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*** OFFICIAL *** COVID-19 CoronaVirus Thread. Fresh epidemic fears as child pneumonia cases surge in Europe after China outbreak. NOW in USA (18 Viewers)

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New York already feels like a shutdown. 

There are a ton of people talking about how less deadly this is, but anecdotally, New Yorkers are not going out. Restaurants are shut down for lack of staff, or business or whatever, and the places that are open, are not busy. 

What's shocking to me, is the young people. They are not scared of Covid, or at least they weren't. But they aren't going out. It's a quiet month any way, but it's REALLY quiet in neighborhoods that are busy every weekend. New Years looked like a Wednesday. Dead. 

I don't know if this will reflect in other places, but it's odd that there is no shutdown, no curfew, and people are still not out. 
Cuz everyone's sick

That's hyperbole for Drax

 
😮

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will have eight months — not the 75 years it requested — to release all documents related to the licensing of Pfizer’s Comirnaty COVID vaccine, a federal judge ruled Thursday.

Judge Pittman rejected the FDA’s claim that it could release redacted versions of documents at a rate of only 500 pages per month, which would have meant the full cache of documents wouldn’t become public until 2096.

The documents in question relate to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filed in August 2021 by Public Health and Medical Professionals for Transparency (PHMPT), a group of more than 30 medical and public health professionals and scientists from institutions such as Harvard, Yale, and UCLA.

“This is a great win for transparency and removes one of the strangleholds federal ‘health’ authorities have had on the data needed for independent scientists to offer solutions and address serious issues with the current vaccine program — issues which include waning immunity, variants evading vaccine immunity, and, as the CDC has confirmed, that the vaccines do not prevent transmission.

“No person should ever be coerced to engage in an unwanted medical procedure. And while it is bad enough the government violated this basic liberty right by mandating the Covid-19 vaccine, the government also wanted to hide the data by waiting to fully produce what it relied upon to license this product until almost every American alive today is dead. That form of governance is destructive to liberty and antithetical to the openness required in a democratic society.”

https://www.fiercepharma.com/pharma/fda-must-hit-gas-foia-request-tied-to-pfizer-s-covid-19-vaccine-judge-orders

 
😮

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will have eight months — not the 75 years it requested — to release all documents related to the licensing of Pfizer’s Comirnaty COVID vaccine, a federal judge ruled Thursday.

Judge Pittman rejected the FDA’s claim that it could release redacted versions of documents at a rate of only 500 pages per month, which would have meant the full cache of documents wouldn’t become public until 2096.

The documents in question relate to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filed in August 2021 by Public Health and Medical Professionals for Transparency (PHMPT), a group of more than 30 medical and public health professionals and scientists from institutions such as Harvard, Yale, and UCLA.

“This is a great win for transparency and removes one of the strangleholds federal ‘health’ authorities have had on the data needed for independent scientists to offer solutions and address serious issues with the current vaccine program — issues which include waning immunity, variants evading vaccine immunity, and, as the CDC has confirmed, that the vaccines do not prevent transmission.

“No person should ever be coerced to engage in an unwanted medical procedure. And while it is bad enough the government violated this basic liberty right by mandating the Covid-19 vaccine, the government also wanted to hide the data by waiting to fully produce what it relied upon to license this product until almost every American alive today is dead. That form of governance is destructive to liberty and antithetical to the openness required in a democratic society.”

https://www.fiercepharma.com/pharma/fda-must-hit-gas-foia-request-tied-to-pfizer-s-covid-19-vaccine-judge-orders
Well this will help bridging the great divide

 
I just don’t waste energy questioning masks. My own masking approach has been fluid with best known facts. I’d been to several Viking games without a mask, feeling like I was safe (first fully vaxxed, later following a breakthrough recovery). I felt safe, and believed my status made me incapable of contributing to the problem.

Post-omicron, I mask everywhere. it doesn’t make me feel invincible. My stance is more ‘can’t hurt this spread’ than ‘will stop this spread.’ The only exception was holiday gathering with my wife’s extended family. I still think that gathering was stupid, and my decision not to wear a mask goes beyond belief of mask futility. School events and shopping - I don’t question whether masks help or not, I just wear one. That could change.

Just to be 100% I did not mean to parent moleculo. I’m a fan. It’s more commentary on the apparent approach of his school district. Really think schools should be limiting spectators for the sake of enabling children to do sports. Fostering that sort of environment for everyone to get Covid is counter productive to that goal.
This is South Carolina.  We have all but abandoned any mitigation efforts whatsoever.  I mean, there are still forced quarantines for anyone who is sick and close unvaxxed contacts, but that's about it. 

Pedal to the metal, baby.  We are done with teh covid.

 
😮

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will have eight months — not the 75 years it requested — to release all documents related to the licensing of Pfizer’s Comirnaty COVID vaccine, a federal judge ruled Thursday.

Judge Pittman rejected the FDA’s claim that it could release redacted versions of documents at a rate of only 500 pages per month, which would have meant the full cache of documents wouldn’t become public until 2096.

The documents in question relate to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filed in August 2021 by Public Health and Medical Professionals for Transparency (PHMPT), a group of more than 30 medical and public health professionals and scientists from institutions such as Harvard, Yale, and UCLA.

“This is a great win for transparency and removes one of the strangleholds federal ‘health’ authorities have had on the data needed for independent scientists to offer solutions and address serious issues with the current vaccine program — issues which include waning immunity, variants evading vaccine immunity, and, as the CDC has confirmed, that the vaccines do not prevent transmission.

“No person should ever be coerced to engage in an unwanted medical procedure. And while it is bad enough the government violated this basic liberty right by mandating the Covid-19 vaccine, the government also wanted to hide the data by waiting to fully produce what it relied upon to license this product until almost every American alive today is dead. That form of governance is destructive to liberty and antithetical to the openness required in a democratic society.”

https://www.fiercepharma.com/pharma/fda-must-hit-gas-foia-request-tied-to-pfizer-s-covid-19-vaccine-judge-orders
It's embarrassing the FDA tried to bury everything.

 
Doug B said:
Yep, it's going around here like wildfire. We ate out twice the week after Christmas. One was outdoors as planned, but the other one was supposed to be outdoors except the place closed down last minute for lack of staff. Scrambled to find a place to go, ended up eating out indoors :kicksrock:

Of the crew that was at the outdoor dinner, my BIL (sat next to me and across from my wife) has tested positive so far. Four more of us have tested and are waiting on results. I have no doubt my entire household is going through a COVID bout -- my wife lost taste/smell today, so probably Delta (?). My symptoms have ranged between mild and annoying, but nowhere near bad enough to consider the ER. Kids' symptoms are mild, but noticeable.

In  our household, the three of us over 18 are double vaxxed + boosted in early December. My 15-year-old son was double vaxxed in June, was set to get his booster ASAP this month. Try again in February.
Somehow, my PCR result was negative. Still waiting on my wife's and my son's results. My son's symptoms were a milder version of mine. My wife is the one with smell/taste affected.
All results for my household are in -- all tests are PCRs with roughly 48-hour delays until lab work commenced:


Samples taken Wed, Jan 5:

  • Me - NEGATIVE
  • Son - POSITIVE
Sample taken Thurs, Jan 6:

  • Wife - NEGATIVE
(Symptomatic daughter not tested) 

...

Pretty surprised, and to be honest ... somewhat incredulous. None of us in the household had severe symptoms At no point even close to seeking medical care. My wife and I have been the most uncomfortable regarding symptom severity, while the kids essentially skated through a few days of nasal congestion and coughs. And my wife actually had or still has a mild version of smell/taste symptom (it's still lingering for her as of this morning).

 
The Finnish have some serious thoughts: 

"The virus has been shown to enter the brain through the nose and its effects are also seen on magnetic resonance imaging," Risto Roine, professor of neurology and chairman of the expert panel, told the same news conference.

"Around 20 per cent see long-term cognitive impairment," Roine added, warning that the incidence of neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's could increase sharply following a COVID-19 infection 

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/long-covid-chronic-disease-finland-minister-warns-2421656

 
All results for my household are in -- all tests are PCRs with roughly 48-hour delays until lab work commenced:


Samples taken Wed, Jan 5:

  • Me - NEGATIVE
  • Son - POSITIVE
Sample taken Thurs, Jan 6:

  • Wife - NEGATIVE
(Symptomatic daughter not tested) 

...

Pretty surprised, and to be honest ... somewhat incredulous. None of us in the household had severe symptoms At no point even close to seeking medical care. My wife and I have been the most uncomfortable regarding symptom severity, while the kids essentially skated through a few days of nasal congestion and coughs. And my wife actually had or still has a mild version of smell/taste symptom (it's still lingering for her as of this morning).
Surprised about what?

 
This is South Carolina.  We have all but abandoned any mitigation efforts whatsoever.  I mean, there are still forced quarantines for anyone who is sick and close unvaxxed contacts, but that's about it. 

Pedal to the metal, baby.  We are done with teh covid.
You won't catch us GB...we're gonna win this thing!!!!

 
Surprised about what?
That my wife and I testing negative on PCRs after being around two close contacts that tested positive (my son and my brother-in-law). Of course, my son lives with me, so he's a sustained contact, to boot.

So, I don't know. I did want to be able to say "Double-vaxxed, boosted AND got over an infection".

As far as getting on with life, the results of our COVID tests don't matter to that specifically. My wife still had to stay home from work presenting any respiratory symptoms (she works with immunocompromised people in a non-medical setting) regardless of what the specific malady is.

 
The Finnish have some serious thoughts: 

"The virus has been shown to enter the brain through the nose and its effects are also seen on magnetic resonance imaging," Risto Roine, professor of neurology and chairman of the expert panel, told the same news conference.

"Around 20 per cent see long-term cognitive impairment," Roine added, warning that the incidence of neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's could increase sharply following a COVID-19 infection 

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/long-covid-chronic-disease-finland-minister-warns-2421656


The question is whether a vaccine induced "mild" infection has any impact on whether you are susceptible to long covid.  Correct me if I am wrong, but to date there is no linkage between severity of covid and long covid -- ie a mild case can still lead to long covid.

 
The question is whether a vaccine induced "mild" infection has any impact on whether you are susceptible to long covid.  Correct me if I am wrong, but to date there is no linkage between severity of covid and long covid -- ie a mild case can still lead to long covid.
Yes. 

Amidst the discussion about not knowing the long term affects of the vaccine, maybe people should be thinking more about long term affects of Covid. 

 
Correct me if I am wrong, but to date there is no linkage between severity of covid and long covid -- ie a mild case can still lead to long covid.
This is my general understanding, too ... but there's not good firm data on a lot of this stuff.

One of the big confounding factors is simply defining "long COVID". Should "six months on a ventilator" be in the same bucket as "no smell/taste for two months" and "occasional headaches for a few weeks"?

"Brain fog" is not easy to pin down, either -- is it meaningful that you've lost your keys three times this week when you used to never (so you say to yourself, anyway)? Are you "bored at work" or else are you now "having trouble concentrating"?

Not saying long COVID symptoms are b.s. ... I'm saying that the defining edges around these symptoms are very blurry and get even blurrier when researchers have to rely on self-reporting. I had posted a few days ago how one recovered COVID patient might shrug off having take Advil 3 or 4 times a week for headaches and report "no long symptoms" where another patient might report the same thing as "lingering headaches". It's a tough problem from several angles.

 
The goal of a virus is to survive, replicate, and spread, it tends to evolve toward being more infectious and less deadly. 
The goal of Doug B was to riff on moleculo's post and poke a little fun at those SEC schools on the weak side of the conference. (Did I say that out loud?) :)  

Although ... you've given me a good idea for an alternate idea for a competition between the schools: Kirby Smart and Shane Beamer each cough into a petri dish ... and then ...

[Mills Lane]

Let's get it on!

[/Mills Lane]

Halftime report
 

 
The goal of a virus is to survive, replicate, and spread, it tends to evolve toward being more infectious and less deadly. 


Less deadly in the short term.

Long covid effects, now including the possibility of Alzheimer's and Dementia?

 
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The goal of a virus is to survive, replicate, and spread, it tends to evolve toward being more infectious and less deadly. 
Less deadly in the short term.
That's a good point. 

Not that viruses are sentient or anything ... but it is true that it doesn't matter to viral "success" whether or not the host lives after an infected person passes the viruses on to others.

 
In terms of Covid deaths, Mississippi is still running away with it. Maybe we should just rename the Egg Bowl?
The Corona Clash? The Rona Rumble? The Superspreader Slam?

They could move the game indoors, arena football style. Sell too many tickets ... ensure a huge standing-room only crowd shoulder to shoulder on the concourses. Then, last of all ... turn off the building's AC ... make sure those infectious air droplets stay in stagnant air all game long.

 
That my wife and I testing negative on PCRs after being around two close contacts that tested positive (my son and my brother-in-law). Of course, my son lives with me, so he's a sustained contact, to boot.

So, I don't know. I did want to be able to say "Double-vaxxed, boosted AND got over an infection".

As far as getting on with life, the results of our COVID tests don't matter to that specifically. My wife still had to stay home from work presenting any respiratory symptoms (she works with immunocompromised people in a non-medical setting) regardless of what the specific malady is.
So now you believe me and all my close contacts?

 
So now you believe me and all my close contacts?
:confused:

At no point did I not believe you.

There were many pre-vaccine accounts (anecdotal, to be sure) of people who sustained multiple lengthy contacts with COVID-positive people and never turned up symptomatic. Remember how there were theories about how recent-ish legacy coronavirus** infection could help some people have "natural immunity" from "catching" COVID? Talking back in summer 2020 or so ... you don't hear much about this in recent literature.

Anyway, I legitimately thought then and think now that you might be one of those types of people. That you have something going on physiologically -- but not yet well-understood by medical science -- that is keeping you infection-free. Well, free from noticeable infection -- a raincoat still gets wet on the surface.

** Legacy coronavirus = the old-school ones identified pre-SARS that cause common cold symptoms.

 
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I thought mutations were completely random and any one could change it’s contagiousness or deadliness positively or negatively?
Yes, that's right.  But the argument is that random mutations that reduce deadliness are advantageous for the virus because now it's no longer killing the host and therefore allowing for additional spread.  Strains with those mutations will therefore tend to out-compete deadlier strains.  Viruses are non-intelligent so they don't "choose" to become less deadly over time, but it's as if they did.

The problem with this argument when applied to SARS-CoV-2, is that this virus spreads while people are still asymptomatic.  Becoming less deadly doesn't necessarily assist with transmission, so those mutations won't necessarily be selected for.  (I don't know if there's a clear consensus on this question or not -- just laying out the argument as I understand it).

 
I thought mutations were completely random and any one could change it’s contagiousness or deadliness positively or negatively?
Variants of the coronavirus have come to represent the ultimate danger: A curveball in our plans to bring an end to the pandemic that has ravaged our world and taken millions of lives. And here’s another one—omicron—that may embody the worst fear of pandemic observers, because it seems to evade some vaccine protections. 

But a mutating virus might not necessarily be a specter of doom. 

“If you think about a virus, what’s the purpose? What’s the virus trying to do?” asks Jared Auclair, who is an associate teaching professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Northeastern, leads the Biopharmaceutical Analysis Training Lab, and runs the university’s COVID-19 testing facility, the Life Sciences Testing Center in Burlington, Massachusetts.  

It’s trying to stay alive, he says. And “if the virus kills someone, if it kills the host, it dies with the host. So it totally defeats the purpose.”

Jared Auclair, associate teaching professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Northeastern, head of the Biopharmaceutical Analysis Training Lab, and the university’s COVID-19 testing facility, the Life Sciences Testing Center in Burlington, Massachusetts. Photo by Adam Glanzman/Northeastern University

Because the goal of a virus is to survive, replicate, and spread, it tends to evolve toward being more infectious and less deadly. There are exceptions and other factors, but in general, says Auclair, that’s what virologists expect to see occur with SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. 🤷‍♂️


https://news.northeastern.edu/2021/12/13/virus-evolution/

 
DELTACRON

cientists in Cyprus have found 25 cases of a strain of the coronavirus that they say combines elements of the delta and omicron variants, dubbing it “deltacron,” with a high proportion of the variant found in patients hospitalized for Covid-19, a professor involved in the identification of the new strain said Saturday.

 
DELTACRON

cientists in Cyprus have found 25 cases of a strain of the coronavirus that they say combines elements of the delta and omicron variants, dubbing it “deltacron,” with a high proportion of the variant found in patients hospitalized for Covid-19, a professor involved in the identification of the new strain said Saturday.
I thought deltacron was being infected with both strains at the same time?

 
Variants of the coronavirus have come to represent the ultimate danger: A curveball in our plans to bring an end to the pandemic that has ravaged our world and taken millions of lives. And here’s another one—omicron—that may embody the worst fear of pandemic observers, because it seems to evade some vaccine protections. 

But a mutating virus might not necessarily be a specter of doom. 

“If you think about a virus, what’s the purpose? What’s the virus trying to do?” asks Jared Auclair, who is an associate teaching professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Northeastern, leads the Biopharmaceutical Analysis Training Lab, and runs the university’s COVID-19 testing facility, the Life Sciences Testing Center in Burlington, Massachusetts.  

It’s trying to stay alive, he says. And “if the virus kills someone, if it kills the host, it dies with the host. So it totally defeats the purpose.”

Jared Auclair, associate teaching professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Northeastern, head of the Biopharmaceutical Analysis Training Lab, and the university’s COVID-19 testing facility, the Life Sciences Testing Center in Burlington, Massachusetts. Photo by Adam Glanzman/Northeastern University

Because the goal of a virus is to survive, replicate, and spread, it tends to evolve toward being more infectious and less deadly. There are exceptions and other factors, but in general, says Auclair, that’s what virologists expect to see occur with SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. 🤷‍♂️


https://news.northeastern.edu/2021/12/13/virus-evolution/
This makes it sound as if it has some type of consciousness.  I’m finding it hard to buy that.  

 
IvanKaramazov said:
Yes, that's right.  But the argument is that random mutations that reduce deadliness are advantageous for the virus because now it's no longer killing the host and therefore allowing for additional spread.  Strains with those mutations will therefore tend to out-compete deadlier strains.  Viruses are non-intelligent so they don't "choose" to become less deadly over time, but it's as if they did.

The problem with this argument when applied to SARS-CoV-2, is that this virus spreads while people are still asymptomatic.  Becoming less deadly doesn't necessarily assist with transmission, so those mutations won't necessarily be selected for.  (I don't know if there's a clear consensus on this question or not -- just laying out the argument as I understand it).
One aspect of mutation and deadliness I rarely see mentioned is human behavior. People like to say the next mutation could make the virus much deadlier, and of course it could. However, not only would the virus incapacitate hosts faster thereby preventing spread, but people themselves would be MUCH faster to act to avoid catching a deadly bug. There is a definite correlation between the virulence of a disease and the willingness of people to take measures to avoid it.

 
My kids' school has transitioned to virtual for the coming week.  Just got the email.  But the kids didn't bring their school issued laptops home with them so while some kids can likely get online, there will be a bunch that cannot. 

The district and school really effed this one up. It was totally predictable that when they tested staff and students that case load would be through the roof and they weren't going to be able to have in-person school without putting huge numbers of positive cases into the classrooms.

Why didn't they send the kids home with their laptops last week??? Just dumb. 

 
Desert_Power said:
Woke up with a very sore throat today which I think is due to allergies acting up (this happens a couple times a year when I am not taking allergy meds enough and the temp changes), but going to just shut everything down regardless. Unfortunately this means not going with my wife to her last ultrasound today :(  


Congrats DP...assuming the ultrasound is for a baby.

 
My kids' school has transitioned to virtual for the coming week.  Just got the email.  But the kids didn't bring their school issued laptops home with them so while some kids can likely get online, there will be a bunch that cannot. 

The district and school really effed this one up. It was totally predictable that when they tested staff and students that case load would be through the roof and they weren't going to be able to have in-person school without putting huge numbers of positive cases into the classrooms.

Why didn't they send the kids home with their laptops last week??? Just dumb. 
Ugh.
 

What part of the country?

 
Ugh.
 

What part of the country?
Baltimore, Maryland. 

Positivity rates are above 30% for the last week and hospitals are totally overloaded - rationing care, stopping elective procedures, etc. 

The school recognizes that it being open will contribute to community transmission and have negative consequences for all that need emergency medical care. 

 
One aspect of mutation and deadliness I rarely see mentioned is human behavior. People like to say the next mutation could make the virus much deadlier, and of course it could. However, not only would the virus incapacitate hosts faster thereby preventing spread, but people themselves would be MUCH faster to act to avoid catching a deadly bug. There is a definite correlation between the virulence of a disease and the willingness of people to take measures to avoid it.
The people of the great state of Florida would like to have a word :lol:

 
:lmao:    I was there for 8 days from Melbourne - Boynton 

It definitely felt "different"
That's quite the swath.  I'm north of that in Central Florida...Sanford/Deland area.  I am generally a home body.  I've worked from home for over 20 years.  This last weekend my son and I went to his golf lesson, then took a trip to a couple golf stores.  Our adventures took us to an area close to the Trader Joes my wife likes to go to.  I made the mistake of saying, "Oh, I can get your stuff for you...just get me the list".  It was elbow to elbow...little to no mask wearing.....people hacking and coughing all over the place.  I turned around and walked out.  Never again.  :lol:   

 
That's quite the swath.  I'm north of that in Central Florida...Sanford/Deland area.  I am generally a home body.  I've worked from home for over 20 years.  This last weekend my son and I went to his golf lesson, then took a trip to a couple golf stores.  Our adventures took us to an area close to the Trader Joes my wife likes to go to.  I made the mistake of saying, "Oh, I can get your stuff for you...just get me the list".  It was elbow to elbow...little to no mask wearing.....people hacking and coughing all over the place.  I turned around and walked out.  Never again.  :lol:   
Gasparilla is coming up in Tampa. Should be a cluster#### (more than usual) 

 
That's quite the swath.  I'm north of that in Central Florida...Sanford/Deland area.  I am generally a home body.  I've worked from home for over 20 years.  This last weekend my son and I went to his golf lesson, then took a trip to a couple golf stores.  Our adventures took us to an area close to the Trader Joes my wife likes to go to.  I made the mistake of saying, "Oh, I can get your stuff for you...just get me the list".  It was elbow to elbow...little to no mask wearing.....people hacking and coughing all over the place.  I turned around and walked out.  Never again.  :lol:   
Stayed with family near melbourne.......visited other family 1 day in boynton.... the packed indoor 

Parents live in Parrish

 
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Start of Day 5 from onset of symptoms and positive home test for 1 of the 5 year old twins:

Fever comes and goes - mostly comes at night.  Last night 99.4.  This morning 97.7.  Still complaining of headache.

No one else has shown any signs.  We've been making him stay in his room alone and wear a mask to come out to use the bathroom.

Other kids and me and my wife staying home today.  Work made me stay home and is supposed to call me with their updated policy.  Apparently they don't follow CDC guidelines and have their own but never updated from the old extended "stay home" policy.  My boss is looking into possible work from home options.

On a side note: 4 kids on my soccer team are quarantined - my son and 2 others due to close contact.  1 confirmed positive.  Games start in 3 weeks.  This is gonna be fun to navigate...

Eta: can not get a test scheduled.  Walgreens and CVS never have available appointments.  All of the urgent cares near us are too busy.  

 
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Shockingly, the teacher sent out an agenda for the day at 8:20 AM and they are starting with synchronous learning via Zoom.  Maybe 1/3rd of the class is on.  There's a lot of kids that don't have access to computers at home. Color me very surprised that they could pivot quickly and it actually sorta worked. 

 
Eta: can not get a test scheduled.  Walgreens and CVS never have available appointments.  All of the urgent cares near us are too busy.  


Testing seems like a total cluster at the moment in many parts of the country.  We've had family members and friends ask us about buying our home tests or reaching out to find out where we got them.

 
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