Macca

You have to put 2 and 2 together and if you are looking for absolute exactness, you won't get it Worldwide those aged under 12 haven't been vaccinated in great numbers (in a general sense) Those aged 13 - 15 haven't been vaccinated in great numbers either So it's almost certainly 16 and over as against the total population of those countries. The numbers won't be exact ... they can't be. But close enough? In my view, yes It's like wiki, it doesn't need to be perfect or have to be perfect The real pointers are the overflowing hospitals, those in ICU and the deaths (in the European countries & the USA) That can't be ignored no matter what the numbers tell us We're are doing well in Australia in comparison ... and there are a number of factors as to why (high vaccination rates, a more disciplined approach during lockdowns, mask wearing etc) But that's just my view ... others can have different viewpoints What's your overall view?

Google up 'Vaccination rates Worldwide' for all the info Wrecker You'll get a graph with drop-down facilities and below the graph is an 'About this data' icon that has further explanation I'm guessing the cases pertain to 12 years and over but it might be 16 years and over. Seen as more of an overview much like wiki provides

Yes, that could well be true Here in Australia I reckon the covid numbers can be managed (especially in comparison to many other countries) A more lethal variant of covid is a greater threat than the amount of unvaccinated we have (we are heading for 90% - 95% vaccinated - eventually)

30% in many European nations and 41% of Americans means there are a lot of conspiracy theorists. Too many Not that I disagree with your appraisal HT Mandates is the only solution then - but how to mandate? These people will cop token fines so more draconian measures will be needed We are seeing people give up their own career's all in the name of being an anti-vaxxer. As well as being shut out of society in terms of what they are allowed to do So do these anti-vaxxers stop their own children from being vaccinated? 30%+ in Europe up to 41% (USA)

Here in Victoria (where we have the most cases of covid) the numbers seem to be evenly spread out now in terms of municipalities & shires Even though the vaccination rates in 7 inner city municipalities here are lower than the rest (ranging from 73% - 80% as opposed to mostly 90%+ elsewhere)

What has surprised me is the amount of anti-vaxxers world wide. More so in affluent countries. And that the affluent countries aren't helping out the poorer countries with vaccine availability People have had ample time to get vaccinated and are these people not believing the actual numbers of covid cases, hospitalisations & deaths? Why would anyone dice with death? These people have got a far greater chance of dying from covid than they have from the vaccine ... especially if we get a variant of covid that is more lethal Austria are mandating vaccines from Feb 1st ... other countries will follow suit you'd imagine, DJ Low vaccination levels lead to more covid cases, more hospitalisations, more deaths and more lockdowns

So the UK & Germany have about 70% of their population double vaccinated yet both countries are still reporting in excess of 40,000 covid cases per day. 70% is nowhere near enough people vaccinated South Africa on the other hand has only 24% double vaxxed which means 45 million out of 59 million aren't vaccinated We are basically dealing with an unvaccinated country so whether it's Delta or Omicron, we could expect a big increase in covid numbers in South Africa. Their latest 7 day average is sitting at 4786 cases per day For more info go to google and type in ... 'Covid cases in (insert country) today' A graph will appear with a drop down facility to change the country of origin

Donald Rumsfeld would even have trouble spelling out an overview of covid (and all the variants)

And now we are seeing reports of younger people in South Africa being impacted more (health wise) by this new variant ... and the amount of those being infected rising dramatically. But again, South Africa has a very low vaccination rate in comparison to many European countries and the like As 'old dee' said in a post earlier, we may need until Christmas to see a clearer picture of the impact of Omicron All we have now are snippets of opinions without anything definitive. However, The World Health Organisation is using very strong language such as describing Omicron as a 'very high global risk' ... more contageous/more debilitating?

Fair enough but your original post referred to older/at risk getting hit harder but not specifying vaccinated or unvaccinated Coetzee is saying that older 'Unvaccinated' people infected with the new variant is an issue but isn't that what most health professionals are saying about the Delta variant with regards to the elderly or those at risk? It stands to reason that any of the unvaccinated elderly wouldn't want to get any version of covid. Same as these vulnerable people wouldn't want to contract influenza or any other debilitating diseases The biggest issue in South Africa is their low vaccination rates against covid. 45 million of 59 million aren't double vaccinated

The Rams might have to do it all on the road but if you can put it all together, you'll be there when the whips are cracking All your remaining games are winnable ... assuming you get over the Jags next up, the following game at Arizona looms large as a season definer. Win both and the season is well and truly alive As for the Packers, we've got a relatively moderate run home with the week off this week being a blessing (injury wise)

Posting up links or quotes from those who lean either way on where covid is going is relatively harmless anyway Some offer some hope, others offer caution and others still, offer nothing but doom & gloom There's not too many pollyanna's re covid though so any hope given could be welcomed with a cautious approach by those with hope in their hearts Caution & hope is my view as well as dealing with harsh realities I'm certainly no expert but isn't it a fait accompli that even if Omicron replaces Delta (or becomes the dominant variant) that Omicron will be replaced by another variant sooner or later?

So what might be Dr Coatsworth's agenda? I might add that we are still dealing with a number of unknowns with regards to Omicron so any definitive comment could be questioned But when the word 'if' is used that's not definitive. Dr Coatsworth used the word 'if' when he made his comment of if Omicrom may only have mild symptoms

If you are talking about Dr Angelique Coetzee I can't find anything that she has said other than Omicron having mild symptoms and different symptoms to Delta Can you provide a link to back up what else she might have said (specifically older/at risk people)

Dr Nick Coatsworth (amongst a few other health professionals) has some interesting views on the potency of Omicron Hope he's right

Eagles, Bucs, Chargers

As for a new variant ... when we get to September next season we might be having to deal with a new more potent covid variant (that is more contageous and debilitating) Or the variant we have at the moment - Delta According to the AFL and their 'Show must go on' mantra, that effectively means that (for instance) 6 or more players could be ruled ineligible to play on the day of a match. That includes the GF In overseas sports the game often involves 'squads' rather than our way which often surrounds best 12-15 or at the very least, best 22 So that is the covid connection and until we hear otherwise, that connection stays In my view, we need some wiggle room rather than a blanket rule. We could easily end up in a farcical situation otherwise

That doesn't surprise me but let's just for a moment imagine that we took up a stance of completely ignoring covid along with not bothering with vaccines The disease would be completely out of control, our hospitals full of covid patients with ICU units overflowing The elderly would be dying by the truckload and chaos would reign supreme The young being effected by the constant covid talk is unavoidable. The vaccines offer hope but that's not the end of it. So like it or not, we still had to act. And there cannot be half measures either. We have reacted here in the same way as nearly every country has. Lockdowns, vaccinations, the whole box and dice A lot of the decisions made have been forced upon us. The reaction from around the world (apart from the deniers) has been to fight back against covid. And when new strains emerge, we have to keep upping the ante. Annoying and time consuming but necessary This thread doesn't attract the majority of people here. In fact, most avoid this thread in my view. Can't say I blame them either My advice is that if talking about covid is bothersome, don't open the thread Different viewpoints? I welcome them

Personally, I'm able to cope quite well and lockdowns are good for my business But the young deserve a world that they can live in free of undue worry. I'm a parent and as a parent, I'd like to imagine that our politicians can lead and govern without any self interest Morrison banning those international flights aids all the State governments especially here in Victoria (where we do not want any more lockdowns) We need all our governments both State & Federal to work together I understand the whole numbers bit and the likelyhood of death through covid but the undeniable stat that can't be ignored is how our hospitals could easily be overrun if Covid runs rampant (the overseas models as the pointer) ICU units included So with Delta and our high vaccination rate it is looking like a manageable situation but we don't need another stronger strain of covid Morrison has made the right move. As previously stated, you don't invite trouble If the new strain turns out to be no more dangerous than Delta, all that will have happened is the cautious card being played. No harm done

Covid seems to have it's own unique set of rules regarding time ... one day seems like a week or longer, Dante Anyway, it's good to see good old Scotty go from 'No concern' to 'We are concerned' in the space of 24 hours. And Dan was probably getting mildly excited where he might have been able to enact his new pandemic rules. Lockdown Dan will have to bide his time for now Mind you, there are 20 from South Africa in isolation up in NT. With one positive case ... lets hope it's not 'Omicron' and that others from that plane load all test negative But this Omicron variant will find it's way here soon enough ... fingers crossed it's no more dangerous than the Delta variant

3 months off which included a huge loss of earnings amounting to hundreds of 1000's was punishment enough And I can't back a winner today Gorg ... no good!

No one is calling for a lockdown

It's a new variant so we adjust our thinking accordingly ... we are not dealing with old info

Yes ... clamp down on a number of International flights until we find out more info on the new variant Or take your chances and ignore (and hope for the best)

The issue at hand is whether we ban travel from 6 African countries The to and fro with regards to nearly everything else belongs in the general discussion area And yes, it is related to footy because if we get a new strain, all bets are off