Coronavirus in the United States - news and thoughts

Or wear PPE no matter what when dealing with patients because you can still spread it when vaccinated. Again, which offers more protection? PPE? Or the vaccine & no precautions? If the answer is PPE then why fire nurses who are in full PPE in the middle of a health crisis?

Until they have something better than the equivalent of a flu shot firing people over it is ridiculous. Especially vital staff in an already understaffed, overworked field.

I respect that you & some others may not change your opinion, however.

 

PPE or vaccines is a false choice. The answer is both.

The vaccines prevent infection and reduce viral load earlier. Let's not confuse the fact that there are breakthrough infections or that they occur with more frequency than with prior genetic forms of the disease. Because it is not as easy to measure exposures where the vaccinated person does not get sick.

These vaccines are better than the flu shot. Omicron has reduced effectiveness as to breakthroughs, but the breakthroughs are mild.

And, PPE is not perfect.

 

Omicron finally doing us a favor?

Just listened to my favorite virology podcast and the co-host was saying that anecdotally, we are seeing a shift in the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The time from infection to showing symptoms is again reduced over the Delta variant. One small study from Norway has suggested that it is down to 3 days for Omicron vs 4 for Delta. This is a really good trend. Further, some patients are starting to manifest symptoms before their viral loads are high enough to test positive. This is a double edged sword if true.

On one hand if you feel a cold coming on, especially after a known exposure....STAY THE HELL HOME.

On the other hand, if you were exposed and are feeling mild symptoms taking one test may not be definitive. A paradigm shift to taking two rapid tests 48-72 hours apart may be needed.

However, if we are starting to see symptoms before people are infectious, that could be a key step to normalcy. Again, if you feel sick....STAY the HELL home.

 

Hope you were able to get your full 3rd dose or will be getting it in the very near future.

 

I thought this may happen with Delta but omicron is so virulent and somewhat vaccine resistant it may be that it runs through just about anybody and everybody finally getting us to the point of a quasi herd immunity induced endemic state.

 

I'll be going soon. Have to take time off work, be off certain meds for some time prior to taking it, etc.

 

Neither is the vaccine. Ideally someone in patient care should be doing both. Is it fireable? It shouldn't be. People need to stop acting like the vaccine is guaranteed immunity.

Incidentally the CDC has changed guidelines for health care workers who have covid, even if symptomatic, being "allowed" to work especially in critical shortage. How is that a good idea? So fire workers who would be in full PPE & willing to test regularly, but bring in sick workers because there's a shortage. *facepalm*

 

Alt text- This plan may sound appealing to people who know a little about the immune system, but the drawbacks are clear to people who know a lot about the immune system and also to people who don't know anything about it.

 

Omicron is not somewhat vaccine-resistant. Unless you have had the booster recently (within the last 10 weeks) you have virtually zero protection against being infected.

But yes we will see the vast majority of the population with some form of immunity now.

 

Actually, we have no idea. The variant seems to be effective at evading immunity supposedly provoked by the Delta and earlier variants. In fact, genetically, Omicron behaves much more like the beta variant did. Why would we assume that infection from this variant will provide any durable protection against future variants?

People are making an awful lot of assumptions without knowing much of anything in this thread.

 

Most people have had the booster in the last 10 weeks.

Yes it is an assumption, but to date pretty much all variants have provided at least modest protection against protection some some limited time frame, and more significant protection against more severe illness. I'm just think it takes a step closer to endemic status.

 

To the readers eyes of too hot who think the shot is the only answer.

 

She, like some people, cannot take the shot except under certain circumstances. She is immunocompromised from serious medical treatment. The overwhelming majority of us have no such issues.

Then again, my suspicion is that most of the fools who call the vaccines "leaky" and refuse to get vaccinated aren't listening to their doctors.

You can recognize them. They touted hydroxychloroquine. They moved on to a parasite medicine.

They get sick, go to the hospital, and push their doctors to give them parasite drugs. And, argue with the doctors when they refuse.

They think it is better for the virus to spread and to treat it with monocolnal antibodies than to prevent it or prevent serious illness.

They don't explain logistical difficulties of infusing the numbers of people who would need it without the vaccine. They cannot describe what conditions would be like here if we didn't have so many vaccinated.

They get their information from right wing, conspiratorial click bait or ratings chasing TV channels who willingly mislead an audience dumb enough to believe their simplistic and false logic. Which they link and post on social media.

 

No. There are many who have looked at the data and understand that those disease is not dangerous to them and pumping a new drug with no long term data is something that is not beneficial to their health and that taking measures to avoid Covid makes more sense. Does it mean they will not get Covid? No. Just like if you get the vaccine. It does not mean you will not get Covid. Some people prefer a more holistic approach to their health. And there is nothing wrong with that approach.

 

What evidence do you have that shows covid can be proactively deemed "not dangerous"?

Can you name one instance, for any vaccine, in all of vaccine history, where a significant detrimental side effect has been found beyond 18 months?

 

All diseases have different danger profiles. People can make decisions for themselves on how to deal with those profiles.

 

Your 100% fully vaccinated Boston College Eagles are having to shut down sadly.

Sadly these kids were forced to take new drugs and now can’t even play in their bowl game. Yet somehow there will be people here on too hot blaming the unvaccinated. You can’t make it up. But…

Boston College football season ends as Military Bowl vs. East Carolina canceled due to COVID-19 issues - The Boston Globe

 

You answered neither question. You provided no evidence to support lack of danger, as well as no definition of danger.

You continue to repeat a supposed long risk that presumably you can find no comparable example of in the history of vaccines.

 

Not sure what your point is here. Are you saying they should be allowed to play with covid? Are you saying that those "forced" to get a vaccine have suffered some sort of harm?

 

this guy felt the same way. not working out so well

An anti-vax podcaster has reportedly contracted COVID-19 and now is hospitalized on a ventilator (msn.com)

Anti-vax podcaster Doug Kuzma has contracted the coronavirus and is now hooked up to a ventilator at a Virginia hospital, according to attorney Lin Wood and his podcast network.

Wood, who pushed false claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged against former President Donald Trump and who has ties to the QAnon conspiracy theory movement, said in a Telegram message on Friday that Kuzma contracted COVID-19 after attending the right-wing "ReAwaken America" event in Dallas earlier this month.

"Doug has taken a turn for the worse," Wood wrote. "His lungs are not responding to treatment."
Frog News, Kuzma's podcast network, also said in a series of Telegram messages that Kuzma has been "sedated and on a ventilator."

"Doug needs heavy heavy prayers," a Frog News Telegram said, adding that he's unconscious and unable to respond to calls or messages.