How is everyone in the current situation? General Chat

On our news today, they say that the Pfizer vaccine is only 77% effective after 4 - 5 months, and the Astra Zenica variety may only be 67% effective after the same period.
A quick scan in our small town this week suggests that the wearing of masks - even in the stores that wished to keep them - has fallen to around 50%. Although the rates of infection are worrying, the effects seem to be milder in the vaccinated population. Though that theory doesn't seem to have worked out for Amit!

Carole - you're back! I mean you are back as you!

Mask wearing in stores [and all inside places] was made mandatory again here just ten days after it was lifted. There are also restrictions as to numbers of people allowed in stores at any one time.

Hai was here yesterday helping me with something [I had no power for four hours - in a heatwave - no a/c?***] and he said that every day he is having to tell people that they cannot go into the macolet without a mask and/or there are too many people in there already. It is only a tiny place. And every day people argue and say they will only be a minute... so he has to have someone outside all the time, stopping these people from going in. And some people are getting stroppy about it.

Everything is being handled - put back - something else touched - and people wonder why we are now getting up to and over 10,000 new confirmed cases a day?

With Rosh Hashana, the New Year, and all the Festivals coming up, starting in just over a week, we should have been put back in full lockdown a couple of weeks ago instead of all the umming and erring about it. The way things are going we will be put back in lockdown just before they start and people will be screaming about it. But if we are not - then I am very afraid of what is going to result. Especially as now there is yet another variant around.

As for the effects of the virus being less in people who have been fully vaccinated - more than just a few have had milder effects, there are still many people, like Amit, who have been, and are, very ill. I tried to telephone him earlier but he is not answering his phone. So I do not know what is happening now and I am getting more and more worried.

[***After me checking my fuse box was OK, and spending over an hour on the telephone trying to get hold of someone at the electricity company, Hai managed to get hold of someone and they said there was no power cut and that the problem was in my home. It was not. My main meter and fuse box is in the detached bungalow next door, as a sub meter. Hai had to telephone them [cannot get to the door because of that Cane Corso] and they said "oh, one of the children must have switched hers off". Only the meters and fuses are in a cupboard set into the wall - which has a door - and which the children cannot reach unless they stand on a chair...]

Not really Juli. I was using the old Chrome tablet this morning, and using the Amazon one tonight!
What a terrible events today. I can't imagine how much fear there must be in Afghanistan. How can that apology for a political movement be so cruel and vindictive to people who were left with nothing but the clothes they stand in, and to the 13 US soldiers who have perished with them. Will Pen Farthing with his vets, staff and dogs even reach his waiting plane? What have all these people done to deserve this? The world is in a truly dreadful state.

Were you unable to get any help from the Mods to get you back a you?

As for the events in Afghanistan - you know that I do not "do" politics [I have it enough elsewhere] but... but... what is it, 20 years and all those deaths - for it to end like this? With more and more deaths to come. My heart breaks just trying to imagine how they feel.

Yes it is all so sad. I can't imagine how traumatising it must be to be one of the guards who has to make the decision to admit, or turn people away.
As for Pen, his family are here. I hate to say this, but I think I might have made the decision to lovingly euthanise the animals at the rescue centre which has become their home, and get the humans out.

And in the meantime those poor animals are in carrying crates. How long can they survive like that?

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Pen was finally allowed to board a flight with 200 rescue cats and dogs from his Nowzad charity – but he was forced to leave his staff members behind.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...ts-dogs-forced-leave-Afghan-staff-behind.html

Yesterday's news was obviously incorrect as he has still not left.

Former Royal Marine turned animal rescuer Pen Farthing could be the last British civilian to leave Kabul airport, reports say.

The 57-year-old's chartered jet from Karachi, Pakistan, landed at around 6pm local time as he prepares to fly 180 cats and dogs to safety.

The last UK flight dedicated for civilians left last night and all further flights today are for military and diplomatic personnel.

It means when Mr Farthing's plane finally takes off this evening, he could be the last British civilian to leave Afghanistan - even after the ambassador, Sir Laurie Bristow.

Mr Farthing will fly from Kabul to Tashkent in Uzbekistan before later returning to Britain, where he has won legions of fans for holding the government to account.​

He isn't very happy though as his animals will have to go into quarantine in kennels and catteries for four months, although I am sure that all his fans will happily pay all the necessary bills.

But what about the fate of his staff who he will be leaving behind?

Pen Farthing reveals relief at being able to escape Kabul with his animals but not his former staff | Daily Mail Online

I have heard that some of these pets were owned by admin and military staff, and had been entrusted to Pen Farthing for repatriation.There has been an online fund raising campaign, and the Kennel Club has made what I imagine would be a significant donation. No doubt other companies too, the high street Pets at Home have donated £20,000.
A pity they couldn't have allowed the vets to travel, as we the UK is desperately short of them due to the increase in the dog population during lockdown, (which is said to have increased from 9.5 million to 12.5 million). I suspect that the vets would have found instant employment!
I haven't heard what has happened about Kabul Small Animal Rescue which is said to have raised $500,000, and was taking care of the pets of evacuees with the hope of being able to reunite. Such a confused picture - there must be pets in other cities besides Kabul!

To be honest Carole I am not sure what to believe now, especially not after hearing the recording of his foul-mouthed threats to a Ministry of Defence official. It's being discussed elsewhere so I am now keeping well out of discussions on the subject.

Yes, he seems to have upset a lot of people. He was a Marine, and I can understand his frustration after securing funding and sourcing a plane privately, but agree his approach was a long way short of diplomatic. Four-lettering seems to becoming common speech these days.
I think his workers might have been on the plane too. I suppose all will become clear.

Just to let everyone know that Amit is at last OK, B"H - he appeared at the end of my ramp yesterday evening and Tikva went absolutely hysterical with joy when she saw him - I unclipped her tether and she rushed outside and flew into his arms! I, of course, immediately burst into tears - well, I hadn't heard anything for what seemed like forever.

He is still rather weak and gets breathless talking - yesterday was the first time he felt well enough to drive here from town. He had had the first two vaccinations some months ago and was just going for the booster when he caught the virus - and he was quite ill for three weeks. For someone of his age, and as healthy as he was, it really did hit him badly.

Boosters are now being given to all ages - the situation here is terrible. Yesterday's figures were 16,629 new cases and 43 deaths. With Rosh Hashana, our New Year, starting on Monday evening, and Holy Days and Festivals until the end of the month, I dread to think of what could easily happen if everyone gets together to celebrate them.

Israel, which was doing so well, for the last seven days the figures show that we now have the highest number of daily cases per million inhabitants, in the world.

So pleased that Amit has recovered. Is his son better too?

I am not sure if Amit's son tested positive or was ill - when I asked how his son was he just said that he had gone back to the army. He could not talk much as he was getting out of breath and he is far from being fully recovered health-wise. But he is clear of the virus and I was just so relieved to see him, as I am sure you can imagine.

Glad to hear that Amit is on the mend. The virus is awful for all age groups when it hits badly. They are saying that the majority here that are hospitalised are now in the 18-25 age group. I think a lot of the problem is that they were told from the start that it doesn't affect the young badly and have now found out the the Delta strain indeed does

So glad he is getting better.

I remember when seatbelts became mandatory. Face masks should be mandatory in public indoor places until.... I don’t know when. Years probably. Social distancing as well. People are forgetting about that. This isn’t going away, at least not soon. Not trying to be a pessimist, just a realist

Thanks everyone.

You are not a pessimist Marc. Just look at/watch any of the MSM. Pictures and video clips of thousands of crammed together at protests, rallies, festivals - no masks, no cares. Read the comments sections - "hoax" - "conspiracy" - "population reduction" - snake-oil salesmen and fake cures galore - and so on and so forth.

I thought stupidity could not get any worse, until I read a comment on an article in the English language, Jerusalem Post online newspaper, explaining that the reason Israel was having such a high rate of new cases was because 'the only information and instructions are given in Israel in English" and "very few people in Israel can read English". When someone answered that most of the newspapers/television stations/radio stations in Israel are in Hebrew, and that the main website of the Israeli Ministry of Health is in Hebrew, he was told that he did not know what he was talking about.

The person who had made the incorrect statement was, according to him, "a proud American". The person who corrected him, and who was told he did not know what he was talking about, has lived in Israel since 1971 - and still lives in Israel. Happens to be someone I know, who lives in north Tel Aviv.

Masks indoors are mandatory here again. Yet day after day Hai has to argue with people trying to go into the macolet without wearing a mask. Final figures for Wednesday here? 20,523 new cases.

As much as I hate wearing masks (hot flashes are miserable), I agree. We need to stop messing around with this.

A friend is getting ready to evict a boarder because he won't get the vaccine - simply because he's too dang lazy to bother.

I'm really tired of these idiots being allowed to make decisions that effect everyone else, not just themselves.

My great uncle had polio as a child. He got through it with a damaged voice box and a limp. Unfortunately, when he got old and was dying, unknown damage from the polio affected him. He couldn't eat, he couldn't breathe, and so on. His death was miserable because of some disease he had 50+ years prior.

I'm afraid this virus will be like that. I worry that it's going to haunt those who have had it when their final days come - making a "peaceful death" impossible.