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RE: QTLA9111, donde esta?
LOL!!!
:B
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silversand
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09/24/21 11:46am |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Border
The FDA doesn't normally approve a vaccine until it has been tested for a minimum of 5 years. Sometimes longer. They know the Science by the time the drug is released to the public. The FDA changed the decades old Standards for the "Emergency" release
...part of the difference was: "at-risk manufacturing"...... that the manufacturer of the various Covid vaccines could afford to take a risk ($billions in Government money was thrown at the research). The assumption was: manufacturers would scale up manufacturing almost before clinical trials were started (they barely even waited for Phase 3 to start) and (maybe!) no chance of approval LOL! Imagine? Because there was almost zero risk to the vaccine manufacturer. No vaccine manufacturer/pharma company would ever take a risk like that under normal "times".
Essentially, all the right, um, "stuff" happened to allow such a monumental and rapid approval, and scaled-up manufacture with stockpiles amassed way ahead of emergency approval.
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silversand
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09/24/21 11:38am |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Border
....looks like my "Canadian election postponed opening of US land crossing for Canadians" hypothesis is dead. Land border remains tightly closed to non US nationals indefinitely.
On a new front, it has been widely reported in the press recently that a "new" White House air travel initiative is in the works for deployment sometime before November 21st. This will allow nationals from 33 countries (including China) to fly into the US for leisure travel. Also, it appears that the US will be loosening the restrictive allowed vaccine list for fully-vaccinated in-coming travelers from said countries, to include AstraZeneca and others....lets see how this goes.
Mexico News Daily: here-->
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silversand
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09/24/21 10:35am |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Border
WebMD news brief: "Aug. 6, 2021 -- The U.S. will require nearly all foreign travelers to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus to enter the country" here-->
For the purposes of my previous post, I only consider "vaccination rates by country" to include countries using Covid vaccines approved by the FDA mandatory for incoming travelers to the USA. This means countries where Comirnaty, Spikevax and Ad26.COV2.S Jannsen were the primary vaccines given to their populations. I discount all countries from the Country vaccination rate statistic where their primary vaccine deployments were: AZ (and Covaxin), Sputnik 5 (and Light), Sinopharm, Sinovac, Abdala, COVIran Barakat, ZyCoV-D, CoviVac, Covidecia, and the other unapproved vaccines for all incoming travelers to the US.
Canada is unique, in that this country allows its citizens to opt for one of the approved US Covid vaccines IF a Canadian had been vaccinated with AstraZeneca (or, its India equivalent) at any time. For example, if a Canadian got their 1st vaccination with AstraZeneca, they could show up at any Canadian (Provincial) vaccination center, and request Comirnaty (Pfizer), Spikevax (Moderna) or Ad26.COV2.S (Jannsen) as their second booster. And, further to this, if a Canadian received one dose of AstraZ and say, a Moderna booster, the Canadian could request a THIRD vaccination with one of the US approved vaccines to qualify them to enter the USA.
Now, regardless what side of the fence everyone may be vis-a-vis "unapproved vaccines" and their actual efficacy, the mandatory approved vaccine law for visitors entering the US is the law.
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silversand
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09/23/21 07:31am |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Border
I discount the UAE, Uruguay, Chile AND China from the vaccination statistics, because their numbers are dubious at best.
https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations
As of yesterday, 78.54% of Canadians 12 years of age + were fully vaccinated. That would put Canada in 3rd place today. Tomorrow? Perhaps 2nd place. Friday? Perhaps 2nd place, maybe 3rd. Canada has a vaccination increase of appx 1.05% per 7 day period, on average.
https://health-infobase.canada.ca/covid-19/vaccination-coverage/
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silversand
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09/22/21 03:27pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Cybertruck RV prototype pictures released
....to me, the Tesla Cybertruck (not the camper) seems to be missing a roof? Why create the stealth-bomber-like "exoskeleton" as presented, and not sculpt the aft quarter so that more storage volume could be permitted?
So, when you add the "Dual Motor All Wheel Drive" Cybertruck ($50,000) to the "prototype camper shell" (another $50 grand), you have a $100 grand pop-up rig not much larger than a conventional mini pop-up truck camper (minus the softwalls).
I'll personally pass on this one. Maybe someone else will come up with something more appealing (to me), utilitarian and "all electric" in the future....
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silversand
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09/22/21 08:52am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Border
....there isn't any justifiable reason not to allow Canadians to travel into the US by road for pleasure travel. That, including endangering US citizens from Canadian carrying in Covid. Zero justification.
Canadians are at least among the top two nations on Earth with the highest fully vaccinated population(s). Almost all Canadian Provinces have already implemented inter-Provincial/Provincial "vaccination passports" (with exception of only two provinces). With a US entry requirement simply asking for a PCR test for non US national road travelers, AND proof of vaccination, there is virtually zero risk to Americans from Canadian travelers.
Some of the top North American US/Canada policy makers (PhDs with decades of policy-making experience on both sides of the fence working for 2, 3, 4 pervious Administrations) can't figure out what in the heck is going on. So, when something doesn't look, read, sound and smell right, and defies all logic under the principles of international relations and pandemic science, you know that disallowing Canadians into the US under the auspices of "this pandemic" at this late post-vaccination cycle is purely back-room game-playing, not at Homeland Security, but at The Whitehouse.
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silversand
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09/22/21 07:25am |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Border
There are probably others who feel as I - an easily understood and fairly speedy border crossing has ended.
....over the past appx. 10 days, I have seen 4 Maine plated vehicles (obviously) driving here for vacation.
Based on friends of ours (who live in NYC) that have crossed into Quebec by private car regularly since the land border was opened to US citizens, there is virtually no testing done at the Canadian land border into Quebec. As long as the US citizen fills out the online ArriveCan app before arriving, no testing at the border.
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silversand
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09/21/21 03:25pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Border
It should be mentioned that residents of the United States can cross the border north and south at will. As screwy as these times are I don't foresee this changing.
I can confirm 100% that US plated cars are coming into southern Quebec's vacation playground (the Eastern Townships) almost like pre Covid times. US plated cars started coming across like a trickle the 2nd week of August; by August 28th -ish, we were seeing US vehicles pulling tow trailers, Class B's, C's, A's, cars with roof racks with bicycles, you name it coming into the Townships. We were at the yacht club on Sunday on a lake shared with US territory (Lake Memphremagog), and US visitors in cars were jumping aboard sailboats left and right, off for a day's sailing in Quebec.
We are fully vaccinated Canadians, and I do not foresee the US land border opening to Canadian drivers wanting to cross and go south for vacation, snowbirding, or wanting to traverse across the US
into Mexico perhaps ever again (well, at least for the next year, 2 or God forbid, 3). There is no logical reason why US citizens fully vaccinated can drive into Canada at will for any reason whatsoever, and Canadians are 100% prohibited from driving south. The only speculation I can come up with is: Biden and Trudeau had made some back-room deal? Or, perhaps the US had a head's up 1.9 months ago that a Canadian Federal election was imminent, and that the US Feds wanted to wait and see who was elected, before allowing Canadian land crossing to restart. But, your guess is as good as mine!
In the interim, as Playaboy notes, Canadians will have to pay THOUSANDS to have their RV rigs shipped south, where the shippers make arrangements for Canadian RV owners to jump aboard short-hop cross-border flights (basically, small charters) where Canadians can intercept their rigs 10, 20, 30 miles south of the Canadian border, and continue driving "south" from "there". However, for the retiree, that is hellaciously expensive when you add the $250 to $400 + tax cost per person a Canadian snowbird will need to pay to get a Canada-side Covid test 72 hours before the chartered flight across the border, in order to "meet their rigs".
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silversand
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09/21/21 09:27am |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Road Report for 15D
....if you're in the San Jose del Cabo to Las Palmas stretch (and, even up the west coast of Baja Sur to Todos Santos and beyond), it may be prudent to find an elevated parking garage if you have a vehicle, and park it up on 2nd elevation (or higher). Looks like Olaf will dump huge quantities of rain in those regions tonight into Friday (maybe as far as La Paz, too).
There is at least 1 elevated 24hr parking garage at Plaza Alamar (in Cabo San Lucas) on Francisco I Madero....2 decks above the street level.
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silversand
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09/09/21 08:47am |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Border News
I was unable to find quickly the cost of the Canadian tests, but the rates from springtime were about 3,500 pesos.
....the present cost for a "covid test" (PCR) in Quebec is $240 CAD. The cost of the Canadian-side test, if it is for travel purposes, is charged to the traveler. There are a few preferred private Covid test labs in Quebec. Now, the cost for a travel Covid test in "other Provinces" will vary.
Presently, US citizens traveling for pleasure in Canada don't need a Canada-side test when driving back across the US border (this may change over time).
US citizens driving into Canada as tourists after August 9th need only take "an Canadian Fed approved" Covid test with negative results just prior to crossing (and be fully vaccinated). Also, anyone driving across the Canadian border (any citizenship) have to go online and register their trip through the ArriveCAN website. Remember to bring hard copies of your test and proof of 2 Covid vaccinations when traveling to Canada.
Since shortly after August 9th, the CBSA agents are not requiring the arrivals to proceed to the CBSA "test tent" at the border entries. However(!), your CBSA agent may at random, require your car load of passengers to proceed to the "tent" and take the PCR test at a border crossing (either in front of an agent; or, via a kit given to you). No quarantine is needed after crossing into Canada. You have to keep a diary of where/when you have been for 14 days (this for potential tracing purposes).
I am personally unaware if you need a Canadian-side Covid test if you are a Canadian (or, US) citizen boarding a return flight. Anyone have personal flying experience over last few days here, on way to Mexico?
Be aware that the rules can change at any time.
No date yet exists when Canadians can drive south into the US. My personal opinion is that the Delta wave will significantly drop off by appx the 1st week of November and US-side hospitalization clog-ups will diminish by roughly mid December. IMO: by November 21st, the US will allow Canadians to cross in motor vehicles. This may be the only opportunity that fully vaccinated Canadians will get to cross to snowbird (in Mexico or, the US). My prediction after November? Way too "chaos theory" to say anything.
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silversand
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08/30/21 09:57am |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Mexico's Highway Of Death
How many of you Mexico travelers were traversing the road between Monterrey and Nuevo Laredo sixty plus years ago?
Holy moly! 60 years ago ? The last time I used that exact stretch was ~26 years ago LOL
....hmmm? Being a spatial analyst (now retired), what about an online map highlighting proven recent bad experiences feeding specific point-to-point polylines (depicting roads) ? Stretches can blink on, then off, as the situation changes for the better (or worse) ?
Have to check the liability (risk) of doing this.....
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silversand
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08/12/21 07:20am |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: UK and Mexico
Since the vaccines are proving not as effective as advertised, it wouldn't surprise me the government would pull back.
...at my last count, 20 vaccines targeting sars-cov-2 were being injected across numerous countries around the World, at varying deployments. All of these vaccines have varying efficacy by age (some have ZERO efficacy, but were approved anyway!), health condition and status of the vaccine itself (ie. were the vaccines deployed before expiry? were protocols followed to the absolute letter eg. when preparing mRNA batches just before injecting?).
But really, for a vaccination "campaign" to really work, EVERYONE World-wide needs to be fully vaccinated within an ever-closing time-frame, or 2 things will happen: ever more evasive "variants" of the rampaging virus will emerge, lowering vaccine efficacy; and sars-cov-2 may escape from the actual vaccine(s) (the worst-case scenario).
Barring the entire Planet's population getting vaccinated in a very short time (say, 6 month cycle), the only way to survive this "one" would be by creating Nation "flu buddy" states, and only allowing those "buddies" access, barring "everyone else". I would have hoped that Mexico/USA/Canada could become "flu buddies", but hope is fading.
Presently, only 1.4% (+/- a fraction) of the dirt-poor nations on Earth have been vaccinated. These places are the incubators of new variants.
Canada was indeed a very, very late starter to the "get vaccinated" campaign, however, remarkably, we managed to claw our way up to near 1st place recently LOL
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silversand
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08/12/21 06:54am |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Travelling is not getting easier
Here is a great tip: I bought our new tires on line. First, I had them guarantee the age of the tires by sending photos of the manufacturing date. (look for this information on line.)
....yeah. I hear you. We have an excellent tire place near us (they do tractor-trailers, Class A, and commercial delivery truck tire replacements). All the tire replacements on our SUV and 2500HD have been done there. I order by phone, and specify that all 4 tires must have a manufacture date no older than 8 weeks. I've been lucky, in that every tire I've bought there were never date-stamped older than 7 weeks.
Others: Re. Michelin:
I've had absolutely lousy luck with Michelin tires. I tried 2 sets just to be certain. My (LR E) BF Goodrich TA-Ko's (manufactured by Michelin North America Inc) all failed within 3 years. Horrendous sidewall cracking, and horrendous tread cracking on all 4. I always get full laser wheel alignments (at the dealership, then drive to tire place) before new tires go on. And, our trucks are way under rated loads (the big 2500HD is 1400 LBS under rated payload at all times!). My Michelin AT's disintegrated at 4 years (all 4 tires), too. I'll never touch a Michelin tire ever again. I'm using Goodyear Duratrac (LR E) on every rim. Been using Duratracs now for over 7 years, not ever a crack, split or hair-line on any sidewall nor tread block. Excellent wear, too.
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silversand
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08/05/21 06:52am |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Border News
Is it true AstraZeneca vaccine is approved in Canada...
You got it. Its approved in Canada. However, that being said, the AstraZeneca (AZ) deployment was a real mess. If you had your primer dose of AZ in Canada, your booster became a choice (ie. you could get your booster as AZ, or Moderna, or Pfizer).
Many Canadians that felt they were coerced by the Canadian Feds into "getting the first vaccine that was offered", became extremely angry when the same Canadian Feds came back and said, "....if you had AZ as your primer, you could choose any other vaccine available...." (this could have been because: a) the supply of AZ at that time was extremely unreliable; or, B) "other" (ie. backlash because of potential for death from a known side-effect)
Interestingly, the word out of the US is: that the only vaccinated visitors permitted into the US must have been vaccinated with are "approved vaccines"...and AZ is not one of "those" :D
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silversand
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07/28/21 10:40am |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Border News
Good grief. USA has a population of around 300 million while Canada is less than 40 million with almost same land area so of course US will have a much higher number of Covid cases, deaths and unvaccinated. This is an apples to oranges situation
...a very common perception outside the field of demography (size and structure of populations) "we spatial analysts" run across all the time. Especially when related to Canada (density/spatially).
The 4th largest city in North America is Toronto, with a tremendous population density. This, right behind LA, New York, and Mexico City. Almost the entirety of the Canadian population live in a handful of cities (Greater Toronto Area; Greater Montreal Area; Greater Vancouver Area; etc; etc). The exact same viral contagion dynamics play out in Canada's 10 largest cities (those 10 encompassing almost the entirety of the 38 million Canadian population) as play out in Baltimore, Washington, Miami, Los Angeles and New York City. Just move the present northern US border between the USA and Canada a mere 60 miles north of its present location, and the US would have captured almost 98% of Canada's population :D
Also, 38 million into 340 million goes: 8.9 times. Compare this ratio to the present infection rate of 166 x (times) US to Canada (I think today it is now 168 x the Canadian rate).
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silversand
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07/27/21 02:25pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Border News
With the current threat of variants and the fast rise in cases again, I'm thinking another year and a half. The last epidemic was three years, even with the vaccine it won't be shortened because of the lack of doses and those not wanting to take the shot.
Chris:
Yeah. Just about 3 years will probably play out, vis cov-2.
Last time I looked, the "World population vaccination percentage" was just in the 13.2% range fully vaccinated as of this week :E and only 1.1% of the populations of low-income nations have had just 1 shot Global vaccinations thus far
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silversand
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07/21/21 02:44pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Border News
because in Canada there are fewer cases per capita and higher vaccination rate than in the US.
.....quite a bit fewer....Canada is seeing only ~300 new cases a day now....the US is seeing ~50,000 cases a day; that is 166.6 x more cases in the US per day than in Canada.....and recall that Canada's population is appx 10% of the US pop :E
Daily confirmed US cases today: here-->
I was just looking at Dr John Campbell's "situational video" today, here: Canada the most vaccinated country in the World now
So, with our country so well covered by vaccination, and, as Moisheh mentions, the large cost $$$ to land-entry in terms of dollars = tests, entry into Canada is still pretty daunting for the casual American land traveler. It is extremely puzzling why the US isn't allowing Canadian casual travelers into the US by land crossing on or before August 9th. Imagine the testing cost to a fully-vaccinated US citizen coming across into Canada for just a weekend? A week? :h this requirement may change over time. We will see....
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silversand
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07/21/21 02:25pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Ants and similar pests in any RV.
Run100 wrote: I put a small ring of grease around each jack, about an inch up from the ground, and that stopped the ants in their tracks. As I had read somewhere, the ants will not cross over grease - Vaseline works too.
That's interesting. have to try it.
I've been experimenting with back-folded duct tape (the real brand; not Dollar store stuff). And ants manage to struggle over the adhesive. Even 4 inches of adhesive.
Our rig is parked in the driveway, but partially under tree canopy. The ants often drop out of the trees and land on the camper roof. Not necessarily climbing jack legs and power cables....
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silversand
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07/09/21 09:46am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Fausto Proposes Free Access of RVs Into Mexico
....wow. This is quite interesting. I particularly like the photo of the truck camper in the article (we are truck camper owners)....with 3/4 ton truck.
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silversand
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07/09/21 06:45am |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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