COVID-19 - Wuhan Coronavirus (a non-political thread, see pg. 36 #1778)

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by Brian Swartz

... similar to how excess deaths continued well past the point where it was explainable only by Covid deaths.

I did some more googling on this and TBH did not find much. Searched on "excess deaths 2023 covid"

COVID pandemic is officially over in the U.S., excess-deaths data show - MarketWatch

But in the past few months that number has fallen so much it’s showing that fewer Americans died in, for example, March 2023 than would be expected in a typical March.

A separate report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that the excess-deaths metric was below 1% in the week through June 17. The reports were first highlighted by the New York Times this week.

Seems to indicate that in the US, things are doing okay. The NYT article mentioned above was behind a paywall.

There was a EU article that said below. They came up with some possible explanations (none was because of vaccination), but I found them weak (e.g. weather, disrupted healthcare system).

Post-COVID excess mortality rates: What do they tell us about the state of public health in Europe? | Euronews

According to Johns Hopkins University, there were more than 6.8 million deaths directly due to COVID-19. But today, through vaccination and weaker mutations, the threat has been stifled.

Yet, excess mortality rates in Europe have sharply increased in recent months. We’re going to take a look at why.

If you have an article that explains the excess deaths post Covid, I'd be interested in reading it.

[MJ4H]

Originally Posted by Edward64

If you have an article that explains the excess deaths post Covid, I'd be interested in reading it.

Again, COVID damages your body.

Originally Posted by MJ4H

Following up on the "don't just look at the survival rate" from above.

Between 22% and 33% of those recovering from COVID get "brain fog."
Mid and long-term neurological and neuropsychiatric manifestations of post-COVID-19 syndrome: A meta-analysis - PubMed
Just a moment...
One-Year Trajectory of Cognitive Changes in Older Survivors of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China: A Longitudinal Cohort Study | Dementia and Cognitive Impairment | JAMA Neurology | JAMA Network

COVID is associated with long-term cognitive dysfunction and acceleration of Alzheimer's Symptoms
https://aaic.alz.org/downloads2021/C...ysfunction.pdf

If you had COVID, several of your organs could be aging 3-4 years faster
https://abc7chicago.com/covid-long-h...dney/12340213/
Just a moment...
Long-term neurologic outcomes of COVID-19 | Nature Medicine
Long-term cardiovascular outcomes of COVID-19 | Nature Medicine

Severe COVID linked with brain aging
Severe COVID-19 linked with brain aging, says study – Harvard Gazette
Severe COVID-19 is associated with molecular signatures of aging in the human brain | Nature Aging

Repeat COVID-19 infections increase risk of organ failure, death
Repeat COVID-19 infections increase risk of organ failure, death – Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
Repeat COVID is riskier than first infection, study finds | Reuters
Acute and postacute sequelae associated with SARS-CoV-2 reinfection | Nature Medicine

Get vaccinated, stay up-to-date with boosters.

Additionally, as the article you referenced says, people neglected regular health care for at least a year, maybe more. This leads to missed diagnoses, undetected changes in health, and slower reactions to changes in health. This affected nearly everyone.

This will have ramifications for decades or longer.

[albionmoonlight]

[MJ4H]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

I love xkcd but I feel like the dude just puts stick figures under his blog entries sometimes. (He's exactly right, though, obviously)

[Mota]

It's 2023 though, who is still thinking about anti-vaxxers?

[MJ4H]

Originally Posted by Mota

It's 2023 though, who is still thinking about anti-vaxxers?

Well, one of the most prominent ones is running for president.

[QuikSand]

Spoke to @PBS along with @edyong209 about how #LongCovid is hidden in plain sight — yet is the fastest growing public health crisis in the country, for which there are still zero answers for.

3+ years in, the degree of suffering & QOL is truly unfathomable. pic.twitter.com/Pm5TwwnFOc

— charlos (@loscharlos) July 26, 2023

[MJ4H]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

Spoke to @PBS along with @edyong209 about how #LongCovid is hidden in plain sight — yet is the fastest growing public health crisis in the country, for which there are still zero answers for.

3+ years in, the degree of suffering & QOL is truly unfathomable. pic.twitter.com/Pm5TwwnFOc

— charlos (@loscharlos) July 26, 2023

There are 4 people that I worked with that have "retired early" due to long covid. Three of them this past year and one the year before. A lot of people are suffering.

[MJ4H]

Originally Posted by Mota

It's 2023 though, who is still thinking about anti-vaxxers?

Also: Elon Musk Uses Bronny James’ Cardiac Arrest for Anti-Vax Conspiracy – Rolling Stone

I cannot stress this enough: FUCK Elon Musk. (don't remember the cursing rules here, sorry if not allowed)

[Edward64]

More good Covid poop news.

Your summer cold could be Covid-19, as the nation goes into a late summer wave | CNN

As testing data has become more limited, wastewater surveillance can offer a more consistent view of transmission trends over time. Data from Biobot Analytics, a biotechnology firm that has partnered with the CDC, shows that the concentration of coronavirus particles in sewage samples is about a third of what it was at this time last year.

And the amount of virus found in wastewater is growing at a much slower pace than it was a few weeks ago, suggesting a plateau in transmission, said Newsha Ghaeli, president and co-founder of Biobot.

“I wouldn’t say that in every instance a plateau has immediately led to a downturn. But we do typically see decreases once we hit a plateau,” she said, and that has been the trend in prior summers.

There has been an increase though.

Based on the mix of samples Helix receives, Luo says, it has seen a 30% to 40% increase in cases since June. But because cases were already at such a low level when they started to rise, Luo says that even with this upturn, we are still in pretty low-level territory compared with some previous spikes.

[Ksyrup]

Speaking of poop...

First, that's absolutely true, and people are noticing just from anecdotal evidence. I went to the doctor today and he said the same thing, and then on a comedy talk show of all things, they were discussing how many people they know who are dealing with or coming off of Covid in the past month.

Second, I went to the doctor because I've got some IBS issues - just short of Crohn's - and I talked to him about how I've noticed changes since I had Covid in May. So I'm going through a bunch of blood and fecal tests to determine if things have, in fact, changed and I need an increase in meds. But this is a documented long Covid symptom. The doctor also said that one of his doctor friends went bald after getting Covid, which I had never heard of before.

[Edward64]

Let me introduce you to the new dominant strain in the US ... Eris

Not much to be concerned about relative to the other strains, not much deadlier etc. Supposedly the new vaccinations in Sep/Oct will cover this strain.

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/15/covi...ow-so-far.html

The World Health Organization is monitoring a new strain of Covid-19 called EG.5, or “Eris,” that accounts for a growing share of cases in countries including China and the United States.

The WHO has designated it a “variant of interest,” meaning it will be monitored for mutations that could make it more severe.

Based on current evidence, the organization says it presents a low public health risk at a global level, in line with other variants currently in circulation. In May, the WHO more broadly said Covid-19 was now “an established and ongoing health issue which no longer constitutes a public health emergency of international concern.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, EG.5 is now the dominant strain in the U.S., accounting for 17.3% of cases as of the week ended Aug. 5.

So basically, no real news we need to worry about. And that in itself, is good news.

[Ghost Econ]

Originally Posted by MJ4H

Also: Elon Musk Uses Bronny James’ Cardiac Arrest for Anti-Vax Conspiracy – Rolling Stone

I cannot stress this enough: FUCK Elon Musk. (don't remember the cursing rules here, sorry if not allowed)

Elon should probably try reading some time.

Cardiac sequelae in athletes following COVID-19 vaccination: evidence and misinformation | British Journal of Sports Medicine

Also, my wife's offices have found a 15% positive rate of late. Normally hovers under 5%, so they're under the impression there's at least another COVID push, but they're not too concerned.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by Ghost Econ

Elon should probably try reading some time.

Cardiac sequelae in athletes following COVID-19 vaccination: evidence and misinformation | British Journal of Sports Medicine

Also, my wife's offices have found a 15% positive rate of late. Normally hovers under 5%, so they're under the impression there's at least another COVID push, but they're not too concerned.

Our hospital is getting hammered with employee call outs due to covid positives but we haven't seen a significant uptick in hospitalizations.

[Edward64]

This one is pretty interesting ... getting all your vaccination shots in the same arm is better than if on different arms. All my Covid shots have been on left shoulder so I'm good.

Researchers in Germany found people who got all their shots in one arm had a stronger immune response than those who distributed shots between both arms, according to a study published last week in eBioMedicine, a peer-reviewed journal from The Lancet Discovery Science.
:
Two weeks after receiving the shots, researchers discovered certain immune cells – commonly known as “killer T cells” – were detected in 67% of people who received both injections in the same arm versus only 43% of those who got them in different arms.

The possible reason ...

People may respond better to sequential shots in the same arm because the vaccines are targeting the same lymph nodes, making them more active in producing immune cells to fight off infections, study authors suggest.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Let me introduce you to the new dominant strain in the US ... Eris

Not much to be concerned about relative to the other strains, not much deadlier etc. Supposedly the new vaccinations in Sep/Oct will cover this strain.

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/15/covi...ow-so-far.html

So basically, no real news we need to worry about. And that in itself, is good news.

Eh, forget Eris, we now have Pirola. This one sounds more ominous but who knows. I am impressed by how quickly these things are "spotted & reported" (e.g. just last Sunday), somewhat reassuring there are eyes continuously in the Covid situation.

Scientists race to understand highly mutated coronavirus variant spotted in four countries, including the US | CNN

The new variant, called BA.2.86 and nicknamed Pirola by variant hunters on social media, has more than 30 amino acid changes to its spike protein compared with its next closest ancestor, the BA.2 subvariant of Omicron, according to Dr. Jesse Bloom, who studies viral evolution at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle.

“This makes it an evolutionary jump comparable in size to that which originally gave rise to Omicron,” Bloom posted on his lab’s website.

A variant under monitoring that causes more severe disease or evades existing vaccines or treatments can be upgraded to WHO’s list of variants of interest or variants of concern. XBB.1.5, XBB.1.16 and EG.5 are listed as variants of interest. WHO has not designated any variants of concern.

Only six sequences of BA.2.86 have been reported in four countries, but epidemiologists are worried they could represent many more because worldwide monitoring of variants has dropped off.

The variant was spotted by scientists in Israel on Sunday. Since then, Denmark has reported three sequences. Two more sequences were reported in United States and in the United Kingdom, respectively.

“It is unusual for corona to change so significantly and develop 30 new mutations. The last time we saw such a big change was when Omicron appeared,” said Morten Rasmussen, a senior researcher at the Statens Serum Institut, in a news statement on the variant.

[Ghost Econ]

Guys, Biden is going to shut the country down next month... stock up on TP now! I'm still pissed from the first time he shut down the country in 2020, never voting for him again!

Over my lifeless body. https://t.co/wsTN8yqXQ4

— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) August 19, 2023

[GrantDawg]

You need to add the /s. This is the internet, and people will take you seriously.

[molson]

There's a fun subreddit for those, /r/atetheonion

People are desperate for things to be angry over, they can't even see when the things are jokes.

[Icy]

I'm pretty sure I had it for the last two weeks, that would be my third time since it started (and 3 vaccine doses later).

To be honest I was lazy to buy a test as we are on holidays but it started with my oldest kid (15yo), who was coughing and with a running nose for a few days, then my wife and me started with big pain in the throat for 2 days, and then cough and running nose for like 7 more days. I was just a bit more tired than usual but even worked out at the gym etc, so nothing compared to the first time I got it. It might have been just a regular cold but... being on summer at 40C, with 3 family members and with all the symptoms... sounds like covid and not a cold, but anyway I just don't care about it anymore.

With the 3 vaccine doses and having had it at least twice (tested positive) in the last two years, for me it's becoming like the flu, something we will get from time to time, with mild symptoms and that is it. Of course for old or with other sickness people it's still dangerous as the flu is as well.

[albionmoonlight]

Anti-Vaxxers are anticipating the arrival of new COVID restrictions (so that they can LOUDLY oppose them) with the glee that most people save for Christmas.

Actual restrictions are, of course, not going to happen. But they are going to find a random handwritten sign on a deli door saying "please consider masking" and make it go viral so they can post pictures of themselves next to it photoshopped on a cross holding an American flag with the word FREEDOM written across it.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

Anti-Vaxxers are anticipating the arrival of new COVID restrictions (so that they can LOUDLY oppose them) with the glee that most people save for Christmas.

Actual restrictions are, of course, not going to happen. But they are going to find a random handwritten sign on a deli door saying "please consider masking" and make it go viral so they can post pictures of themselves next to it photoshopped on a cross holding an American flag with the word FREEDOM written across it.

And the source of this hysteria is Alex Jones and Infowars, who claims to have a Homeland Security whistle-blower that leaked the plan to him.

[Ghost Econ]

I'm sitting in my car waiting for my daughter's high school swim practice to end. One of the moms walked by and loudly on her phone was yelling about how THIS SCHOOL WILL NOT GO BACK INTO MASKS. She literally spends the swim meets proselytizing and trying to talk the people about God and going to church. These people are fucking nuts.

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by Ghost Econ

I'm sitting in my car waiting for my daughter's high school swim practice to end. One of the moms walked by and loudly on her phone was yelling about how THIS SCHOOL WILL NOT GO BACK INTO MASKS. She literally spends the swim meets proselytizing and trying to talk the people about God and going to church. These people are fucking nuts.

I think that one of the differences between liberals and conservatives right now is that when liberals hate something, they want it to go away. When conservatives hate something, they want it to stay around so they can keep hating it.

[Ghost Econ]

Oh, and it's a Catholic school in the South... literally the last place they'd institute masks again outside of those private schools they opened in the 60s that don't admit black kids.

[Edward64]

There is no doubt there is an uptick of infections and warning that will increase in the next several months. The real question is will hospitalizations/deaths significantly increase. Hopefully not since we have a degree of herd immunity now.

So checked and all my government provided test kits have expired. With holiday season coming up, bought 2 x 2 test kits for $18 each. Seems kinda expensive but unsure if supply can keep up with demand if it gets bad.

[Atocep]

Those early test kits aren't very accurate at this point anyway. The at home tests, in general, aren't very good. You shouldn't test the first 5 days after exposure, usually need to be symptomatic, and they may not detect newer strains.

A doctor told us those government freebies are probably 30%ish accurate at this point.

[Edward64]

I've been reading more like 80%+

Was this comment just for the government provided ones or the commercially available ones like iHealth?

https://www.amazon.com/iHealth-COVID...s%2C106&sr=8-1

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by Edward64

I've been reading more like 80%+

Was this comment just for the government provided ones or the commercially available ones like iHealth?

Sorry! Something went wrong!

The older government provided ones. We were told to just toss them.

At home, in general, can be accurate under the right conditions but strain and when you test does matter. Most people want to test right after or within a day or 2 of expose and the tests wont be accurate then.

[Kodos]

My father tested positive yesterday. I was hanging out with him on Sunday. I tested negative last night and feel okay. Will test again tomorrow.

My MIL is also positive and not in good shape. She's been sick for days but didn't go to doctor. She didn't recognize her daughter this morning. My wife called an ambulance against her Mom and stepfather's will. (I told her she was 100% right to call the ambulance.) UGH.

[Edward64]

Sorry to hear that. Hope its not too serious.

[Thomkal]

Oh man Kodos, thinking of you and your family.

[CrimsonFox]

*hugs* Kodos....hug everyone for us

My mother was positive last week. Mainly just a sore throat then a fever but got better pretty fast

[Kodos]

Sounds like both of them are doing a little better now.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by Kodos

Sounds like both of them are doing a little better now.

Awesome to hear

[Edward64]

Good news on the effectiveness of the new vaccine on the new strain. I did read somewhere there may be an updated vaccine later that better targets the newer strain.

Personally, I think I'll hold off on getting the vaccination until Dec/Jan. Hoping to do another international trip and, from the last time I did this, they said vaccinations would be more effective 30-60 days before the trip.

New Pfizer and Moderna COVID shots approved by FDA - MarketWatch

The EG.5 variant, known as Eris, is now dominant in the U.S., accounting for more than 21% of new cases in the two weeks ending Sept. 2, according to the CDC. Pfizer and Moderna have said their updated shots appear to be effective against several omicron variants, including EG.5.1 and BA.2.86, known as Pirola, which is being closely tracked because it has a large number of mutations.

There really is no excuse for not providing free shots for everyone. If there really is this mess where some people can't afford to get vaccinated or in a timely manner, it's on Joe for not anticipating or demanding better planning.

People who have health insurance will still generally be able to receive the COVID vaccines with no out-of-pocket cost, experts say. For those who are uninsured, the picture is less clear. The CDC this summer announced a new program to provide free COVID shots. Last month, the agency said the shots would be provided through local health departments and federally qualified health centers starting in mid-September but may not be available at retail pharmacies until mid-October. Asked for an update on the timeline, a CDC spokesperson said Monday that the agency plans to release more information on the program later this week.

[Ghost Econ]

SC Statehouse panel on pandemic preparedness goes heavy on anti-vaxxer testimony | Palmetto Politics | postandcourier.com

“This is the most dangerous platform that has ever been released,” Janci Lindsay, a Texas-based toxicologist, told the panel Sept. 12 about the COVID shot.

Several witnesses claimed the coronavirus vaccine has killed more than 35,000 people in the United States.
...
One man told the lawmakers the vaccine is an “age advancer” and part of a vague totalitarian plot by the military-industrial-complex.

A New York-attorney whose firm has been paid millions by a leading anti-vaccine group sowed doubt about the safety of childhood vaccines and the coronavirus vaccine.
...
“I’ve been looking forward to you all day,” Corbin said before Dr. Robert E. Jackson, an Upstate family doctor who has treated hundreds of patients with ivermectin, a horse dewormer, testified that the coronavirus vaccine has caused widespread death.
...
The most lengthy testimony given Sept. 12 came from New York attorney Aaron Siri, who spoke for nearly 90 minutes. Siri criticized federal liability shield laws covering vaccine makers and raised doubts about the refuted link between autism and the pre-natal TDAP vaccine.

I hate my state. But I guess it could be worse, they could hold a hearing and parade around fake Peruvian Alien mummies. Actually, that wouldn't be worse, unless they claim the aliens died of the COVID vaccine.

[MJ4H]

ffs

[Edward64]

Good news on people planning to get the updated shot this year - 57% vs 17% for the last bivalent vaccine.

Poll: Democrats more likely than Republicans to get Covid booster vaccine - POLITICO

The 57 percent who will “probably” or “definitely” get vaccinated signals that a sizable share of the population remains open to the vaccines, even as they increasingly become the subject of political attacks and disinformation.

Still, both those numbers are much greater than the 17 percent of all Americans who got last year’s vaccine

Total = 57%, Dems = 79%, GOP = 39% and Independents = 52%.

Nearly eight in 10 Democrats, 79 percent, say they will “definitely” or “probably” get the new vaccine, which will be made widely available by the end of this week. But only 39 percent of Republicansexpect to seek out the updated shot, reflecting the sharp political divide that’s hampered the Covid response in recent years.

But those who identify as Independents are more split, with 52 percent saying they “probably” or “definitely” won’t get vaccinated.

Not too bad overall when compared to 2022-23 Flu shots 47%.

National coverage for all adults, including Puerto Rico, is 2.0 percentage points higher this season compared with the same time last season (47.4% compared with 45.4%).

[Solecismic]

I feel rather behind the times. My wife and I were vaccinated when it was first available, got boosters at the end of 2021, but not last year. I was scheduled for the new one this week, she was going to get it when she came back from a work conference she was leaving for in a couple of days.

She had a sore throat yesterday. When it was about the same this morning, plus a bit of a fever, she called her doctor. They had her take a COVID test first. Got the results a few hours ago. So... our first real experience with this. We're going to try to isolate from each other, but that seems pointless after nearly two days of likely contagion without thinking about it.

Our first villain - the hotel where she was going to stay during her conference. She found out two hours after the 48-hour deadline for cancelling a reservation. It was done, but not without lectures and generally asinine commentary. And this is at the hotel where she would have been sharing space for three days. You'd think they'd be eager not to encourage sick people to go anyway. She probably would if not for not wanting to spread COVID and if she didn't feel worse than now. She was scheduled to present a paper.

The next few days could be difficult. I'm hoping the vaccinations give us enough that it's not a serious illness.

[Edward64]

Sorry to hear about the wife.

When my wife got it, we were like you hoping it wasn't going to be a big deal since we're up to date on vaccinations. We contacted her doctor to just let her know, but basically said if it became more than just flu-like (e.g. like difficulty breathing), we would escalate to doctor.

Basically, she got over it but had lingering symptoms for a long while. She's a runner and knew she didn't feel normal. After talking to doctor, she was given some antibiotics and (I think) steroids. After that, she was running fine again.

Oh, she liked chocolate during the illness. Try that on the missus

[albionmoonlight]

The whole family got our updated booster and flu shots yesterday.

People around us have been dropping like flies with COVID, so I hope we got lucky and got the boosts in time.

[Ksyrup]

I'm getting my flu shot next week for free at work. Haven't decided on the booster.

I got Covid pretty bad, for the first time, back in May. Honestly, my gut hasn't quite recovered. At the risk of TMI, I've had some ... changes to bowel movements that I can clearly link to Covid. I had some tests done and basically the doctor said there's something to it but it's not severe enough to take any specific action. It's lingered for going on 5-6 months now.

That is the only time I've had it (so far, at least with any kind of clear symptoms). My wife and kids have each had it twice. Oddly enough, we all lived with one or more of us while each of us had it, and none of us got it from the others. The only exception is both my daughters got it during a one hour span in the car together back in fall of 2020. Outside of that, we've all gotten it at different times despite being in the house together for days with someone who was infected.

[cuervo72]

Just signed up, getting the COVID/FLU/SHINGLES triple. Thanks for the push, albion.

[Ksyrup]

I did the Covid/Shingles/DTAP triple shot last year. It was not a great time starting about 12 hours in for about 2 days. I think it was mostly due to the Shingles shot, but can't be sure.

[Kodos]

I had no problem with the Shingrix shots, so I think that one can vary from person-to-person.

[JPhillips]

The shingles shot fucked me up worse than any other vax.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

The shingles shot fucked me up worse than any other vax.

Preach. I have the second shot coming in October. I hope it won't be as bad. I have had shingles, and I will say the shot is better than having it.

[cuervo72]

I don't think my wife cared for the Shingles one too much (though she doesn't do all that well with any of them), but mentioned the DTAP as being particularly bad.

Got mine an hour ago, we'll see how it goes. Shingles left arm, other two right. Pharmacist was considerate in that she opted not to use band aids on me because shoulder hair.

[Ksyrup]

You know what guys - SHINGLES DOESN'T CARE!