Poor Weka.

[Workingman]

Auckland, where she lives, is going into a sharp lockdown do to three new cases of Covid-19. Three members of one family have have contracted it. None of them have been abroad but one works in the airline industry and the fear is that she might have contracted it from coming into contact with items removed from planes for cleaning.

However, and thanks to the NZ excellent tracing and isolation systems, it is hoped that the small outbreak has been confined. I hope so.

[Kaz]

I'm sure NZ will crack it, asap. They've certainly played a blinder during this pandemic so far

[TheOstrich]

They have, but can they keep the virus out for ever? I doubt it. The virus only has to "get lucky" once.

I wonder, are they vaccinating in New Zealand?

[saundra]

Had a message from my friend in oz today and they have heard nothing and the vaccine there she sounded very depressed bless her

[Workingman]

NZ are not starting till next week, the 20th - I found this in the Guardian:

Ardern said vaccinating border workers would be the first priority, a process that would take two to three weeks. This would be followed by the vaccination of their household contacts, then health care and essential workers and those most at risk from Covid-19 in the second quarter.

“Vaccination of the wider population [will begin] in the second half of the year,” Ardern said, and was expected to take six months to a year. The vaccine would be free for all New Zealanders.

Sensible way of doing things IMO. Given their low numbers they are not the sort of priority that other countries are.

[meriad]

For a country like NZ (ie we should have done similar as we are also an island) that definitely makes sense.

BUT... my concern is that(as far as I understood it) the vaccination doesn't stop the spread; it just minimises symptoms so people aren't as reliant on hospitalisation if they get it. So even then - as Ossie says - it only takes one person to not realise they have the virus and then it's potentially game over. Virus 1:0 NZ

But the sooner they can get everyone vaccinated then the better; they definitely have the right controls / programmes and also attitude from the people

[Workingman]

BUT... my concern is that(as far as I understood it) the vaccination doesn't stop the spread; it just minimises symptoms so people aren't as reliant on hospitalisation if they get it.

True, but it's one of those questions.....

From what I have read from Jonhs Hopkins Uni, ICL, US CDC and our own DHSC the vaccines reduce our risk of serious complications, but we can still catch it and pass it on. However, when / if we do the amount of live virus we can pass on - the viral load - is reduced by 60 - 95%. This allows for the possibility that the transmission rate can be reduced so that fewer people can catch it, especially those who have been vaccinated. Cases of double infection are still relatively rare.

Trials are still taking place but the more positive thinking is that the more people we vaccinate the fewer major complications we get. It could be that the viral load from someone vaccinated is so low as for it not to be able to infect another vaccinated person. We will never get rid of Covid, except by some miracle, so there is now talk of an annual booster along the lines of the flu vaccines.

Two phrases to look out for are "effective immunity", which can prevent serious disease, but can't stop it from entering the body or making more copies of itself. The other is "sterilising immunity", which can reduce infections entirely, and thus prevent asymptomatic cases. We are near(er) to the first and working towards the second.

[Kaz]

Two phrases to look out for are "effective immunity", which can prevent serious disease, but can't stop it from entering the body or making more copies of itself. The other is "sterilising immunity", which can reduce infections entirely, and thus prevent asymptomatic cases. We are near(er) to the first and working towards the second.

[Gal2]

the vaccination doesn't stop the spread; it just minimises symptoms so people aren't as reliant on hospitalisation if they get it

This is true, Tom and I are proof

[Kaz]

Thank goodness Gal! You could have been really poorly but for the jab xxx