October covid thread

[babsbunny]

It's weird observing the different masking rates at airports, hospitals, work, malls, and grocery stores. I'm planning to get my booster Friday after I confirm I didn't get covid from a work trip last week or from my dad who I saw a week ago and tested pos this morning (his sypmtoms started Wednesday). 

Happy October. 

[timorousbeastie]

Oct 1, 2022 13:18:24 GMT -5 babsbunny said:

It's weird observing the different masking rates at airports, hospitals, work, malls, and grocery stores.

The differences in places like hospitals is fascinating to me. My father in Texas had multiple elective surgeries over the summer, and the only difference from pre-COVID times was he had to attest to not having any COVID symptoms. I had surgery in Michigan yesterday; I needed a COVID test done at the hospital 2 days before, masks were required of everyone despite the new CDC mask regulations, social distancing was enforced with spaced out seating in waiting areas. It’s really amazing to me how differently medical institutions act in different areas.

[mrsukyankee]

timorousbeastie , yeah, we seem to have no restrictions in hospitals in England. And that's why people are coming out of hospitals with Covid - people are being put in beds next to people who have Covid (or might not know it) and there is little to no testing done anywhere. It sucks. If I had to go to hospital for a surgery right now, I'd be requesting that they put a mask on me once out of the surgery (as soon as they can) and wear one the whole time I'm in there.

[sparty04]

Oct 1, 2022 13:59:25 GMT -5 timorousbeastie said:

Oct 1, 2022 13:18:24 GMT -5 babsbunny said:

It's weird observing the different masking rates at airports, hospitals, work, malls, and grocery stores.

The differences in places like hospitals is fascinating to me. My father in Texas had multiple elective surgeries over the summer, and the only difference from pre-COVID times was he had to attest to not having any COVID symptoms. I had surgery in Michigan yesterday; I needed a COVID test done at the hospital 2 days before, masks were required of everyone despite the new CDC mask regulations, social distancing was enforced with spaced out seating in waiting areas. It’s really amazing to me how differently medical institutions act in different areas.

This has been so crazy to me too, something I've been observing since winter. One hospital system that I go to won't let you enter with a cloth mask period. They give you a mask unless you have something more protective. The other hospital system isn't enforcing anything in their buildings. Employees are walking around maskless everywhere, every office in the building decides what they want to require I guess. These are two hospitals within probably 20 miles of each other

[audette]

I live in the midwest, and masks are getting quite rare here, even in some medical environments. (ie: my specialist appointment a couple weeks ago, I assumed I needed a mask, and put one on it the car before entering, and only realized after sitting in the waiting room for about 10 minutes that masks were not required.)

But, last weekend, I went to a Penzey's, and was the odd one out - nearly everyone there, staff, customers, etc, were wearing masks.

[pixy0stix]

I had a hard time finding the moderna omicron booster, but find it I did. I have an appt for next Thursday.

[calamity]

I feel like it's a crapshoot here, some medical places require it, some do not.

We need to get our boosters.

[goldengirlz]

It’s been surprisingly hard to find appointments for the new boosters around here — I mean, nothing like April 2021 hard, but you need to schedule at least a week, sometimes two, in advance.

There was also a woman ahead of me at the pharmacy last week who had an appointment but was turned away because they ran out of shots.

(I’m getting mine today! I was Moderna x3 but decided to get Pfizer because it was available sooner. My H said that at this point, it shouldn't matter.)

Separately, they're still pretty strict about covid in hospitals here — and while I don't mind the masks AT ALL, I wish they'd loosen restrictions on support people. Some of the restrictions seem arbitrary and not evidence-based.

[SwimDeep]

We also had trouble finding the Omicron booster. I tried making appointments at our local government testing/vaccine site, but the new boosters weren't available. We ended up at CVS and thankfully didn't have any insurance issues. I'd say our side effects were more mild than previous vaccines too. Sore arms, foggy brains, and fatigue.

As far as masking goes, I'm just ignoring all recommendations and doing what I feel is safest. Which is to mask everywhere inside. Very few in my area are still doing that. Hopefully having a hard time getting the new booster means that my area is well vaccinated at least 😕

[TR]

I guess one silver lining to living in TX is that booster appointments are plentiful.

[mrshandy]

Random anecdote question for the crowd, do you know anyone who has gotten the bivalent booster and gone through the two week period and gotten COVID?

Just curious about the efficacy of this booster since I haven't seen it anywhere.

[shauni27]

Oct 4, 2022 9:31:18 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

I had a hard time finding the moderna omicron booster, but find it I did. I have an appt for next Thursday.

PDQ

I believe this is a nationwide shortage. They told us at our healthcare center that they hope we can get it soon, but it is unknown when that will be. Right now we can only offer Pfizer.

[noodleoo]

Oct 4, 2022 14:02:46 GMT -5 shauni27 said:

Oct 4, 2022 9:31:18 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

I had a hard time finding the moderna omicron booster, but find it I did. I have an appt for next Thursday.

PDQ

Interesting!  I'm glad I got mine early.  I don't think it really matters, but I had pfizer for all 3 of my previous shots, so I wanted to mix it up.  

ETA: deleted quote, sorry reading fail!

[wawa]

Oct 4, 2022 14:02:46 GMT -5 shauni27 said:

Oct 4, 2022 9:31:18 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

I had a hard time finding the moderna omicron booster, but find it I did. I have an appt for next Thursday.

didn't quote!  I mean, I did.  but then I caught myself...

Interesting - we got our boosters yesterday and they asked when we arrived if we had a preference and seemed relieved when I said I didn't (when we scheduled they had both listed on their website). Honestly if it wasn't on my card I'd never be able to tell you what we've even gotten at this point.  We were J&J to start, and then...uh, maybe moderna boosted, and now phizer covalent?  I think?  it's a very mix and match situation up here in my immune system.

[Susie]

Last week I had to fly to DC for work, my first trip since Dec. 2019.  I expected a lot more masking on planes, airports, the metro, etc.  There was almost none.  

I was very glad I already had my flu shot and bivalent booster.  I felt really unnerved being in close proximity to so many people.

[fernweh]

shauni27
Where did you hear about a nationwide shortage? It’s been a couple weeks since I’ve gotten my now but I would have preferred a Pfizer but all I could find local to me was Moderna.

[seeyalater52]

Oct 4, 2022 14:46:56 GMT -5 fernweh said:

shauni27
Where did you hear about a nationwide shortage? It’s been a couple weeks since I’ve gotten my now but I would have preferred a Pfizer but all I could find local to me was Moderna.

It’s been widely reported, the Moderna shortage began a couple of weeks ago and is expected to alleviate soon. Their manufacturing for EUA approved facilities is a lot more limited than Pfizer.

www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-fda-clears-additional-lots-modernas-covid-booster-amid-shortage-2022-09-26/

As it says in the article, the FDA is working on this through a workaround but Moderna is also ramping up their production in the approved plants, especially now that there aren’t any OG adult boosters being manufactured.

[fernweh]

Oct 4, 2022 14:59:23 GMT -5 seeyalater52 said:

Oct 4, 2022 14:46:56 GMT -5 fernweh said:

shauni27
Where did you hear about a nationwide shortage? It’s been a couple weeks since I’ve gotten my now but I would have preferred a Pfizer but all I could find local to me was Moderna.

It’s been widely reported, the Moderna shortage began a couple of weeks ago and is expected to alleviate soon. Their manufacturing for EUA approved facilities is a lot more limited than Pfizer.

www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-fda-clears-additional-lots-modernas-covid-booster-amid-shortage-2022-09-26/

As it says in the article, the FDA is working on this through a workaround but Moderna is also ramping up their production in the approved plants, especially now that there aren’t any OG adult boosters being manufactured.

Thanks, I hadn’t heard this. I must have gotten mine before the shortage hit.

[luckystar2]

Oct 4, 2022 13:27:26 GMT -5 mrshandy said:

Random anecdote question for the crowd, do you know anyone who has gotten the bivalent booster and gone through the two week period and gotten COVID?

Just curious about the efficacy of this booster since I haven't seen it anywhere.

Lurker chiming in

We got our boosters (Pfizer) the first weekend it was available. It had been almost 10 months since first booster for my dh and I. I tested positive for Covid literally 2 weeks to the day that I got the new booster. I had been having super mild symptoms for couple days. Dh tested positive the day before me.

We clearly weren’t quite at the 2 week mark when we must have been exposed. However I don’t expect the boosters to really prevent at this point. Our cases were VERY mild! In comparison to other people I know who had omicron - ours was so mild. We were shocked when dh tested positive. I feel like the booster was definitely helping keep it manageable so I’ll take it.

[BlondeSpiders]

Getting my Covid booster today as well as my yearly flu shot. Right after a dentist appointment.

I didn't realize I hated myself so much today?

J is having surgery next Wednesday and is quarantining himself at home until then (with the exception of these boosters today.) He is so worried about the surgery being cancelled because of Covid. I got it twice, but somehow he missed it.

[StrawberryBlondie]

Oct 4, 2022 13:27:26 GMT -5 mrshandy said:

Random anecdote question for the crowd, do you know anyone who has gotten the bivalent booster and gone through the two week period and gotten COVID?

Just curious about the efficacy of this booster since I haven't seen it anywhere.

I may have. I had a pretty mild cold/allergy situation for about 2 days last week. Negative on rapid, PCR was "inconclusive" but I didn't get a second one so 🤷‍♀️.

FWIW, I felt completely fine except I was pretty sneezy for 2 days.

[rubytue]

This seems like an anachronism to toss in here, but… my phone popped up an exposure notification this morning. And I was like “wow, people are still doing this!” Sure, we all turned it on for our phones 2 years ago, but it takes active engagement to report the positive test.

And them, going through my mental files on “where did I go fri-sat?” The only thing where I was around anybody for 15 minutes was on a community nature hike. Yay outdoors? 🤞 I know outdoors isn’t “safe” anymore, but… better than indoors or something.

[pixy0stix]

And boosted. I got a call this morning saying the appointment I had made was being rescheduled for the following week (so end of Oct.). Cancelled and finally got the CO vaccine website to load properly for me. Same day appts, moderna, basically everything I wanted. Drove up, opened my car door, got poked and I was done.

[babsbunny]

Also boosted today, plus flu shot since they offered it. Booked my appt 14 hrs in advance on walllyworlds website and appt times were wide open. I didn't ask for anything specfic and got pfizer, so this makes 4 pfizers for me. It's been 11 hours. I can feel I'm starting to get warmer.

My parents finally got it, likely from an evening indoor event with 50+ people. They are getting past the hump but could get the rebound. So far they are doing well which is great to hear.


ETA: low fever and chills, couldn't get comfortable to sleep much (maybe those are muscle aches). Temp normal at 20 hour mark. A little tired but feeling like I'm getting better. Arm is very sore but I can reach it over my head way more than the last booster. 

ETA #2: hours 12 to 48 post shot sucked, but now I feel normal. 

[pixy0stix]

I hate that all the boosters kick my ass. I had nausea, fever, and chills within 5 hours. I hope I'm over the worst of it now.

[melmaria]

WaPo: Few Americans get new covid booster shot ahead of projected winter surge www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/10/07/covid-booster-winter-surge/

Federal officials have spent the past year urging Americans to get booster shots to bolster their protection against the coronavirus, which wanes over time. In early September, they rushed out the first new shots — reformulated to target the still-dominant omicron variants — to give people time to get inoculated before a likely cold weather surge, when respiratory infections increase as people head indoors, and recommended that all Americans 12 and older receive a third and fourth dose of vaccine.

But the campaigns have lagged badly. Only about 105 million U.S. adults — roughly 40 percent — have received the third shot of vaccine initially offered a year ago, according to federal data, a far lower rate than countries like the United Kingdom, where more than 70 percent of adults have gotten a third dose. That figure is also well behind the 200 million U.S. adults who completed their primary series of shots.

Early data shows that just over 11 million Americans — or about 4 percent of those eligible — have received the new bivalent booster shots. A third of adults say they eventually plan to get those shots, according to KFF polling.

For public health leaders, the low booster rate is startling in a nation that financed the shots’ development, offers them free and touts them as the best way to protect against a virus that has already claimed more than 1 million lives in this country.

The lagging booster rate is also blamed as a major contributor to the high covid mortality rate last winter and the continuing deaths of more than 400 Americans on average per day linked to the virus, according to The Washington Post’s coronavirus tracker. An analysis by the Commonwealth Fund, an independent research group, forecasts that more than 75,000 lives might be needlessly lost if the fall booster campaign comes up short.

[hermione]

Oct 10, 2022 9:37:01 GMT -5 melmaria said:

WaPo: Few Americans get new covid booster shot ahead of projected winter surge www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/10/07/covid-booster-winter-surge/

Federal officials have spent the past year urging Americans to get booster shots to bolster their protection against the coronavirus, which wanes over time. In early September, they rushed out the first new shots — reformulated to target the still-dominant omicron variants — to give people time to get inoculated before a likely cold weather surge, when respiratory infections increase as people head indoors, and recommended that all Americans 12 and older receive a third and fourth dose of vaccine.

But the campaigns have lagged badly. Only about 105 million U.S. adults — roughly 40 percent — have received the third shot of vaccine initially offered a year ago, according to federal data, a far lower rate than countries like the United Kingdom, where more than 70 percent of adults have gotten a third dose. That figure is also well behind the 200 million U.S. adults who completed their primary series of shots.

Early data shows that just over 11 million Americans — or about 4 percent of those eligible — have received the new bivalent booster shots. A third of adults say they eventually plan to get those shots, according to KFF polling.

For public health leaders, the low booster rate is startling in a nation that financed the shots’ development, offers them free and touts them as the best way to protect against a virus that has already claimed more than 1 million lives in this country.

The lagging booster rate is also blamed as a major contributor to the high covid mortality rate last winter and the continuing deaths of more than 400 Americans on average per day linked to the virus, according to The Washington Post’s coronavirus tracker. An analysis by the Commonwealth Fund, an independent research group, forecasts that more than 75,000 lives might be needlessly lost if the fall booster campaign comes up short.

I am very pro-vaccine. I am waiting until the end of this month to be as protected as possible for the busy holiday season. I know several more people in my circle doing the same. I wonder if there will be a general uptick in the coming weeks.

[melmaria]

Oct 10, 2022 10:03:54 GMT -5 hermione said:

Oct 10, 2022 9:37:01 GMT -5 melmaria said:

WaPo: Few Americans get new covid booster shot ahead of projected winter surge www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/10/07/covid-booster-winter-surge/

I am very pro-vaccine. I am waiting until the end of this month to be as protected as possible for the busy holiday season. I know several more people in my circle doing the same. I wonder if there will be a general uptick in the coming weeks.

I assume there will be an uptick; I mean, the portion of the article that I bolded said that a third of people plan to ultimately get it.  I am getting mine later this month as well.

Still, a third overall is not great.

[Vespasia]

I just got both my flu shot and the bivalent booster at work. I had to go to two different locations in the hospital to get them but luckily neither was very far from my office. They were recruiting for a antibody study so I enrolled in that while I was there. I do clinical research for a living so I figured it's time I participate myself. Plus I got a gift card and candy! Unfortunately their phlebotomist was kind of terrible. I'm hoping he doesn't draw my blood for my follow ups.

I also signed up to potentially do a Lyme vaccine trial in a few weeks. 

[fluffycookie]

Does anyone know what the recommendation is for getting the booster after having covid? I remember in the winter/spring they suggested waiting since you had some immunity from having covid. I plan to get my flu shot asap after I am over covid, but trying to figure out when I should get the booster.