Compulsory vaccine for flying

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Viewing 15 posts - 31 through 45 (of 78 total)

  • ASK1945
    Participant

    [postquote quote=1090061]

    Mark – there is a definite problem with the Forum: I just sent a “Thanks” reply to Peter Coultas’s last message – and it landed in Canuklad’s one.


    FaroFlyer
    Participant

    Hi CanuckLad,

    Pleased to see your post. Like you, I tend to look to the BBC for “relatively” unbiased reporting. They had a very good article a couple of days ago https://www.bbc.com/news/world-55756452

    For me, the key paragraph was the summary which read: “January 20th is the dividing line, before that the Chinese could have done much better. After that, the rest of the world should be really on high alert and do much better.”

    I totally agree that China could have been more open and could have reacted quicker. The reality is also that the rest of the World was on notice, and should have reacted quicker. The difference between “could” and “should” is major.

    Also, back to topic, I cannot see travel being open before the end of the summer. I had several trade shows lined up to visit this year, and most are already cancelled. First real prospect is in Barcelona in June, but I give that only a 20% chance of taking place. After that I should be in Amsterdam in September, and Las Vegas in November, but I am not booking flights. Would love to take an Autumn cruise, but I cannot see how the embarkation and disembarkation can ever be socially distanced.


    canucklad
    Participant

    [quote quote=1091380]Personally I would rather that we discussed business travel all be it in its broadest terms.[/quote]

    Agreed —- I’ll desist from replying on the whole China thing , as individual opinions (emotional ) on here aren’t likely to change

    As the various vaccinations roll outs happen across the globe I wonder how individuals are being recorded and mote importantly can prove through documentation that they have indeed been vaccinated ?

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    TonyR
    Participant

    I don’t think vaccines will make much difference for some while until the virus is under control worldwide. Why? Well first it doesn’t offer 100% protection from catching it so until more data is in, even if you’ve been double dose vaccinated you should continue to behave as if you haven’t.

    Second there are two separate issues. The first is does it help stop you catching it or does it just help suppress the symptoms with a better/faster immune response? Why is that important? Because if its the latter you will still have a virus load in your body and be infecting people. There is some early evidence that it does reduce infectiousness and transmission but a lot more data is needed before we can say you cease to be an infection risk after vaccination.

    So bottom line until more data is in is currently if you’ve been vaccinated you may still get infected and may still infect others. People who have been vaccinated should behave and be treated the same as everyone else until the data says otherwise or the pandemic has passed.

    HTH

    Tony

    2 users thanked author for this post.

    PeterCoultas
    Participant

    TonyR…. very much the right assessment… vaccination is NOT 100% effective in preventing either infection or transmission to others…indeed our wonderful government studiously and misleadingly does not mention that their figures for vaccine efficiency are mid values and that there are confidence limits that can be pretty wide …. that is a 90% efficiency maybe the “best estimate” but depending on how trials have been done and the numbers of subjects involved the efficiency could vary enormously from that “best estimate” and indeed be below 50% or worse…

    There is still the question of negative tests… if you are vaccinated sucessfully then you should not test negative on most of the tests…you should be positive… oh dear you can no longer fly….

    All that is not to say that you will probably not be significantly better protected if you have the vaccination…. But….


    TonyR
    Participant

    There is still the question of negative tests… if you are vaccinated sucessfully then you should not test negative on most of the tests…you should be positive… oh dear you can no longer fly….

    @PeterCoultan. Antigen tests, which is the common test should only give a positive test for an active infection. Being vaccinated may not stop you getting an active infection and being infectious. So yes, positive antigen test and you should not fly because you have an active infection you could pass on. You won’t test antigen positive from the vaccine, only an active infection.

    For the antibody tests, which can detect prior infections, it depends which antibody test you have. Some detect antibodies to the virus spike (S) proteins which are present in both the vaccine or virus. Others detect antibodies to the virus nucleocapsid (N) protein which is not present in the currently approved vaccines. Hence reports of people testing antibody negative after vaccination – they just had the wrong (N) antibody test. But an antibody test is no real use for fit to fly testing because it doesn’t differentiate between past and active infections.

    So you can relax. If you’re vaccinated you will only test positive if you have a currently active infection in which case you definitely shouldn’t fly till its over.

    HTH

    3 users thanked author for this post.

    AnthonyDunn
    Participant

    Hi Martyn,

    It’s been a while…! We’re both surviving at this end albeit that Senior Management has experienced some nasty “bumps in the road….”

    With the Oxford/Astra Zeneca vaccine being trialled in conjunction with the Russian Sputnik version and with peer-reviewed articles of drug trials in inter alia “The Lancet”, I think that narrow vaccine nationalism is not going to last long in the face of an ever more urgent need to get populations effectively vaccinated and getting national economies moving once more.

    S/M had her first OxfordAZ jab this morning (in between her ongoing chemotherapy) whereas my recent positive antibody test to confirm my infection from last March has provided a measure of personal security. But we’re sadly going nowhere, stay in splendid isolation here in balmy NW2 and our best laid plans for a massive 60th last October for S/M all evaporated. Tant pis!

    Hope that everyone at your end remains fit and well etc.

    1 user thanked author for this post.

    MartynSinclair
    Participant

    Hi Anthony

    All good in HA8. My life currently consists of sleep, work, daily run, netflix, team video calls. Trying to keep the weight off and haven’t had a drink for 9 months, except for Christmas day and new years eve. Am in jab group 7, hopefully I will get the call within the next few weeks. Had 1 day trip in July out of LHR, been to my office in Marlow 4 times in a year… Moaned on Monday when I had a 6 am video call, until I remembered I only had a singular flight of stairs to travel to my home office….

    Like you, have major milestones this year, all will go uncelebrated. One this weekend though, is being marked with a fully catered event, silver service, linen tablecloths, delivered by the chef, in full garb, to my front door, from which point I need to take over. Should be a good event… may reach the social pages of facebook….

    The UK appears to have excelled itself in the vaccine roll out – as for the rest of the pandemic, utter shambles….by a nation in part, uncontrollable and not wishing to keep to the rules.

    As for Captain Sir Tom…. a truly remarkable and inspiring man…. RIP.

    I hope Senior Management is OK and look forward to the tapas bar on the hill, if it has survived.


    simeoncox
    Participant

    [postquote quote=1091399]

    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-06/covid19-vaccine-certificate-planned-for-australian-rollout/13125214

    If an unimaginative Australian government has chosen to use this method, then it has been lifted holus bolus from another country’s strategy.


    ASK1945
    Participant

    As someone who has received his first vaccination and is due to have the second one before my next booked flights, I was certainly a supporter of those pushing for a formal vaccination certificate that might be accepted by airlines, and the majority of countries for entry.

    On the face of it, it must be sensible. That is the scientific answer.

    However, There is a moral issue about which i had never considered, until I read the letter page of yesterday’s Times:

    VACCINE PASSPORTS
    Sir, The possibility of official “vaccine passports” to allow holidays raises concerns about fairness (report, Feb 5). For the past year, young people like me (I am 24) have curtailed our social interactions and accepted significant restrictions on our lives. We have made sacrifices to protect those more vulnerable than ourselves. It is right that older people are being vaccinated first, but is it fair that they will regain freedoms that younger people will continue to live without? There has been a sense of solidarity between generations throughout the pandemic so far; I fear it may be lost if vaccine passports are introduced.
    Christopher Day

    What does the Forum think?


    Swissdiver
    Participant

    [postquote quote=1092216]

    I hear an interesting point yesterday from a French professor: vaccination passport, yes, but only when every person willing to get vaccinated will have had the opportunity to be. I think it is fair and makes sense.


    ASK1945
    Participant

    [quote quote=1092223]I hear an interesting point yesterday from a French professor: vaccination passport, yes, but only when every person willing to get vaccinated will have had the opportunity to be. I think it is fair and makes sense.[/quote]

    I don’t think anyone could argue against that. However, it’s unlikely for months in developed countries and could be a year or more in less developed ones. What many people are looking for currently is a “free pass” to be permitted to travel now – or soon.


    Swissdiver
    Participant

    [postquote quote=1092224]

    Right. And till then, I am afraid our nose will continue to suffer…


    MartynSinclair
    Participant

    the 24 year old is naïve in thinking the vaccine passports will unfairly advantage those with jabs in being able to go on holiday before those without jabs. There are commercial travellers who rely on the freedom to travel to transact business around the world, where travel is certainly not a holiday.

    More importantly, perhaps the 24 year old can explain a strategy for the airlines to pay their staff, maintain jobs, afford keeping aircraft on the ground / basically how to keep airlines from financial collapse. Then you have the cruise liners; how on earth are these floating cities going to keep solvent with no revenue. Then consider all the ancillary / associated businesses, where jobs rely on commercial and leisure travellers. Is the 24 year old suggesting the world remains shut / travel banned, until all are equal in having the ability to go to Spain for 2 weeks in the sun?

    5 users thanked author for this post.
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