General Info

[Mdemde]

A serious drop in March 2020, from 64.11 to 59.61 in one month. The Covid effect?

Yes, it was a serious drop of 7%, in just one month. I'm sure it had something to do with Covid, it must have spooked the currency traders!

The GBP / PHP exchange rate over the last 2 and a bit years I have been here has bobbed up and down a bit every month, as do all exchange rates, but that 7% drop was the sharpest fluctuation during that time period.

[Soapy Smith]

First person from the Philippines ever to win the Nobel Peace Prize:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RArvuCLElaY

https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/08/media...ntl/index.html

Here's an account put together by the Public Broadcasting Service in the states. Be advised it's about an hour and 40 minutes long, but it is sort of riveting:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQpjfWV_p6E

Maybe this balances out some of the frequent accounts about Filipinas stealing, lying, and infecting mongers.

[WestCoast1]

SNIP this might help remind people of what comes from these beautiful islands.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WNMSo-sfAk

Hahaha that's great.

[Bushes]

Memory challenged is a big problem. For the non Covid variety, this might help remind people of what comes from these beautiful islands.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WNMSo-sfAk

https://www.yahoo.com/news/pfizers-c...032404881.html

From the article:
In comparison, vaccines for other conditions such as mumps, measles, and rubella only show small decreases of about 5% to 10% each year in neutralizing antibody levels, wrote the researchers.

There can be nothing worse than travelling a quarter or a half way round the world, like the 3 people mentioned in this news report (link below), only to be told by immigration staff when you arrive in the Philippines that they won't let you in!

[WestCoast1]

The GBP / PHP rate is also working well for me!

I normally do a monthly transfer near the end of every month from my UK bank to my bank in the Philippines and keep a record in a spreadsheet of the exchange rate. It has varied between a low of 59.61 in March last year and a high of 68.07 in July this year. At the end of last month I got 67.89.

A serious drop in March 2020, from 64.11 to 59.61 in one month. The Covid effect?

[Mdemde]

Some good news, the USD / peso is back up above 50:1, working well for me.

The GBP / PHP rate is also working well for me!

I normally do a monthly transfer near the end of every month from my UK bank to my bank in the Philippines and keep a record in a spreadsheet of the exchange rate. It has varied between a low of 59.61 in March last year and a high of 68.07 in July this year. At the end of last month I got 67.89.

[WestCoast1]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/pfizers-c...032404881.html

From the article:

In the first study, researchers from Qatar found that Pfizer's immunity protection drops to as low as 20% just four months after a person receives their second dose. They based their report on observations of infections among Qatar's over 900,000 vaccinated people. The researchers found that Pfizer's protection against infection was "negligible" shortly after the first dose, but jumps to 36.8% three weeks later. When people receive their second dose, immunity protection increases to 77.5% after about a month.

But once that month is over, Pfizer's immunity effectiveness declines steadily, hovering at around 20% after the four-month mark, per the researchers.. SNIP.

Still, Pfizer's protection against hospitalization and death remained "robust" at 90% or higher for six months after the second dose, it said.. SNIP.

The other study, conducted in Israel, looked at 4,868 healthcare workers. It reported that people have substantially decreased COVID-19 antibodies just six months after receiving their second dose of Pfizer's vaccine. The drop is especially prominent among men, the elderly above 65, and those with weakened immune systems.

In comparison, vaccines for other conditions such as mumps, measles, and rubella only show small decreases of about 5% to 10% each year in neutralizing antibody levels, wrote the researchers.

[WestCoast1]

It's been more than 18 months since they closed entry to the country for foreign tourists. There can be nothing worse than travelling a quarter or a half way round the world, like the 3 people mentioned in this news report (link below), only to be told by immigration staff when you arrive in the Philippines that they won't let you in!

Airlines are subjected to administrative fines if they board improperly documented foreign nationals, said Morente. Hence we wish to reiterate the importance of proper documentation to avoid such incidents.

I think we have discussed previous to Covid that the Philippines Immigration rules are hardwired into airline computer systems (and rarely updated). Several times I have reached LAX / SFO / Other Longbow airport, only to be confronted at the check-in counter about this or that visa / Immigration issue and refused boarding, only to be allowed to board a short time later when the airline (KAL, Delta, ANA) check-in supervisor had to google on his / her phone to get the Phils Immigration update. The airline's computers should catch these issues at the swipe of your passport at check-in. I later visited a KAL office to confirm an upcoming trip so there would be no problems at the airport, and the KAL lady told me that the same computer catch would have happened if the I had purchased tickets thru a travel agent and provided my passport in advance.

The three gents in the report. Technically its the airline's fault. Even for the ones coming to Phils because of a pinay spouse or child (currently allowed I think), they can not come as simple tourists, they must apply for and receive a visa thru a Consulate for just that reason (it shows they are not simple tourists) before traveling. If they were turned away and taken back to Singapore or the point of origin, a simple Consulate visa application to visit their family in Phils would seem to rectify the situation (and cost them a week's time getting here). Someone correct me if this is wrong. I was told by a similar inbound Phils gent after his arrival (and his visit to a Consulate first) that marriage and / or birth certificates and pics of you and your pinay spouse or child are necessary proof at the Consulate for said visa.

OTOH. It would seem common knowledge that the vast majority of countries have shuttered their borders to tourists for the duration, and one should check directly by phone or email the Immigration policy of said inbound country (never hurts to contact a travel agency. . .). OTOOH (On The Other Other Hand), here in Phils, I am finding many locals who have no idea that their country is closed to tourists. They confuse the regulars who live here (and thus stayed during Covid) with fellas such as myself, who come / go at will. They think of the expat regulars as tourists. "Bob is here. He is allowed to come here. The tourists can go here if they want". Bob is a 13 (a) Permanent Resident visa, complete with wife and property here; he never has to leave, and as such can come / go as he pleases. He is not a 2-week warrior who was home when the lockdown hit. Hard to make the distinction here.

Good update Mdemde.

[Mdemde]

It's been more than 18 months since they closed entry to the country for foreign tourists. There can be nothing worse than travelling a quarter or a half way round the world, like the 3 people mentioned in this news report (link below), only to be told by immigration staff when you arrive in the Philippines that they won't let you in!

BI reminds aliens they need visas to enter PH
By Margret Fermin -October 8, 2021

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) reminded foreign nationals intending to travel to the Philippines that they must secure the appropriate visa to be able to enter the country.

BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said the Philippines remains closed to foreign tourist due to the Covid-19 pandemic, following resolutions from the Inter Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID), thus only aliens with valid and existing visas are allowed entry.

Morente added that tourists or temporary visitors who are coming here for business, humanitarian or other meritorious reasons should apply for 9(a) visas and entry exemption documents (EED) from any of the Philippine embassies or consulates abroad.

Until now we have been getting reports of aliens being turned back at our airports because they dont have visas at all, he said.

He lamented that exclusions of improperly documented aliens at the airports continue despite the bureaus repeated reminders and public advisories on the need to have a visa via its website, the social media sites and the press.

Morente again reminded airlines that it is also their responsibility to see to it that foreigners who booked their flights to the Philippines have valid visas.

BI reminds aliens they need visas to enter PH
The BI Chief issued the statement upon learning that three foreigners were recently turned back by immigration officers at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) for failure to present valid entry visas.

Two of the passengers, an Australian and a German, were excluded on Tuesday after arriving from Singapore while the other one, an American, arrived last Saturday from Los Angeles, USA.

They all claimed during interview they were unaware that they needed to get visas before coming here.

Two of them said they are married to Filipinos who were not traveling with them while the other one said he was going to visit his Filipina fiance.

Airlines are subjected to administrative fines if they board improperly documented foreign nationals, said Morente. Hence we wish to reiterate the importance of proper documentation to avoid such incidents.

https://philippineslifestyle.com/bi-...as-to-enter-ph

[Bushes]

And how would they know these 90% would be dead or hospitalized without their vaccine? Johnson asked today that people have to take more of theirs. They say protection is not waning, but just to have extra protection!

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/10/05/h...=1633430330600

Every time I hear Fauci, I think of the gain of function research he funded in Wuhan and kept quiet for a year and a half. Then there is the no mask advice. And the no PPE advice.

At least in Prometheus, they did the experiments and storage on a different planet / universe and not on the other side of the same planet.

As for the vaccine research, the test groups are not in the millions. Phase 3 trials might be in the thousands. It depends on what is reported back to the manufacturer from the front line doctors / medical institutions. There is not a bottomless pit of money to pay for tests. I am sure, many things fall through the cracks and will only surface later. Covid tests cost money are are not 100% accurate.

They now blame the hospitalizations and spread on the unvaccinated. Problem is that vaccinated can still transmit and pass on the virus. I suspect the vaccinated are probably thinking that they can live life like before and might be a big contributor to the spread. Their symptoms are not as bad and they probably have a shorter infectious period. IMHO, a perfect spreader.

AZ vaccines are not always available. Ask the EU. I thought AZ is suppose to be very price competitive. Problem is India and China are big drug manufacturers. So China probably want to promote their own vaccine. WHO approved the China vaccine with probably less independent data and review. Kind of like the World Bank leader who fudged some economic numbers so China does not look bad.

IMHO, the current advice is that the benefit of a vaccine out weigh its risks. So go for it unless you live in a bubble.

[WestCoast1]

Regarding pregnancy and vaccines. 'Urgent' warning from CDC:

https://currently.att.yahoo.com/life...120054307.html

Guessing that if your gal is buntis, her next jab should be in a different bodily location (alternately send her to Dr. Westy): From the article:

"CDC strongly recommends COVID-19 vaccination either before or during pregnancy because the benefits of vaccination outweigh known or potential risks," the Sept. 29 advisory reads. The message also contains concerning data about pregnant women and COVID-19.

As of Sept. 27, the CDC says, more than 125,000 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported in pregnant women, including more than 22,000 hospitalized cases and 161 deaths. In August alone, 22 pregnant women died of the virus, CDC data show.

Data also indicate that about 97 percent of pregnant women who are hospitalized with COVID-19 were unvaccinated. "In addition to the risks of severe illness and death for pregnant and recently pregnant people, there is an increased risk for adverse pregnancy and neonatal outcomes, including preterm birth and admission of their neonate (s) to an intensive care unit," the CDC says. "Other adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as stillbirth, have been reported. ".

There's also this unsettling fact: As of Sept. 18, just 31 percent of pregnant women were fully vaccinated before or during their pregnancy.

[BrizLad]

And how would they know these 90% would be dead or hospitalized without their vaccine? Johnson asked today that people have to take more of theirs. They say protection is not waning, but just to have extra protection!

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/10/05/h...=1633430330600

Because there has been a global trial of unvaccinated people since November 2019 and the unvaccinated humans haven't been doing too good in that trial. So it's easy to compare a sample of the 1,000,000 from April, May, June 2020 last year with 1,000,000 vaccinated people in this year.

[ErsatzJulian]

And how would they know these 90% would be dead or hospitalized without their vaccine?

Er, the usual methods of enrolling a bunch of people who have been vaccinated and a bunch of people who have not been vaccinated, normalize for the usual parameters like age, sex, gender, socio-economic status and ethnicity, and then compare the number of people in both groups who require hospitalization?

[Mr Enternational]

Pfizer was 90 percent effective at preventing hospitalization and death related to COVID for at least six months,

And how would they know these 90% would be dead or hospitalized without their vaccine? Johnson asked today that people have to take more of theirs. They say protection is not waning, but just to have extra protection!

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/10/05/h...=1633430330600

[WestCoast1]

https://currently.att.yahoo.com/att/...155502055.html

News from the Pfizer front. The timeframe of the effectiveness of the vax. I would like to see this kind of data for all the brands. From the article:

On Oct. 4, The Lancet published a study that examined the Pfizer vaccine's effectiveness over six months. According to the study, the effectiveness of Pfizer at preventing COVID infection dropped to 47 percent from 88 percent six months after the second dose. However, the vaccine's effectiveness at preventing severe outcomes remained high. Pfizer was 90 percent effective at preventing hospitalization and death related to COVID for at least six months, even as the highly transmissible Delta variant became the most dominant strain of the virus.

SNIP.

Vaccine effectiveness against the Delta variant began at 93 percent after the first month, then dropped to 54 percent after four months. Meanwhile, against other COVID strains, efficacy fell from 97 percent to 67 percent. "To us, that suggests Delta is not an escape variant that is completely evading vaccine protection," study leader Sara Tartof, PhD, told Reuters.