that could boast an economy bigger than it was prior to COVID-19. The annual result was powered by a much-better-than-forecast 1.8 per cent expansion over the three months to March, when most economists were expecting 1.6 per cent. Even those forecasts had been substantially revised higher as recent ABS data that feed directly into the GDP number came in well above expectations. Private sector takes over from public Analysts are also pleased with the main drivers of growth, split between private investment (which added 0.9 percentage points to the quarterly result) and household consumption (which added 0.7 percentage points). Deloitte Access Economics partner Kristian Kolding said the GDP figures showed Australia's recovery was becoming more broad-based. "Families are spending locally, and businesses continue to invest, making the most of record-low interest rates and tax offsets," he observed. "Meanwhile, government stimulus is becoming a much smaller driver of growth than it was last year." The ABS said private investment was driven by both business machinery and equipment purchases, up 11.6 per cent in the strongest result since December 2009, and housing investment, up 6.4 per cent. In turn, both of those areas were supported by government subsidies — temporary full expensing of business investment and the HomeBuilder scheme. Commonwealth Bank economist Kristina Clifton said a return to more normal levels of "going out" led the rise in consumer spending. "The recovery in services spending continued in the quarter," she noted. "There was a 14.8 per cent lift in spending in hotels, cafes and restaurants as well as a 3.3 per cent lift in recreation and culture. "There has been a lift in domestic tourism as borders largely remained opened during the first quarter. Transport services also rose, lifting by 8.8 per cent." But as people started going out more, they did trim their grocery spending. "Spending on goods fell by 0.5 per cent in the quarter, driven by falls in food (‑1.4 per cent) and alcohol goods (‑3.9 per cent) as spending on eating and drinking outside the home lifted as restrictions eased." National COVID 'second wave' threat However, most economists also caution that Australia cannot rest on its achievements so far. CommSec's chief economist Craig James pointed out that Victoria's current lockdown — the effects of which will not show up in the GDP data until the June quarter figures are released in September — is a warning that the economic recovery could be quickly undone. "Stimulus must remain in place until it is clear that a sustainable recovery has been achieved," he wrote. "Measures to suppress the virus need to be reinforced. And vaccination rates need to accelerate. "The primary threats to the economic recovery are a broad Australian 'second wave' of the virus and a slow, extended vaccine rollout." In Melbourne, Shane Sipolis has just spent the weekend trying to resell flowers he had already bought for corporate events that were cancelled. But he found there was a sense of fatigue among people who had rallied behind local businesses during previous lockdowns. That meant thousands of dollars worth of flowers ended up in the bin. "We were all starting to get sort of settled in and thinking like we could start to return to some sort of normal," he said. "This is the fourth lockdown, and it being a snap lockdown, there is a huge fear that anything can change at any moment, so that really rocks people's confidence." The federal government again indicated on Wednesday that it had no intention to revive its JobKeeper wage subsidy scheme in response to state lockdowns. Mr Sipolis said he was unlikely to hire more staff while COVID uncertainty persists, even to cope with the busy periods like the weekends with multiple weddings he experienced earlier this year. "When we employ somebody, then we feel responsible for them and if everything switches at any moment, then that's also quite a difficult position to be in," he added.
Covid-19: NZ marks longest stretch with no community transmission since pandemic began https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/he...o-community-transmission-since-pandemic-began New Zealand has gone the longest stretch of time without community transmission of Covid-19 since the pandemic first began. Thursday marks 103 days since the last case of Covid-19 community transmission was reported, on February 28, 2021. There have been two other lengthy Covid-free stretches since New Zealand recorded its first ever case on February 28, 2020. The first was 102 days, broken on August 11, 2020, when an Auckland family of four with no link to the border tested positive. It was the beginning of the country’s largest cluster, with 179 cases in total, and saw Auckland and the rest of the country raise alert levels. Its origins remain a mystery. New Zealand enjoyed a Covid-free summer, with no cases of community transmission recorded between November 16 and February 14 – 90 days in total. The cases announced on Valentine's Day, centred around the south Auckland suburb of Papatoetoe, spurred two alert level 3 lockdowns. The Auckland February cluster, which saw 15 confirmed cases in total, was officially closed in April. It is “very likely” its origins may never be found. Microbiologist Dr Siouxsie Wiles said the 103-day milestone is “an opportunity to be thankful” for where New Zealand is as a country, and to thank those doing the “hard yards” at the border and in managed isolation and quarantine facilities. The pandemic is still raging overseas, and more and more infectious variants are emerging, which will “test our processes”, she said. Wiles said “we all need to be prepared” in case of another outbreak of Covid-19, as countries like Taiwan and Fiji prove New Zealand is not immune to future cases. This doesn’t mean people should “live in fear”, but that Kiwis should be doing everything they can to help mitigate the risk if there is a breach at the border. That includes staying on top of Covid Tracer App use, she said. “The best time to be using [the app] was two weeks ago. The second best time is today.” Wiles said it is also crucial that people who have any symptoms get tested, and not assume that because we don’t have known Covid-19 cases that they are in the clear. “That’s the way we find out,” she said. Wiles said she wanted to express her gratitude to everyone putting themselves in “harms’ way” by going to work at the border. They ensure the country is able to enjoy these Covid-free periods, she said. As of Thursday, New Zealand has had 2341 confirmed cases of Covid-19.
Let's take a look at a U.S. state that is successfully vaccinating its residents... Vermont becomes first state to reach 80% vaccine threshold https://www.axios.com/vermont-vaccines-80-percent-45077b47-0d5a-450c-acc6-81d13dd77f65.html Vermont Gov. Phil Scott (R) announced Monday that 80% of its eligible population has received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Why it matters: Vermont is the first state in the country to reach that threshold. As a result, Scott said he is removing all COVID-19 restrictions. The big picture: Vermont has led in vaccinations nationwide, and cases have been declining steadily in the state. As of June 14, Vermont's 14-day change in cases had declined by 34% and hospitalizations were down by 78%, according to the New York Times. 70% of adults in 12 U.S. states have received at least one shot as of June 2, according to CNBC. Overall, 64.4% of Americans nationwide have received at least one dose, according to the CDC. Yes, but: Vermont's progress on vaccinating the eligible population comes as nationwide vaccination rates continue to wane. While the country was averaging about 1 million vaccines administered per day over the last week, that's still significantly less than the peak average of 3.3 million per day in early April, per CNN. Additionally, less than half of adults living in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Wyoming have received one dose of the vaccine, according to CNN. President Biden has set a goal of July 4 for 70% of Americans to have received at least one vaccine dose.
Let's take a look at two states which are now successfully above the 70% vaccination threshold and have now lifted nearly all restrictions. New York, California lift most COVID-19 restrictions as vaccination rates top 70% https://abcnews.go.com/Health/york-...trictions-vaccination-rates/story?id=78295269
Let's take a look at a worthwhile initiative from a state in the U.S. which should be adopted by all states. This testing will provide a very clear picture on the antibody levels across the state associated with vaccination. West Virginia offers first statewide antibody testing for fully vaccinated The testing will include state residents who are in long-term-care facilities. https://www.foxnews.com/us/west-virginia-statewide-antibody-testing-fully-vaccinated West Virginia has launched the country’s first statewide program to test COVID-19 antibody levels among residents who are fully vaccinated. The program, dubbed "Booster Battlefield Assessment" and announced by Gov. Jim Justice, will allow state residents vaccinated more than six months ago and who are over the age of 60 to have their blood drawn and their antibodies measured, according to a statement from the governor. The testing will include state residents who are in long-term-care facilities. The state’s coronavirus czar, Dr. Clay Marsh, said there’s the potential that antibody levels may be depleted in adults who were vaccinated more than six months ago. "With this Booster Battlefield Assessment program, we think that we can gather very valuable information that we can share with the CDC and the FDA … to be able to demonstrate real-world data in the U.S. that we may be able to use to benefit our population; to protect them from getting sick and dying," Marsh said in a statement. Justice said the program is one of a number of "proactive" measures the state is taking in response to the number of Delta variant cases rising sharply. "In my stomach, I believe and I feel that the enemy is coming. And that enemy is this Delta variant," Gov. Justice said. "We’ve got to do something, and we’ve got to do something really fast," he added.
"Whether or not we develop immunity to a disease often depends on our antibodies, which are proteins we produce in response to infection. Antibodies are one of the body’s most well-known defenses: They coat invading cells and, in the best case, prevent those invaders from hijacking our cells and replicating. After we clear an infection, antibody levels often wane, but at least a few stick around, ready to ramp up production again if that same disease attacks again. That's why an antibody test can tell you if you were infected in the past. It's also what keeps us from getting sick a second time"