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© Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.New Zealand sets 90% vaccination target to end lockdowns
By NICK PERRY WELLINGTON, New Zealand©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.
31 Comments
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Helix
or you can leave Auntie Doris the hell alone, get the vaccine if you want, and get on with your life. Doris is responsible for herself, not for you. Protect yourself if you want, it's a good idea I think. IF the vaccine is as effective as everyone says, what Doris does shouldn't have much impact on your life whatsoever.
Exactly.
GdTokyo
It’s been the goal to vaccinate the eligible population since the start. Not sure what part of this is lost on the “free dumb” crowd. But then again, the whole “proven safe and effective “ part has gone over their collective heads
2020hindsights
Attilathehungry
No they aren't. They are setting the minimal requirements to be able to open up without a surge in cases like Singapore. So they laid out the traffic light system to be able to react to surges and bring some control without blanket lockdowns. As someone against lockdowns, you should appreciate this.
Agreed, they have been very successful.
Well that isn't happening. The economy is doing fine and will do better under the new system. 5 million people aren't under lockdown. Only Auscland is under Level 3 lockdown, and when they get their vaccination rates up, will open up.
You don't really have a good grasp of this. This is a community effort and unless vaccination rates are up for the whole community, you will get rampant infection rates and overloaded hospitals. And that affects everybody.
It's not about me being safe. It's about infection rates and mass infections - overloaded hospitals. Look at red states in the middle of delta for reference.
Actually, yes it does. Unvaccinated are around 5 times more infectious than vaccinated.
Yes. And that's because they have taken measure to reduce infection rates. Just imagine if this wasn't the case.
Attilathehungry
You can blame the wokescold Ardern for that, not poor Doris. Ardern is the bully and the thug in this situation.. The government is trying to turn citizens against each other with policies like this. It is a disturbing trend that is repeated in many places.- punishing whole groups for the actions of a few people. THREE people have died of covid this year in NZ- one in February, September and October. The latter two at least had underlying health conditions- a man in his fifties and a woman in her nineties. To give you some perspective, more than 300 people per year die in car accidents in NZ. Should we ban cars as well? they are one HUNDRED times more dangerous than Covid, after all.
Do you really think this is reason enough to virtually imprison 5 million people in their homes and destroy the economy?
Again, it is none of your business what other people choose to do. You protect yourself. If you trust the vaccine then you shouldn't need to worry about what others do. Your chances of getting covid are radically reduced. And on the off chance that you manage to get yourself the virus, chances are that it will have all the impact of a common cold. Unvaccinated does NOT mean infectuous. I mean think about it. It has taken 18 months for Covid to kill 0.02% of the Japanese population. 99.98% of people are fine.
2020hindsights
Attilathehungry
But she is directly responsible for me. Don't you see? Because if the 90% target isn't reached, we all stay in lockdown.
She will keep everyone in lockdown. That's quite an impact on people's lives, wouldn't you say.
2020hindsights
Blacklabel
And that would have been fine if you hadn't referenced:
This is the first target. It hasn't been moving.
Blacklabel
would have been a great story….if I had said moving “rule” and not moving “target”.
target- Otherwise known as a “goal”
you know like “moving goalposts”
Attilathehungry
...or you can leave Auntie Doris the hell alone, get the vaccine if you want, and get on with your life. Doris is responsible for herself, not for you. Protect yourself if you want, it's a good idea I think. IF the vaccine is as effective as everyone says, what Doris does shouldn't have much impact on your life whatsoever.
2020hindsights
Blacklabel
Congratulations, you now know the difference between a rule and a goal.
cla68
Thankfully that is already happening. If you are in a position that has regular contact with the public in the medical field or teachers, you must get the vaccination or lose your job. This is for the safety of those you have contact with.
However, this is far more ingenious than mandates. By setting a 90% vaccination rule, they are using peer pressure to get people to comply. Nobody likes being in lockdown, but if the reason you can't get out of lockdown is Auntie Doris doesn't want the vaccine, then you will encourage her to get vaccinated.
Helix
Will they use coercion, such as threats of job loss, to reach that goal, as Big Brother is doing in the US?
They already are. It’s hell to be a member of “the unvaccinated” in NZ.
Ironically (or perhaps not) the cool young socialist Jacinda is presiding over the destruction of freedom both in thought and action for New Zealanders. Those freedoms were hard won. Gone.
cla68
Will they use coercion, such as threats of job loss, to reach that goal, as Big Brother is doing in the US?
Matt Hartwell
They'll do it in a canter.
N.Z is a small island and small population with much the same mentality as their cousins across the Tasman.
Australia will also do it in a canter, although WA and NT might go into next year.
Peter14
I wish my country adopted the same policy.
Blacklabel
uh oh. looks like a goal to me.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says there’s capacity to get 80 per cent of eligible adults in Auckland vaccinated with their first dose by the end of the week.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/300410115/about-60000-aucklanders-still-need-first-covid-jab-to-hit-80-goal-by-end-of-week
Blacklabel
"At least four in five New Zealanders will have to be vaccinated before border controls can be fully relaxed."
https://theconversation.com/at-least-four-in-five-new-zealanders-will-have-to-be-vaccinated-before-border-controls-can-be-fully-relaxed-163486
4 in 5. Is that 80%?
Blacklabel
oh an "indicative target" of 70% doesnt count?
Now do 80%, was there a "suggested" target or something that you are hiding from under another technicality?
So you knew I was right- but just wanted to say something else anyway.
2020hindsights
RiskyMosaic
I think that was the target for herd immunity, of which 70% was an estimate for the original Covid. Delta has proven to be way more infectious, so the target for herd immunity is now a lot higher.
That is why the plan still introduces restrictions, mainly for unvaccinated, depending on the new traffic light levels. This is to be able to enact controls that are less restrictive than the current lockdown system, but will be able to control random outbreaks.
I guess the thinking is that letting all restrictions go doesn't work well, even for a mostly vaccinated population. The unvaccinated still spread the disease. Singapore is a good example of this.
2020hindsights
RiskyMosaic
This is the first time they announced them as part of this plan, but 90% was indicated before as a likely target for Auckland.
Oh they they will get to 90%. Peer pressure will demand it. But we are talking 90% of the eligible population of 12 years and older. Not 90% of the total population.
2020hindsights
Belrick
Protecting yourself from Covid, specifically. It matters not how you catch it.
However, you are five times more likely to catch it, so you are five times more likely to spread it as well.
If you are unvaccinated you are way more likely to require hospitalization or die.
So vaccination has two effects. 1. It greatly stops people getting really sick and dying. 2. It slows down the spread of the disease.
When viewed like that what is the downside of everybody getting vaccinated?
Haaa Nemui
Proportionately speaking, vaccinated people are infected far less often than unvaccinated people. Why did you leave out the group of unvaccinated people who do have it?
Belrick
Protecting themselves from what exactly? Unvaccinated people who don't have the virus? Or vaccinated people who (as recent data is showing) do have it?
2020hindsights
Blacklabel
I think you may be getting confused with Australia. They have only ever release a 90% target.
And it's 90% of eligible people.
I think it's a great incentive to get people vaccinated - play their part in the community - and at the same time protecting themselves.
Blacklabel
yes, let me (the government) consider whether to give your freedoms to you.
Really just depends if you do everything that I arbitrarily make up for you to do first.
nothing wrong with that at all, right?
Asiaman7
Japan is actually closing in on this ambitious target with 77% of eligible people already fully vaccinated and with 85% of eligible people having received one shot.
(Please note that "eligible people" does not refer to the entire population.)
Blacklabel
nice moving target. 70%, 80%, 90% then more.
Plus this disclaimer as well. good luck !