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

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by 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.

yeah band-aid removal on shoulder hair hurts more than the shot heh

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by Edward64

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.

Great news, free test kits resuming. I just bought a couple weeks ago, just bad timing ...

Starting next week, people will be able to once again request four free Covid tests from the government, the Biden administration said Wednesday.

The Department of Health and Human Services said that it is reopening its website COVIDTests.gov on Sept. 25. Households can order the tests to be delivered to their homes, free of charge.

The announcement comes as Covid cases rise in the United States — and as many people are realizing the tests they’ve long had on hand have expired. It may be prudent to check the expiration date on the newly ordered tests when they arrive, however. Last year, there were reports of people receiving tests very close to their expiration date.

[flere-imsaho]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

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

We don't have ours yet and I'm going to a soccer tournament (staying in a hotel) with my youngest this weekend so we're totally going to get it. Wonderful.

[Ksyrup]

The wife and I appear to have survived flights to Seattle and a week cruise to Alaska without getting it. Unlike last time, when my wife got both Covid and a stomach bug after a cruise.

[Ghost Econ]

Starting Monday you can request some more free tests.

COVID.gov - Free at-home COVID-19 tests

[bhlloy]

I survived the Milan derby, trains to and from Milan and the Milan metro last weekend, had to test every day this week for a work event. That or the tests are absolute garbage, but haven’t had any symptoms either (knock on wood).

[Solecismic]

Day three for me. My wife's case was mild, thankfully (four days before she stopped running a fever entirely). Now she gets to take care of me. One of the advantages of not working in an office is that I'm never exposed to anything, so I'm unfamiliar with being sick.

I asked my doctor about criteria for going to the hospital, other than the obvious (chest pains or shortness of breath and disorientation). He suggested getting what's called an Oximeter, with which you stick your finger inside and it measures blood oxygen level. He said if that drops below 90%, you should probably seek emergency care.

After most of two days not able to work at all, I find myself trying to work now, so that's a good sign, I think. Most of today, I couldn't even lift my head to read. My wife is not happy with me going back to the home office.

I don't know if Joe Burrow is married, but if so, I'm sure his wife has somewhat similar thoughts right now.

ETA: I had some old tests from last year lying around. When symptoms started, I took one. Negative. Its "true" expiration date was 1/23, so my guess is that it's best to throw away expired tests without a second thought.

[Edward64]

Glad you guys are feeling better. Didn't know about the oximeter, thanks for the info.

FWIW. In case you missed it, you can order some new test kits courtesy of Uncle Sam.

COVID.gov - Free at-home COVID-19 tests

[Ksyrup]

On that link there is info about extensions for expired tests beyond stated expiration dates.

[Edward64]

So a person has a 6.9% chance of having long covid.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/long-co...c-survey-data/

In reports published Tuesday using data from 2022 National Health Interview Survey, the agency said 6.9% of U.S. adults reported ever having long COVID, while 3.4% said they currently had the condition at the time of interview. Based on U.S. Census data, that would mean nearly 18 million have suffered from the condition at some point since the pandemic began.

List of symptoms.

• Post-exertional malaise (debilitating fatigue that gets worse after physical or mental activity)
• Fatigue
• Brain fog
• Dizziness
• Gastrointestinal symptoms
• Heart palpitations
• Issues with sexual desire or capacity
• Loss of smell or taste
• Thirst
• Chronic cough
• Chest pain
• Abnormal movements

[flere-imsaho]

Originally Posted by Solecismic

I asked my doctor about criteria for going to the hospital, other than the obvious (chest pains or shortness of breath and disorientation). He suggested getting what's called an Oximeter, with which you stick your finger inside and it measures blood oxygen level. He said if that drops below 90%, you should probably seek emergency care.

Additionally, anything below 95% isn't good, and should be monitored, and if it keeps going down there's a good case to go to the ER before it even gets to 90%. This is especially true if you have any history of other respiratory or other cardiovascular ailments.

[GrantDawg]

Went to the doctor yesterday and I didn't get a Covid booster, but I did get a flu shot and the second shingles shot. For those of you who said the second shot is not as bad: Liar liar lying liars.
Both arms, but mostly the shingles arm, has been hurting me all day. It was a tough day at work, and my arms not wanting to work didn't help. It got to a point where both hands were tingly.
Once I got home I realized I was running a nice low-grade fever. I'm achy all over.
Real fun.

Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk

[Ksyrup]

Hit me on the first shot only. Although maybe if you didn't get achy and fever on the 1st shot then you had to pay for it on the 2nd.

[Edward64]

Take an ibuprofen for the soreness.

[Ghost Econ]

Originally Posted by ellawhite

The comparison to "bitcoin roulette" seems to imply a metaphorical link to the unpredictability and risks associated with both the virus and the cryptocurrency market. Bitcoin investment is known for its high volatility and speculative nature, often compared to gambling, where the stakes are high and the outcomes are uncertain. This volatility can be seen in the rapid changes in bitcoin's value, which can be influenced by a wide range of factors including market demand, investor sentiment, regulatory news, and macroeconomic trends. Just as the trajectory of a virus can be difficult to predict, so too can the fluctuations in the value of bitcoin. Both involve risk and uncertainty, and outcomes can be difficult to forecast.

Chat bots get weirder and weirder.

[Edward64]

Atocep's positive test in Random made me look at current state ...

CDC changed up their reporting some. I wouldn't trust "test positivity" but the other 3 indicators should be fairly accurate. Basically, no uptick even with the poor uptake of the most recent booster.

Test Positivity -.5% (in most recent week)
Emergency Dept visits -8.1%
Hospitalizations -8%
Deaths 2.3% (of all US deaths)

The page says it gets updated Mondays & Fridays, but it's as of Nov 4. So metrics are not really update to date (what's going on CDC?)


CDC COVID Data Tracker

[Edward64]

I've been reading about some sort of infection in China for the past week or so. It was hard to gauge what was really going on (e.g. some sensational headlines) but below Politico does a good job.

Chinese hospitals are full of sick children, but don't worry - POLITICO

The problem:

... last week’s demand by the World Health Organization for information from China on “reported clusters of pneumonia in children in Northern China” reminded the world of the start of the pandemic nearly four years ago, and triggered anxiety that a new pathogen may again cause a global outbreak.

The rationale:

China’s getting hit now, as virus season arrives, because it maintained Covid lockdowns far longer than most other countries, ending them only after a public revolt in January. Lockdowns and other pandemic precautions protected people not only from Covid, but also from other highly infectious respiratory diseases that are more dangerous to kids, such as flu and RSV.

Many children have never previously encountered the viruses or bacteria that can cause illness, and are particularly susceptible.

The CDC has endorsed the view that avoiding infectious diseases for a prolonged period makes a population more susceptible when lockdowns, masking, social distancing and other precautions cease.

Bottom-line. Nothing to worry about (or at least, not yet):

Because testing so far isn’t showing a novel virus at play, the outbreak in China shouldn’t pose concern to health officials in the U.S., experts said.

[Kodos]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

yeah band-aid removal on shoulder hair hurts more than the shot heh

Not for those of us who don't have shoulder hair!

Finally got my booster the day after Thanksgiving. Pretty sore shoulder, but otherwise it was no problem.

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by Kodos

Not for those of us who don't have shoulder hair!

Finally got my booster the day after Thanksgiving. Pretty sore shoulder, but otherwise it was no problem.

Damn aliens can't grow shoulder hair!

[Edward64]

I kinda like the ad. Thanks Martha.

[Thomkal]

Because of course it did;


Malaria drug Trump touted as Covid cure increased chance of death – study | Coronavirus | The Guardian

[flere-imsaho]

Should I wait for Joe Rogan's apology?

[Edward64]

Just got the latest Covid shot on Fri. Going on a trip next month so purposely waited to maximize effectiveness.

Timely report on the latest vaccine effectiveness. 54% beats the flu vaccine.

Early Estimates of Updated 2023–2024 (Monovalent XBB.1.5) COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness Against Symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infection Attributable to Co-Circulating Omicron Variants Among Immunocompetent Adults — Increasing Community Access to Testing Program, United States, September 2023–January 2024 | MMWR.

Updated monovalent COVID-19 vaccines provided 54% (95% CI = 46–60%) protection against symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection in persons recently vaccinated compared with those who did not receive an updated vaccine dose. Vaccination provided protection for infections caused by JN.1 and infections caused by XBB-related lineages. Waning of effectiveness is expected with additional elapsed time since vaccination

It talks about protection against catching it but don't think it gets into protection from hospitalization or severity of infection if you catch it.

I also thought quote below was interesting, implying good/maximum vaccine effectiveness through at least 4 months.

These early estimates include the period only through 119 days since vaccination, a relatively brief postvaccination period, with no substantial waning.

[Edward64]

Bird flu is up next.

Time to stock up on TP and canned food.

reuters.com

The U.S. CDC on Friday issued a health alert to inform clinicians, state health departments and the public of a case of avian influenza in a person who had contact with dairy cows presumed to be infected with the virus.

The farm worker from Texas was reported to be infected on April 1, making it the second case of the H5N1 strain of avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, identified in a person in the United States.

It follows a 2022 case in Colorado, and comes as the virus is spreading to new mammals, including dairy cattle for the first time.

Well, maybe not ...

Earlier this week, the CDC said the infection does not change the risk assessment for the U.S. general public from H5N1 bird flu, which it considers to be low. The Texas patient's only symptom was eye inflammation, according to the state's health department.

But sure hope the CDC is on the ball here.

[Edward64]

Been reported and confirmed.

Understandable that US wanted to push back against China's attacks (pretty justifiable to punch back when attacked). But disappointing that US would do this when it could/did affect the uptake vaccination rate for a vulnerable country. Seems like an unnecessary "dirty trick" when they could have pushed back in other ways.

reuters.com

The U.S. military launched a clandestine program amid the COVID crisis to discredit China’s Sinovac inoculation – payback for Beijing’s efforts to blame Washington for the pandemic. One target: the Filipino public. Health experts say the gambit was indefensible and put innocent lives at risk.

Through phony internet accounts meant to impersonate Filipinos, the military’s propaganda efforts morphed into an anti-vax campaign. Social media posts decried the quality of face masks, test kits and the first vaccine that would become available in the Philippines – China’s Sinovac inoculation.

Below is a little weird and don't understand it. The US started getting vaccines out in late 2020. From what I remember, there wasn't "anti-vax" anything in Spring 2020. So I can believe a lot of anti-Chinese propoganda (China created Covid) but not anti-vax "beginning Spring of 2020.

The U.S. military’s anti-vax effort began in the spring of 2020 and expanded beyond Southeast Asia before it was terminated in mid-2021, Reuters determined.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Been reported and confirmed.

Understandable that US wanted to push back against China's attacks (pretty justifiable to punch back when attacked). But disappointing that US would do this when it could/did affect the uptake vaccination rate for a vulnerable country. Seems like an unnecessary "dirty trick" when they could have pushed back in other ways.

reuters.com


Below is a little weird and don't understand it. The US started getting vaccines out in late 2020. From what I remember, there wasn't "anti-vax" anything in Spring 2020. So I can believe a lot of anti-Chinese propoganda (China created Covid) but not anti-vax "beginning Spring of 2020.

That is f-ed up. There is no justification for that.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

That is f-ed up. There is no justification for that.

Did the same in Brazil too. Just pure evil.

U.S. pushed Brazil to reject Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine, HHS report says - The Washington Post

[Edward64]

Bird flu up next ...

I like to think we are erring on the side of caution. Bits that I've read so far is not if but when. The real question is how bad will it be. I'm sure some industries will be hit hard & prices go up (e.g. chicken, eggs etc.) but Asia has suffered through outbreaks and seem to have come out okay.

Why Finland and others are vaccinating people against bird flu

Workers at poultry and fur farms in Finland will, in the coming days, receive vaccines against bird flu.[b] Fourteen other eu countries have signed up to procure bird-flu vaccines through a programme set up by the European Commission.

US government inks a deal with Moderna to make pandemic flu vaccine | CNN

The US Department of Health and Human Services announced Tuesday a contract with Moderna to develop an mRNA vaccine that targets pandemic flu, in case the shot becomes necessary with the latest outbreak of bird flu.
:
The new $176 million contract with Moderna will help the government stay “nimble” in case it needs to act quickly against any kind of circulating strains of a pandemic flu virus, officials said.

The mRNA vaccines wouldn’t be available any time soon, O’Connell said. Moderna has a vaccine candidate in early stage testing, and results should be available in the coming weeks, but late-stage testing of its vaccine wouldn’t start until 2025.

If something changes with the current H5N1 bird flu outbreak — for instance, if there is human-to-human transmission or if the severity of cases gets worse — there are options to “accelerate the timeline,” O’Connell said.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by Edward64

More good Covid poop news.

Poop is in the news again

Levels of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes Covid-19, measured in wastewater are at “very high” levels nationally, according to CDC data, sparking the highest summer peak in the US since July 2022. Monitoring of viral levels in wastewater can give a picture of how widespread the virus is as testing and other forms of monitoring the virus have fallen off. Measures of severe disease, including rates of hospitalization and death, have been rising, according to the CDC, but they’re nowhere near levels seen in previous years.

Updated flu (sorry, Covid) shot coming soon.

As a summer wave of Covid-19 continues to hit the United States, the US Food and Drug Administration on Thursday signed off on updated Covid-19 vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech.

Wife and I are planning international travel next March/April. Like this year, may wait till Feb (6 weeks before) to get a shot ... unless it really is bad.

[albionmoonlight]

Once the new COVID shot is out (sound like next week-ish), I'll take the family to get COVID/Flu together.

[albionmoonlight]

In a couple of years when they are combined into a single shot, it will be nice.

[Ksyrup]

Yeah, I'll get the flu shot like normal and probably Covid shot in January about a month before we do a cruise.

[albionmoonlight]

Got the shots last week. My son got chills and aches. The rest of us just had sore arms. Guess my immune system is getting used to it. "Oh, this shit again. OK."

[QuikSand]

I wandered into my "For You" twitter feed by semi-accident yesterday, and ended up in a thread loaded with people arguing till blue in the face that there are tons and tons of people dying from the COVID vaccine. From what I can glean, it's just the same old vax-causes-autism tropes... there's a terrible outcome somewhere, we cherrypick something in the person's fairly recent past, and we then magically conclude that there's a cause/effect there.

Young person dies of a heart attack. Well, he got the COVID vax and three boosters over the last three years. Solved.

Ba. Na. Nas.

[Ksyrup]

Yep. It's largely died down as Covid has receded (from our memories if not in actuality) but in its heyday you had people like John Stockton pushing that crap. My parents were convinced my daughter"s vasovagal presyncope was Covid booster-related even though it was conclusively determine to be what it was and had nothing to do with boosters. Didn't matter - she was 18 and collapsed on a court so she's another victim of the Covid hoax.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

Young person dies of a heart attack. Well, he got the COVID vax and three boosters over the last three years. Solved.

Every case of every athlete death--high school, college, or former pro under age 60ish--in the last 3ish years that's not clearly something like a car accident or gunshot wound gets comments like this. Cancer? The jab causes cancer. Heart attack? Jab is proven to cause those. Pneumonia? If he hadn't gotten the jab, it wouldn't have killed him. Clockwork.

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

Got the shots last week. My son got chills and aches. The rest of us just had sore arms. Guess my immune system is getting used to it. "Oh, this shit again. OK."

Got mine together a couple weeks ago too. No side effects other than soreness. Still well worth it imo.

[Lathum]

Just heard an estimated 234K people died between summer 2021 and spring 2022 due to misinformation.

[Edward64]

Free Covid tests ...

NAVIGATION

[QuikSand]

Rather interesting bit of data viz, analysis, and takeaways... using "excess deaths" as the most reliable metric (he explains his thinking very clearly)... it's UK data but the story is fairly chilling, imo

x.com

[Edward64]

Don’t really know how serious it’ll be but think we can conclude bird flu has taken hold in the US. Reading more and more of these.

I’m guessing uptick in hospitalizations, maybe few deaths, and higher chicken & egg prices.

Federal health officials on Thursday called for more testing of employees on farms with bird flu after a new study showed that some dairy workers had signs of infection, even when they didn't report feeling sick.

[Ghost Econ]

At least we don't have to worry about pesky vaccines causing even worse issues in the future.

[Edward64]

Okay, forget about the bird flu (already here). The new pandemic du jour is from the DRC ...

The World Health Organization (WHO) has deployed a team to the southwestern province Kwango where the outbreak is being reported to take samples and test for the virus.

DRC health minister Roger Kamba said his country was currently on 'maximum alert' as they try to work out what's behind the 'epidemic' that has killed up to 143 people.

Most patients were children in their late teens, officials said, who suffered from symptoms including a fever, headache, cough and shortness of breath.

The symptoms suggest a respiratory virus — and, already, parallels are being drawn to the early days of the Covid pandemic.

Hong Kong became the first country to bring in health checks for arrivals from the DRC and Africa today, in an echo of measures taken to limit the spread of Covid.

Officials say it is taking days to establish the illness behind the outbreak because the cases are in a remote part of the country, which took two days for the health team to reach.

It is not clear what disease could be causing the outbreak at this point, but officials say it could be a respiratory disease.

We have approx 10 rolls in the house so time to stock up on more TP

[Ghost Econ]

It took the team investigating 2 days to get to where this is happening, I think the rest of the world is fine for now. Wuhan has 14 million people, population density made it much easier to spread worldwide.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Ghost Econ

It took the team investigating 2 days to get to where this is happening, I think the rest of the world is fine for now. Wuhan has 14 million people, population density made it much easier to spread worldwide.

I dunno man, only takes one guy smuggling a monkey of the wrong sex to make it all fall apart.

[Ksyrup]

Infamous paper that popularized unproven COVID-19 treatment finally retracted

It's a good thing they moved quickly to avoid people using a dangerous drug unnecessarily.

Meanwhile, the anti-vaxxers having their run of our health system are going to bring scurvy to elementary schools.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Okay, forget about the bird flu (already here). The new pandemic du jour is from the DRC ...
:
We have approx 10 rolls in the house so time to stock up on more TP

Okay, don't have to worry about this one as much (and don't need to stock up on TP). It's been identified as some malaria strain

"The mystery has finally been solved," Congo's health ministry declared in a statement on Tuesday. "It's a case of severe malaria in the form of a respiratory illness."

The health agency said malnutrition in the hardest-hit region had weakened the local population's immunity, leaving them more vulnerable to the disease. People who contracted the malaria infection have exhibited symptoms including headache, fever, cough and body ache.

But now, back to the Bird Flu again ...

Bird flu update: California declares emergency and U.S. sees 1st severe human case

Serious hospitalizations & mortality of the bird flu (as we have now) seems limited. But this been impacting the price of eggs. From the little I've read, probably shouldn't eat raw eggs (or unpasteurized milk).

[Kodos]

Originally Posted by Edward64

From the little I've read, probably shouldn't eat raw eggs (or unpasteurized milk).

Dammit! It's my right as an American to eat stuff in foolhardy ways to speed up my impending death!