*** OFFICIAL *** COVID-19 CoronaVirus Thread. Fresh epidemic fears as child pneumonia cases surge in Europe after China outbreak. NOW in USA (16 Viewers)

[Desert_Power]

Not doubting you, but this seems hard to believe.  If annual flu shots are profitable, why not annual covid shots?  Or flu-covid combos?  I understand that mRNA vaccines are probably more costly to manufacture than flu shots, but it seems like a pretty obvious +EV move for insurance companies.

This isn't what I read before, but in the vein of what I saw:

Jha said the FDA will likely adopt redesigned vaccines this summer that target mutations the virus has developed over the past two years, with the aim of giving people more durable protection against Covid. However, he said the U.S. would only have the money to provide those next-generation shots for people at high risk of severe disease, the elderly and immune compromised, if Congress doesn’t provide money. The U.S. would also run out of treatments for people who get infected, he said.

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/18/covid-us-faces-unnecessary-deaths-if-congress-fails-to-pass-funding-bill.html

You can also find articles like this out there (not sure the reliability): https://www.fiercepharma.com/pharma/another-covid-19-manufacturing-partner-time-pfizers-biovac-warns-production-slump-amid-low

So it sounds like they will be producing them, but it is uncertain if the US will have a full supply? Assume tests and antivirals would follow similar paths. Apologies for sharing a comment without being able to source where I read it, but curious what the rest of y'all can dig up. It is a notoriously hard subject to search.

 

[Nathan R. Jessep]

Although the bolded also ... well ... broadens our immunity. No?

Still, better if we can get a better-mousetrap vaccine to do something similar at virtually no risk of infirmity.

...

Side issue: I find it hard to believe that SARS-CoV-2 is a unique virus in the annals of human history. Why have other viruses eventually calmed down, while current COVID researchers don't seem to want to countenance that SARS-CoV-2 could ever do the same thing? Are they really saying that our grandkids, and the people of the year 2100, 2200, 3000, the year 5000 AD, etc. will be dealing with ongoing SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks in much the same way we are now?

Counterpoint: Say a virus as bad as SARS-CoV-2 runs through humans at, oh, a Cro-Magnon level of technology and knowledge. In those times, a single family of novel viruses might have wiped out 1/4 of humanity within a decade, but there wasn't a darn thing Cro-Magnons could do about it -- they just had to carry on. In 2022, humanity won't accept the deaths of 2 billion people just to get to the other side of a pandemic.

Fair, but I think the larger point may be that the "broadening of our immunity" theory holding up would also depend on: (1) infection induced immunity holding up against later variants. There's already noise that that is not happening with the 2 newest variants after original Omicron infection. (2) the virus no longer mutating to a (a) more-infectious or (b) more-severe version. Thankfully we have avoided (b) since Delta, but (a) has already happened with Omicron and appears to be happening  again now (which is wild considering how infectious Omicron was), which to me kind of starts the cycle again, or at least puts the pieces in play for it to do so. Maybe not all the way back over, but far enough.  It wouldn't be far fetched (to me) to think that enough "start-overs" and (b) will eventually happen.  More simply stated, we keep giving it  too many more chances and we are going to get another Delta, or worse. 

And agreed, I'm hopeful that the nasal vaccines in trials now could be a cycle-breaker. 

To your counterpoint I'd agree. However, I also didn't expect to see over 1MM dead Americans either. 

 

[Doug B]

... the larger point may be that the "broadening of our immunity" theory holding up would also depend on: (1) infection induced immunity holding up against later variants. There's already noise that that is not happening with the 2 newest variants after original Omicron infection.

Time out: What does "holding up against later variants" mean here? Trying to get specific on what researchers are saying "is not happening".

Are researchers saying that the latest variants just run through anyone regardless of prior vaccinations and/or infections? "Run through" meaning that the latest variants are presented with essentially naive immune systems ... February 2020 all over again.

For people double vaxxed, boosted, and had Omicron ... researchers now say that those people are just as vulnerable to infection/symptoms/illness/infirmity/hospitalization/ICU/death (all of the above) as people who've never heard of the vaccine and have no prior infections? I find that hard to believe, but I'd like to read more about it.

 

[Doug B]

I'm hopeful that the nasal vaccines in trials now could be a cycle-breaker.

Man, no lie. What's the hold up on this, I wonder?

 

[Gilroy34]

A friend of mine went on European cruise and got a mild case of Covid on the cruise.  Docked at Barcelona and continued to test positive for a couple days.  He was not able to fly back to USA until a negative test but he waa able to fly to Canada with proof of vaccination and then cross border to US.

 

[the moops]

A friend of mine went on European cruise and got a mild case of Covid on the cruise.  Docked at Barcelona and continued to test positive for a couple days.  He was not able to fly back to USA until a negative test but he waa able to fly to Canada with proof of vaccination and then cross border to US.

He should keep that quiet. I'm not sure what the charge would be, but Canada requires you to be vaccinated and  symptom free to enter the country. 

 

[Gilroy34]

He should keep that quiet. I'm not sure what the charge would be, but Canada requires you to be vaccinated and  symptom free to enter the country. 

Oh I don't think he told them he tested positive.  I am just surprised that Canada did not require a negative test like U.S. does.

 

[the moops]

Oh I don't think he told them he tested positive.  I am just surprised that Canada did not require a negative test like U.S. does.

Canada trusts people to not lie

 

[nirad3]

Any other parents of 5-11 year olds trying to decide what to make of the FDA's announcement re: boosters? I'm going to start with the presumption that, much like my decision on getting a second booster as a healthy 48 y.o., this is a low-stakes decision either way. Both of my sons (11 1/2 and 7) have their annual checkups coming up, so I figure I'll probably wait until then and ask the pediatrician's opinion.

We are waiting.  We'll ask our pediatrician and I'll ask my buddy who's one of the leading pediatric cardiologists in the country who I trust implicitly.  

We are certainly NOT anti-vaccine, but we did opt to space some of the required ones out when they were younger as to not shock their system as much.  Figure that applies to some degree here.  

They're in school around a ton of other kids and we go out to eat and go shopping a lot.  So far, so good. Would I want them to get COVID?  Absolutely not.  But at this point I think we're just going to wait.

Both kids are due for some other vaccines so we're going to ask the doc in the coming weeks when they go in for those.

 

[gianmarco]

We are waiting.  We'll ask our pediatrician and I'll ask my buddy who's one of the leading pediatric cardiologists in the country who I trust implicitly.  

We are certainly NOT anti-vaccine, but we did opt to space some of the required ones out when they were younger as to not shock their system as much.  Figure that applies to some degree here.  

They're in school around a ton of other kids and we go out to eat and go shopping a lot.  So far, so good. Would I want them to get COVID?  Absolutely not.  But at this point I think we're just going to wait.

Both kids are due for some other vaccines so we're going to ask the doc in the coming weeks when they go in for those.

Just an FYI (also for others), the current vaccine schedule as is doesn't "shock the system". If it wasn't safe, it wouldn't be advised.

The only thing spacing out vaccines does is increase the chances that a baby will catch that illness it should be protected against.

 

[nirad3]

Just an FYI (also for others), the current vaccine schedule as is doesn't "shock the system". If it wasn't safe, it wouldn't be advised.

The only thing spacing out vaccines does is increase the chances that a baby will catch that illness it should be protected against.

Thanks for the response, but we ran this by our pediatricians and they had no issues with it.  Not talking about any great length of time in terms of spacing.  Like... a couple/few weeks apart rather than all at once.  They didn't charge us extra for the spread-out visits, either.   

Both kids are happy, healthy, and completely caught up on vaccines.    

Still waiting on the kids' boosters.

 

[jobarules]

Thanks for the response, but we ran this by our pediatricians and they had no issues with it.  Not talking about any great length of time in terms of spacing.  Like... a couple/few weeks apart rather than all at once.  They didn't charge us extra for the spread-out visits, either.   

Both kids are happy, healthy, and completely caught up on vaccines.    

Still waiting on the kids' boosters.

Same with our pediatrician 

 

[Gilroy34]

Canada trusts people to not lie

They never asked him

 

[the moops]

They never asked him

Pretty sure you need to fill out info on date of vaccination and such. And the questionnaire asks if you have had any covid symptoms. 

 

[Gilroy34]

Pretty sure you need to fill out info on date of vaccination and such. And the questionnaire asks if you have had any covid symptoms. 

Thanks.  I asked him and he said he had to fill out a form and scan his vaccination card.  I would guess you are right.

 

[Nathan R. Jessep]

Man, no lie. What's the hold up on this, I wonder?

Most recent info I could find shows them to still be in late trial stages. 

DM'd you on the other stuff.

 

[brettdj]

Just an FYI (also for others), the current vaccine schedule as is doesn't "shock the system". If it wasn't safe, it wouldn't be advised.

The only thing spacing out vaccines does is increase the chances that a baby will catch that illness it should be protected against.

Our pediatrician stated that the vaccine schedule was because some people would not come back for multiple visits.  We got them spread out because our son got serious fevers with 2 or more at a time.   One shot and the fever was mild.

 

[ignatiusjreilly]

Our pediatrician stated that the vaccine schedule was because some people would not come back for multiple visits.  We got them spread out because our son got serious fevers with 2 or more at a time.   One shot and the fever was mild.

Yes, that's what we heard as well. As long as you as a parent are committed to getting your kids the shots they need in a timely fashion, the exact timing doesn't really matter.

Incidentally, with our second kid, we moved to a new city while my wife was pregnant and were shopping around for a new pediatrician. One that we visited reacted with horror to the mere idea of spreading out the shots and basically treated us like anti-vaxxers for suggesting it. Needless to say, we did not go with her (one of my wife's friends did, and apparently she told her some nonsense about not going outside for the first six weeks after the baby was born. I think we dodged a bullet there.)

 

[Doug B]

(NOTE: Recent figures in the Worldometers graphs tend to get adjusted -- often more than once -- after they first drop. Accordingly I've waited a few days to let the most recent Monday numbers settle in, though per usual they are likely to rise a bit more by next week's update.)

...

Updating numbers to see where things stand today from a top-of-the-mountain view. All figures below are 7-day averages from Worldometers U.S. graphs here. In the United States: 

CASES
Thu 01/13/2022 - 824,126  <--2022 HIGH
Tue 02/01/2022 - 424,955
Thu 02/17/2022 - 116,751
Mon 02/21/2022 - 94,394
Mon 02/28/2022 - 62,148
Mon 03/07/2022 - 42,095
Mon 03/14/2022 - 32,923
Mon 03/21/2022 - 28,923
Mon 03/28/2022 - 29,055
Sat   04/02/2022 - 28,035 <--2022 LOW
Mon 04/04/2022 - 29,045
Mon 04/11/2022 - 34,179
Mon 04/18/2022 - 41,026
Mon 04/25/2022 - 52,649
Mon 05/02/2022 - 63,151
Mon 05/09/2022 - 81,341
Mon 05/16/2022 - 97,390

DEATHS
Sun  01/29/2022 - 2,740  <--2022 HIGH
Thu  02/17/2022 - 2,184
Tue  02/22/2022 - 1,938
Mon 02/28/2022 - 1,745
Mon 03/07/2022 - 1,295
Mon 03/14/2022 - 1,120
Tue  03/22/2022 - 805
Mon 03/28/2022 - 662
Mon 04/04/2022 - 593
Mon 04/11/2022 - 506
Mon 04/18/2022 - 386
Mon 04/25/2022 - 374
Mon 05/02/2022 - 353
Mon 05/09/2022 - 311
Mon 05/16/2022 - 268  <--2022 LOW

...

CASES: 7-day average of confirmed COVID cases in the U.S. peaked at 824,126 on 1/13/2022, and was 97,390 on 5/16/2022. After adjustments, the 7-day average of cases has continued to rise since 2022's low mark on April 2 (28,035). For what it's worth: the pace of this rise is less than that of the Winter 2020-21 wave and the Summer 2021 Delta wave.

DEATHS: With recent adjustments, the 7-day average dropped for 79 consecutive days from 2,740 on 1/29/2022 to 358 on Tue 4/19/2022. That number jogged up to 362 the following day, breaking the streak. The current trend is one of slow decline, with a 7-day average of 268 on 5/16/2022 -- the lowest since 7/11/2021.

...

For comparison: Low-water marks in the U.S. from summer 2021, 7-day averages after the main thrust of vaccinations and before Delta.

CASES: 12,197 on 6/21/2021
DEATHS: 245 on 7/8/2021

 

[gianmarco]

Our pediatrician stated that the vaccine schedule was because some people would not come back for multiple visits.  We got them spread out because our son got serious fevers with 2 or more at a time.   One shot and the fever was mild.

That's not true.

Here's an explanation from the AAP

Another explanation

Some pediatricians have to balance ways to keep kids healthy when dealing with parents.  It may not be optimal care.  Some decide to not allow any variations to the schedule in their practice (like ignatius just posted about).  Some will allow small leeway in order to keep them as patients.  A small minority are much more leniant and/or don't push their patients to get vaccinated. 

It's all risk and reward.  You can space out vaccines and the vast majority of kids will be fine.  But, over the macro, there are going to be those few that end up getting measles or pertussis or another illness that could have been prevented by the vaccine if it had been given on time.  When you compare that to the risk of just following the schedule (i.e. a higher fever than if less shots given per visit), then it's hard to recommend straying from the developed schedule. 

Not trying to muck up the thread with this stuff, but since a few have commented on it, just relaying that for awareness.  With very few exceptions, there's just not a good reason to not follow the current vaccine schedule.  The individual risk for doing so is quite low, but it's not zero. 

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

(NOTE: Recent figures in the Worldometers graphs tend to get adjusted -- often more than once -- after they first drop. Accordingly I've waited a few days to let the most recent Monday numbers settle in, though per usual they are likely to rise a bit more by next week's update.)

...

Updating numbers to see where things stand today from a top-of-the-mountain view. All figures below are 7-day averages from Worldometers U.S. graphs here. In the United States: 

CASES
Thu 01/13/2022 - 824,126  <--2022 HIGH
Tue 02/01/2022 - 424,955
Thu 02/17/2022 - 116,751
Mon 02/21/2022 - 94,394
Mon 02/28/2022 - 62,148
Mon 03/07/2022 - 42,095
Mon 03/14/2022 - 32,923
Mon 03/21/2022 - 28,923
Mon 03/28/2022 - 29,055
Sat   04/02/2022 - 28,035 <--2022 LOW
Mon 04/04/2022 - 29,045
Mon 04/11/2022 - 34,179
Mon 04/18/2022 - 41,026
Mon 04/25/2022 - 52,649
Mon 05/02/2022 - 63,151
Mon 05/09/2022 - 81,341
Mon 05/16/2022 - 97,390

DEATHS
Sun  01/29/2022 - 2,740  <--2022 HIGH
Thu  02/17/2022 - 2,184
Tue  02/22/2022 - 1,938
Mon 02/28/2022 - 1,745
Mon 03/07/2022 - 1,295
Mon 03/14/2022 - 1,120
Tue  03/22/2022 - 805
Mon 03/28/2022 - 662
Mon 04/04/2022 - 593
Mon 04/11/2022 - 506
Mon 04/18/2022 - 386
Mon 04/25/2022 - 374
Mon 05/02/2022 - 353
Mon 05/09/2022 - 311
Mon 05/16/2022 - 268  <--2022 LOW

...

CASES: 7-day average of confirmed COVID cases in the U.S. peaked at 824,126 on 1/13/2022, and was 97,390 on 5/16/2022. After adjustments, the 7-day average of cases has continued to rise since 2022's low mark on April 2 (28,035). For what it's worth: the pace of this rise is less than that of the Winter 2020-21 wave and the Summer 2021 Delta wave.

DEATHS: With recent adjustments, the 7-day average dropped for 79 consecutive days from 2,740 on 1/29/2022 to 358 on Tue 4/19/2022. That number jogged up to 362 the following day, breaking the streak. The current trend is one of slow decline, with a 7-day average of 268 on 5/16/2022 -- the lowest since 7/11/2021.

...

For comparison: Low-water marks in the U.S. from summer 2021, 7-day averages after the main thrust of vaccinations and before Delta.

CASES: 12,197 on 6/21/2021
DEATHS: 245 on 7/8/2021

Isn’t the true case number 5-10x though, given that at-home positives are not represented in these figures ?

 

[gianmarco]

Isn’t the true case number 5-10x though, given that at-home positives are not represented in these figures ?

It's definitely higher, but at this point it's getting much less relevant.

With hospitals being much less overwhelmed due to Covid and deaths continuing to decrease, if things continue this way, this is what we've been waiting for/hoping for.

 

[jobarules]

Isn’t the true case number 5-10x though, given that at-home positives are not represented in these figures ?

Isnt that a good thing?

 

[Doug B]

Isn’t the true case number 5-10x though, given that at-home positives are not represented in these figures ?

Indeed -- but it's the case-count curves that count. The shape and movement of the data, as it were.

For deaths, it's different. Those are as firm as we're going to get, though doubtlessly some number are missed.

 

[jobarules]

Ive heard the true case #s are appx 7x the official case count due to home tests.

If you take the 7 day average of cases from a month ago (as theres a lag between cases and deaths):

41,026 x 7 =287,182 actual cases.

7 day average of deaths from this week: 268

CFR = 0.09%

Even the rising hospitalization #s are misleading too as doctors are saying most patients are coming into the hospital for reasons OTHER than COVID, they just so happen to be testing positive for COVID (as the #s of covid cases increases, the # of misleading hospitalizations will also increase. Its just math.)

Thanks to vaccines, better treatment options like Paxlovid, and herd immunity this thing is basically the flu now. Its hard for some people to move on though.

 

[Doug B]

With hospitals being much less overwhelmed due to Covid and deaths continuing to decrease, if things continue this way, this is what we've been waiting for/hoping for.

Speaking of:

Comparison of current wave to past waves, case-to-death ratios.

I started with this past Monday's 7-day average of COVID deaths (268, see post above). Then I counted back three weeks to get that day's 7-day average of cases (52,649, not concerned with undercount here). Lastly, I counted forward another seven days and applied that 7-day average case count.

Results below. The Omicron wave is not represented because the "valley" between Delta and Omicron bottomed out at around 72,000. What I'm trying to represent here are waves at about the same locations in their upswings (viz when the case count averages got past ~52-53k).
 

SUMMER 2020 WAVE

CASES
Sun 07/05/2020 - 53,040
Sun 07/12/2020 - 63,568

DEATHS
Sun 07/26/2020 - 1,101

FALL-WINTER 2020-21 WAVE

CASES
Tue 10/13/2020 - 53,689
Tue 10/20/2020 - 61,881

DEATHS
Tue 11/03/2020 - 973

SUMMER 2021 (DELTA) WAVE

CASES
Fri 07/23/2021 - 52,538
Fri 07/30/2021 - 80,220 (accelerated quickly!)

DEATHS
Fri 08/06/2021 - 666

SPRING 2022 WAVE

CASES
Mon 04/25/2022 - 52,649
Mon 05/02/2022 - 63,151

DEATHS
Mon 05/16/2022 - 268
 

 

[Doug B]

I have found a data source for hospitalizations. Johns Hopkins has a Weekly Hospitalizations Trends graph. It gives both general COVID hospitalizations (Inpatient Capacity button) and ICU COVID hospitalizations (ICU Capacity button).

The great thing about the hospitalization graph is the orange portion (the COVID patient counts) form a curve that can be compared to the Worldometers 7-day average case counts and death counts.

Long story short: Hospitalizations are now coupled with case counts at the overall U.S. level, but fairly weakly. Cases have been rising in recent weeks long enough to look for a correlating trend aggregate hospitalization numbers. Hospitalizations have risen about 8% week over week in each of the past four weeks -- much less than the rate that 7-day average case counts been rising (~22% week over week last five weeks). ICU COVID patient rates have risen, but a little more slowly yet (5% average increase per week over the past three weeks)

On 5/19/2022 at 10:40 AM, jobarules said:

Even the rising hospitalization #s are misleading too as doctors are saying most patients are coming into the hospital for reasons OTHER than COVID, they just so happen to be testing positive for COVID (as the #s of covid cases increases, the # of misleading hospitalizations will also increase. Its just math.)

To a great extent, yes. That's where following ICU capacity comes in.

Nationwide, COVID ICU admissions did rise 14.5% over the past week -- from 2,324 to 2,662. That means ICU admissions are accelerating -- see the last five weeks:

1900  (2022 low, serves as baseline)    
1999    +99    (5.2%)
2127    +128    (6.4%)
2324    +197    (9.3%)
2662    +338    (14.5%)

So far, ICU admissions are still rising more slowly than identified-case counts (avg 22% rise per week last five weeks), but the the rate of ICU admissions is catching up.

 

[Doug B]

Thanks to vaccines, better treatment options like Paxlovid, and herd immunity this thing is basically the flu now. Its hard for some people to move on though.

Though I liked your post for the preceding paragraphs, I don't quite agree here. If ICU admission rates quit rising and level off soon, then sure.

Whenever one set of negative COVID outcomes shows an increase, it gets me concerned that other negative outcomes (e.g. missed work, life-affecting long COVID) are increasing, too -- even where we don't have hard data.

It's been and continues to be great news that the death rates have kept decreasing (though the rate of decrease has slowed). That's one thing we can still hang our hats on.

 

[humpback]

It's definitely higher, but at this point it's getting much less relevant.

With hospitals being much less overwhelmed due to Covid and deaths continuing to decrease, if things continue this way, this is what we've been waiting for/hoping for.

Respectfully disagree. IMO the "hope" was that numbers for everything, including cases, would get to a low enough level that it would become background noise, and ~2 months ago it looked like we were on our way there. The possibility that people can catch this 3-4X per year isn't what anyone had been waiting/hoping for IMO.

 

[Doug B]

The possibility that people can catch this 3-4X per year isn't what anyone had been waiting/hoping for IMO.

It would be acceptable for people to catch it a few times annually IF the negative outcomes were lower than they are currently. 

There are many viruses that we catch "all the time". It's just that 99.9% of the time, out immune systems shrug it off.

Someone on another board posed a helpful comparison to illustrate where COVID is right now as we muddle through the latter Omicron variants. COVID, indeed, is similar in symptoms to influenza on a case-by-case basis ... but: COVID also spreads as easily as background-radiation rhinoviruses, enteroviruses, etc. that we're catching on the daily. An easy-spread flu won't wipe out humanity, no, but there are still a lot of non-expendable people who wouldn't be able to hypothetically take multiple flu hits every year (p.s. long flu is a thing and would really be a thing for people constantly fighting it off).

I keep hoping that what COVID will really do is become like its legacy coronavirus brethren and become another doesn't-matter virus. I still think that particular outcome can be essentially taken for granted over the LONG haul (~50+ years) ... but I had been thinking that the "COVID ain't schmidt" period had pretty much already started in earnest.

As time goes on, the various treatments will keep getting refined and improved. Better prophylactic shots will eventually come to the fore, too -- if the economics can be worked out.
 

 

[humpback]

It would be acceptable for people to catch it a few times annually IF the negative outcomes were lower than they are currently. 

There are many viruses that we catch "all the time". It's just that 99.9% of the time, out immune systems shrug it off.

Someone on another board posed a helpful comparison to illustrate where COVID is right now as we muddle through the latter Omicron variants. COVID, indeed, is similar in symptoms to influenza on a case-by-case basis ... but: COVID also spreads as easily as background-radiation rhinoviruses, enteroviruses, etc. that we're catching on the daily. An easy-spread flu won't wipe out humanity, no, but there are still a lot of non-expendable people who wouldn't be able to hypothetically take multiple flu hits every year (p.s. long flu is a thing and would really be a thing for people constantly fighting it off).

I keep hoping that what COVID will really do is become like its legacy coronavirus brethren and become another doesn't-matter virus. I still think that particular outcome can be essentially taken for granted over the LONG haul (~50+ years) ... but I had been thinking that the "COVID ain't schmidt" period had pretty much already started in earnest.

As time goes on, the various treatments will keep getting refined and improved. Better prophylactic shots will eventually come to the fore, too -- if the economics can be worked out.

Perhaps it would be acceptable (if/when we get there), but it still wasn't what people were hoping for. The behavior of these latest omicron variants has certainly complicated things.

 

[Biff84]

Not doubting you, but this seems hard to believe.  If annual flu shots are profitable, why not annual covid shots?  Or flu-covid combos?  I understand that mRNA vaccines are probably more costly to manufacture than flu shots, but it seems like a pretty obvious +EV move for insurance companies.

It’s BS from the vaccine companies. They want to reduce their risk because they’ve had it so good.

Consider what they’ve received so far:

-Guaranteed orders likely above market rate

-Required coverage for everyone (less restriction on demand)

-Free vaccines for the provider (huge amounts of waste and no concern of cost or supply)

As funding goes away, these guarantees go away and they have to start treating it like any other vaccine/drug. They don’t want that, so they say that a new vaccine can’t be made without more funding. They developed many alterations like delta and omicron specific vaccines that they ended up scrapping, you can’t convince me that they can’t do this or make billions off of it.

 

[Terminalxylem]

Some pediatricians have to balance ways to keep kids healthy when dealing with parents.  It may not be optimal care. 

It’s amazing people lack the insight to recognize this possibility. To a greater extent than other specialties, pediatricians are forced to practice diplomacy as much as actual medicine.

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

It is kind of crazy that if the true case count is something like 7x of reported, that we are actually in the same place now as we were in January with the first Omicron wave. 

 

[Doug B]

It is kind of crazy that if the true case count is something like 7x of reported, that we are actually in the same place now as we were in January with the first Omicron wave. 

It was underreported back in January, too.

 

[jobarules]

It is kind of crazy that if the true case count is something like 7x of reported, that we are actually in the same place now as we were in January with the first Omicron wave. 

Not really. Immunity seems to last 4-6 months. Expect another wave 4-6 months from now.

 

[belljr]

Back to WFH

 

[Scoresman]

It is kind of crazy that if the true case count is something like 7x of reported, that we are actually in the same place now as we were in January with the first Omicron wave. 

This is another case where I feel like percent positive is a good indicator of "how bad it really is".  Locally, we were seeing 25% positivity rates back in January.  Now, it seems to have hovered around 11-12% here.  I think I read that some places on the east coast have hit 20-25% during this wave,  but that doesn't seem to be the national trend this time like it was back then.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

It is kind of crazy that if the true case count is something like 7x of reported, that we are actually in the same place now as we were in January with the first Omicron wave. 

This is a good point, but the lesson that we should be drawing is that omicron was mostly much ado about nothing.  Things are fine now, and they were more or less fine then too.  Get vaccinated, get boosted, and get on with it.

 

[Fat Nick]

Well, after 2+ years, Covid finally hit our house.  My son (7 - vaccinated) got it first on Tuesday.  My daughter (turns 5 tomorrow - unvaccinated) tested positive Wednesday AM, and I started feeling bad Wednesday night, and tested positive yesterday.  My wife tested positive this AM.  Both of us are vaxxed and boosted.

Kids are crazy resilient.  They felt a little bad.  My son had a cough, my daughter had a fever that knocked her boundless energy down for about 12 hours.  I felt about as bad as I ever have for 24 hours yesterday.  I got Paxlovid yesterday PM, and am feeling a lot better today.  

On a not as good note, my mother-in-law is vacationing in South Africa and just tested positive.  No clue how the heck she's going to get back to the US on schedule...

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

Not really. Immunity seems to last 4-6 months. Expect another wave 4-6 months from now.

So we should get a booster every 4-6 months then maybe.

 

[jobarules]

So we should get a booster every 4-6 months then maybe.

Go crazy if you want. Id rather not get a booster for a cold.

 

[E Street Brat]

Back to WFH

Lucky SOB. 

I emailed HR about the dangers of Monkeypox.  I don't think they are buying it. 

 

[DJackson10]

So we had a show store a few weeks ago at work. Show stores are when we get another districts ASD's and interns and some others who come in and help make the store fancy and set us up for that season so this was for summer. Then you get a bunch of big shots that come in that management Kisses ### too. Anyway one of my meat packers she got covid after her supervisor came in thinking he had allergies despite showing numerious covid symptoms. A meet cutter also went out but he's an anti vaxxer, typical its a conspiracy republican who is known to politically bully people at work. He apparently may have had a seizure do to testing positive and now is having right arm issues.

My meet packer is back but the other guy will be out for awhile. I'm on vacation this week and just got a text from a coworker now I go to wear this stupid mask again at work. I'm honestly at the point of just let everyone make their own choices and live with them. You aren't going to get everyone vaccinated as much. as you want. Let people make own choices in terms they hang out with etc. Honestly with my autism I don't know how much of wearing a mask I can handle anyway anymore. 

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

10 teachers out with covid at the elementary school this past week. 

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

Well, my 7yr old just tested positive. 

 

[PinkydaPimp]

Well, my 7yr old just tested positive. 

Hopefully a quick recovery.  My 4 yr old has had two quarantined due to class outbreak in like a month.  Brutal.  Has to stay home 5 days when it occurs each time.  

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

Hopefully a quick recovery.  My 4 yr old has had two quarantined due to class outbreak in like a month.  Brutal.  Has to stay home 5 days when it occurs each time.  

We kept my 5yr old home this week because there were multiple cases in his class.  Oh well. Hopefully none of the worry regarding autoimmune conditions in my house amounts to anything. 
 

Our positive case could be from our trip or from school. Could be either based on timing. My county just went into the red zone on cdc. The school district sent around an email that masks will be recommended but not required….

 

[Ridgeback]

Oof.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/fortune.com/2022/05/08/surviving-pandemic-half-the-battle-long-covid-growing-public-health-crisis-could-affect-a-billion-in-just-a-few-years/amp/

 

[Scoresman]

Oof.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/fortune.com/2022/05/08/surviving-pandemic-half-the-battle-long-covid-growing-public-health-crisis-could-affect-a-billion-in-just-a-few-years/amp/

But. but.. It's just a cold now!