[gabe]

Over in London England, the military has just been called in to help man London's hospitals.

Military deployed to hospitals due to Covid staff shortages

Around 200 troops sent into London hospitals amid absences caused by Omicron variant

www.independent.co.uk

 

[picard102]

You are more than welcome to brag about how great life has been in Ontario, and by extension the city, over the last four years.

Mayor Tory has done a great job over the last four years. Nothing he's done has caused my life, or the lives of the people I know to be less great.

 

[Northern Light]

Over in London England, the military has just been called in to help man London's hospitals.

Military deployed to hospitals due to Covid staff shortages

Around 200 troops sent into London hospitals amid absences caused by Omicron variant

www.independent.co.uk

It needs to be said, this is not due to surge in serious cases.

Its due to absences which include those who have serious cases of Covid, those have minor/asymptomatic cases; and those who are sidelined by protocol due to some type of exposure.

Also a factor is simply people quitting/retiring and a lack of ready replacements.

In Ontario, nursing staff have faced sub-inflation wage increases for a few years; heavy workloads, pre-Covid staff shortages as the workforce ages out; and contracting out with RPNs replacing RNs etc.

Not surprisingly, some who qualify for pensions have decided its time to exit.

I don't know to what degree the situation is similar in the UK but I imagine its not totally dis-similar.

 

[gabe]

It needs to be said, this is not due to surge in serious cases.

Its due to absences which include those who have serious cases of Covid, those have minor/asymptomatic cases; and those who are sidelined by protocol due to some type of exposure.

Also a factor is simply people quitting/retiring and a lack of ready replacements.

In Ontario, nursing staff have faced sub-inflation wage increases for a few years; heavy workloads, pre-Covid staff shortages as the workforce ages out; and contracting out with RPNs replacing RNs etc.

Not surprisingly, some who qualify for pensions have decided its time to exit.

I don't know to what degree the situation is similar in the UK but I imagine its not totally dis-similar.

Yes It's not all about ICU figures, staff shortages etc to be taken in to account. Also the nursing shortage is a global problem.

Canada headed for nursing shortage ‘beyond anything we’ve ever experienced’: experts | Globalnews.ca

Canada's nurses say they are burnt out and considering leaving the profession as Omicron cases continue to surge across the country, leaving them understaffed and under-resourced.

globalnews.ca

 

[Bayer]

Last week, the Ontario government stated: "Individuals who are vaccinated, as well as children under 12 who have symptoms of COVID-19 will be required to isolate for five days following the onset of symptoms. These individuals can end isolation after five days if their symptoms are improving for at least 24 hours." Well I'm on my sixth day after symptom onset, fifth day since my first rapid test which showed a very faint positive line 10 minutes in.

Today, the positive line appeared in less than 30 seconds, and a couple of minutes in, it was even darker than the control line. Yet, my symptoms are so mild that I would have no reason to take a sick day (were I to have a real job).

But I am most likely still contagious, so I will ignore the irresponsible advice and continue my quarantine. If I caught COVID while wearing a well-adjusted FFP3 respirator, I could also spread it.

 

[tiffer24]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1479249605233676289

 

[picard102]

Died with COVID, or died from COVID?

 

[ShonTron]

I felt similarly when I took my kid to get first dose there in December. It should be that if you have an appointment, there should basically be no indoor waiting. Show up, check in, get injected, wait 15 minutes, leave. Whole process 20 minutes. That's what it was like for my first two doses at St. Joe's, pretty much perfect there.

My booster appointment at the Toronto Western clinic on Dec 20 was a bit of a zoo too. Large lineup outside, but also too much waiting inside with many other people. They should have kept a much smaller group of people inside. They also *still* haven't sent my vaccination record to the province yet (I called province...they referred me to clinic...left message...they called back and said it would get sorted in a few days....but that was like a week ago). Sigh.

I got my first shot (AZ) at my family health team in April, a few days after my 40th birthday. It was so easy, that one.

My second shot, Pfizer, was at a city-run clinic at Downsview Park. Again, it was super smooth, with only a few minutes of waiting in line for registration and then again for the shot itself. The total time there, including the 15 minute observation, was less than 30 minutes.

The first booster appointment I could nab was the TEGH clinic at Thorncliffe Park, on the second floor of the abandoned Target, on December 30. That was a shitshow. Though this too was an appointment-only clinic, the line stretched down the driveway and halfway along Overlea Boulevard with them running an hour late. Once you got inside after hearing your 5-minute time slot called, there was yet another 15 minute long line for registration at the top of the escalator, and then another long, slow line for the shot.

So I was there for over 100 minutes.

The traffic in and out of that mall was awful, with people waiting in line having to navigate all those inpatient drivers.

 

[marcus_a_j]

I got my first shot (AZ) at my family health team in April, a few days after my 40th birthday. It was so easy, that one.

My second shot, Pfizer, was at a city-run clinic at Downsview Park. Again, it was super smooth, with only a few minutes of waiting in line for registration and then again for the shot itself. The total time there, including the 15 minute observation, was less than 30 minutes.

The first booster appointment I could nab was the TEGH clinic at Thorncliffe Park, on the second floor of the abandoned Target, on December 30. That was a shitshow. Though this too was an appointment-only clinic, the line stretched down the driveway and halfway along Overlea Boulevard with them running an hour late. Once you got inside after hearing your 5-minute time slot called, there was yet another 15 minute long line for registration at the top of the escalator, and then another long, slow line for the shot.

So I was there for over 100 minutes.

The traffic in and out of that mall was awful, with people waiting in line having to navigate all those inpatient drivers.

I had my second shot at the TEGH clinic. Waited outside for a few minutes, then a few minutes at registration. Overall about half an hour.

My wife and I have our appointments there Monday afternoon. We have our appointments spaced 30 min apart so one of us can wait in the car with our baby while the other gets their shot. By the sound of the current situation there, this doesn’t bode well.

 

[ShonTron]

I had my second shot at the TEGH clinic. Waited outside for a few minutes, then a few minutes at registration. Overall about half an hour.

My wife and I have our appointments there Monday afternoon. We have our appointments spaced 30 min apart so one of us can wait in the car with our baby while the other gets their shot. By the sound of the current situation there, this doesn’t bode well.

Yeah. I hope it works out better for you than it did for my spouse and I.

 

[vic]

My wife and I have our appointments there Monday afternoon. We have our appointments spaced 30 min apart so one of us can wait in the car with our baby while the other gets their shot. By the sound of the current situation there, this doesn’t bode well.

At the MTCC and Toronto Western clinics, I've seen them prioritize people with young kids or pregnant people to help them get through the lines quicker. Hopefully they can help you guys out as well. I think that even if some of these places are a bit of a shitshow, the people working them have been quite kind and helpful.

 

[Towered]

Yes It's not all about ICU figures, staff shortages etc to be taken in to account. Also the nursing shortage is a global problem.

Canada headed for nursing shortage ‘beyond anything we’ve ever experienced’: experts | Globalnews.ca

Canada's nurses say they are burnt out and considering leaving the profession as Omicron cases continue to surge across the country, leaving them understaffed and under-resourced.

globalnews.ca

Insulting wage increases and long, unpredictable hours being worked to the bone by an unappreciative government with constant exposure to pathogens?

WHERE CAN I SIGN UP???

 

[zang]

At the MTCC and Toronto Western clinics, I've seen them prioritize people with young kids or pregnant people to help them get through the lines quicker. Hopefully they can help you guys out as well. I think that even if some of these places are a bit of a shitshow, the people working them have been quite kind and helpful.

Indeed; despite our 90 minute cattle barn experience, everyone working there was kind and friendly. And the nurse was exceptionally good at getting the jab into our needle-phobic daughter.

 

[PinkLucy]

Could schools open up based on age rather than all at once? https://granthshala.com/ontario-could-reopen-high-schools-before-elementary-schools-sources-say/

 

[gabe]

Studies say booster effectiveness is only good for 10 weeks. Bring on the fourth shots.

Moderna CEO warns people may need fourth Covid shot as efficacy of boosters likely to decline over time

www.cnbc.com

Fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose boosts antibodies five-fold in Israeli study, PM says

A fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccine boosts antibodies five-fold a week after the shot is administered, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Tuesday, citing preliminary findings of an Israeli study.

www.reuters.com