Kibkom North Cyprus Forum

I have today had my first jab .
I have been given a A6 card with government stamps and the batch label from the bottle plus a QR code imprinted on the card. Obviously I have to complete the second jab but will this be a travel passport?

There are several pilot schemes at the moment and lots of discussions but nothing agreed that satisfies all.

I'm pretty sure there will be passport verified scheme agreed by all govts before the year's end.

Remember those days when we travelled to holiday destinations. For far flung countries we had to have necessary vaccines such as Hepatitis B, typhoid etc. The practice nurse gave you a travel vaccination booklet with the vaccines given ,date, and date of booster. Should not be too hard to do a Covid one if required.

The possibility of obtaining one from your GP has been mooted but nothing definite so far.

Use of the QR code system would be simple!

I just wonder what the end game with all this is.
Is the vaccine going to eliminate covid from the planet?
Will it eliminate future mutations of covid 19 or covid 20 or covid 21 or will they reap havoc until a vaccine for them comes along?
If I'm vaccinated will it stop me catching covid?
Will it stop me passing covid on?
If I do pass it on, will the person I pass it to get covid even if they have been vaccinated?
If the vaccine can inhibit most of the worst symptoms will the lesser symptoms still be enough to kill someone who is 85 or has pre-existing health problems?

The vaccine can't be the absolute answer to this.
It's like road deaths over here.
You can bring in a number of things to reduce them.
Improve the driving test.
Improve the roadworthiness of cars. More frequency of MOTs and stricter ones.
More police who enforce the rules stricter.
Etc etc
All will help but the only way to 100% eliminate deaths on the road is to ban vehicles.
So what is the end game, what number of cases and deaths will be acceptable because zero isn't going to be viable.

I suspect that in time Covid will be treated similar to influenza and will be tolerated. Deaths from influenza are seen to be at an acceptable level. Annual Covid 19 vaccination will be ongoing for those in vulnerable groups. The vaccine will be designed to help protect against serious illness although you may contract the virus. Unlikely at the moment that it will prevent the spread of the virus. So the best we can hope for is to vaccinate, protect the vulnerable and like influenza the rest should be strong enough to fight off the virus if contracted.

As far as a travel passport is concerned this may happen but if the level of deaths falls to that of influenza would it be necessary? The challenge of course around any travel/health passport is the protection of personal data, preventing forgery and security of any information.

Edit: Shortly after posting the above this appeared on the BBC News website.

Covid: We could live with virus 'like we do flu' by end of year, says Hancock https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-56050119

PoshinDevon wrote: ↑

Sat 13 Feb 2021 8:47 am

I suspect that in time Covid will be treated similar to influenza and will be tolerated. Deaths from influenza are seen to be at an acceptable level.

So you think fifteen to twenty five thousand deaths per year will be acceptable? The UK locked down last year at 200 odd deaths.

EnjoyingTheSun wrote: ↑

Sat 13 Feb 2021 11:09 am

PoshinDevon wrote: ↑

Sat 13 Feb 2021 8:47 am

I suspect that in time Covid will be treated similar to influenza and will be tolerated. Deaths from influenza are seen to be at an acceptable level.

So you think fifteen to twenty five thousand deaths per year will be acceptable? The UK locked down last year at 200 odd deaths.

As I have said I think it will be treated more like flu in the next year or so.

Today I read that once the over 50s have been vaccinated along with vulnerable groups it it likely that it will then revert to herd immunity. Certainly the boffins and scientists are moving in this direction. Those younger will in the main fend off the Covid virus.

Last year the world really had little idea what it was dealing with. Many locked down, some did not and others did somewhere in the middle. Governments did what they thought was right to protect its citizens. We can debate and discuss forever who got it right or wrong.

A year on we know a lot more. If we get to flu like levels of deaths annually then yes that will be acceptable. No one really starts bringing up deaths due to flu over a winter period, it’s just accepted.

We cannot remain in lockdown forever.