Relaxation of Restrictions, Part XII *Read OP For Mod Warnings*

No money in that. All potential preventatives and treatments must be ignored.

But of course that 80% - 85% is just a guess. Nobody actually knows what the figure is and whether herd immunity is achieved earlier, later or even possible at all.

There is a lot of people still going around telling stories about this novel virus that our immune systems were totally unprepared for. When at the same time the vast majority of people had either no or very mild symptoms. The two do not seem to add up and of course that must have a bearing on herd immunity also.

Anyway. I'm fully vaccinated for a couple o months now - I did my bit as I did with lockdowns and restrictions - and I would like to get back to normal now, thank you.

May be an announcement next week on increased crowds for Croke Park semis and finals.

A token gesture, he has said as well another 6 weeks to guage further loosening of restrictions. I am hoping a ryanair on this and giving 6 weeks so that in say 2 to 3 weeks he can say due to blah blah we can lift restrictions. Restrictions should be getting lifted now and starting with the removal of that vaccine pass.

I can't believe there is actually still anyone that doesn't understand "what is the purpose of the vaccine".

It lowers the likelihood of getting Covid and massively reduces the risk of hospitilisation and death.

I don't agree with businesses (outside of healthcare) expecting/mandating vaccines and don't believe it can be done in Ireland, certainly not for those already employed by a company.

On the seatbelt analogy it's quite a good one, it lowers risk of serious repercussions (doesn't eliminate them) although it is illegal not to wear one unlike not getting the vaccine. Sticking to driving, It's like speed limits, a 30km speed limit isn't for the drivers benefit it's for others sharing the road with you.

The vaccine is for your benefit but more so for society. More vaccines, less sick with covid in hospital, less likelihood of spread meaning less likelihood of variants and the more life goes back to normal.

I also don't believe there's more than a very small number that like the restrictions, like being told what to do etc... it's more people are willing to put up with it/them for the greater good for now.

Israel to roll out boosters to over 60s starting on Sunday per Irish Times (sorry I'm not permitted to link article). What does this mean? Does the vaccine (mainly Pfizer used in Israel) wane over time? Or just some people need extra protection?

Travel chronicle

June 2020.

People are starting to label some people's opinions as "conspiracies". These views do not really believe that the restrictions will end in August 2020 at the end of the 'roadmap'. The "conspiracists" are so strange that they hypothesize a mandatory vaccine in the future; i.e. they are clearly idiots

September 2020.

The "conspiracists" are so strange that they don't want to stay three months locked up in their house in exchange of three days of freedom at Christmas.

January 2021.

The "conspiracists" have become objectively indefensible: they have come to believe that - even after having the vaccine (!) - there will still be restrictions on human freedom of vaccinated people. Conspiracists really need help

July 2021

People label some people's views as "conspiracies"

Are you here to wind people and get a reaction or something. Saying that people complied with the rules, of course they did or they would be fined or arrested. Remember the hair salon that opened in defiance of the rules and had the gardai at their door, remember the checkpoints on the roads and the gardai asking you where you are going and a Garda checkpoint at the airport fining people, do you really think people would have followed the restrictions without the enforcement? You seem to think that none of this was there that the government said this and everyone just said ok. The government closed business, imposed travel restrictions on people and they had the gardai enforce them so that people HAD to comply. Again I will ask you do you think people would have followed the restrictions if enforcement and threats of fines from €500 had not been imposed?

Except it doesn't explain it at all because it's now come to light that the Israeli study which many of us said at the time has completely biased data. They're also basing the 3rd shot on a so far unpublished study. We've got multiple real world studies and the only one that contradicts them all is Israel.

See below

This is probably more for the vaccine thread however

The illusion that we lived the past 18 months restricted only because we choose to do so is ridiculous, it was sold to us as a justification to protect each other, in reality it was forced on the population with draconian measures. They indeed made a great job, reading several posts in here, we have an army of people ready to comply with whatever anti-constitutional measure they want to introduce in the name of the common wellbeing. Since we like anecdotal experiences tales I have a couple myself:

• A colleague stopped coming to the office in march 2020 because of a heart condition. After 2 jabs he still refuse to come to the office because the doctor told him that getting even a "bit of covid" would be dangerous for him. I mean, your choice really, if the employer allows you then happy days, but where have you been living for the past 50++ years? were you not afraid of getting "a bit" of whatever viral infection?
• I have lost several friends because I didn't get a jab yet: I respect your choice of getting jabbed, but you don't respect my hesitation, for this I should thank whoever decided to establish a 2 tier society
• I travelled to/from the office since march 2020, public transport, masked/unmasked. I spent 9+ hours a day in the same place, mostly taking my mask off, I stopped sanitizing in june 2020, I work in IT, I enabled the whole office to work from the safety of their homes by setting them up and supporting them remotely. I have risked my life 🤐 and with me the security guys, the cleaners, a bunch of colleagues, the deliveroo guys, the shop attendants, the couriers and all the people that never really stopped working, because if it can be transmitted only by "touching" then we are all very lucky to be alive.
• Yet here we are, coerced into injecting in our bodies an unknown substance, forced to show an ID and vax certificate to finally enjoy our lives after 18 months of sacrifices. Just to be clear I don't need or want anybody to clap their hands or give me a medal, I just did it, this without a doubt, because we looked after each others in those difficult times, however, now, the other way around doesn't work. They really did a great job indeed, when today I met a colleague in the corridor after 18 months of isolation: he was jabbed and was wearing a mask. He refused to shake my hand

I believe most at this stage agree that, especially with this more transmissible Delta variant, the herd immunity level is around 80%. I would very much doubt that 65% level would be sufficient. It`s not an exact science but the higher the percentage fully vaccinated, the higher likelihood of achieving it.

Fully vaccinated myself, and likewise have done my bit in following restrictions, but with around one third of the population still not fully vaccinated I do not see it is the time yet to attempt what England is attempting at the moment, which is basically naturally acquired immunity of those not yet vaccinated. Anywhere that has been attempted (and the U.K. should know this better than most) it has just not worked.

This virus has shown that the larger the numbers it can infect, the greater the chance of it adapting as a variant. To each their own, but for me at least, the only success against this virus has been vaccination, and if we are going to drop restrictions then doing so in accordance with vaccination levels is the way to do that

.l