Covid Chatter

 Last night off ARD (Channel One, German public TV), they threw up a slide of the sixteen states and tried to explain the 2G, 2G-plus, 3G, 3G-plus ban rules.  Frankly, it's now getting fairly complicated to grasp how the rules work in X-state but if you crossed the border into Y-state....totally different rule system. 

Generally, what did 3G mean?  It meant you couldn't get into a theater, cafe, restaurant, bar or pub....without being vax'ed, recovered from Covid, or tested (quickie-free-test).  

Generally, 2G meant the same deal....but testing got knocked out entirely.  Yeah, this made no real sense on dumping testing.

Then states started flipping around on testing....saying regular 'quickie-free-tests' were NOT reliable, and you had to do the 50 Euro PCR test instead (at your cost).   Some states went to the idea that you had to be 2G, but you had to be tested as well.

Confusing?  Yeah, and the map put up.....conveyed a difficult rule system.

Here's the thing though, which I don't think the journalists or politicians have grasped yet....people are looking at the expanded virus rate/death rate, and asking themselves...is it worth going out tonight?  No one says the numbers but I'd suggest 10 to 20 percent of people are actively worried, and just don't want additional risks.

The fact that everything was shutdown last year, when it was a lesser infection rate and lesser death situation going on?  Well....this is a item of discussion.  Every bit of logic that was drilled down upon the German public in November 2020....would suggest today that a total lockdown should occur.  How they avoid this discussion?  Well...the immunization business puts them in an awkward position.  If you got the shots....you should be protected.

If you watch N-Tv (commercial German news), there's a report today over Bavarian Covid deaths (recently), where 30-percent of the folks reported dead.....were fully vax'ed folks.  In explaining this?  Well...as they report, even if you get the vaccination done, it's not a 100-percent protection deal, and it's not going to prevent a severe case or a death case. 

The fact that older folks got their vaccination early on in 2021?  If you were age 70 or above....that shot was eight to ten months ago.  If you use the decline rate (even with the better BionTech vaccine)....you typically don't have more than 7 to 8 months of real protection.  The push for the booster shots now?  Mostly because of the decline in effective coverage.

So I generally expect people to decline public walks or shopping experiences, over the fear situation.  The mandatory grocery shopping will continue on but I expect people to decline opportuneness.