@ May COVID Thread

[sillygoosegirl]

I think it finally found us too. DH got the faintest shadow of a positive yesterday, following very mild symptoms starting Monday night. DD is pretty miserably sick, starting Tuesday night, but still testing negative (3 tests so far). I really don't think she or DH has anything other than COVID, but my faith in the sensitivity of these home tests is right up there with my faith in the CDC to give us good guidance and my faith in this Supreme Court to give us good rulings. I was really hoping for a nice bright positive on DD's test this morning, because while we're pretty sure they both have COVID and we've told everyone we might have exposed that they have COVID, I don't want to get to the end of this ordeal and still only be "pretty sure" they had COVID. If they had COVID, I want to 100% know for sure they had COVID and now have the immunity boost from it (as little as I know that's worth now).

I'm isolating from them both because I still really don't want to get it. Also, I'm newly pregnant, so I especially don't want to get it now. I suppose I should swab myself again today too, but... it's just not feeling like a very useful exercise at this point.

They possibly exposed by elderly mother on Sunday, so I'm worried about her too, although she remains well so far.

[melmaria]

May 5, 2022 9:52:46 GMT -5 Velar Fricative said:

May 4, 2022 20:24:20 GMT -5 rubytue said:

I don’t want to start a non-@ thread just to post this, and I suppose some of these people are kids. But I know more people with Covid in the past two weeks than back in December.

For me it's a lot since December, but December/January were so bad around here and so far, cases are nothing like December/January. For starters, I can actually keep my work buildings open. 

But also, symptoms have been relatively mild too overall (hospitalizations/deaths never increased despite increased cases for more than a month now) so it is also possible we aren't capturing a ton of cases, especially with most people testing at home. But even home testing isn't yielding so many more positives. And the testing vans don't have lines for hours even now (although you can't walk anywhere without finding a place distributing free at-home kits, so that's likely why). 

However, I do now know two people who had covid in both January and April. So it is bizarre that if no one seems to have immunity from infection no matter how many doses and how many prior infections they've had that we haven't seen the huge wave we saw a few months ago. 

I think for sure that people aren't doing "official" tests as frequently anymore and are relying on their at home tests. Or people just aren't testing as frequently period.

I mean, I don't even know that I would have been motivated to get an "official" PCR test once I tested positive at home, except for the fact that we have travel coming up in a couple months and I wanted our positive tests "officially" reported so we would fall under the 90-day window to reenter the US without testing.  Which, seeing how quickly people can become reinfected, I'm not even sure is a good policy.  But it is what it is...

[scm1011]

May 5, 2022 12:26:40 GMT -5 melmaria said:

May 5, 2022 12:00:35 GMT -5 scm1011 said:

I'm currently infected for the first time and on day 6. I had a rough weekend (my breathing was scary at some points), but definitely on an upswing relatively (still dealing with exhaustion and headaches). Miraculously, my kids (one unvaxxed) and DH have not caught it (yet?).

I hope everyone stays healthy and doesn't get it, but just sharing out of caution - Covid spread *slowly* through my house.  I tested positive first, then my H 5 days after me, then one kid 2 days after him, the next kid 3 days later...etc.

That aspect of it was pretty annoying - it has taken forever to reach a point where no one in the house still needs to be under quarantine.

Ugh, this is pretty much my nightmare scenario. Did you isolate? I completely isolated for the first 3 days and have had small pockets of masked interaction the last 3 days. Windows in my house are mostly open despite it being still pretty cold up here.

[pixy0stix]

FYI - here is the exact CDC rec regarding a second booster if not immune compromised - www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/booster-shot.html

[melmaria]

May 5, 2022 12:40:28 GMT -5 scm1011 said:

May 5, 2022 12:26:40 GMT -5 melmaria said:

I hope everyone stays healthy and doesn't get it, but just sharing out of caution - Covid spread *slowly* through my house.  I tested positive first, then my H 5 days after me, then one kid 2 days after him, the next kid 3 days later...etc.

That aspect of it was pretty annoying - it has taken forever to reach a point where no one in the house still needs to be under quarantine.

Ugh, this is pretty much my nightmare scenario. Did you isolate? I completely isolated for the first 3 days and have had small pockets of masked interaction the last 3 days. Windows in my house are mostly open despite it being still pretty cold up here.

I did not isolate, but I am nursing right now, so I really couldn't separate from the baby.  I mean, I guess I could have exclusively pumped, but it just didn't seem worth it to me.

I did wear an N95 mask around everyone the second I tested positive, but once my H got it, I gave up.  I have read that you are the most infectious 48 hours before symptoms start (and I didn't test positive until the day after my symptoms began).  Which is what makes all of this so hard.  By the time you've tested positive, it's probably too late in most cases.

[sillygoosegirl]

May 5, 2022 12:30:50 GMT -5 Susie said:

May 5, 2022 12:12:33 GMT -5 seeyalater52 said:

The CDC guidance about eligibility for a second booster includes people living with someone unvaccinated which I’m pretty sure is not intended to cover parents of kids too young to be vaccinated but I’m getting a second booster this afternoon. I’m required to travel for work in June, by plane, and I figure any amount of protection I can get before that is worth it. I haven’t had a chance to ask my own doctor about it but our pediatrician is on board.

I hadn't even thought about a 2nd booster for myself and H under that rationale.  Although as long as DS is in daycare with unmasked teachers who aren't 2nd boosted, and other umasked toddlers who can't be vaxxed yet, the value-add of H & I getting one is probably limited.  If I had travel on the horizon I might feel differently.  His current exposure/quarantine is from a vaxxed and boosted but unmasked teacher who tested positive.

I have gotten to a point in all of this where I don't even really care whether the CDC guidance is intended to cover parents of under-5's.  We've gotten screwed and left behind so many times in all this, that I am ready to take best protection for my family into my own hands.  We are not currently in a position of vaccine scarcity.  

It may be of limited value to your under-5 kid, which sucks, but your unvaccinated kid also represents a heightened risk to you. I have two friends still recovering from "mild" breakthrough cases >6 weeks later, so I'd urge you not to underestimate the value of giving yourself all the protection you can. (Both probably caught it from unvaccinated kids. One definitely from her under-5 grandchild, and the other works in a school.)

ETA: Actually, now that I read the CDC page (see below), I really don't think people are eligible based on an unvaccinated household member. Although still think it would be an excellent idea to get if you were/when you are...

[Velar Fricative]

My goodness, I'm so sorry to everyone with positives tests and family members with positive tests. I hope everyone is on the mend.

[seeyalater52]

May 5, 2022 12:40:30 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

FYI - here is the exact CDC rec regarding a second booster if not immune compromised - www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/booster-shot.html

To clarify for anyone who clicks though, because the top of the linked page doesn’t have as much detail, there are 3 2nd booster related points further down the page. I was referencing #2 “Are you (or is someone you live with) more likely to get very sick?,”which has a subpoint about living with someone unvaccinated.)

I fully recognize that feelings about whether little kids are “likely to get very sick” differ and that criteria was likely not written to purposefully include parents of kids too young to be eligible and I’m not encouraging anyone one way or the other to get a 2nd booster based on that criteria. The way the recommendations are segmented is pretty confusing and unclear and per usual the CDC seems focused on ignoring little kids and their parents so trying to make decisions in this hellscape has that added challenge.

[Velar Fricative]

Also I can't help but think about more variant-specific vaccines in the future. What a crappy calculation people have to make.

[sillygoosegirl]

May 5, 2022 12:40:30 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

FYI - here is the exact CDC rec regarding a second booster if not immune compromised - www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/booster-shot.html

My reading of this is that you are still only "allowed" to get it if you are over 50, immunocompromised, or originally got J&J.

Those other factors look like things to consider in deciding whether to get it now or later if you are eligible. Because they are not going so far as to say that every eligible person *should* get the 2nd booster.

Leave it to the CDC to take something relatively simple and make it clear as mud, eh?

Bummer, because I very much want my next booster now.

[melmaria]

May 5, 2022 12:51:27 GMT -5 seeyalater52 said:

May 5, 2022 12:40:30 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

FYI - here is the exact CDC rec regarding a second booster if not immune compromised - www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/booster-shot.html

To clarify for anyone who clicks though, because the top of the linked page doesn’t have as much detail, there are 3 2nd booster related points further down the page. I was referencing #2 “Are you (or is someone you live with) more likely to get very sick?,”which has a subpoint about living with someone unvaccinated.)

I fully recognize that feelings about whether little kids are “likely to get very sick” differ and that criteria was likely not written to purposefully include parents of kids too young to be eligible and I’m not encouraging anyone one way or the other to get a 2nd booster based on that criteria. The way the recommendations are segmented is pretty confusing and unclear and per usual the CDC seems focused on ignoring little kids and their parents so trying to make decisions in this hellscape has that added challenge.

100% agree with the bolded.  Like, it says:

Are you (or is someone you live with) more likely to get very sick??
Certain factors can make it more likely someone will get very sick from COVID-19. If you are eligible for a second booster (see above), it may be helpful to get a 2nd booster now if you are (or if someone you live with is):

• Moderately or severely immunocompromised
• More likely to get very sick from COVID-19
• More likely to be exposed to COVID-19 through your job, where you live, or other factors (such as frequent travel or large gatherings)
• In an area with medium to high COVID-19 community levels
• Or if someone you live with is unvaccinated
  

But if I follow the directions to "see above" under eligibility, it says I'm not eligible, because I'm not over 50 or immunocompromised myself.  So, are those factors meant to be sub-bullets to that eligibility (meaning that if you are already eligible you should especially get a second booster if these scenarios apply to you), or are those factors meant to be "in addition" to the proscribed eligibility?  I would read it as the former, but it's still very confusing.

Well done, CDC.  /sarcasm

(To be clear, I think people should do what they reasonably want at this point and I don't care if healthy under-50s are getting second boosters.)

[seeyalater52]

May 5, 2022 12:59:08 GMT -5 melmaria said:

May 5, 2022 12:51:27 GMT -5 seeyalater52 said:

To clarify for anyone who clicks though, because the top of the linked page doesn’t have as much detail, there are 3 2nd booster related points further down the page. I was referencing #2 “Are you (or is someone you live with) more likely to get very sick?,”which has a subpoint about living with someone unvaccinated.)

I fully recognize that feelings about whether little kids are “likely to get very sick” differ and that criteria was likely not written to purposefully include parents of kids too young to be eligible and I’m not encouraging anyone one way or the other to get a 2nd booster based on that criteria. The way the recommendations are segmented is pretty confusing and unclear and per usual the CDC seems focused on ignoring little kids and their parents so trying to make decisions in this hellscape has that added challenge.

100% agree with the bolded.  Like, it says:

Are you (or is someone you live with) more likely to get very sick??
Certain factors can make it more likely someone will get very sick from COVID-19. If you are eligible for a second booster (see above), it may be helpful to get a 2nd booster now if you are (or if someone you live with is):

• Moderately or severely immunocompromised
• More likely to get very sick from COVID-19
• More likely to be exposed to COVID-19 through your job, where you live, or other factors (such as frequent travel or large gatherings)
• In an area with medium to high COVID-19 community levels
• Or if someone you live with is unvaccinated
  

But if I follow the directions to "see above" under eligibility, it says I'm not eligible, because I'm not over 50 or immunocompromised myself.  So, are those factors meant to be sub-bullets to that eligibility (meaning that if you are already eligible you should especially get a second booster if these scenarios apply to you), or are those factors meant to be "in addition" to the proscribed eligibility?  I would read it as the former, but it's still very confusing.

Well done, CDC.  /sarcasm

(To be clear, I think people should do what they reasonably want at this point and I don't care if healthy under-50s are getting second boosters.)

That is also a reasonable (potentially more reasonable) interpretation. I’m a little shruggy guy about it but I can see how I’m probably not eligible based on that “see above” language.

Edit: I am at this very moment sitting waiting post-booster shot and the pharmacist didn’t even ask me if I was eligible at all. LOfuckingL the times we live in. Godspeed, everyone.

[scm1011]

May 5, 2022 12:43:22 GMT -5 melmaria said:

May 5, 2022 12:40:28 GMT -5 scm1011 said:

Ugh, this is pretty much my nightmare scenario. Did you isolate? I completely isolated for the first 3 days and have had small pockets of masked interaction the last 3 days. Windows in my house are mostly open despite it being still pretty cold up here.

I did not isolate, but I am nursing right now, so I really couldn't separate from the baby.  I mean, I guess I could have exclusively pumped, but it just didn't seem worth it to me.

I did wear an N95 mask around everyone the second I tested positive, but once my H got it, I gave up.  I have read that you are the most infectious 48 hours before symptoms start (and I didn't test positive until the day after my symptoms began).  Which is what makes all of this so hard.  By the time you've tested positive, it's probably too late in most cases.

I also didn't test positive until the day after my symptoms began (I tested that day and it was negative, next day positive lit up right away). Sorry that that's the way it shook out for your family! Fingers crossed we can pull off the miracle here. I had to cancel my 1st work trip of my new job this week. I have another planned for next week but if DH and the kids test positive I'm not sure how I'll make that one work. 

[melmaria]

May 5, 2022 13:03:47 GMT -5 scm1011 said:

May 5, 2022 12:43:22 GMT -5 melmaria said:

I did not isolate, but I am nursing right now, so I really couldn't separate from the baby.  I mean, I guess I could have exclusively pumped, but it just didn't seem worth it to me.

I did wear an N95 mask around everyone the second I tested positive, but once my H got it, I gave up.  I have read that you are the most infectious 48 hours before symptoms start (and I didn't test positive until the day after my symptoms began).  Which is what makes all of this so hard.  By the time you've tested positive, it's probably too late in most cases.

I also didn't test positive until the day after my symptoms began (I tested that day and it was negative, next day positive lit up right away). Sorry that that's the way it shook out for your family! Fingers crossed we can pull off the miracle here. I had to cancel my 1st work trip of my new job this week. I have another planned for next week but if DH and the kids test positive I'm not sure how I'll make that one work. 

Good luck to you!

[sillygoosegirl]

May 5, 2022 12:57:21 GMT -5 Velar Fricative said:

Also I can't help but think about more variant-specific vaccines in the future. What a crappy calculation people have to make.

I thought about delaying my first booster for this, since I thought they'd come out shortly after I was first eligible. Glad I didn't wait, in hindsight. I really hope that when the variant-specific boosters finally come out, people aren't penalized for already having all their "allowed" boosters. This whole, "you might not be allowed a booster in the fall if you get one now" thing is just bullshit. These people deserve access to one now AND one in the fall! (We all probably do, but especially the over 50s and immunocompromised.)

[frlcb]

May 5, 2022 9:52:46 GMT -5 Velar Fricative said:

May 4, 2022 20:24:20 GMT -5 rubytue said:

I don’t want to start a non-@ thread just to post this, and I suppose some of these people are kids. But I know more people with Covid in the past two weeks than back in December.

For me it's a lot since December, but December/January were so bad around here and so far, cases are nothing like December/January. For starters, I can actually keep my work buildings open. 

But also, symptoms have been relatively mild too overall (hospitalizations/deaths never increased despite increased cases for more than a month now) so it is also possible we aren't capturing a ton of cases, especially with most people testing at home. But even home testing isn't yielding so many more positives. And the testing vans don't have lines for hours even now (although you can't walk anywhere without finding a place distributing free at-home kits, so that's likely why). 

However, I do now know two people who had covid in both January and April. So it is bizarre that if no one seems to have immunity from infection no matter how many doses and how many prior infections they've had that we haven't seen the huge wave we saw a few months ago. 

The January/April thing could be Delta vs Omicron. But honestly who the hell knows anymore.

[Velar Fricative]

May 5, 2022 13:14:44 GMT -5 frlcb said:

May 5, 2022 9:52:46 GMT -5 Velar Fricative said:

For me it's a lot since December, but December/January were so bad around here and so far, cases are nothing like December/January. For starters, I can actually keep my work buildings open. 

But also, symptoms have been relatively mild too overall (hospitalizations/deaths never increased despite increased cases for more than a month now) so it is also possible we aren't capturing a ton of cases, especially with most people testing at home. But even home testing isn't yielding so many more positives. And the testing vans don't have lines for hours even now (although you can't walk anywhere without finding a place distributing free at-home kits, so that's likely why). 

However, I do now know two people who had covid in both January and April. So it is bizarre that if no one seems to have immunity from infection no matter how many doses and how many prior infections they've had that we haven't seen the huge wave we saw a few months ago. 

The January/April thing could be Delta vs Omicron. But honestly who the hell knows anymore.

Definitely possible, though NYC was basically the first large area in the country to get hit with Omicron and we were seeing a surge starting in mid-December. But yeah, I could see two different variants here.

[seeyalater52]

May 5, 2022 13:14:44 GMT -5 frlcb said:

May 5, 2022 9:52:46 GMT -5 Velar Fricative said:

For me it's a lot since December, but December/January were so bad around here and so far, cases are nothing like December/January. For starters, I can actually keep my work buildings open. 

But also, symptoms have been relatively mild too overall (hospitalizations/deaths never increased despite increased cases for more than a month now) so it is also possible we aren't capturing a ton of cases, especially with most people testing at home. But even home testing isn't yielding so many more positives. And the testing vans don't have lines for hours even now (although you can't walk anywhere without finding a place distributing free at-home kits, so that's likely why). 

However, I do now know two people who had covid in both January and April. So it is bizarre that if no one seems to have immunity from infection no matter how many doses and how many prior infections they've had that we haven't seen the huge wave we saw a few months ago. 

The January/April thing could be Delta vs Omicron. But honestly who the hell knows anymore.

Immune escape from prior Omicron infection induced immunity also seems to be high with the Omicron subvariants which is another factor. Being vaccinated helps some but not entirely with that.

[picksthemusic]

My co-troop leader's DD tested positive the other afternoon, just after I'd spent time indoors with my co-troop leader. I'll be testing in a couple of days to make sure I avoided it. Of course my allergies are kicking up and so I'm nervous that I'm confusing symptoms.

My kids have been able to avoid it so far. They're still masking at school (though DS seems to be more relaxed about it), so maybe that's why.

ETA: She just let me know she is now positive. So... Here I go waiting for my positive. Good thing I have access to N95s at work. I've been wearing one since she told me.

[pixy0stix]

This prompted me to message my covid cautious doctor. She does not recommend that I get a second booster, even though I fall into the high risk category.

So... please talk to your doctors about whether or not you should be getting another booster shot and not making vaccine decisions on your own. We can also fall into the same category, re: not trusting the science, when it comes to the vaccines.

[Bad Dingo]

pixy0stix, did she say why she does not recommend it?

[pixy0stix]

May 5, 2022 14:23:34 GMT -5 Bad Dingo said:

pixy0stix , did she say why she does not recommend it?

Just that they are following the CDC guidelines, and I do not fall into any of the categories. She urged me to continue to be cautious, though.

[mskitkat]

I have a work trip this week. The chances I don’t return with covid are basically zero at this point. I’ve accepted it. The good news is that I saw a new doctor today, and she is well versed in treating people with MCAS and POTS. My biggest fear has been covid triggering MCAS in my children and not having a medical professional I could trust. I am feeling so much better about my inevitable oncoming infection now.

[sillygoosegirl]

January->April is ~3 months, I know depending a little on when in each month, but that is totally consistent with the natural immunity being good for about 90 days, as we've been told for a long time now. I know we were all hoping that was an overly cautious estimate... but it doesn't seem *wrong* yet.

[Velar Fricative]

I love that my kid gets tested so often at school that she always forgets to tell me and I find out when BioReference texts me that there is a new result posted to the patient portal, sigh. We just found out MIL tested positive and we saw her on Saturday, so at least I can feel pretty certain the negative PCR I just got for her is accurate. Now to test the rest of us.

[wanderingback]

May 5, 2022 14:32:50 GMT -5 mskitkat said:

I have a work trip this week. The chances I don’t return with covid are basically zero at this point. I’ve accepted it. The good news is that I saw a new doctor today, and she is well versed in treating people with MCAS and POTS. My biggest fear has been covid triggering MCAS in my children and not having a medical professional I could trust. I am feeling so much better about my inevitable oncoming infection now.

May I ask why you are saying you’re going to return with covid? I’m curious why it’s a guarantee.

[tiki]

May 5, 2022 12:00:35 GMT -5 scm1011 said:

I'm currently infected for the first time and on day 6. I had a rough weekend (my breathing was scary at some points), but definitely on an upswing relatively (still dealing with exhaustion and headaches). Miraculously, my kids (one unvaxxed) and DH have not caught it (yet?).

Oh, no!! I hope you're feeling much better soon.  Of course if I can help with anything, holler?

[abs]

May 5, 2022 12:37:45 GMT -5 melmaria said:

May 5, 2022 9:52:46 GMT -5 Velar Fricative said:

For me it's a lot since December, but December/January were so bad around here and so far, cases are nothing like December/January. For starters, I can actually keep my work buildings open. 

But also, symptoms have been relatively mild too overall (hospitalizations/deaths never increased despite increased cases for more than a month now) so it is also possible we aren't capturing a ton of cases, especially with most people testing at home. But even home testing isn't yielding so many more positives. And the testing vans don't have lines for hours even now (although you can't walk anywhere without finding a place distributing free at-home kits, so that's likely why). 

However, I do now know two people who had covid in both January and April. So it is bizarre that if no one seems to have immunity from infection no matter how many doses and how many prior infections they've had that we haven't seen the huge wave we saw a few months ago. 

I think for sure that people aren't doing "official" tests as frequently anymore and are relying on their at home tests. Or people just aren't testing as frequently period.

I mean, I don't even know that I would have been motivated to get an "official" PCR test once I tested positive at home, except for the fact that we have travel coming up in a couple months and I wanted our positive tests "officially" reported so we would fall under the 90-day window to reenter the US without testing.  Which, seeing how quickly people can become reinfected, I'm not even sure is a good policy.  But it is what it is...

Yes. DD so far is the only one that has tested positive but I got a PCR test today because of our travel next month. Just having it official makes it easier for that purpose.

Honestly kind of hope DH and I test positive, too. I just want go get it over with at this point.

I will say DD’s symptoms are now exactly the same as when we suspect she had Covid in late December. We couldn’t test then but Houston was an early Omicron leader, too. If she did indeed have it then well I guess she got 5 month immunity.

[TR]

May 5, 2022 14:32:50 GMT -5 mskitkat said:

I have a work trip this week. The chances I don’t return with covid are basically zero at this point. I’ve accepted it. The good news is that I saw a new doctor today, and she is well versed in treating people with MCAS and POTS. My biggest fear has been covid triggering MCAS in my children and not having a medical professional I could trust. I am feeling so much better about my inevitable oncoming infection now.

This feels hyperbolic. I attended an indoor concert in TEXAS that was JAM PACKED with people and unless H and/or I had completely asymptomatic infections, we didn't get Covid. I understand accepting there's a risk, that's what we did, but it seems odd to assume it's a guarantee.

[pixy0stix]

May 5, 2022 16:39:41 GMT -5 TR said:

May 5, 2022 14:32:50 GMT -5 mskitkat said:

I have a work trip this week. The chances I don’t return with covid are basically zero at this point. I’ve accepted it. The good news is that I saw a new doctor today, and she is well versed in treating people with MCAS and POTS. My biggest fear has been covid triggering MCAS in my children and not having a medical professional I could trust. I am feeling so much better about my inevitable oncoming infection now.

This feels hyperbolic. I attended an indoor concert in TEXAS that was JAM PACKED with people and unless H and/or I had completely asymptomatic infections, we didn't get Covid. I understand accepting there's a risk, that's what we did, but it seems odd to assume it's a guarantee.

I feel like in a thread where someone went and got an unneeded and not recommended vaccine that people are being a bit harsh on her.