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Post by Deleted on Mar 25, 2022 8:06:37 GMT -5
The vaccines have been overwhelmingly successful. They are over 90% effective at preventing severe disease, mechanical ventilation, and death. When you think back 18 months, that is a remarkable achievement. They are also quite successful at preventing moderate infection. Most vaccinated patients who get breakthrough infections get mild disease. In a study of vaccinated individuals who died, all of them had 1 of the following conditions: age >65, diabetes, cardiac disease, pulmonary disease, kidney disease, liver disease, obesity or some form of immunosuppression(cancer, transplant, lupus, etc). The above statement is reflective of all or nothing thinking and the success of right wing and antivaxxer disinformation. Vaccination plus booster decreased the chance of symptomatic infection. It also decreased the duration of illness. Both will decrease spread of the infection. <snip> ETA: A good number of us are going to need to accept the need for getting booster doses at certain intervals until we understand the risk of infection over time better. I think most of us expected results from the vaccines similar to, say, measles or polio. You get the vaccine, you don't get the disease. When I look at the effects of COVID on my friends who had it pre-vaccine (and a nastier variant, I know) and the breakthrough "COVID lite" cases friends and family have had this year, I'm a huge proponent of the vaccine. I'm 69 and had my last booster in early November and will get another if it's recommended.
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pulmonarymd
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Post by pulmonarymd on Mar 25, 2022 8:13:02 GMT -5
The vaccines have been overwhelmingly successful. They are over 90% effective at preventing severe disease, mechanical ventilation, and death. When you think back 18 months, that is a remarkable achievement. They are also quite successful at preventing moderate infection. Most vaccinated patients who get breakthrough infections get mild disease. In a study of vaccinated individuals who died, all of them had 1 of the following conditions: age >65, diabetes, cardiac disease, pulmonary disease, kidney disease, liver disease, obesity or some form of immunosuppression(cancer, transplant, lupus, etc). The above statement is reflective of all or nothing thinking and the success of right wing and antivaxxer disinformation. Vaccination plus booster decreased the chance of symptomatic infection. It also decreased the duration of illness. Both will decrease spread of the infection. <snip> ETA: A good number of us are going to need to accept the need for getting booster doses at certain intervals until we understand the risk of infection over time better. I think most of us expected results from the vaccines similar to, say, measles or polio. You get the vaccine, you don't get the disease. When I look at the effects of COVID on my friends who had it pre-vaccine (and a nastier variant, I know) and the breakthrough "COVID lite" cases friends and family have had this year, I'm a huge proponent of the vaccine. I'm 69 and had my last booster in early November and will get another if it's recommended. I think people have a misconception. At colleges, we see breakthrough cases of measles and mumps in vaccinated individuals. If the rate of measles vaccination dips below 90-95%, you begin to see outbreaks. The reason we think the effectiveness of theses vaccines is due to a high vaccination rate leading to herd immunity. We have never gotten long duration immunity from coronavirus infections. That is why we have common colds. These viruses and our immune system interact in such a way that we get reinfected, but all we get is a "cold". That may be the best the vaccines can do. Given the horror of the past 2 years, that is enough. Some perspective is in order. When the vaccines were first being tested, we would have been happy if they were 50% effective. They were spectacularly effective, and we got spoiled. Add in right wing disinformation, and we are where we are today with this idea that they aren't any good
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minnesotapaintlady
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Post by minnesotapaintlady on Mar 25, 2022 8:23:07 GMT -5
My son got whooping cough when he was 9 despite being vaccinated and boosted. They were doing this big pulmonary work up on him had him on nebulizer treatments and were throwing the asthma word around for awhile until I heard from a coworker that the kid's baseball team had a bunch of kids with pertussis and asked them to test him for it. Lo and behold, that's what it was.
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Tiny
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Post by Tiny on Mar 25, 2022 8:43:11 GMT -5
The current info on the new new Omicron variant (the one that is surpassing the previous one) is that it is more contagious than the previous one and is close to being as contagious as measles... which I think is something like a sick person can spread it to 8 other people.
this new varient is causing the rise in cases in the UK and HK (and China).
The current word is "it's not any more severe" than Omicron (or Delta or the original Covid19 virus)... which means it still kills people - a lot of people.
The good news is that having been vaccinated/boosted (even with waning protection) or having had a covid virus means you might get sick - but you probably won't wind up in the hospital and probably won't die.
Since the new versions is just as severe as the previous versions and we know it's bad for older people - I think a 4th booster is being recommended for older adults.
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Post by Opti on Mar 25, 2022 9:39:12 GMT -5
I don't think the 4th booster has been approved yet. I think Moderna and Pfizer are both seeking for a fourth shot or booster to be approved.
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pulmonarymd
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Post by pulmonarymd on Mar 25, 2022 9:48:01 GMT -5
Just looked it up on CDC website since i could not remember who it had been recommended to get it. Currently, it is suggested that moderately or severely immunocompromised individuals get a 4th dose 3 months after 3rd dose. The approval for the 4th dose for those over 65 is under consideration
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Post by Deleted on Mar 25, 2022 12:57:05 GMT -5
DS and DDIL are here and we were talking about my taking the 2 older girls to Chicago, maybe in September, if things continue as they are. It would be an hour-long flight and we'd also want to take the subway. The Children's Museum, it turns out, which the older one loved when we were there in late 2019, requires vaccinations for 5 and up. DS and DDIL are vaccinated (took them long enough but they did) and the whole family other than the 2-year old got mild COVID last November. The 2-year old may have too, but since he showed no symptoms they waited till it was safe for them to go out again before they had him tested and it was negative.
They're reluctant to get the 5-year old and the 8-year old vaccinated. Yeah, I know. At least they have antibodies and t-cells and all that good stuff.
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Tennesseer
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Post by Tennesseer on Mar 25, 2022 23:23:01 GMT -5
Biden Administration Plans to Offer Second Booster Shots to Those 50 and UpAfter fraught discussions, officials decided that another shot might save thousands of lives if a new coronavirus wave hit before the fall. The F.D.A. could authorize the boosters next week. WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is planning to give Americans age 50 or older the option of a second booster of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna coronavirus vaccine without recommending outright that they get one, according to several people familiar with the plan. Major uncertainties have complicated the decision, including how long the protection from a second booster would last, how to explain the plan to the public and even whether the overall goal is to shield Americans from severe disease or from less serious infections as well, since they could lead to long Covid. Much depends on when the next wave of Covid infections will hit, and how hard. Should the nation be hit by a virulent surge in the next few months, offering a second booster now for older Americans could arguably save thousands of lives and prevent tens of thousands of hospitalizations. But if no major wave hits until the fall, extra shots now could turn out to be a questionable intervention that wastes vaccine doses, deepens vaccination fatigue and sows doubt about the government’s strategy. The highly contagious Omicron subvariant BA.2 is helping to drive another surge of coronavirus cases in Europe and is responsible for about a third of new cases in the United States, but health officials have said they do not anticipate a major surge caused by the subvariant. Complete article here: Biden Administration Plans to Offer Second Booster Shots to Those 50 and Up
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Post by Opti on Mar 26, 2022 6:54:10 GMT -5
We easily could have another wave start after Easter and Spring Break.
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pulmonarymd
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Post by pulmonarymd on Mar 26, 2022 11:05:53 GMT -5
I am optimistic. I think we are good until fall unless a new, unique variant appears
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stillmovingforward
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Post by stillmovingforward on Mar 26, 2022 11:33:07 GMT -5
I am optimistic. I think we are good until fall unless a new, unique variant appears I hope you are right. My doctors told me to wait until the end of April before I attempt to go without a mask.
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pulmonarymd
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Post by pulmonarymd on Mar 26, 2022 11:54:54 GMT -5
I am optimistic. I think we are good until fall unless a new, unique variant appears I hope you are right. My doctors told me to wait until the end of April before I attempt to go without a mask. I thought we should have waited until April 1 to get rid of the mandates. Weather would be more reliably warmer, and we could have driven the rates down further. Case rates were always going to increase, but if you start at a lower baseline, less risk. I suspect that the immunity from the Omicron surge will save us. Even though cases are up in Europe, severe illness seems to be increasing at a lower rate. So. I hope for everyone's sake I am right. We have plateaued here, b ut have not yet seen any new severe infections at my hospital. Hopefully that continues.
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Post by thyme4change on Mar 27, 2022 10:06:35 GMT -5
I hope you are right. My doctors told me to wait until the end of April before I attempt to go without a mask. I thought we should have waited until April 1 to get rid of the mandates. Weather would be more reliably warmer, and we could have driven the rates down further. Case rates were always going to increase, but if you start at a lower baseline, less risk. I suspect that the immunity from the Omicron surge will save us. Even though cases are up in Europe, severe illness seems to be increasing at a lower rate. So. I hope for everyone's sake I am right. We have plateaued here, b ut have not yet seen any new severe infections at my hospital. Hopefully that continues. Unfortunately, getting rid of the mandates was not a decision of science and public safety. It was driven by politics and capitalism. BTW - I am really fucking hating sports stars right now. Get over yourselves, you multi-million dollar testosterone pricks.
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pulmonarymd
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Post by pulmonarymd on Mar 27, 2022 10:14:56 GMT -5
I thought we should have waited until April 1 to get rid of the mandates. Weather would be more reliably warmer, and we could have driven the rates down further. Case rates were always going to increase, but if you start at a lower baseline, less risk. I suspect that the immunity from the Omicron surge will save us. Even though cases are up in Europe, severe illness seems to be increasing at a lower rate. So. I hope for everyone's sake I am right. We have plateaued here, b ut have not yet seen any new severe infections at my hospital. Hopefully that continues. Unfortunately, getting rid of the mandates was not a decision of science and public safety. It was driven by politics and capitalism. BTW - I am really fucking hating sports stars right now. Get over yourselves, you multi-million dollar testosterone pricks. Everyone is done with it so its over, right? Sports stars, entertainers, musicians, all of the should just STFU. You have no special knowledge about health and medicine. Let the experts talk. You do not care about my opinion about your work, and I feel the same way about your opinions about my work. The amount of nonsense and pseudoscientific drek they spout is infuriatng
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Post by TheOtherMe on Mar 27, 2022 14:04:23 GMT -5
I thought the CDC was bad during tfg's years. I no longer trust it at all.
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Lizard Queen
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Post by Lizard Queen on Mar 28, 2022 17:45:58 GMT -5
So, I caught my kid's cold this weekend. I'm not going into the office like I normally do on Tuesdays. Should I use our last covid test? There's no reason to think it's covid, since we had it early Feb, its none of the typical symptoms, and cases in my county are incredibly low ATM.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 30, 2022 14:58:20 GMT -5
That would be me. Booster was 11/4 of last year. I'll probably get one before I go to Germany in May (airfare and Airbnb are cancellable if things go bad). The UK has shifted to a "Living with COVID" protocol which makes sense to me given the high rates of vaccination and the fact that the current variants seem to be mostly mild cases unless you're unvaccinated, or have other serious health issues. I hope more countries take this route, while keeping a careful eye on the situation in case things change. I plan to continue masking in closed-in public places (e.g. planes) whether required or not.
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pulmonarymd
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Post by pulmonarymd on Mar 30, 2022 15:30:40 GMT -5
That would be me. Booster was 11/4 of last year. I'll probably get one before I go to Germany in May (airfare and Airbnb are cancellable if things go bad). The UK has shifted to a "Living with COVID" protocol which makes sense to me given the high rates of vaccination and the fact that the current variants seem to be mostly mild cases unless you're unvaccinated, or have other serious health issues. I hope more countries take this route, while keeping a careful eye on the situation in case things change. I plan to continue masking in closed-in public places (e.g. planes) whether required or not. Now approved for 50 and older 4 months after last dose.
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Tennesseer
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Post by Tennesseer on Mar 30, 2022 15:59:00 GMT -5
That would be me. Booster was 11/4 of last year. I'll probably get one before I go to Germany in May (airfare and Airbnb are cancellable if things go bad). The UK has shifted to a "Living with COVID" protocol which makes sense to me given the high rates of vaccination and the fact that the current variants seem to be mostly mild cases unless you're unvaccinated, or have other serious health issues. I hope more countries take this route, while keeping a careful eye on the situation in case things change. I plan to continue masking in closed-in public places (e.g. planes) whether required or not. Now approved for 50 and older 4 months after last dose. I'm ready to get it. Got my booster 10-1-2021.
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TheOtherMe
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Post by TheOtherMe on Mar 30, 2022 16:12:46 GMT -5
I have an appointment scheduled. Want to get it in between babysitting the Toddler in Chicago and going to Toronto.
I was supposed to get it last Friday but Covid had other plans.
Is this vaccine free? I'm seeing people on Twitter saying because Congress didn't approve Covid funding, this one is not free.
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Tennesseer
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Post by Tennesseer on Mar 30, 2022 16:46:08 GMT -5
I have an appointment scheduled. Want to get it in between babysitting the Toddler in Chicago and going to Toronto. I was supposed to get it last Friday but Covid had other plans. Is this vaccine free? I'm seeing people on Twitter saying because Congress didn't approve Covid funding, this one is not free. Are you old enough for Medicare? I was on the phone with them a few minutes ago about another issue. I asked about the new booster shot recommendation and would Medicare cover it? The rep said yes.
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raeoflyte
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Post by raeoflyte on Mar 30, 2022 16:55:19 GMT -5
That would be me. Booster was 11/4 of last year. I'll probably get one before I go to Germany in May (airfare and Airbnb are cancellable if things go bad). The UK has shifted to a "Living with COVID" protocol which makes sense to me given the high rates of vaccination and the fact that the current variants seem to be mostly mild cases unless you're unvaccinated, or have other serious health issues. I hope more countries take this route, while keeping a careful eye on the situation in case things change. I plan to continue masking in closed-in public places (e.g. planes) whether required or not. Now approved for 50 and older 4 months after last dose. And 12+ if immune compromised. I'm trying to get ds scheduled.
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Opti
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Post by Opti on Mar 30, 2022 16:58:39 GMT -5
Now approved for 50 and older 4 months after last dose. I'm ready to get it. Got my booster 10-1-2021. I'm just past 4 months, I got mine in November.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 30, 2022 17:17:08 GMT -5
I'm waiting until this fall as cases seem to be low here, although it's hard to tell for sure because testing is down and reporting is non-existent
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Tennesseer
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Post by Tennesseer on Mar 30, 2022 17:45:49 GMT -5
I'm waiting until this fall as cases seem to be low here, although it's hard to tell for sure because testing is down and reporting is non-existent I imagine there will be a third booster shot available come September or October. Administered the same time a the yearly flu shot.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 30, 2022 17:49:35 GMT -5
Just signed up for 4/13 at CVS. I'm on Medicare so apparently no OOP. I hope that's true for everyone including non-Medicare beneficiaries- good use of taxpayer funds.
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Post by NastyWoman on Mar 30, 2022 19:17:16 GMT -5
I have an appointment scheduled. Want to get it in between babysitting the Toddler in Chicago and going to Toronto. I was supposed to get it last Friday but Covid had other plans. Is this vaccine free? I'm seeing people on Twitter saying because Congress didn't approve Covid funding, this one is not free. Are you old enough for Medicare? I was on the phone with them a few minutes ago about another issue. I asked about the new booster shot recommendation and would Medicare cover it? The rep said yes. She IS younger than you are...by about 5 months (and a coup!e of weeks younger than I am as well  
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Tennesseer
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Post by Tennesseer on Mar 30, 2022 20:04:28 GMT -5
Are you old enough for Medicare? I was on the phone with them a few minutes ago about another issue. I asked about the new booster shot recommendation and would Medicare cover it? The rep said yes. She IS younger than you are...by about 5 months (and a coup!e of weeks younger than I am as well I don't know how old posters are.
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Post by TheOtherMe on Mar 30, 2022 20:44:30 GMT -5
You should!!
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Mar 30, 2022 20:59:52 GMT -5
I'm holding out for much longer.
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