NON_POLITICAL China Coronavirus THREAD

[Captante]

Got the Moderna bivalent booster earlier today @ CVS .... most places around me have Pfizer so I did have to go slightly out of my way. (10 minute drive instead of 2)

If Pfizer had been my only option I would have gone that way instead but since all the other Covid shots I've had were Moderna and it was fairly low-effort I figured why mess with success?

So far feeling a little tired and light-headed but otherwise fine.... no arm soreness at all this time.



EDIT: Spoke too soon on the arm-soreness but it's different with this booster. Previously it hurt right where I got the shot sort of like a bruise but this time my whole arm hurts for whatever reason. Hopefully that will be the only "new" side-effect.

 

[manly]

Per MayoClinic.com: (Jan 2022)


How soon can you get vaccinated after recovering from COVID-19?

"After testing positive for COVID-19, you will need to postpone getting vaccinated until your symptoms have resolved and you've met the criteria for discontinuing isolation. This timeline can vary by person, depending on your symptom severity and the treatments you may have received."


The "must wait 90 days" thing is inaccurate in terms of the vaccine.

"One caveat: If you received monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma, you will need to wait 90 days before getting the booster"

Not to say I'm smarter than the Mayo Clinic (I'm not), but you're kind of reading this wrong. It's not so much that you can't get vaccinated shortly after an infection, but you're not maximizing your benefit by doing so. First off, you have some short-term immunity for weeks after the infection. Secondly (and I may be paraphrasing incorrectly), your immune system benefits from a little extra time before you throw a vaccine at it.

In short, you don't have to wait 90 days, but rushing in the days after recovering from an infection is not optimal.

I had COVID at the end of May, it was pretty bad even with Paxlovid. I got my 2nd booster (Pfizer) on August 12. I am considered high risk & am trying to figure out when to get the new booster & which brand to get. I have had Pfizer for all my shots, should I stick with that or switch to Moderna for the next booster?

There are a couple good reasons for you to get the Moderna booster. First off, there is some data that shows mix-and-match gives you a bit better immunity. Both mRNA vaccines are very similar, but not 100% identical. Secondly, Moderna has always delivered a bigger dose of mRNA. Some have suggested that in the context of a booster (smaller dose than primary series), this larger dose of mRNA is a little more effective.

The flip side of that coin is that Moderna has always reported slightly more in the way of side effects. If you hate what the mRNA Covid vaccine does to you, then you may not want to switch to Moderna.

 

[Captante]

No question that waiting until you are fully recovered before stressing out your immune-system again intentionally with a vaccine is a good idea. (and for some folks that might take a lot longer than 90 days!)

Last time I was seriously ill was when I had the flu in 2017 and looking back I seriously could have died. (my co-worker did die from it!)

My point in bringing this up is that it was a solid 4-5 MONTHS before I felt 100% "right" again and I was fairly healthy going in.

 

[pete6032]

I got the Pfizer bivalent booster this weekend along with flu shot. Didn't have any side effects other than a little soreness at the injection site.

 

[Roger Wilco]

Crazy that 350 people are still dying from Covid every day in the U.S.

 

[nakedfrog]

Especially since it's "over".
That said we're down to 8.1% positivity in this county, but most of our deaths are people in their 60s-90s, with the occasional 40s-50s sprinkled in.

 

[manly]

Crazy that 350 people are still dying from Covid every day in the U.S.

Why is that crazy? Much of the U.S. (and many other countries) have effectively ignored Covid as an epidemic for many months now (some red states since summer 2021 to be frank). The epidemiologists don't agree for technical reasons, but Pres. Biden isn't wrong saying the pandemic is over. He's not exactly saying that as a policy shift (although Congress won't appropriate any more funding), but he's basically admitting the facts on the ground. It's no longer an emergency (although the winter wave is probably coming for us) and most people in all 50 states are treating Covid as endemic.

At this point it doesn't really matter what public health officials say anymore. The ongoing body counts sucks, but little you can do if people choose to be un-vaccinated or un-boosted. The federal govt ordered some 170M bivalent booster doses in hopes of suppressing another winter surge. But I'd be shocked if a large amount of those aren't ultimately discarded or donated to poor countries that want them.

 

[Roger Wilco]

Why is that crazy? Much of the U.S. (and many other countries) have effectively ignored Covid as an epidemic for many months now (some red states since summer 2021 to be frank). The epidemiologists don't agree for technical reasons, but Pres. Biden isn't wrong saying the pandemic is over. He's not exactly saying that as a policy shift (although Congress won't appropriate any more funding), but he's basically admitting the facts on the ground. It's no longer an emergency (although the winter wave is probably coming for us) and most people in all 50 states are treating Covid as endemic.

At this point it doesn't really matter what public health officials say anymore. The ongoing body counts sucks, but little you can do if people choose to be un-vaccinated or un-boosted. The federal govt ordered some 170M bivalent booster doses in hopes of suppressing another winter surge. But I'd be shocked if a large amount of those aren't ultimately discarded or donated to poor countries that want them.

By crazy I mean horrifically remarkable, not surprising.

 

[manly]

By crazy I mean horrifically remarkable, not surprising.

If 400 per day is horrifically remarkable, how do you describe the 2020 winter calamity or 2021 Omicron waves? Both were significantly worse.

 

[Roger Wilco]

If 400 per day is horrifically remarkable, how do you describe the 2020 winter calamity or 2021 Omicron waves? Both were significantly worse.

I would say they were horrifically remarkable…

 

[njdevilsfan87]

Well, I finally have it. Perfect streak ended AFAIK (obviously, don't know of any asymptomatic cases). 1x boosted here (no bivalent).

Overnight I felt a little soreness in my throat and didn't think much of it. I woke up to congestion, but cleared it out and shrugged off to being Santa Ana heat wave allergies. I felt relatively normal so I went and surfed for about 2 hours. It was a light session, so I didn't expect to be severely fatigued. But when I got back everything was sore and I was so tired. I took a nap, and an hour later same deal. I originally got a little bit depressed thinking it was an aging thing and that surfing followed by work was no longer something I could do - I've been working hard the past month to get more fit so that surfing doesn't wipe me out for the rest of the day.

A few hours later I could tell it was no longer normal fatigue and that it made no sense - it was light session and it should not have wiped me out, and since we were scheduled to have dinner with neighbors tonight my wife suggest I test.

Positive.

It's not too bad right now and I hope it stays that way. It feels somewhere in between "I'm definitely sick" and "if someone dumps a bucket of ice on me I'll snap out of it and feel normal". Fatigue (some caused by surfing this morning), very low grade fever so far (99-99.5), and some congestion I surely would have thought was allergies if that were the only symptom.

I'm really glad we got our little guy the Moderna a month ago else we'd probably be freaking out right now. I'm guessing he was actually the vector. He's had a slight runny nose the past few days, and the greenest poop I've ever seen in my life this morning (I even told my wife - he must have something...). He's otherwise been his normal self.

 

[Muadib]

The wife and I got the Moderna bivalent yesterday. Once again I had pain at the injection site, but it's almost gone this morning. The wife's arm is swollen around the injection site, but no pain. She took today off as a precaution.

 

[snoopy7548]

Same here - I got the Moderna bivalent and my flu shot at the same time. Still have pain in my arm, though.

 

[Scarpozzi]

I got my 4th Moderna shot as well a few weeks back......bivalent. I had some pain in my arm and felt rundown a day or so later, but couldn't tell if it was the shot or work-related stress. Feels good to have the boost.

 

[njdevilsfan87]

Alright, here's my COVID report. I'm assuming it was BA.5 - location: SoCal. I'm 1x boosted, way back in December 2021. No medications taken throughout.

Day0: (possible Day 1 as I felt congestion and a slight sore throat overnight)
- Woke up feeling a bit off, assumed I just needed caffeine
- Went surfing, and after I got I felt extreme fatigue
- Hours later still very tired, I decided to take a positive, positive
- Low grade fever started (~99-99.5F)
- Bad headache, body aches
- Slept very poorly

Day1: (almost no respiratory symptoms from here on out)
- Morning I felt better and walked around the neighborhood for ~30-40 minutes.
- After the walk the fatigue starting to come back.
- Fever spiked, 100.0-101.6, I actually felt kind of high and relaxed.
- Headache and body aches on and off.
- Fever broke just before bed.
- Slept a lot better.

Day2:
- Feel kind of spent after waking up - exhaustion instead of fatigue.
- Felt pretty good by the end of the day, but still not 100%.

Day3:
- Woke up feeling high/buzzed. Took around ~3 hours to wear off.
- Blood SPO2 at 98 on both index fingers (got a little worried the high feeling was O2 deprivation)
- Felt normal by noon and the rest of the day.

Day4:
- Some pretty bad GI / IBS in the morning. It took around 15-20 trips to the toilet to fully poop. Not fun.
- Again I felt high the first 2-3 hours after waking, but not as intense as Day3.
- Felt light burning sensations in my chest
- Loss of smell
- Taste reduced to the basics: salty, sweet, sour, etc
- Loss of appetite (light nausea)

Day5:
- GI a lot better, but still some discomfort until about noon
- Felt good all day otherwise
- Still no smell with reduced taste

Day6:
- GI almost good
- Smell coming back. I can pretty much smell everything, but not as strong as before yet
- Chest and lungs feel good
- Pretty much back to ~100%
- Still testing positive on antigen


Overall intensity of the the bad symptomatic phase: 5/10. I've definitely been sicker in the past many, many times. However I don't think I've ever felt something where I went through some acute phase (fevers), make such a rapid recovery (Day 2 was almost like it never happened at one point) and then suddenly have other odd symptoms pop up while otherwise feeling completely normal. Plus still testing positive even after I feel fine and needing to be careful around my family sucks. Losing smell was also kind of freaky. Although not expected it was a bit worrying not knowing how long it may take to come back - luckily it's already recovering.


I do not recommend getting this if you can avoid it. I'm hoping I at least get a pass on the next wave. Beyond that I will seriously consider a booster shot.

 

[Artorias]

Well I got Covid. I guess it was bound to happen at some point.

Two Pfizer dosses with the last being in Aug 2021.

No symptoms on these first two days other than headaches and a high fever.

Woke up this morning dehydrated with a fever of 38.9C, thankfully it dropped after some medication and lots of water.

Feeling much better now, just a light headache.

 

[nOOky]

Got my flu shot last Wednesday, just a sore arm from that. A day later I started to feel more tired than normal, and sore all over. I performed a home test, and it came back negative. Since the flu shot can cause flu-like symptoms for a day or two after I toughed it out and went to work. By Saturday morning I was exhausted, fatigued, muscle soreness all over, etc. Our thermometer was digital and I couldn't read the display but I assumed no fever. Today the wife came home, thankfully she was away, and brought a thermometer. 101.4f, normally I'm 97.7f. I don't feel like eating, and I can still smell, it seems my taste buds are a bit whacked though. I retested this morning and it was negative again, but I'm pretty certain it's covid, and I don't feel like driving anywhere for a better covid test. At times I will shiver uncontrollably and it sux, however the fatigue is a bit better today, day 4, hoping tomorrow is better but I'm still not going to work so soon after having the fever.

 

[Kaido]

Masking is back in vogue again where I live.

 

[Kaido]

Negative Yankee Candle reviews as a COVID indicator:

https://imgur.com/a/rTm9BM7

Amazing:

‘There is NO scent!’ What Yankee Candle reviews can tell us about COVID-19 trends

Northeastern assistant professor shows how one Twitter joke about Yankee Candles led to a breadcrumb trail of COVID-19 trends.

news.northeastern.edu

 

[Captante]

I've pretty much stopped wearing masks myself but roughly 25% of people I see out are still using them.

Daily-positivity rates in Connecticut are hovering around 10% and I am paying attention. I suspect we will be in for a rough winter.

 

[JM Aggie08]

I have stopped paying attention at this point. We've all had it in my household, and based on that experience and the availability of vaccines and therapeutics, we are treating it as any other respiratory virus.

We have always stayed at home when sick, no matter how severe -- nothing has changed.

 

[nakedfrog]

Scheduled for my bivalent booster tomorrow, got a medical procedure coming up next month and trying to stack the odds in my favor during the recovery period.

Got my flu shot last Wednesday, just a sore arm from that. A day later I started to feel more tired than normal, and sore all over. I performed a home test, and it came back negative. Since the flu shot can cause flu-like symptoms for a day or two after I toughed it out and went to work. By Saturday morning I was exhausted, fatigued, muscle soreness all over, etc. Our thermometer was digital and I couldn't read the display but I assumed no fever. Today the wife came home, thankfully she was away, and brought a thermometer. 101.4f, normally I'm 97.7f. I don't feel like eating, and I can still smell, it seems my taste buds are a bit whacked though. I retested this morning and it was negative again, but I'm pretty certain it's covid, and I don't feel like driving anywhere for a better covid test. At times I will shiver uncontrollably and it sux, however the fatigue is a bit better today, day 4, hoping tomorrow is better but I'm still not going to work so soon after having the fever.

The silver lining of the timing on my Covid was that it was when we had a heat dome, so I was only kinda chilly while it was 82º inside the house.

 

[dullard]

I have stopped paying attention at this point. We've all had it in my household, and based on that experience and the availability of vaccines and therapeutics, we are treating it as any other respiratory virus.

Covid is becoming less severe at the moment, but that might not stay the same in the future. I don't think that it is yet time to just stop paying attention.

1) Vaccines are changing. It is actually a fairly exciting time for vaccines as the mRNA technology will make many other vaccines much more effective. Instead of guessing what the next year's flu will be, we can finally have vaccines that exactly match the strain that is circulating. Also, universal Covid vaccines are underway which might be a game changer.

2) Covid therapeutics have been shown to become less effective with mutations. So, if you stop paying attention, then you might not find out if they become ineffective. https://www.science.org/content/art...multiple-ways-evade-covid-19-drug?cookieSet=1

3) Past experience has no relevance to your next exposure. Meaning, the next time you or your family members get it, you might be in for quite a surprise if you don't pay attention.

I realize that we all have Covid overload. Thus, there is no need to read every headline on it that comes across. But to just stop paying attention altogether seems too premature.

 

[JM Aggie08]

I'll rephrase -- I'm not getting as amped anymore. Still keeping a bead on things.

 

[Muse]

U.S. government estimates have indicated that between 7.7 million and 23 million people in the United States could have long Covid.

Globally, “the condition is devastating people’s lives and livelihoods,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the World Health Organization, wrote in an article on Wednesday for The Guardian. He called on all countries to devote “immediate and sustained action equivalent to its scale.”

From this Oct. 12, 2022 article in the New York Times. This link should work for 14 days, i.e. until Nov. 3, 2022:

Nearly Half of Covid Patients Haven’t Fully Recovered Months Later, Study Finds

Nearly Half of Covid Patients Haven’t Fully Recovered Months Later, Study Finds (Published 2022)

The findings strengthened calls from scientists for more expansive care options for long Covid patients.

www.nytimes.com