Coronavirus

[Randi]

Wonderful news, Chris!!!

Happy to hear that, studentforever!!
I had much the same reactions.

Sorry, Michael!

[Michael]

They were saying, on the radio, how easy the online registration was. The man said he got on with his phone and was done in two minutes. I switched from my PC to an iPad, and I got in right away with no problem. Another sign that I'm a Luddite!

[Randi]

I was able to sign up from my PC

[ggordon]

Better coordination is needed both nationally and internationally. Many of the vaccination sites here are no longer requiring appointments; just walk-in. There have been cases lately where some sites have had excess doses available. Most people who want to be vaccinated have been and now they are pleading on radio, television, and newspaper for everyone else to get vaccinated. They will tentatively start vaccinating younger people soon.

There is a strange correlation with political parties as to who is getting vaccinated. Democrats are tending to get vaccinated, but there are conspiracy theories and other reasons that Republicans are hesitating to get vaccinated.

Many universities here now have a policy that you must be vaccinated to attend next Fall.

[ggordon]

A local shopping mall offered $10 gift cards yesterday to the first 250 people to show up and get their first dose.

[Michael]

We still get contradictory messages. When we got our first dose, we were told that they would call us and give us an appointment for our second dose. My sister spoke to someone who was 78 and had his first dose. He said he called and they said he had to register for his second dose. My sister decided to register her husband for dose two and she would not, assuming that what she heard from the person giving them the first dose was correct. Then, on the radio, some man said he called and they said, "Re-register."

So, I did, via iPad and not by PC, because their web-page doesn't work with Firefox. My son said, "Lazy programmer."

My sister just called Vancouver Island Health Authority, VIHA, and they said, "No need to re-register."

So, we're registered twice, or maybe once.

One thing they're doing, although not in quite enough languages:

如何接種新型冠狀病毒疫苗 (Traditional Chinese)
如何接种新型冠状病毒疫苗 (Simplified Chinese))
Marche à suivre pour se faire vacciner contre la COVID-19
ਕੋਵਿਡ-19 ਲਈ ਟੀਕਾਕਰਣ ਕਿਵੇਂ ਕਰਾਈਏ
چطور واکسن COVID-19 را دریافت کنید
Paano magpabakuna para sa COVID-19
코로나19 예방접종 받는 방법
Cómo vacunarse contra el COVID-19
كيفية الحصول على لقاح كوفيد-19
Cách nhận vắc-xin ngừa COVID-19
COVID-19ワクチン接種の受け方
कोविड-19 के लिए टीकाकरण कैसे करवाएं

[Randi]

You are making us look good

[arboggs]

Here in Virginia you pre-register online. Then you get two emails - one from the CDC and one from the Department of Health. The latter email basically explains the CDC email and how to fill out the appointment sign up (which is good because the actual page with locations and times is confusing). When you sign up for an appointment it sends you a QR code that you supposedly need to have on-hand to check in for your shot and not once has anyone I know been asked to show it. Then you have to log in to the same page after the first dose to sign up for the second. But you kinda need to intuit that yourself. I managed to get signed up for my appointments okay (second dose next week!) but my mom had a lot of difficulty and I had to go through it with her. It's just frustrating that the process is done like this and that it's all online because that isn't accessible by any means.

[Hanibal94]

The website for Saxony is OK, but could be better. First, you have to sign up there, which is quite straightforward.
But to actually get an appointment, you have to wait in a queue - and they don't tell you what place you're in, or explain that you MUST NOT RELOAD THE PAGE or you will lose your place!

After that, you can't just ask for any appointment - you can only check one vaccination center at a time
I tried Leipzig, Dresden, and a couple close to Leipzig - all failed.
The one I got was a little town in the Ore Mountains, couple hour's drive away, and I consider myself lucky!
I heard that a couple older neighbors had difficulty today, so I will probably walk them through it on the weekend.

[Randi]

I heard that a couple older neighbors had difficulty today, so I will probably walk them through it on the weekend.

I've seen a number of articles about that happening in the US too.
The system I used (via UPMC) was pretty good.
A friend got signed up through another friend that had contacts with a group doing vaccinations

[leelaht]

I got my second shot this week. First shot took a couple of weeks of checking with each pharmacy/chain, then there was a site that consolidated all the separate sites (yay) and that's when I found an opening. Not in my neighborhood but just a few exits away. They signed me up for the second shot while I filled in paperwork for the first shot. So they made that part easy. We were jabbed in groups of 5. But only 3 people were there at my appt slot.

[AvastMH]

I spotted this wonderful piece of covid face protection advice (next to the BBC article that studentforever's picked up about the Withernsea Lighthouse):
Covid: St Albans cathedral's new carving features facemask

[AvastMH]

Today the Government announced a green list of 'safe-to-visit' countries. A lot of people are not prepared to risk going abroad and bookings in the UK are full. And it looks like the waters will be ready for swimmers...or perhaps not....

UK's only resident killer whales spotted in Cornwall

[Randi]

I spotted this wonderful piece of covid face protection advice (next to the BBC article that studentforever's picked up about the Withernsea Lighthouse):
Covid: St Albans cathedral's new carving features facemask

Great find!

[AvastMH]

It's cool isn't it?

[Michael]

Wild killer whales are not considered a threat to humans and no fatal attack on humans has ever been documented, but there have been cases of captive orcas killing or injuring their handlers at marine theme parks.

[Morgan]

The statue at St Alban's is great. Do you suppose in 250 years people will have myths created to explain what it really signifies?

[studentforever]

Not so topical but this one comes from a local medieval abbey church, now used for regular Sunday worship.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland- ... t-23810979

Robert the Bruce's daughter, Marjory, is buried somewhere in the East end and one story is that Robert II, Marjorie's son, was actually born in the Abbey Infirmary - a competing story says he was born in Renfrew Castle, now completely lost. It is possible that William Wallace of Braveheart fame was educated there, his father was a local minor landholder. Pre-Covid it was open 10-3.30 Mon-Sat for visitors but sadly only for pre-booked Sunday services at the moment.

[Randi]

[AvastMH]

The statue at St Alban's is great. Do you suppose in 250 years people will have myths created to explain what it really signifies?

Doubtless It might be a cross between a handkerchief and a scold's bridle. A protective covering to save spreading sneezes and rumours at the same time? It would be interesting to be sat in a classroom on the well-established human colony on Mars when the kids learn about this