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

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Exile

Interesting . . . so these sorts of beliefs (and variations on similar themes) are not confined to the US.

Indeed.



See:



https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/covi...europe-2444685

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

I arrived in Denmark a couple of days ago from Finland. The rules are changing every few days and are extremely confusing....

Things are a little more clearcut in Scotland, except that on the 17th May when international travel was permitted, every country was designated a colour (red, amber or green) and this now determines what travel restriction apply, both to and from the Scotland. The designated colour can, however, change with little notice.


“The Scottish Government has introduced a risk assessment for international travel similar to the UK Government’s existing ‘traffic light’ system. This entails the following requirements for both residents of Scotland on their return and overseas visitors:

- arrivals from red list countries will be required to enter a managed isolation hotel and stay there for 10 days. Travel to such countries should only be for essential reasons.

- arrivals from amber list countries, which will be the majority of countries, should self-isolate at home [or if a visitor from another country, their accommodation on arrival] for 10 days, and take two PCR tests while they are isolating.

- arrivals from green list countries will not be required to quarantine or isolate on arrival in Scotland, but will need to take a PCR test shortly after arrival.
Further information on this process, and details of the countries on each list, is available in our international travel guidance.”

Further details can be found here:
https://www.gov.scot/publications/co...and-transport/

The assigned colour for each country can be found on the UK government website:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/red-ambe...tering-england

The variant first detected in India is currently spreading in the UK, resulting in more cases, but thankfully (most likely due to the high vaccination rate amongst those at risk) not more hospitalisations or deaths. These are continuing to steadily drop.

This does, however, mean that other countries are designating travel from the UK to be at higher risk and imposing more restrictions. As Montanan pointed out, Germany has actually banned travel from the UK.

[Seaworthy Lass]

Travel restrictions within the UK were eased in England 8 weeks ago and Scotland 7 weeks ago, and at the same time pubs and restaurants and shops were able to reopen, albeit with some restrictions that eased further on the 17th May.

Covid-19 cases initially dropped and then rose slightly. Deaths per day have continued to steadily decrease during this time. The daily number averaged over a week is down to merely 6 from a peak of over 1200 in January:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...inations-today

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

Travel restrictions within the UK were eased in England 8 weeks ago and Scotland 7 weeks ago, and at the same time pubs and restaurants and shops were able to reopen, albeit with some restrictions that eased further on the 17th May.

Covid-19 cases initially dropped and then rose slightly. Deaths per day have continued to steadily decrease during this time. The daily number averaged over a week is down to merely 6 from a peak of over 1200 in January:

The UK has the lowest death rate in Europe but only for Finland, but the difference to Finland is statistical noise, as both countries (also Denmark and Norway) are experiencing basically zero covid deaths. Time for life to go back to normal.





The death rate in Europe has halved since the beginning of the month, to 2.31 per million per day, which is also nearly nothing, corresponding to empty hospitals.


The summer is looking good. I think the pandemic is more or less over for us.

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

The UK has the lowest death rate in Europe but only for Finland, but the difference to Finland is statistical noise, as both countries (also Denmark and Norway) are experiencing basically zero covid deaths. Time for life to go back to normal.


Attachment 239082


The death rate in Europe has halved since the beginning of the month, to 2.31 per million per day, which is also nearly nothing, corresponding to empty hospitals.


The summer is looking good. I think the pandemic is more or less over for us.

I second that!

The latest good news is that being fully vaccinated with either the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines is reasonably effective in preventing symptomatic illness for the strain first detected in India, as well as the one in the UK. The Pfizer more so, but it has been postulated that this may be due to the longer time following full vaccination with the Pfizer vaccine in the study. Effectiveness does not plateau at only two weeks post second dose.

Although some restrictions are still present in Scotland, for me life feels pretty much back to normal. Better than normal in fact, as everything taken for granted before is acutely appreciated. Eating out, socialising, and particularly hugging people and having guests on board again has felt like Christmas and birthdays rolled onto one. The freedom to sail anywhere within the UK has felt plain exhilarating. We are still celebrating .

[Dockhead]

Don't want to get too political, but there is widespread outrage in my region over the Belarus hijacking of a Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius, especially in Latvia, where my friends are fuming. Whole country is fuming, actually. Hockey world championship is going on in Riga right now (opening with the stunning defeat of Canada by tiny Latvia -- wow! -- a country of less than 2 million people!!), and the Riga mayor hauled down the current Belarus flag and hoisted the medieval Belarus flag used by dissidents. For this he caught flack from the President of the International Hockey Federation. Read about the outcome here: https://eng.lsm.lv/article/culture/s...witch.a406087/

My Latvian friends like to complain about their "government of potato-heads", but I have to say the Riga mayor has my respect today! Unfortunately I'm in Denmark these days.


Belarus is more Eastern than Northern Europe, but has borders with Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia, so it's quite nearby. It's a lovely country with lovely people and I wish that they would find their way out of this nightmare they are going through now.

[Dockhead]

Interesting news today that more and more studies are indicating that immunity against COVID, both natural and from vaccination, is extremely durable, lasting at least a year and possibly a lifetime: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/26/h...-vaccines.html

It is now in doubt whether booster shots will be needed at all, at least for people, like me, who have both been infected, and have been fully vaccinated.

I remember the nervous nellies around here last year who thought that there will be no immunity at all -- that you can get infected over and over again. Really glad these fears are turning out to be unfounded.

This is very important, and bodes extremely well for the end of the pandemic, at least in the developed world, soon.

[laird]

I've just cutback from one of our vaccination centres ,( the one that myself and the team toiled to get ready)

I've never seen it so busy , at a guess it looks like the 30 to 40 age group are now being vaccinated ,there's still a lot of caution amongst people but ,the traffic ise getting back to pre covid levels , and I have not had to go into a covid area for weeks now

There's a definite feeling that the worst is over ,talking to a Doctor he has confirmed that we will be receiving booster shots on an annual basis similar to the flu jab

[Jonte]

It's seems like we open our borders here in Sweden to our neighbours the 31maj. No need for negative covidtest.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Jonte

It's seems like we open our borders here in Sweden to our neighbours the 31maj. No need for negative covidtest.

Great news!

Just today, I was looking longingly at the beautiful Swedish coast as I sailed from one Danish port to another in The Sound.

I know where I'm sailing next weekend.


Update on sailing under a non-EU flag in the Baltic:


I spent the night last night in not my own harbour, and woke up to find two armed policeman on the dock. Naturally -- waving a big red UK flag, set off a lot of alarm bells.


They were exceptionally polite and friendly and it was all over in a few minutes, but they checked documents to verifty that I had not just come from the UK, that I was in fact an EU resident, and they even checked my vaccination card (I guess to see that I was not breaking self-isolation).


I'm thinking about forgetting to put the flag up next time I go out.

[Jonte]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Great news!

Just today, I was looking longingly at the beautiful Swedish coast as I sailed from one Danish port to another in The Sound.

I know where I'm sailing next weekend.


Update on sailing under a non-EU flag in the Baltic:


I spent the night last night in not my own harbour, and woke up to find two armed policeman on the dock. Naturally -- waving a big red UK flag, set off a lot of alarm bells.


They were exceptionally polite and friendly and it was all over in a few minutes, but they checked documents to verifty that I had not just come from the UK, that I was in fact an EU resident, and they even checked my vaccination card (I guess to see that I was not breaking self-isolation).


I'm thinking about forgetting to put the flag up next time I go out.

Well it seems the weather har returned to us here, so you take a trip over you want regret it. I hope[emoji846]

[Dockhead]

And here is what the actual pandemic is looking like in our region:



This is a really good picture. Daily infections down 3.5x over the last 30 days in Sweden, now to 188 per million. Down more than 4x in Germany, now only 60, which is basically nothing. Even Latvia is under 200, only Lithuania in the whole region is slightly over 200. Denmark, the hardest hit Nordic country after Sweden, is on a slow burn at 170, which is actually higher than 30 days ago, but deaths are basically nothing. The European average is now only 88, way down from 258, 30 days ago. So the whole continent is in a good place.

What concerns death:



Latvia and Lithuania continue to have daily deaths at around 4 per million, which is not all that bad. Europe as a whole is down to under 2, compared to just under 5, 30 days ago. Germany is at 1.8, down from 2.8. Sweden has ticked up slightly to 1.4, but this is probably a blip, considering the sharp decrease in cases, and steady progress with vaccination. Estonia is below 1, and Denmark, Finland, and Norway are basically nothing.

So looking good for the summer. Restrictions are coming off left and right and people are gathering and starting to go back to normal life. I would be surprised, however, if we have another wave, neither this summer, nor ever, since more or less everyone should be vaccinated before the flu season starts, and the science on the durability of immunity has been showing really good things lately.

Europe as a whole has now passed 50 doses of vaccine per 100 people, and Denmark, Lithuania, and Germany are ahead of the European average. Estonia, Finland, and Sweden are just behind the European average. Sweden will pass 50 doses per 100 in the next days. The vaccination rate in Europe has reached a pace similar to the U.S. or U.S in the spring, over .7 doses per 100, which is a pace sufficient to vaccinate all adults by the end of the summer.

So altogether, quite a good picture. I had an enjoyable evening yesterday in a packed restaurant with three of my friends. Had to show my vaccination card to get in (first time I've used it for anything). I think the Danish system for this is great -- go into a public indoor space, and you know that everyone around you is either vaccinated or recently tested.


What concerns restrictions:


Everything is open in Denmark, including cinemas and theatres -- you just need to show that you are vaxxed or recently tested. Sweden and Finland still have a number of restrictions in place, including early closing of restaurants and closed cinemas and theatres. But from next week, restrictions will be lightened somewhat in both countries.


Travelling between countries has become somewhat easier. Latvia now joins Estonia in accepting vaccination in lieu of testing AND self-isolation -- hurrah. In Finland, the self-isolation was always voluntary anyway, so being vaccinated, I choose to not do it. Denmark does not require any self-isolation for anyone at all, if they are coming from a "yellow" country, which Finland is considered. Even coming from an "orange" country (most of Europe), no "worthy purpose" is required anymore, so tourists are welcome, but if you come from an orange country, you are supposed to self-isolate, unless you are vaccinated.


Now one freaky (and stupid) thing about vaccinated. If you come from outside Europe and you were vaccinated outside yourself, you don't have to self-isolate. If you live in Europe but were vaccinated outside of Europe, then you fall through the cracks. This is total nonsense which I will ignore if I ever come to Denmark from an orange country, like Latvia.


Whoops, and this just out -- Sweden now dropped testing and self-isolation requirements entirely between Sweden and any Nordic country. But this is strange and ominous -- Sweden extended the entry ban on visitors from outside of the EU until the END of the summer. WTF? But the EU as a whole has announced that it will open to vaccinated tourists. I hope that Sweden will participate in that, and that this move doesn't conflict with that.

[goboatingnow]

All I can say is that sitting on my boat in the Ionian things look great , they are vaccinating 35-40 year olds next and you get a choice of the three vaccines. The islands have been prioritised. They expect to be finished by June as most have taken the Johnson

Charter season up and running , place getting very busy

Few brits though

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

All I can say is that sitting on my boat in the Ionian things look great , they are vaccinating 35-40 year olds next and you get a choice of the three vaccines. The islands have been prioritised. They expect to be finished by June as most have taken the Johnson

Charter season up and running , place getting very busy

Few brits though

Sounds great! I wish you and all other Med cruisers a great summer.

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

.........

Europe as a whole has now passed 50 doses of vaccine per 100 people, and Denmark, Lithuania, and Germany are ahead of the European average. Estonia, Finland, and Sweden are just behind the European average. Sweden will pass 50 doses per 100 in the next days. The vaccination rate in Europe has reached a pace similar to the U.S. or U.S in the spring, over .7 doses per 100, which is a pace sufficient to vaccinate all adults by the end of the summer.
..............

Asking only for clarification (and my understanding of the numbers), I have two questions.

Are the doses of vaccine a single dose or both doses?
Does 100 people mean 100 adults or 100 humans of any age?