Canada Border Still closed

[redthies]

Look at a country like Australia. They did a complete -actual- lockdown for a month. As a nation, they are seeing anywhere from 5-20 cases per day since mid Sept until now. Ontario alone is seeing 6,000 to 10,000 per day. Australia has 10,000,000 more people in it than Australia. Something is not right here. Sure, it’s summer there now, but at the height of their winter, the record high day was still only 721 cases.

North America needs to figure some stuff out, big time.

[paiceman]

Originally Posted by Julie-Bob

This is the latest

The U.S.-Canada border closure to non-essential travel has been extended into 2021 and and is now scheduled to expire Jan. 21, according to tweets from both sides of the border Friday morning, Dec. 11.

I have serious doubts about an opening fully in 2021. Both our daughter and son work at two different multi National companies here in the states and both working at home since Feb or 2020 and our daughter was told on Friday the 8th of January that the office building she worked in will not open in 2021. And she works for a major pharma company. Everyone is remote except on site security. I pray I’m wrong

[AldeanFan]

Originally Posted by paiceman

I have serious doubts about an opening fully in 2021. Both our daughter and son work at two different multi National companies here in the states and both working at home since Feb or 2020 and our daughter was told on Friday the 8th of January that the office building she worked in will not open in 2021. And she works for a major pharma company. Everyone is remote except on site security. I pray I’m wrong

I’ve heard similar comments from friends in Toronto “work from home expected for all of 2021”.

Ontario is expected to announce further restrictions on Monday,
The infections have continued to increase despite the lockdown that started December 26.

My kids had been scheduled to resume in person school on January 11, but now they will be in virtual school for at least two more weeks.

It would surprise me if they considered opening the border to tourists when kids aren’t allowed to attend school.

[bbandeddie]

I find it somewhat hilarious that the official border closure is renewed every 30days. Back in early December Canada announced a binational committee to investigate when and how to reopen the open border. The expected delivery date of the report is end of March 2021. So, highly unlikely that the border would open before then and when it does, unlikely to just be “okay. Open. Back to normal” it’s reasonable to assume there will be limits and caveats and progressive steps to reopening and re-closing based on case counts etc.

[kscherzi]

Read in the paper that if the US can somehow manage to increase the vaccination rate to 1 million doses per day, then 80% of the US population might be vaccinated by June 2020.

[drbrick]

With all due respect to my brothers and sisters in the US my hope is it'll stay closed until this pandemic is over

[azflycaster]

Originally Posted by kscherzi

Read in the paper that if the US can somehow manage to increase the vaccination rate to 1 million doses per day, then 80% of the US population might be vaccinated by June 2020.

June 2021.

The math works with a million a day and 210 million adults living in the US. 210 x 0.8 = 168 days = 5.6 months which would be the middle of June. The problem is that the vaccination consists of 2 shots, so you would need to administer 2 million shots a day to finish in June.

[jcl]

Originally Posted by kscherzi

Read in the paper that if the US can somehow manage to increase the vaccination rate to 1 million doses per day, then 80% of the US population might be vaccinated by June 2021.

There is currently very high public support in Canada for keeping the border closed. I saw 89% reported earlier today. I wouldn’t expect it to be reopened based on how many US residents are vaccinated, but rather on how many Canadian residents are vaccinated. We are expecting to achieve high levels much later in the year than June.

Plan trips for 2022.

[rmkrum]

IMHO, Canada has an absolute right to close their borders as they choose. They are a sovereign nation.

I have family and friends in Canada that I would love to see, but it will wait until this all settles down.

[LNBright]

Originally Posted by drbrick

With all due respect to my brothers and sisters in the US my hope is it'll stay closed until this pandemic is over

My concern is, this isn’t going to ‘end’, it’s going to morph into being an annual shot, that you get a covid&flu shot each year from now on....

But we have so many people that don’t get a flu shot, will they get a covid one?

[rmkrum]

Darwin rules...you take your choice, take your chances, and take the consequences.

Just don’t breath my air if you’re not wearing a mask...I have a real bad allergy to stupid...and I’m too old to take chances.

Personally I get a flu shot every year. Adding a COVID-19 or other annual is no big deal. The medical professionals in my family have the same attitude.

[dznf0g]

"Personally I get a flu shot every year. Adding a COVID-19 or other annual is no big deal. The medical professionals in my family have the same attitude."

Me too. Just completed my shingles vaccination as well. 2 doses, like covid.

[Hans627]

Not directly related to closing the border but my wife and I got our first dose of the vaccine yesterday here in FL. Here if you are 65+ you are eligible. The process took about 2 hours but it was well organized and moved smoothly. And the follow up with CDC has been great.

Another shot in three weeks and we should be good. We are happy!

So hopefully we can see some light at the end of this long dark tunnel!

[kscherzi]

Originally Posted by azflycaster

June 2021.

The math works with a million a day and 210 million adults living in the US. 210 x 0.8 = 168 days = 5.6 months which would be the middle of June. The problem is that the vaccination consists of 2 shots, so you would need to administer 2 million shots a day to finish in June.

Huh? You lost me on your math. I think I read this in the Wall Street Journal. Also, there's 325 million people in the US. Don't know if they meant to include children. Regardless, the vaccination rate better go up a lot, a whole lot, if there's any hope of vaccinating most of the US population this summer, or even this year.

[redthies]

I’m just going to say it one more time. Australia has 8 cases per day on average NATIONALLY. This is with ZERO vaccine. They were strict with lockdowns. We have a lot to learn.

[paiceman]

It’s a sad thing for sure. If every US citizen is vaccinated and the shots are truly 95% effective there would still statistically almost 17 million could still be infected. That said in many areas so far only 40% of health care workers are willing to get the shot. Therefore despite our hopes and prays if all holds true the virus will be here with the world as long as it can survive. Keep in mind the 2018 virus was around until 1957. We both have risk factors in addition to age we’ve been out and plan on as much travel as possible in 2021 being as careful as we can. Be careful and be well, God Bless

[TKCamper]

Originally Posted by rmkrum

Darwin rules...you take your choice, take your chances, and take the consequences.

Just don’t breath my air if you’re not wearing a mask...I have a real bad allergy to stupid...and I’m too old to take chances.

Personally I get a flu shot every year. Adding a COVID-19 or other annual is no big deal. The medical professionals in my family have the same attitude.

I’m sorry, but it’s my air as well as yours. If you don’t want to see me without a mask then stay home.

Good luck with the COVID shot as I will not be taking it.

[waninae39]

IT is HIGHLY unlikely the CAN/US border will open until BOTH sides can prove that greater than 80% of their people have had protection viral shots and prove that they are not carriers.

Both countries depend on shots and safe practices to get to a secure and consistent herd immunity status that can be maintained

this will not likely occur in late summer or even the fall of 2021.
if not it may not open until some time in 2022

[jcl]

Originally Posted by TKCamper

I’m sorry, but it’s my air as well as yours. If you don’t want to see me without a mask then stay home.

Good luck with the COVID shot as I will not be taking it.

That is your decision. But be aware that it may limit some of your travel options. I have travelled to countries in the past where vaccinations were required for admittance.

[InterBlog]

I don’t recall mentioning it on this particular thread, but I’m a Janssen vaccine clinical trial volunteer in the 2-dose study (it’s called Phase 3 Ensemble 2). Janssen does not yet have emergency use authorization as Moderna and Pfizer do, but I expect it will be coming quickly.

Janssen was actually the only front-runner vaccine initially designed as a single-shot option, but they are also doing a 2-shot trial to see if the protective effect gets enhanced. I had my first shot on December 9, 2020, and after pre-clearing a medical assessment last week, my second shot is scheduled for about 15 days from now. Adverse reactions are more common on second novel coronavirus vaccines, so there’s a separate medical pre-screening procedure for that.

The decision to take a vaccine or not is a personal decision, and I am agnostic on other peoples’ rationales and choices. I myself would rather take my chances with a vaccine whether it’s for influenza, shingles, COVID-19, or any other bug. I had very minor side effects from the first Janssen injection, and I have no hesitation about taking the second.

(Edit: It’s a double-blind study, so I don’t yet know for sure whether I received placebo or vaccine, but my side effects were consistent with vaccine, acknowledging that consistency is not proof).