General Info

[WestCoast1]

Some more Covid info, new study on viral load.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/double-ja...140126657.html

From the article:

Fully vaccinated people carry the same amount of Covid as the unvaccinated, scientists have found in a new study that calls into question the effectiveness of vaccine passports and changes to the NHS app. Experts had hoped two doses of vaccine would significantly reduce the viral load carried by people who became infected, lowering the risk of them passing on Covid.

SNIP.

However, the new study by the University of Oxford shows that the delta variant wipes out the viral load reduction. Instead, even the fully jabbed carry high levels of the virus if they become infected and are also more likely to be symptomatic than vaccinated people who pick up an alpha infection. The results suggest those who are fully jabbed could be as capable of passing on Covid as the unvaccinated, although they are less likely to pick up the virus in the first place.

SNIP.

Despite the findings, the study showed the jabs are still helpful in preventing an infection in the first place, which will have a role in stopping transmission. Two doses of the AstraZeneca jab lowered the rate of a new infection by 67 per cent and Pfizer by 82 per cent.

[Breadman]

I enjoy watching Reekay'sLifeBeyondTheSea YouTube channel. In this link he outlines changes coming to the BI which will increase the length of time a visitor can initially stay in the Philippines, but no longer allow for a Visa on Arrival option. Visas must now be approved through a Philippine Consulate prior to arrival in the Philippines. I only hope that the Philippines will be as efficient as Vietnam is in processing their visas but with the Philippines, change does not necessarily mean increased efficiency. Some posts in the comments section following the video may also be of interest.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQV_xgEkPl4

Lots of the same small blob articles out there which says to me not much is really known what might happen. But one article did mention immigrants being involved in crime. Including kidnapping, smuggling, human trafficking, labor recruitment, and terrorism. So better checks and balances would hopefully keep those people out. Same with those trying to live off a tiny bit of savings or income stream.

[PedroMorales]

After I posted, I checked flights with Qatar and Turkish into Phils. Both asking for papers and both saying no Europeans need apply as no admittance. Fares were expensive too. There must be places, mostly on a small scale I imagine, where Gestapo rules do not apply. I hear of ferries crossing the North Sea, no papers needed, train routes into Switzerland.

My soul is fine, I am doing the non canine equiva.

I'm not European but I'd preference Cebu over MNL: big enough but not so big that everyone is paranoid; direct flights and other international transit options should the SHTF. Not to mention a metric shit tonne of girls out of work and seeking cash. Many more in the wider Visayas areas that would happily accept a bus fare and suck any residual toxins from your body.

I've also noticed a few AirBNB and Agoda adds highlighting that they are accepting tenants with no Covid or vaccination paperwork. I'm not sure if this is a good thing (signs of opening up) or a bad one (lack of containment).

Good luck with the recovery. Long term chronic diseases can deflate both body and soul.

Cheers.

[Goferring]

Now I am perusing this site for a good recuperation spot for 2021.2.

Needs.

1. Ease of exit from Europe. Turkey and Turkish Airways seem best.

2. Ease of paperwork. Somewhere that wants $$$ and is not made change the rules every day.

3. Cash hungry women.

1 and 2 are the problems, big problems, not just for Europeans. Any country relaxing restrictions over the next months would be flooded.

I'm not European but I'd preference Cebu over MNL: big enough but not so big that everyone is paranoid; direct flights and other international transit options should the SHTF. Not to mention a metric shit tonne of girls out of work and seeking cash. Many more in the wider Visayas areas that would happily accept a bus fare and suck any residual toxins from your body.

I've also noticed a few AirBNB and Agoda adds highlighting that they are accepting tenants with no Covid or vaccination paperwork. I'm not sure if this is a good thing (signs of opening up) or a bad one (lack of containment).

Good luck with the recovery. Long term chronic diseases can deflate both body and soul.

Cheers.

[PedroMorales]

Glad to hear you are getting better. Have you been advised of any long-term affects? I've heard of some having symptoms for a loooong time but my info is 4th and 5th hand conjecture.

Hope you are fighting fit soon..

A friend is dropping me in an oximeter today so I can measure my oxygen. More to the point, I sleep round the clock but am always tired and want to sleep again. I wake from a deep sleep but am not refreshed. I am going to have a full check up when this is over. I did not not conjunctivitis or anything, just like an awful does of the clap for 3-5 days and a persistent cough that is now gone. The cough like that of a very sick baby, with the diagrphagm coughed out of me, like I have been badly bruised all along it.

Now I am perusing this site for a good recuperation spot for 2021.2.

Needs.

1. Ease of exit from Europe. Turkey and Turkish Airways seem best.

2. Ease of paperwork. Somewhere that wants $$$ and is not made change the rules every day.

3. Cash hungry women.

1 and 2 are the problems, big problems, not just for Europeans. Any country relaxing restrictions over the next months would be flooded.

[Albert9989]

At same time I noticed many vaccinations going on in many places, many of my chatmates told me that they are fully vaccinated.

In Manila but also in Cebu, and Palawan, Puerto princesa but even some isolated villages fully vaccinated.

They talk about sinovac and also AstraZeneca.

That's good to hear, they try really to strongly improve the vaccination level which is the only way we have now to fight this virus, even if not the best.

[Goferring]

I live in a suburb, lots of green, space etc. I live alone, eat well / healthily and live a clean life. Moderate drinker. Non smoker, don't mix much. Yet here I am, having to factor in covid risks going forward. Thanks for the informed comments. Food for thought.

Glad to hear you are getting better. Have you been advised of any long-term affects? I've heard of some having symptoms for a loooong time but my info is 4th and 5th hand conjecture.

Hope you are fighting fit soon. 👍128077;129310;.

[WestCoast1]

Six days since the last one. See pics. Delta cases up, from 450 to 627 (39% increase). Deaths up from 9 to 13 (44% increase).

[WestCoast1]

Thanks Westie for the frequent informative updates. The situation in Manila that you have been illuminating helps some of us keep our Philippines wanderlust under control. Some of your mall photos look like Robinson's Place in Ermita,

Welcome. That was Robinson's Ermita. In the grocery store about 2:30 pm, I counted 9 checkout lanes open, 3 of which had customers (1 customer each). Just prior to last weekend's ECQ lockdown it was a madhouse just an hour after opening. Still have to have a mask when in public, and also a face shield to enter the mall. However since the shield mandate was dropped a few weeks ago, many businesses dropped it also. Can now go into 7-11 or MiniMart with just a mask. I only take the shield with me now if I am specifically going to a mall.

http://br.mobile.reuters.com/video/2...Channel=117763

EDSA without congestion is hard to imagine.

Roxas, Makati Ave. They are pretty dead even at normal rush hour times during ECQ. Good catch on the drone footage.

Must say that when Filipino are told to stay home, they STAY HOME.

[Soapy Smith]

ECQ update.

And a link to this article: "Drone footage captures Manila under lockdown".

https://www.yahoo.com/news/drone-foo...053331400.html

Thanks Westie for the frequent informative updates. The situation in Manila that you have been illuminating helps some of us keep our Philippines wanderlust under control. Some of your mall photos look like Robinson's Place in Ermita, but I thought you were staying in Makati.

I couldn't get the yahoo link to the EDSA drone footage to work. I think Yahoo may have taken the story down. I found the same footage on Reuters and other outlets:

http://br.mobile.reuters.com/video/2...Channel=117763

EDSA without congestion is hard to imagine.

[PedroMorales]

I live in a suburb, lots of green, space etc. I live alone, eat well / healthily and live a clean life. Moderate drinker. Non smoker, don't mix much. Yet here I am, having to factor in covid risks going forward. Thanks for the informed comments. Food for thought.

[Papae Noel]

Pedro, Get well soon! Hope you were able to stay out of the hospital. You are in Europe?

[WestCoast1]

ECQ update.

Well, its a bit of a ghost town again in Manila. Some street pics, mall pics. Also we gots us an alcohol ban, and all food is take-out only. The grocery store and maybe 10 other stores (food, pharmacy) are open in the mall. Even the mall's flagship department store is closed for the duration (Aug 6-20, if not extended). Street pics taken at dusk, mall pics taken 3-ish pm. Curfew 8 pm, so get your evening honey to your place early (if they allow guests). If your place doesn't allow guests (other than your registered main squeeze), you need another hotel. More hotels are showing now as Quarantine on Agoda. Even the ST hotels are now allowing only 1 person per rented room (ie Sogo, VC), even if online they are renting rooms for multiple persons (see pic).

And a link to this article: "Drone footage captures Manila under lockdown".

https://www.yahoo.com/news/drone-foo...053331400.html

[Bushes]

I am almost out of Covid. The coughing has died down and is not as incessant. My appetite is returning but I am still sleeping maybe 14 hours a day in spasms. Some of the advice here has been helpful. Although I will have better short term resistance to a recurrence, I am not more vulnerable to be re-infected.

The lesson I draw is covid cannot be avoided if one interacts socially at all. I will probably have to get the jabs and hope for the best. Travel throughout Europe is too problematic right now and even considering going beyond Europe with no good cause makes no sense Local providers seem the way to go but they are over priced and not of LBFM quality. Tough times.

So assume you are not in PI. Definitely suggest visit to a covid hospital and get an xray. Let the professionals monitor. Many get worse suddenly.

Current recommendations are getting shots even for recovered people.

[PedroMorales]

I am almost out of Covid. The coughing has died down and is not as incessant. My appetite is returning but I am still sleeping maybe 14 hours a day in spasms. Some of the advice here has been helpful. Although I will have better short term resistance to a recurrence, I am not more vulnerable to be re-infected.

The lesson I draw is covid cannot be avoided if one interacts socially at all. I will probably have to get the jabs and hope for the best. Travel throughout Europe is too problematic right now and even considering going beyond Europe with no good cause makes no sense Local providers seem the way to go but they are over priced and not of LBFM quality. Tough times.