^^ Well that was a quick about face.. just in time..

Australians abroad who received mixed vaccines can return

The federal government has quietly changed the rules with less than 48 hours until the international border opens and now said it will recognise the vaccination status of Australians who have received a mix of two vaccines.

The change will particularly affect Australians living in Canada where millions have received a jab or AstraZeneca and Pfizer rather than a two-dose course of either brand and enable them to return home without having to quarantine.

Late on Friday night, the Department of Home Affairs updated its online advice and said: “Australia considers you to be fully vaccinated if you have completed a course of a Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approved or recognised vaccine.” “This includes mixed doses.”

Full: https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/world/ ... 594i7.html

How could they come out with not recognizing mixed doses in the first place, incompetent people playing power games. These last 18 months I've grown to hate the lucky country, and getting disillusioned back here in NZ also.

1 November, 2021

Sinopharm now recognized by Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA)

"Today, the TGA determined that Covaxin (manufactured by Bharat Biotech, India) and BBIBP-CorV (manufactured by Sinopharm, China) vaccines would be 'recognised' for the purpose of establishing a traveller's vaccination status. This recognition is for travellers aged 12 and over who have been vaccinated with Covaxin, and those 18 to 60 who have been vaccinated with BBIBP-CorV."
https://www.tga.gov.au/media-release/tg ... nationally

Talking with an Australian associate today, she told me she could not get an inoculation exemption - required due to her medical condition (protein related) - as doctors will be de-registered if they attempt to do so. Lawyers also can not in their defense.

I found this difficult to grasp, so I did a quick research:

"...all medical reasons for delaying or withholding vaccines have been eliminated by government and medical trade officials. Most doctors and health care workers follow federal vaccine recommendations published by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) outlining what is and is not considered a medical contraindication to vaccination."

At least in the US; "Some states will accept a doctor’s written medical vaccine exemption without question. Other states allow state public health officials to review and reject the medical exemption..."

Consequently, she lost her job and the restrictions on her, make her "feel outcast"

Her husband said the country is "them and us, now", and with the political turmoil, the countries a mess and something is going to burst soon.

Not my view, but reliably sane sources reporting from the frontline.

Strollout is the word of the year from halfcinated Fortress Australia

Strollout, the term invented by ACTU boss Sally McManus to describe delays this year in Australia’s coronavirus vaccine roll out, has been named word of the year by the Australian National Dictionary Centre.

If you haven’t heard of strollout, you are not in iso – 2020’s better-known word of the year for isolation.



Strollout was chosen because it was uniquely Australian, said the centre’s director Amanda Laugesen. “It’s yet another example of how a truly Australian expression can make waves globally,” Dr Laugesen said.

The term, defined as “the slow implementation of the COVID-19 vaccination program in Australia”, had also been exported to the world. It made headlines in the United States. In New Zealand, Kiwis adopted it as their own.

Full: https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/nation ... 599es.html

Kigna wrote: ↑Wed Nov 17, 2021 4:15 am

What is this bollocks supposed to be? That is not Australia!

The Twitter link says: "Hmm...this page doesn’t exist. Try searching for something else."

And a freezeframe from the video shows the image below. Not Australia!

lol. Yes Ute, the dark artists are at their mischief making work today, all right.
the post above that ^^^ was a big splashy headline highlighting an "oh so" out of time quote.
on another thread, Australia's iron ore exports are on the dive, apparently, because of "Covid restrictions"

"Police State" "Shame Australia Shame" "Halfsinated"

Art. ^^ so it's ok, you can say anything

Australia's vax rate today
Total.
83.5% - fully
90.7 - 1st dose

The two most populous states, and the only two that have had major outbreaks, are NSW and Victoria.
Both have over 90% fully vaccinated and nearly 95% have had the 1st.

It is expected that all the states will be up to or above these figures before Xmas.
They are (very realistically) shooting for over 95% double D'd.
Booster shots are available for everybody 6 months after 2nd dose.

nb. Those figures are for 16 yrs and older.
i believe the new program for 12 - 16 yrs is progressing rapidly too

ps ^^ not "Art."
Australians are famously much better at der #101 Science.

^^
I think some missed my point that it's a joke that a word that a union boss (a woman that happens to look like a man) came up with has somehow 'been named word of the year by the Australian National Dictionary Centre.' And, 'had also been exported to the world. It made headlines in the United States. In New Zealand, Kiwis adopted it as their own.' That was the key point of my post. Who cares about what word a union boss used..

In any event, and now that the matter has been raised, the news item is not out of date as the news link shows. Yes, it referenced a quote from 6 months ago referring to 'the slow implementation of the COVID-19 vaccination program in Australia'.

I think it's great Aus has got to the vaccination rates that it now has. But, as I've mentioned before, it has done so belatedly and could have achieved that many months earlier if it was not for:
1. hanging onto the Fortress Aus policy too long such that people thought 'no covid here, no need for vax'.
2. poor choice of putting all your eggs in the AZ basket, scaring the population with the blood clot issue and then doing a backflip that young people can have it after originally saying they shouldn't.

Not surprisingly, the Fortress policy was never sustainable as Vic and NSW found out and then abandoned that policy. Only then, when people saw the shift in policy and that covid was in the community did they get on board and get vaccinated.

Sadly too, you've got several countries within one country. Despite a national agreed plan where you've got restrictions coming off at 70 and 80%, you've got rogue states like WA and QLD that are doing there own thing. AFAIK QLD will not lift the restrictions that VIC and NSW have done until they reach 90%. And in the meantime I think the quotas on returning Aussies are still in place with 14 day quarantine (hotel or home depending on how you are assessed). For the QLD premier it was like 'flicking a switch'...one moment imposing lockdowns when 2 cases were discovered, to the next of scaring the people..you better hurry up and get vaxed coz 'the virus will hunt you out'!

Lucky the people got behind the vax rollout once the gov't shifted their tactics.