How Protected Are You Against the Covid Variant JN.1?

[Muse]

Maybe you're among the people that say or think we've moved on from Covid-19. Maybe not. In any case, this article is FOR YOU!

This link will get you past the NYT paywall for 14 days, i.e. until March 3, 2024

By all means, read the comments. Included are quite a few harrowing tales from people who have been sick with Covid-19 recently, JN.1, probably.

How Protected Am I Against the Covid Variant JN.1? (Published 2024)

JN.1 accounts for nearly all U.S. Covid cases. Here’s what to know about the risk of a new infection.

www.nytimes.com

 

[BoomerD]

Um...I had the first two Moderna vaccines. Caught COVID over the past summer. Kinda sucked. Wasn't too much different than a bad cold or flu bug.

 

[ch33zw1z]

Um...I had the first two Moderna vaccines. Caught COVID over the past summer. Kinda sucked. Wasn't too much different than a bad cold or flu bug.

I'm double moderna, plus one booster. I caught covid in sept 2022, it was tough but only a few days down. I caught it again in jan 2024 and it absolutely wrecked me.

 

[stargazr]

I originally had the Pfizer two-part vaccine, and one booster. Did good the first few years but ended up getting a mild version about two years ago. I doubt that I will bother with any more shots.

 

[allisolm]

Husband and I have had every shot that's been available. Seven in all. So far, as well as we can determine, neither of us has had covid. Knock on wood.

 

[Torn Mind]

I already got it.

Doesn't appear to have any long term effects.

You will feel it a bit in the lower respiratory tracts.

I had "phases". First phase, weakness and "sore throat"
Second Phase, lower irritation and continuation of the sore throat.
Third phase "weakness" is gone but coughing begins.
Coughing goes away.

 

[dullard]

I already got it.

Doesn't appear to have any long term effects*.

You will feel it a bit in the lower respiratory tracts.

I had "phases". First phase, weakness and "sore throat"
Second Phase, lower irritation and continuation of the sore throat.
Third phase "weakness" is gone but coughing begins.
Coughing goes away.

* Other than the 30% increase in strokes and heart attacks (per Covid episode) that last for at least as long as we have data.

Fixed that for you.

 

[MrSquished]

I'm so woke I'm immune.

 

[Torn Mind]

* Other than the 30% increase in strokes and heart attacks (per Covid episode) that last for at least as long as we have data.

Fixed that for you.

I'm left guessing what grounds are your source.

Is this the source?

 

[dullard]

I'm left guessing what grounds are your source.

Is this the source?

No specific source, just me summing up dozens of papers into one simple statement. Remember, more than anything that Covid-19 is a disease of the blood vessels. It transmits mostly through the air, but it affects the blood vessels in your body more than any other part. You can start here with a review of many of those papers:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10372514/

The present analysis, based on a large population of more than 20 million adult subjects, showed that ischemic stroke occurred in 4.40 per 1000 individuals who had experienced COVID-19 infection as compared to 3.25 per 1000 among individuals without COVID-19.

4.4 / 3.23 = 1.35, or a 35% increase in stroke (I tend to round down to 30% just to avoid nitpicks). Similar results are shown with heart attacks.

This study shows the increased risks last at least 12 months for those who fully recovered (and 12 months is long after they thought that they fully recovered): https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-022-01689-3 (Although they came up with a 52% increase in risk, I like to round down). Other studies are showing it lasts longer, but we don't yet have decades of data yet to show how long the risk increase truly lasts.

The long-term increase in risk is independent on how bad your illness was, your age, your health, etc. Although if you have a bad heart/circulatory system a 30% increase in risk is worse than if you have a good heart/circulatory system.

Increasing risk with each reinfection: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S266708952300010X
Read the "3. SARS-CoV-2 reinfection further increases cardiovascular risk" section. It is a nice summary of the full paper here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36357676/

Next time someone said Covid wasn't too bad and they fully recovered, remember they are only talking about the short term effects. They have no idea about how their body will be affected long term.

 

[brianmanahan]

i did the flu shot a couple months ago, then planned to get the COVID shot a week or two after that

but the flu shot did such a number on the nerve running down to my heel that i haven't gone back

i've never had anything happen like that before after decades of shots/blood tests/etc.

it was absolutely terrible for a few days and bad for a few weeks, but the pain in my heel is finally almost gone.

i think my grandma had something similar happen once and it hurt for almost 2 years.

 

[Muse]

Husband and I have had every shot that's been available. Seven in all. So far, as well as we can determine, neither of us has had covid. Knock on wood.

Congrats.

Exactly my experience. Yeah, knockin' on wood too, but I have literally dozens of as yet unused 3M 9210+ N95 masks (and a whole bunch of ones that I reuse!), best masks I've found. You can get them for a buck apiece or less if you shop around. When I'm in the gym, any market, anywhere I figure I'm at any risk, I'm wearing one of those masks. I even wear one on my bike because it keeps wind from blowing up my nostrils. The effect is I don't have to blow my nose!

 

[IronWing]

My social life is my rampart against disease.

 

[Torn Mind]

No specific source, just me summing up dozens of papers into one simple statement. Remember, more than anything that Covid-19 is a disease of the blood vessels. It transmits mostly through the air, but it affects the blood vessels in your body more than any other part. You can start here with a review of many of those papers:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10372514/

4.4 / 3.23 = 1.35, or a 35% increase in stroke (I tend to round down to 30% just to avoid nitpicks). Similar results are shown with heart attacks.

This study shows the increased risks last at least 12 months for those who fully recovered (and 12 months is long after they thought that they fully recovered): https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-022-01689-3 (Although they came up with a 52% increase in risk, I like to round down). Other studies are showing it lasts longer, but we don't yet have decades of data yet to show how long the risk increase truly lasts.

The long-term increase in risk is independent on how bad your illness was, your age, your health, etc. Although if you have a bad heart/circulatory system a 30% increase in risk is worse than if you have a good heart/circulatory system.

Increasing risk with each reinfection: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S266708952300010X
Read the "3. SARS-CoV-2 reinfection further increases cardiovascular risk" section. It is a nice summary of the full paper here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36357676/

Next time someone said Covid wasn't too bad and they fully recovered, remember they are only talking about the short term effects. They have no idea about how their body will be affected long term.

I have prior comparables due to having personal knowledge of the earlier strains of COVID. One suspicious case. One confirmed by PCR in Feb 2021. Those two earlier ones caused longer issues.

The first, with acute infection for about two weeks in late November-early December, had no noticeable acute symptoms but extreme fatigue(cannot walk up stairs, wanting to sleep all day, "short fuse" such that even reading things on the phone or making a call was not done. Long symptoms of feeling "less than capable" and being stuck concentrating on one thing prevailed well into March 2020.
Feb 2021, the infection started similar to that of the "suspicious case". It eventually developed into a cough but the real suffering wasn't until after it got eliminated. Then its anesthetic effects on the nerves(shutting down pain for me, I guess) wore off and I had to with coughing for a month and brain fog for about a year or so. So I think I can tell of I'm feeling totally bogged down mentally.
Another difference is that the virus was cleared but the long symptoms lingered. In this most recent battle of mine, testing positive and being symptomatic went hand in hand.


The nature article was published on Feb 2022 and was studying the first few variants. Based on my experience with probable alpha, those strains having the argued effect is acceptable and believable. However, because it was a 2022(practically 2021) study, it doesn't really apply to this JN.1, which does present significant acute symptoms--I actually used 600mg ibuprofen I had left over to be able to sleep some nights and water might have actually acquired a slight bitter taste during infection-- but it's persistence in the long term is question. Or I made a change to my body substantially compared to back in 2021 and 2020 and avoided the long-term symptoms of my prior experiences. I do believe was not eating any significant omega-3s, vitamin D, vitamin C, both K1 and K2, or even vitamin A back then along with a unhealthy preference for starchy foods. I also had avoided nuts, eggs, and cheese since childhood.

The NIH article appears to be a meta-analysis, and again, relevant time periods would for the COVID strains of 2020-2021, which I would I agree with for those strains.

 

[Dr. Detroit]

No compromised immune system and no underlying medical symptoms so I think I'll fair just fine and won't be rushing out to get a booster...

• For many people, the more immunity you’ve built up — through infection, vaccination or both — the milder your symptoms will probably be, Dr. Gordon said. Some people may become infected with JN.1 and experience such mild symptoms that they don’t even realize they are ill, she said. People with compromised immune systems or underlying medical conditions, though, may still have strong symptoms.

The NYT comments are as bad as Yahoo's - the anecdotal "sky is falling" we're all gonna die - save yourselves!

 

[dullard]

The NIH article appears to be a meta-analysis, and again, relevant time periods would for the COVID strains of 2020-2021, which I would I agree with for those strains.

We are both making assumptions due to lack of data with each new variant.

• I am assuming new variants have long term effects similar to old variants until proven otherwise.
• You are assuming new variants have no long term effects until proven otherwise.

In the end either assumption could turn out to be true. But if you look back at my first post you quoted, notice there is a qualification "that last for at least as long as we have data." I wasn't claiming to have data about long term effects of this variant or any other future variant. The increase in risks of stroke, heart attack, and similar diseases does last for at least as long as we have data for them (which in the case of JN-1 is not yet long).

 

[thestrangebrew1]

I've had covid twice, the first being far worse than the 2nd, although both were mild IMO. Really bad s/t and coughs, slight fevers, and fatigue. I've had all shots/boosters available, both Pfizer and Moderna, Moderna being the most recent back around November. I just got Covid end of January, beginning of February.

 

[BoomerD]

I've had covid twice, the first being far worse than the 2nd, although both were mild IMO. Really bad s/t and coughs, slight fevers, and fatigue. I've had all shots/boosters available, both Pfizer and Moderna, Moderna being the most recent back around November. I just got Covid end of January, beginning of February.

At least you now have the proscribed dosage pf Bill Gates’ microchips…

 

[Fritzo]

Since I had it a few weeks ago, probably VERY protected

I did get the booster in Oct and had a mild case. My wife didn't get boosted and was down for the count for about 12 days.

 

[Muse]

The NYT comments are as bad as Yahoo's - the anecdotal "sky is falling" we're all gonna die - save yourselves!

I don't know what the hell's going on at Yahoo, but the NYT comments are all over the map. Some very astute people, lots of stupid people, and those in between.

 

[Iron Woode]

Husband and I have had every shot that's been available. Seven in all. So far, as well as we can determine, neither of us has had covid. Knock on wood.

I have had 6 covid vaccinations. I think I am pretty much protected.

 

[Dr. Detroit]

I don't know what the hell's going on at Yahoo, but the NYT comments are all over the map. Some very astute people, lots of stupid people, and those in between.

Hence my comment, of the "anecdotal" sky is falling we're all gonna die commentary because some idiot knows a guy, who knows a gal and this time its bad, real bad.. break out the hazmat suits!

I never look at NYT's comments, didn't even know they were there, but you told me to look, and wow - dumb people, dumb people everywhere.

 

[Muse]

Hence my comment, of the "anecdotal" sky is falling we're all gonna die commentary because some idiot knows a guy, who knows a gal and this time its bad, real bad.. break out the hazmat suits!

I never look at NYT's comments, didn't even know they were there, but you told me to look, and wow - dumb people, dumb people everywhere.

Hey, if you think NY Times readers are dumb, well, where do you go for smarts? Here? Like you said, you didn't even know there were comments to be had reading the NY Times. How smart are you?

 

[pete6032]

I'm hoping that updated boosters become available every 6 months or annually. I DO NOT want to worry about getting sick. I'd much rather have a booster than risk a week of being sick.

 

[Muse]

I'm hoping that updated boosters become available every 6 months or annually. I DO NOT want to worry about getting sick. I'd much rather have a booster than risk a week of being sick.

What I heard was that annually yes, I am hoping for 2/year. I'd get both for sure. Who knows where we're going from here? If immunity wears off fast enough, annual may not fly.