Northern Europe during Pandemic -- Summers 2020 & 2021 & onwards

[dannc]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

I think I could spend a lifetime cruising these isles and not see everything. The islands of the inner and outer Hebrides are magic places.

It is not just Islay that has WWII memorials. In every village I have come across there has been a towering memorial stone dedicated to lives lost in both world wars. I read each one. Not only are there a surprisingly large number of names, but many surnames are repeated over and over, probably indicating that close to a whole generation of lads in some families was sadly wiped out. It has been estimated 135,000 Scots died in WWI and 57,000 in WWII. In contrast 7,600 deaths have been attributed to COVID-19.

We only spent a week in Scotland and it was painfully obvious that one could spend years traveling the country. As we were crawling along at 5 knots, I remember looking at this large, abandoned house clinging to the side of an island hill, thinking the boat was moving to fast and we needed to slow down.

We too noticed the war memorials. There is a HUGE memorial in Campbeltown that is very impressive. Ya'll should visit Campbeltown. There are three, or maybe it is now four, distilleries there. They used to have so many distilleries they had to build/use a new loch to supply water to the people in town. The other loch's water was being used by the distilleries. I think they had 35ish legal distilleries at one point.

There is a large airfield on the other side of the Mull of Kintyre that used to be a major air base during the Cold War and it was an alternative landing field for the space shuttle. It is a general aviation air field at this point. There is a fuel dock, still called the NATO fuel dock, in the loch, for the fuel storage for the airfield on the other side of the Mull. Course, Paul McCartney used to live there but he sold his land years ago.

The best nachos we have ever had were at the hotel right in front of the marina at Campbeltown. There was some very good smoked mussels in the butcher shop in town too.

Later,
Dan

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by dannc

We only spent a week in Scotland and it was painfully obvious that one could spend years traveling the country. As we were crawling along at 5 knots, I remember looking at this large, abandoned house clinging to the side of an island hill, thinking the boat was moving to fast and we needed to slow down.

We too noticed the war memorials. There is a HUGE memorial in Campbeltown that is very impressive. Ya'll should visit Campbeltown. There are three, or maybe it is now four, distilleries there. They used to have so many distilleries they had to build/use a new loch to supply water to the people in town. The other loch's water was being used by the distilleries. I think they had 35ish legal distilleries at one point.

There is a large airfield on the other side of the Mull of Kintyre that used to be a major air base during the Cold War and it was an alternative landing field for the space shuttle. It is a general aviation air field at this point. There is a fuel dock, still called the NATO fuel dock, in the loch, for the fuel storage for the airfield on the other side of the Mull. Course, Paul McCartney used to live there but he sold his land years ago.

The best nachos we have ever had were at the hotel right in front of the marina at Campbeltown. There was some very good smoked mussels in the butcher shop in town too.

Later,
Dan

Paul described his best selling song in the UK as a love song. For sailors the Mull of Kintyre is the gateway to the wild and magnificent Hebrides. I think the locals deliberately spread tales of perpetual gales, keel catching rocks and midges and clegs just to put off hordes of visitors .

[UFO]

You seriously could not make this up!


So it looks like the West Australian government states the Vaccine as a Poison, I hope you all enjoyed your shot of Poison



Taken from an Australia Government site:


Authorisation to supply or administer vaccine (No. 1)




Guidance



This is an Instrument of authorisation to supply or administer a poison (SARS-COV-2 (COVID-19) VACCINE))


THIS IS NOT A TYPO - READ THE DOCUMENT LINKED TO ON THE PAGE


https://www.wa.gov.au/government/pub...r-vaccine-no-1

[Macblaze]

Originally Posted by UFO

You seriously could not make this up!


So it looks like the West Australian government states the Vaccine as a Poison, I hope you all enjoyed your shot of Poison



Taken from an Australia Government site:


Authorisation to supply or administer vaccine (No. 1)




Guidance



This is an Instrument of authorisation to supply or administer a poison (SARS-COV-2 (COVID-19) VACCINE))


THIS IS NOT A TYPO - READ THE DOCUMENT LINKED TO ON THE PAGE


https://www.wa.gov.au/government/pub...r-vaccine-no-1

Thanks for that. I mean your premise is patently ridiculous but it took me down a real interesting historical and etymological path into the definitions and uses of poisons in eastern and western medicine. Very cool stuff.

[TeddyDiver]

Originally Posted by Macblaze

Thanks for that. I mean your premise is patently ridiculous but it took me down a real interesting historical and etymological path into the definitions and uses of poisons in eastern and western medicine. Very cool stuff.

Reminds what french say about fish without wine..

[Dockhead]

Status update for our region as of today. Incredible it's 1 May already. COVID time. Daily infection rates:



Are falling everywhere in our region except Latvia and Lithuania, which are experiencing slow increases.

The pandemic is down to practically nothing in Finland (urra!), down to 37 per day, not far to go to 25 where Finland will be considered a green country according to the European system. Norway below 100. Denmark about to dip below 100. Estonia coming down after their horrendous third wave in March-April, now under 300.

Sweden has highest daily infection rate in the region, but this has declined and is now under 500.

I've included India (which is obviously not in Northern Europe) just because what is going on there is so concerning -- daily infection rate increased 6x (!) during April alone -- a very bad dynamic.

Concerning deaths:



Our whole region is well below the European average of 4.68 except Lithuania, which is only slightly above.

Estonia has fallen dramatically to 3.77. Germany stays stubbornly at 2.74 -- I don't really understand what is going on in Germany, where the pandemic just goes on and on, burning slowly through society. Germany has throughout the pandemic been by far the least affected large European country, but this wave has gone on so long, that cumulative deaths in Germany are now approaching 1000. Unlikely to catch up with the other large euro countries (France, Italy, UK) but the gap has narrowed dramatically.

Sweden, despite the very high daily infection rate, still has a quite low death rate, under 2, more than 2.5x less than the European average. Latvia has come way down, to 2.80. Norway, Finland have never had a meaningful amount of pandemic deaths; Denmark had a wave of death during the autumn wave, but is now basically nothing. 0.27, even less than Finland.

As to vaccination:



BIG breakouts in Germany and Sweden -- way to go!! Germany has reached the blistering rate of 0.75 doses per 100 people; Sweden not far behind at 0.67, comparing favorably to the European average at 0.56 (which itself is a good increase compared to 0.39 at the beginning of April.


Latvia continues to lag pathetically.

But in general, but for Latvia, it seems to become increasingly clear that our region will be well enough vaccinated by the end of summer, that there will not be any further waves of this pandemic. So most people and businesses are planning for life to get back quite to normal in the course of the summer, with no further pandemic measures other than perhaps some border restrictions, after we finish lifting the remaining restrictions during May. Immunity passports will be rolled out during June at latest (Denmark and Estonia have already rolled theirs out), and one more or less permanent change may be that certain activities will require proof of vaccination (or recent test, or recovery from illness). We should be prepared for this to persist for another year or more. But this is no big deal -- assuming you're vaccinated, you just show your immunity passport and life is normal for you. I think even masking will disappear, although our society might end up being more like SE Asia, with people using masks on their own initiative in crowded places.

So this summer should offer superb cruising in this region!

P.S. Concerning masking: I am now immune, two weeks after my second vaccine dose, and I am relaxing my own precautions. I have given up elbow bumps and gone back, with great pleasure, to normal handshakes. I have resumed hugging whoever the hell I want to. But masks are still required. I have mostly started wearing hospital masks vs. the N95 masks I have been wearing, and how much more comfortable they are! After a year of wearing N95 masks, sometimes for 24 hours at time (transatlantic flight with three layovers), it is an incredible relief to go to hospital masks, which is almost like wearing nothing. My, how the goalposts move!

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

.......But in general, but for Latvia, it seems to become increasingly clear that our region will be well enough vaccinated by the end of summer, that there will not be any further waves of this pandemic. So most people and businesses are planning for life to get back quite to normal in the course of the summer, with no further pandemic measures other than perhaps some border restrictions, after we finish lifting the remaining restrictions during May. Immunity passports will be rolled out during June at latest (Denmark and Estonia have already rolled theirs out), and one more or less permanent change may be that certain activities will require proof of vaccination (or recent test, or recovery from illness). We should be prepared for this to persist for another year or more. But this is no big deal -- assuming you're vaccinated, you just show your immunity passport and life is normal for you. I think even masking will disappear, although our society might end up being more like SE Asia, with people using masks on their own initiative in crowded places.

So this summer should offer superb cruising in this region!

P.S. Concerning masking: I am now immune, two weeks after my second vaccine dose, and I am relaxing my own precautions. I have given up elbow bumps and gone back, with great pleasure, to normal handshakes. I have resumed hugging whoever the hell I want to. But masks are still required. I have mostly started wearing hospital masks vs. the N95 masks I have been wearing, and how much more comfortable they are! After a year of wearing N95 masks, sometimes for 24 hours at time (transatlantic flight with three layovers), it is an incredible relief to go to hospital masks, which is almost like wearing nothing. My, how the goalposts move!

Here in Scotland, from what I have encountered the mood is very joyful. We are now free to travel anywhere in the UK and shops, pubs, restaurants and cafes reopened 6 days ago. We still have a few unusual restrictions such as no socialising indoors in private homes and no alcohol being served indoors in public places, but these rules too are about to relax shortly. Life is largely back to normal.

We have had a flurry of outdoor socialising recently and this past week enjoyed several pub meals outdoors, along with lots of others with smiling faces around us. It is nothing short of blissful .

The EU has now on average given at least one dose of vaccine to 24% percent of the population. If they have been targeting those at highest risk first, this should now cover most of this group. This occurred mid February in the UK and it took about another month for the death rate to really drop to a low level so if this is anything to go by, we should start to see deaths reducing quite quickly from now on in the EU.

The graph below that commences early January rather than mid March illustrates the staggering change in the UK over the last few months. The rate of deaths per million was 18+ at one stage and is now down to around 0.22 (with a population of around 67 million this past week it has averaged 15 deaths per day).

All this has been achieved with giving only 51% of the population the first dose of their vaccines. As I commented months ago, I truly hope the UK will now stop pushing not fully tested vaccines (the impact of these won’t be known for years) on the healthy “young”, and once all the vunerable have received their second dose the UK will consider passing over vaccines to other countries who are in dire need. This is a global problem and one that will persist until all the vulnerable worldwide have been vaccinated.

SWL

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

. . . The EU has now on average given at least one dose of vaccine to 24% percent of the population. If they have been targeting those at highest risk first, this should now cover most of this group. This occurred mid February in the UK and it took about another month for the death rate to really drop to a low level so if this is anything to go by, we should start to see deaths reducing quite quickly from now on in the EU.. .

I am optimistic, but a bit more cautious than this. There are two differences between EU and UK:

1 UK was coming off of a horrendous peak, so was anyway in a subsiding wave. The vaccine accelerated a dynamic which was already in place. EU is still in an accelerating phase in many parts.

2. The rate of vaccination in UK was much higher than what has been achieved so far in EU, about twice.

So I think it will take a bit longer. But yes -- getting the vulnerable vaccinated will surely knock the legs out from under the death rates -- surely we will see signs of that soon. Odd that in Germany it just goes on and on. EU average is still 4.68 (about 2.5x the Swedish death rate, which itself is the highest in the Nordic region), down from over 6 a couple of weeks ago, and heading down, but not all that fast.

But May should be a time of natural deceleration, so with even a partial effect from vaccination, should be dramatically different by the end of the month. I hope so. Certainly our region should be quite ok by then.

Congrats on your joy in Scotland! Today is "Vappu" in Finland; the pre-Christian spring festival, which is one of the big holidays of the year. It's a bit subdued this year, but you can drink indoors at least, albeit not late.

[Dockhead]

Some random Northern European/pandemic news:

1, In Denmark, a number of activities are reserved for vaccinated people (or people with a recent test). I'm having a party tomorrow in a Copenhagen restaurant -- you can't do that without a vaccination certificate (or recent test). All but one or two of my guests are vaxxed. It will be like old times!! I think this is a hint of the future.

2. Unlike in Finland, where you pay €230 to over €300 for a COVID test without a doctor's referral (i.e. for travel etc.), testing in Denmark is totally free and plentiful. A lot of unvaccinated people are getting testing every week just as a matter of routine. Not a substitute for vaccination, but I think this is a good idea. I'm going to get tested myself tomorrow (because I travel again this week).

3. In Latvia, they are now offering the vaccine to everyone over 18. Don't know how they can do that, considering how few people have been vaccinated, but there you are. It seems there are even vaccination appointments. I know a 26 year old person in Latvia who will be vaccinated next week.

4. From 11 May, Finland will recognize vaccination in lieu of testing and isolation, following Estonia and Poland -- finally normal free travel. Now for the rest of Europe.

5. Today the EU formally recommended that the external borders of the Union will be open to fully vaccinated people. There will be some discussion of that before it's confirmed, but it's looking good. Now this is great!

[capn_billl]

Finally some common sense returns.

What is the point of vaccination if you still have restrictions?

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by capn_billl

Finally some common sense returns.

What is the point of vaccination if you still have restrictions?

I agree.

[Dockhead]

And in other news, violent protests in Stockholm over the pandemic restrictions: https://www.thelocal.se/20210502/pol...8bd1yUzVwcTujE

This kind of thing is almost unheard of in this region. I guess some people are just getting awfully tired.

[capn_billl]

Stockholm syndrome in Stockholm?

[dannc]

Finland may have minimized damage from the pandemic due to their decades long effort to increase vitamin D intake in the population.

A committee in the Irish government released a report on addressing vitamin D deficiencies in Ireland a few weeks ago.

https://data.oireachtas.ie/ie/oireac...ireland_en.pdf

Basically, the report wants the government to encourage the adult population to take 1,000 IU of vitamin D each day, not just to combat the pandemic but for the many other health problems caused by being deficient in vitamin D.

1.2 Why is Vitamin D important?

7. Evidence given to the Committee confirms the accepted medical norm that Vitamin D is well-known for its importance in supporting human health. Not only does it support bone health and prevent osteoporosis through its promotion of calcium absorption, it is also known for assisting muscle strength. An inadequate level of vitamin D has been associated with a number of diseases including metabolic disorders, autoimmune conditions, psychiatric, respiratory and cardiovascular disorders, and cancers, as well as osteoporosis and osteomalacia. 1

8. In addition, and as outlined to the Committee, a report from a TILDA study (Data from the Irish Longitudinal Study on Aging) found that people over the age of 50 years are 75% more likely to experience depression if their Vitamin D levels are low. The study demonstrates that Vitamin D deficiency is associated with a significant increase in the likelihood of developing depression in later life. These findings are important, given the high prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency amongst our older population and the fact that supplementation has a low risk of toxicity or side effects, as well as the significant adverse effect depression can have on functional status and longevity in later life2.

1.3 The link between Vitamin D deficiency and Covid-19

9. More relevant in the context of Covid-19, Vitamin D is known to assist the immune system in fighting harmful bacteria and viruses, and to reduce the risk of Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI). The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the important role Vitamin D can play in the fight against SARS-CoV-2. Severe Covid-19 disease produces severe respiratory symptoms such as bilateral pneumonia associated with a high morbidity and mortality, especially in patients of an advanced age3

The report mentions Finland and it's approach to vitamin D going back decades.

3.2 Finland - The EU Country with the lowest cases and deaths from Covid-19

29. As far back as 2003, Finland introduced national recommendations for the fortification of liquid milks and spreadable fats with Vitamin D, doubling the level of this fortification in 2010. In 2014 they increased their recommended doses of supplemental Vitamin D to levels likely to yield meaningful benefit in relation to immunological function (including doses of 20 micrograms per day (i.e. 800 IU/day) for all those aged 75 years and over). A 2016 study showed that these policy changes had produced increases in daily Vitamin D intake from 5 to 17 micrograms per day in men, and from 3 to 18 micrograms per day in women, between 2002 and 2012. Additionally, more than 75% of the adult population had achieved blood vitamin D levels above the critical 50nmol/l threshold for enhanced immunity by 2012.16

30. Finland, a Nordic country with low sunlight intensity for much of the year, has experienced the lowest daily number of Covid-19 cases and the lowest deaths from Covid-19 in the EU and UK.



31. The Finnish approach to food fortification and supplementation has successfully raised Vitamin D levels across the Finnish population over the past 20 years. While there may have been other aspects of Finland’s pandemic response which have been beneficial, it is highly plausible that enhanced population Vitamin D status has been a significant factor in Finland's low observed incidence and case-fatality rates from Covid-19 over recent months. As of 8th March, Finland had a total of 138 fatalities from Covid-19 per million population, roughly one sixth of the total in Ireland which had 896 per million population.

There are studies that have been done showing the effectiveness of vitamin D in helping with the pandemic. The Irish report mentions one. let me translate a bit. When you consume vitamin D your body takes a week or so to convert it to calcifediol which is what your body wants/needs.

3.3 Spain - Cordoba pilot study

32. This was a study into the effect of calcifediol treatment and best available therapy versus best available therapy on intensive care unit admission and mortality among patients hospitalized for Covid-19.17 The study found that, overall, adults living in the Cordoba area are relatively Vitamin D deficient in late winter and early spring.

33. Included in the study were seventy-six consecutive patients hospitalized with Covid-19 infection. 26 patients were treated without calcifediol treatment, 50 with calcifediol treatment. Of 50 patients treated with calcifediol, only one patient required admission to the ICU (2%), while of 26 untreated patients, 13 required admission (50%). Of the patients treated with calcifediol, none died, and all were discharged, without complications. The 13 patients not treated with calcifediol, who were not admitted to the ICU, were discharged. Of the 13 patients admitted to the ICU however, two died and the remaining 11 were discharged.

One of the contributors to the report is an Irish doctor. He made these comments in an article about the Irish report.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/heal...ends-1.4531214

There are a couple of ways to measure vitamin D in the blood, one measurement has a recommended range of 30-100. Under 30 is bad.

Prof John Faul works in Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown and he contributed to the report.

“We did massive profiling of these people, in terms of their immune systems and biologic situation. The only thing that was really sticking out was vitamin D deficiency.

“Their average vitamin D levels were 27. This was the first wave. These people had never been sick before, they had never been to doctors. That is why we need public health messaging.”

Dr Faul adds that during the second wave of the pandemic, he saw high numbers of people in ICU with vitamin D deficiency again. “Their levels were in their low 20s. We thought the message had got out there, but clearly people are not taking enough of the supplements.”

Later,
Dan

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by dannc

Finland may have minimized damage from the pandemic due to their decades long effort to increase vitamin D intake in the population.

A committee in the Irish government released a report on addressing vitamin D deficiencies in Ireland a few weeks ago.

https://data.oireachtas.ie/ie/oireac...ireland_en.pdf

Basically, the report wants the government to encourage the adult population to take 1,000 IU of vitamin D each day, not just to combat the pandemic but for the many other health problems caused by being deficient in vitamin D.

The report mentions Finland and it's approach to vitamin D going back decades.

There are studies that have been done showing the effectiveness of vitamin D in helping with the pandemic. The Irish report mentions one. let me translate a bit. When you consume vitamin D your body takes a week or so to convert it to calcifediol which is what your body wants/needs.

One of the contributors to the report is an Irish doctor. He made these comments in an article about the Irish report.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/heal...ends-1.4531214

There are a couple of ways to measure vitamin D in the blood, one measurement has a recommended range of 30-100. Under 30 is bad.

Later,
Dan

There could be something to this. The first time I had a checkup with a Finnish doctor he railed at me about my low level of vitamin D, and ordered me to take supplements every day and get another blood test to make sure that I had gotten this in order.



Didn't save me from being very sick with COVID, however, but that's just one case.