Aussies: Football, Meat Pies, and Rampant SARS

[ljkeane]

So watching a bit of the State of Origin game this morning the big thing I’ve learned is that Just Eat is apparently called Menulog in Australia? Wtf? 

[Paxter]

8 hours ago, ljkeane said:

So watching a bit of the State of Origin game this morning the big thing I’ve learned is that Just Eat is apparently called Menulog in Australia? Wtf? 

Haha.

A few others for you:

• Burger King = Hungry Jack's
• Rice Krispies = Rice Bubbles
• Walkers Crisps = Lay's

[maarsen]

2 hours ago, Paxter said:

Haha.

A few others for you:

• Burger King = Hungry Jack's
• Rice Krispies = Rice Bubbles
• Walkers Crisps = Lay's

Well at least Australia doesn't have a new name for Tim Horton's yet.

[Paxter]

1 hour ago, maarsen said:

Well at least Australia doesn't have a new name for Tim Horton's yet.

My Australian friends are always bemused by Tims when they visit.

Is it coffee? Fast food? Desserts? Generic North American takeout crap? All of the above?

[HoodedCrow]

Try to explain “ Canadian Tire”.

[Impmk2]

Oh fuck Barnaby is back. Here we go again!

[Paxter]

9 hours ago, Impmk2 said:

Oh fuck Barnaby is back. Here we go again!

Annoying but predictable. The Murdoch press has been egging him on for years, both during the citizenship saga and after the bonking ban. 

ETA: Some Aussie headlines that have interested/bemused/perplexed me in recent times:

1. The constant toing and froing on AstraZeneca eligibility. Countries with decent vaccine supply like Israel, Canada and the US are not using it for first doses or never allowed it. Just give people proper information about the vaccine and let them make their own decisions, rather than constantly changing the eligibility criteria.
2. Most of the electorate is not in favour of expanding international arrivals any time soon, regardless of vaccine status. So looks like all of '21 and most of '22 won't see any significant changes to the very small number of permitted arrivals. 
3. Who the hell cares about Gladys' love life? Just let her govern. 

[The Anti-Targ]

Speaking of international arrivals. Which one of you came over and infected us on the weekend? Not that I blame everyone.

Actually, I am very much in favour of our travel bubble and planning to come to Sydney in December (travel pauses notwithstanding), and I would hate this current situation to become a call for restricting Aussie travel. We just have to use the tracer app, wear masks on public transport and take sensible precautions. from my perspective an outbreak somewhere in Aus should be treated no different to an outbreak in Auckland or Wellington. From a COVID-19 perspective we are effectively one country (don't tell any Kiwis I said that) that controls situations at a regional level when they arise.

[karaddin]

@Paxter the shills are getting increasingly and absurdly obsessed with Gladys and it's so bizarre. These fools are ostensibly on the same side of politics as me yet I can't stand them, they're essentially just Trumpers that picked the other team.

Every unreasonable criticism they trot out just makes me defend her more. 

And then they go undermining public confidence in important public servants, directly against their own ideological interests, simply because Dr Chant is currently working under a coalition government. Her job is public health ffs, not being a politician.

[Impmk2]

Sounds like the authorities in Sydney are contemplating complete lockdown over this latest outbreak. My fingers crossed for the Sydney boarders.

On 6/22/2021 at 3:27 AM, Paxter said:

The constant toing and froing on AstraZeneca eligibility. Countries with decent vaccine supply like Israel, Canada and the US are not using it for first doses or never allowed it. Just give people proper information about the vaccine and let them make their own decisions, rather than constantly changing the eligibility criteria.

Yes this is just the supply issue (which tbh given we're pretty priviliged as far as covid goes is understandable), and stretching the AZ as far as it'll go to get shots into arms. I do wish they'd just open up eligibility to Pfizer to the over 60s at this point though. There are so many AZ hesitant people, and constantly changing the advice around it just makes for further angst. Hopefully that'll happen sooner rather than later as supply improves and Moderna / Novavax comes here.

[Wall Flower]

29 minutes ago, Impmk2 said:

Sounds like the authorities in Sydney are contemplating complete lockdown over this latest outbreak. My fingers crossed for the Sydney boarders.

Yes this is just the supply issue (which tbh given we're pretty priviliged as far as covid goes is understandable), and stretching the AZ as far as it'll go to get shots into arms. I do wish they'd just open up eligibility to Pfizer to the over 60s at this point though. There are so many AZ hesitant people, and constantly changing the advice around it just makes for further angst. Hopefully that'll happen sooner rather than later as supply improves and Moderna / Novavax comes here.

Yeah, I think that the limited supply is preventing opening up eligibility for a Pfizer shot to the over 60's. I've had my first Astra shot but the disadvantage of the vaccine (aside from the risk of clots) is that I won't get my second shot until 24 August, pretty much at the end of winter. I did feel a bit jealous having dinner last week with some family members just a couple of years younger than me who are now eligible for Pfizer and will be fully vaccinated about two months before me.

Fortunately,, I think most of the over 70's are coming up for their second Astra shot and, vaccine hesitancy aside, should be able to be fully immunised soon.

[Paxter]

By the time all Australians are eligible to be vaccinated, many will be due a booster shot...

[karaddin]

I'm booked in for my first Pfizer shot on Monday and Brook had hers last week. I'm a little confused by the difficulty some are saying they're having finding a booking in this area, I only booked mine on Thursday after getting my documentation from my GP (still under the gen pop age) and there were still bookings available every day next week and 4 on Monday when I looked.

[Impmk2]

Case(s) in Sydney, Brisbane, Darwin, Perth. This flight attendent and the possibility of spread is obviously really concerning. Melbourne still has recently active cases there, so not out of the woods there yet either. The one time I'm glad Adelaide has been left off the list (touch wood).

Seems to be small spotfires everywhere. Is this the moment the cat gets out of the bag??

12 hours ago, karaddin said:

I'm booked in for my first Pfizer shot on Monday and Brook had hers last week. I'm a little confused by the difficulty some are saying they're having finding a booking in this area, I only booked mine on Thursday after getting my documentation from my GP (still under the gen pop age) and there were still bookings available every day next week and 4 on Monday when I looked.

Yeah I had no problems booking my vaccination* here in Adelaide a couple weeks ago, managed to be get a spot about 1 week out, although that was before they expanded eligibility to the 50-60 age group. Was actually more of a struggle to find somewhere for the 2nd dose at approx 3 weeks after the first.

*lab staff - we're expecting to receive more respiratory samples & wastewater in the latter half of the year so it's time to use that 1A priority group

[karaddin]

11 hours ago, Impmk2 said:

Case(s) in Sydney, Brisbane, Darwin, Perth. This flight attendent and the possibility of spread is obviously really concerning. Melbourne still has recently active cases there, so not out of the woods there yet either. The one time I'm glad Adelaide has been left off the list (touch wood).

Seems to be small spotfires everywhere. Is this the moment the cat gets out of the bag??

Yeah I had no problems booking my vaccination* here in Adelaide a couple weeks ago, managed to be get a spot about 1 week out, although that was before they expanded eligibility to the 50-60 age group. Was actually more of a struggle to find somewhere for the 2nd dose at approx 3 weeks after the first.

*lab staff - we're expecting to receive more respiratory samples & wastewater in the latter half of the year so it's time to use that 1A priority group

The NSW booking system does the booking for the second dose at the same time as you do the first, at least for the Pfizer, which seems a good approach for ensuring as many get their second as possible.

From what I saw on Twitter the Vic system is, or at least was, a bit lacking on that front - they weren't even sending reminders that it's due.

And I'm still hoping we'll be able to pull it back in all states. I think the numbers in Sydney have been similar to the Crossroads cluster last year despite the increased transmissibility of the Delta variant, which hopefully means the improvements in contact tracing, public compliance etc are cancelling that factor out.

It makes no difference to what I'd be doing either way, so nothing to gain my panicking - just hoping we manage. The timing is so shit though, Brooks kids miss getting to see their dad in school holidays again, second time in the last 12 months and they had to rush back early last winter as well. 

[IheartIheartTesla]

Quote

Buck naked: nude sunbathers fleeing deer fined for breaking Sydney lockdown

They had to be rescued later by helicopter/rescue team because they got lost in bushland, but if you replace deer with dingo/snake/outrageously large creepy-crawlie this would (to me) be peak Australia.

[karaddin]

Massive queue for the vaccination at RPA today. They apparently did 1800 at that clinic on Saturday and this was looking substantially larger than that, so hopefully will see a spike in the vaccination numbers now.

[Paxter]

On 6/26/2021 at 11:35 PM, Impmk2 said:

Seems to be small spotfires everywhere. Is this the moment the cat gets out of the bag??

I doubt it. Case numbers are still relatively low compared to say, last winter's VIC outbreak. I would be surprised if the combo of lockdowns, mass testing and tracing doesn't do the trick again.

I do think it's odd though that voters are so forgiving of the Feds' vaccine rollout. And of course the Opposition is nowhere to be seen. 

[Impmk2]

9 hours ago, Paxter said:

I doubt it. Case numbers are still relatively low compared to say, last winter's VIC outbreak. I would be surprised if the combo of lockdowns, mass testing and tracing doesn't do the trick again.

I tend to agree, though NSW getting to this outbreak in the first generation and still needing to lockdown the entire region over it gives me pause. Delta really does seem to be a whole new ballgame.

[Paxter]

32 minutes ago, Impmk2 said:

I tend to agree, though NSW getting to this outbreak in the first generation and still needing to lockdown the entire region over it gives me pause. Delta really does seem to be a whole new ballgame.

Now everyone is copying McGowan. Lock it down baby!

We have plenty of Delta circulating here in Ontario and the stance is to lockdown less, rather than more. The vaccine is a point of difference but one in four people are still unvaccinated, and most people are only partially vacced.