Coronavirus thread

[Wendell_E]

I don't see much caution being exercised here. In stores, I am usually the only one wearing a mask.

Same here.

[Todd]

GMG demography becomes more clear.

[Todd]

From Science:

Rare link between coronavirus vaccines and Long Covid–like illness starts to gain acceptance

Studies probe unusual cases of neurologic complications, blood pressure swings, and other side effects

[Daverz]

From Science:

Rare link between coronavirus vaccines and Long Covid–like illness starts to gain acceptance

Studies probe unusual cases of neurologic complications, blood pressure swings, and other side effects

https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/vaccination-may-protect-against-long-covid

[Todd]

https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/vaccination-may-protect-against-long-covid

Vaccines may not protect against disease brought on by vaccines.  That's the important takeaway from the Science article.  It is worth remembering that Science is generally considered to be a reliable source of scientific information.  Maybe not on GMG, though.

It is also worth remembering that pharmaceutical companies were granted liability protection for vaccines they developed and produced, including the ones already pulled from use - eg, the once much-lauded Moderna vaccine.  Hopefully, liability protection was sound policy making.  I'm sure it was.  How could it be otherwise?

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Last I read, they are hoping to have a vaccine for the new variant(s?) available for the public by mid-September.  Anyone hear any updates?

I checked for Covid cases data numbers for my state and was quite shocked.  I hadn't checked for a number of months so was quite surprised by how much they had risen. 

PD

[DavidW]

Taking an important quote from the article:

Others find the study compelling. "Even last year I was a little bit cautious" about the link between POTS and vaccination, says Tae Chung, a neuromuscular physiatrist who runs the POTS clinic at Johns Hopkins University. "I didn't have quantitative data to back it up, but now I feel like I do." Still, Chung stresses that this paper and other data also suggest COVID-19 vaccines protect against POTS and other Long Covid symptoms, and he remains a strong advocate for vaccination.

AN IMMUNE OVERREACTION to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, which COVID-19 vaccines use to induce protective antibodies, is one possible cause of these symptoms. One theory is that after vaccination some people generate another round of antibodies targeting the first. Those antibodies could function somewhat like spike itself: Spike targets a cell surface protein called the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor, enabling the virus to enter cells. The rogue antibodies might also bind to ACE2, which helps regulate blood pressure and heart rate, says Bernhard Schieffer, a cardiologist at the University of Marburg. If those antibodies disrupt ACE2 signaling, that could cause the racing heart rates and blood pressure swings seen in POTS.

It is important to note that while there is now an established link in some cases between a rare form of long covid and vaccines, this doesn't by a long shot make anti-vaxxers right.

[Spotted Horses]

Vaccines may not protect against disease brought on by vaccines.  That's the important takeaway from the Science article.  It is worth remembering that Science is generally considered to be a reliable source of scientific information.  Maybe not on GMG, though.

It is also worth remembering that pharmaceutical companies were granted liability protection for vaccines they developed and produced, including the ones already pulled from use - eg, the once much-lauded Moderna vaccine.  Hopefully, liability protection was sound policy making.  I'm sure it was.  How could it be otherwise?

Now you're promoting anti-vax conspiracy theories? The emergency approval for the original Moderna (and Pfizer) vaccines were withdrawn when they were replaced by dual target vaccines.

The important takeaway from the Science article is "rare." Of course any vaccine will have unexpected side effects. It would be insane to get a vaccine for a disease that isn't a grave threat. Covid-19 qualifies.

[Todd]

Now you're promoting anti-vax conspiracy theories?

No.

The important takeaway from the Science article is "rare."

The word "rare" is important to be sure, but there are other important aspects of the article. 

[Karl Henning]

https://247wallst.com/special-report/2023/09/06/heres-how-bad-covid-is-right-now-in-every-state/

[Karl Henning]

FDA approves updated COVID vaccines to boost protection this fall

[Madiel]

GMG demography becomes more clear.

What the heck does this mean?

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Last I read, they are hoping to have a vaccine for the new variant(s?) available for the public by mid-September.  Anyone hear any updates?

I checked for Covid cases data numbers for my state and was quite shocked.  I hadn't checked for a number of months so was quite surprised by how much they had risen. 

PD

FDA approves updated COVID vaccines to boost protection this fall

Any info re my earlier question Karl?

PD

[Karl Henning]

Any info re my earlier question Karl?

PD

There's still another step: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must sign off. A CDC advisory panel is set to issue recommendations Tuesday on who most needs the updated shots. Vaccinations could begin later this week, and both the COVID-19 and flu shot can be given at the same visit.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Who all (if we know) seems to have the best vaccines (or too early to tell if there are thought to be any differences?) and is/are they a one-shot vaccine?

PD

[Karl Henning]

PROVIDENCE — As the year draws to a close, coronavirus concentrations in Rhode Island's wastewater are surging, according to the most recent federal data.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention uses the National Wastewater Surveillance System as an "early warning" system that allows communities to act to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

And in Rhode Island, the warning is now clear: From Dec. 3 to Dec. 17, three wastewater treatment plants in Rhode Island had coronavirus levels at 80 to 100 percent of the highest levels detected at those sites, and five other treatment plants had 60 to 79 percent of past levels. Two other testing sites are new, so they have no comparative data.

"It's telling us that COVID has not left us," said Dr. Pablo Rodriguez, a public health advocate and host of "Nuestra Salud" on Latina 100.3 FM. "It's still with us, and the new variants are definitely creating a spike in new infections."

The coronavirus is spreading more than many people realize, he said. These days, fewer people are getting tested and those who do often take the tests at home and don't share the results with the Department of Health, he said.

"So at this point, the best measure is to watch the wastewater," Rodriguez said. "Hospital admissions are the next shoe to drop."

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/12/27/metro/coronavirus-levels-rising-ri-waste-water/?p1=BGSearch_Advanced_Results

Two of my choir members came down with COVID over the week and a half before Christmas.

[Todd]

Covid vaccine rates in the U.S. are slumping — and it will be a challenge to boost them

Only 15.7% of U.S. adults had received the newest Covid shots from Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax as of Nov. 18, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those jabs, some of which won approval in mid-September, are designed to target the omicron subvariant XBB.1.5.

CNBC is, of course, a business news outlet.

[krummholz]

PROVIDENCE — As the year draws to a close, coronavirus concentrations in Rhode Island's wastewater are surging, according to the most recent federal data.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention uses the National Wastewater Surveillance System as an "early warning" system that allows communities to act to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

And in Rhode Island, the warning is now clear: From Dec. 3 to Dec. 17, three wastewater treatment plants in Rhode Island had coronavirus levels at 80 to 100 percent of the highest levels detected at those sites, and five other treatment plants had 60 to 79 percent of past levels. Two other testing sites are new, so they have no comparative data.

"It's telling us that COVID has not left us," said Dr. Pablo Rodriguez, a public health advocate and host of "Nuestra Salud" on Latina 100.3 FM. "It's still with us, and the new variants are definitely creating a spike in new infections."

The coronavirus is spreading more than many people realize, he said. These days, fewer people are getting tested and those who do often take the tests at home and don't share the results with the Department of Health, he said.

"So at this point, the best measure is to watch the wastewater," Rodriguez said. "Hospital admissions are the next shoe to drop."

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/12/27/metro/coronavirus-levels-rising-ri-waste-water/?p1=BGSearch_Advanced_Results

Two of my choir members came down with COVID over the week and a half before Christmas.

Indeed, several neighbors recently contracted COVID for the second time. There is a lot of it going around, and I would not enter a crowded public space without a mask. I had the latest vaccine back in October, but it's well-known that even someone who is up to date on vaccines can contract the infection, and can even get seriously ill or have Long Covid as a complication.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Covid vaccine rates in the U.S. are slumping — and it will be a challenge to boost them

CNBC is, of course, a business news outlet.

PROVIDENCE — As the year draws to a close, coronavirus concentrations in Rhode Island's wastewater are surging, according to the most recent federal data.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention uses the National Wastewater Surveillance System as an "early warning" system that allows communities to act to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

And in Rhode Island, the warning is now clear: From Dec. 3 to Dec. 17, three wastewater treatment plants in Rhode Island had coronavirus levels at 80 to 100 percent of the highest levels detected at those sites, and five other treatment plants had 60 to 79 percent of past levels. Two other testing sites are new, so they have no comparative data.

"It's telling us that COVID has not left us," said Dr. Pablo Rodriguez, a public health advocate and host of "Nuestra Salud" on Latina 100.3 FM. "It's still with us, and the new variants are definitely creating a spike in new infections."

The coronavirus is spreading more than many people realize, he said. These days, fewer people are getting tested and those who do often take the tests at home and don't share the results with the Department of Health, he said.

"So at this point, the best measure is to watch the wastewater," Rodriguez said. "Hospital admissions are the next shoe to drop."

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/12/27/metro/coronavirus-levels-rising-ri-waste-water/?p1=BGSearch_Advanced_Results

Two of my choir members came down with COVID over the week and a half before Christmas.

How bad were their symptoms Karl and how are they feeling now?  A friend of a friend of mine who works in the health industry ended up getting Covid just before Christmas.  She was scheduled to fly out to visit family members for a long holiday/vacation and had to postpone it by about a week (until she tested negative).  My guess is that she is somewhere in her 60's (and in very good health/shape).  From what I recall, she said that she was feeling awful for about four days...and also, obviously, was very sad that she couldn't leave when she had planned to.

PD

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Indeed, several neighbors recently contracted COVID for the second time. There is a lot of it going around, and I would not enter a crowded public space without a mask. I had the latest vaccine back in October, but it's well-known that even someone who is up to date on vaccines can contract the infection, and can even get seriously ill or have Long Covid as a complication.

That's probably a smart idea.  Do you regularly wear one when shopping?  Or are you thinking more in terms of things like public transport?

PD