Well, it was a good run but I got Covid this week. Not like I went to any big parties or concerts, I think I got it at the grocery store. I had all the vaccine shots including the second booster but that was 11 months ago and to date there is no new seasonal or third booster. I am not the only one, a friend's wife who worked with the public just got it. I got up with what felt like a head cold and it got worse during the day, just for the heck of it I had a Covid test kit in the house so I did a test and tested positive. I called the state hotline to get Paxlovid, the antiviral that can reduce symptoms if taken early on, but by the time I got the script, the local pharmacies were closed. I got one the next morning and once I took it, it took 24 hours to really think it was having an impact. Everything I have read is that the faster it is taken the better it works. There are some side effects, including a weird taste in the mouth but compared to fever and chills and a headache, worth the dose. Now I have stick with it a couple of days.
Thought I dodged it, Covid
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Sorry to hear that and hope your recovery is swift and uneventful. There has been an uptick in Covid cases recently. The groom, bride, and her parents from the wedding we attended back in MA in June just got covid a week ago. All are feeling better now.
Good to hear that Paxlovid is making a difference. It sure looks like an uptick. One daughter got hit with it yesterday in Ma. and another in Ireland last month. We have dodged it so far. We have a close friend we spend time with who is vaccine allergic and not young so we have been extra cautious. Just recently we began loosening up a bit. Ugh.
It does seem to work, I sure wish I had been able to get a dose earlier. I live in rural area without a lot of options but given the uptick I would suggest figuring out a way to get one ASAP if needed. I met the over 60 and aren't on any prescription meds so it was and easy over the phone script. It was just getting it.
I had ordered a batch of Covid tests while the government was still handing them out by mail. They were a couple of months past the date on the box but I have read that they are still good for several months after.
I had ordered a batch of Covid tests while the government was still handing them out by mail. They were a couple of months past the date on the box but I have read that they are still good for several months after.
EbS-P
Minister of Fire
My dad was convinced that the paxlovid side effects weren’t worth the shortens covid symptoms. As a healthy person I could see that not choosing to take it as a reasonable choice. College students are back on campus. Let the supper spreading begin! I’m not looking forward to the next 4 weeks. Get better soon.
Hope you have a speedy recovery @peakbagger. There is a surge of a new strain, called 'Eris'.
My GF and picked it up a couple weeks back flying home from vacation. This was both our second infection, we both had Omicron 12 mos ago. We shook it off a lot faster this time, probably bc T-cell immunity from infection is better than from the vax. Neither she nor I could obtain pax either time bc we were deemed 'too healthy'.
My ex got Eris a few weeks back, her first infection, and fought it off in 6-7 days with Pax. She had a rebound (no symptoms, but positive test) when she stopped Pax, so theoretically contagious again. A problem for me bc the kids shuttle back and forth between our places, but neither got sick.
One of my close co-workers who has been doing mostly WFH for the last 3 years picked up Eris a few days ago, also while traveling.
Stay hydrated.
My GF and picked it up a couple weeks back flying home from vacation. This was both our second infection, we both had Omicron 12 mos ago. We shook it off a lot faster this time, probably bc T-cell immunity from infection is better than from the vax. Neither she nor I could obtain pax either time bc we were deemed 'too healthy'.
My ex got Eris a few weeks back, her first infection, and fought it off in 6-7 days with Pax. She had a rebound (no symptoms, but positive test) when she stopped Pax, so theoretically contagious again. A problem for me bc the kids shuttle back and forth between our places, but neither got sick.
One of my close co-workers who has been doing mostly WFH for the last 3 years picked up Eris a few days ago, also while traveling.
Stay hydrated.
Definitely feeling much better day by day. I was out stripping bark off a pine log yesterday for a few hours. I have not needed tylenol for a few days and got my sleep schedule back on track. I will finish the Paxlovid doses but can see how some folks cut it short (dumb idea) as the taste it gives in the mouth is noticeable. Given how fast it kicked in and how quick it turned around, I think the Paxlovid definitely was worth it but to each their own.
I am heading out west for a couple of weeks for backpacking and hiking in three weeks and was concerned about flying and getting exposed. My immunity will be in good shape so no longer concerned. I will say, I live alone and generally avoid crowds and really was not in contact with many people prior to coming down with it. This version appears to be real sneaky.
I am heading out west for a couple of weeks for backpacking and hiking in three weeks and was concerned about flying and getting exposed. My immunity will be in good shape so no longer concerned. I will say, I live alone and generally avoid crowds and really was not in contact with many people prior to coming down with it. This version appears to be real sneaky.
Great to hear. I would've taken pax if anyone would've given it to me, but at age 54/55, no dice.
I have been teaching lecture classes since Fall '21, and getting boosted a week before every semester starts (xmas and end of August), and I have gotten covid at the end of summer both times (3 days after vax last year). This is consistent with (sterilizing) immunity lasting 2-3 mos after vax or infection, and me only being susceptible during the summer when I largely WFH.
So you have ~60 days to go to concerts and movies.
Omicron (and Eris) are sneaky. My oldest is very careful and has been masking in public since 2020.... and picked it up last December. Their only exposure was a holiday party where one person came up positive the next day, but no one else at the dinner got infected. My oldest had no contact with that person, was masked except while eating, and was sitting far from them at dinner. ???
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Two trends I've noticed this summer:
1. I know at least three people who, in my own suspicion, had COVID. None got tested, all admitted it probably was COVID, but none quarantined or missed a day of work over it. Of course they probably spread it to others.
2. Nearly everyone I know who got the original two shots and first booster, fell off that bandwagon after the first booster (2021). In casual conversation, I don't seem to come across anyone interested (today) in keeping up, or ever getting another.
I'm sure things vary with locale, this seems to reflect the attitudes of my local community.
1. I know at least three people who, in my own suspicion, had COVID. None got tested, all admitted it probably was COVID, but none quarantined or missed a day of work over it. Of course they probably spread it to others.
2. Nearly everyone I know who got the original two shots and first booster, fell off that bandwagon after the first booster (2021). In casual conversation, I don't seem to come across anyone interested (today) in keeping up, or ever getting another.
I'm sure things vary with locale, this seems to reflect the attitudes of my local community.
My 34 yo nephew got Eris flying home from Germany a couple weeks ago... and fits your description. Only knows he was positive bc his mom made him test while he was staying with her.
Covid is fitting into to same pattern as the other three human coronaviruses, including the the third one that caused a global pandemic in 1890, and has been circulating and mutating since. Now we have four of them, all causing very similar symptoms, and we all get each one of them every 1-3 years.
The key difference and unknown is long covid... which seems to be a thing, and which can happen on first or subsequent infections. Mechanistically, this makes sense bc covid is unique among the 4 with ACE receptor binding function, allowing it to target many different organs, esp in immunocompromised individuals. This ACE feature exists in other viruses, but is not known in any other coronaviruses, so where it came from is a mystery. This is why I circumstantially favor a 'lab-leak' explanation.... it is the first 'gain of function' trait you would try to engineer.
I don't go as far as some of the long-covid scare mongers, who think everyone over 50 will get long-covid or lose 10 IQ points by 2030. But I think it will suck for a lot of people.
I was looking for options for another booster prior to trip as I knew my 2nd booster was 11 months old no more than a week before I got it. I used to travel for living for a few years and got my flu shot every year so I didnt get the flu. Hopefully Covid will just added to the other virus that the annual flu shot is good for.
Ocelot
Burning Hunk
Glad to hear you're recovering well. I've been lucky so far and even when my wife had it over a year ago, I managed to never test positive or get sick. I was of course sleeping in the same bed with her when she had symptoms, but didn't know it was COVID yet. It was a good thing for me since I had half a lung removed a year and a half ago due to cancer. The funny thing is my sister had a similar situation where her husband and a bunch of friends got it, but she didn't and never tested positive either. We're guessing something with heredity helped us. I do have the rarest blood type which is less than 1/2 of 1%
My wife got covid back when Omicron just appeared. It was right after New Years when all the families flew and got together and the disease spiked. She got it in spite of being double-vaxed, always wearing a mask and no public contact except grocery shopping where strict covid protocols were enforced. That week she only went to the library and grocery shopping, wearing a mask at all times. We don't know how she got it, maybe someone had sneezed in that aisle before her. The odd thing is that my son and I never got it even though we were eating meals and sharing rooms together. We still haven't gotten covid.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
One of my favorite YouTube channels to watch with the kids was "Physics Girl". The host, Diana Cowern, has been dealing with a severe case of long COVID that basically shut down this very popular channel starting a little over a year ago now. Her husband and friends have posted some updates to the channel in her absence, and it's frankly a little scary to see what has happened to this young and seemingly-previously healthy woman. If you've seen the channel, you already know what I'm talking about.
YouTuber "Physics Girl" dealing with long COVID as her sister helps from Denver
Dianna Cowern, also known as "Physics Girl" on social media, has been dealing with chronic fatigue and other symptoms. She has a severe case of long COVID. Her sister, who lives in Denver, is doing her part to help.
www.cbsnews.com
Yeah. My sis came up with Asthma symptoms 6 mos ago, at age 60. X-rays show damage to her upper airways consistent with long covid. She is responding well to asthma meds, but might be taking them for a long time.One of my favorite YouTube channels to watch with the kids was "Physics Girl". The host, Diana Cowern, has been dealing with a severe case of long COVID that basically shut down this very popular channel starting a little over a year ago now. Her husband and friends have posted some updates to the channel in her absence, and it's frankly a little scary to see what has happened to this young and seemingly-previously healthy woman. If you've seen the channel, you already know what I'm talking about.
YouTuber "Physics Girl" dealing with long COVID as her sister helps from Denver
Dianna Cowern, also known as "Physics Girl" on social media, has been dealing with chronic fatigue and other symptoms. She has a severe case of long COVID. Her sister, who lives in Denver, is doing her part to help.
The numbers are something that most folks just do not think about
In United States of America, from 3 January 2020 to 6:30pm CEST, 16 August 2023, there have been 103,436,829 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 1,127,152 deaths, reported to WHO. As of 2 June 2023, a total of 668,882,018 vaccine doses have been administered
Far bigger numbers than any recent wars.
In United States of America, from 3 January 2020 to 6:30pm CEST, 16 August 2023, there have been 103,436,829 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 1,127,152 deaths, reported to WHO. As of 2 June 2023, a total of 668,882,018 vaccine doses have been administered
Far bigger numbers than any recent wars.
Indeed. And careful studies show that the death rate in the US (around 0.15%) is very similar to that in most other countries, with a few being a bit lower, and a few being higher. Large differences in reported death rates are difference in reports.
And despite all the hullabaloo about masking and vaxing, we were lucky to have a pandemic virus with such a low death rate. SARS had a rate of 5% (30X higher) and MERS was 35% (200X higher).
SARS was not very transmissible, and while MERS was spreading freely in Seoul hospitals, it was stopped by pervasive masking and social distancing by the panicked population, that had been 'trained' by SARS.
I think that politicization aside, the US population is now 'trained' to respond better when (not if) a much worse virus comes along, but maybe I'm an optimist.
And despite all the hullabaloo about masking and vaxing, we were lucky to have a pandemic virus with such a low death rate. SARS had a rate of 5% (30X higher) and MERS was 35% (200X higher).
SARS was not very transmissible, and while MERS was spreading freely in Seoul hospitals, it was stopped by pervasive masking and social distancing by the panicked population, that had been 'trained' by SARS.
I think that politicization aside, the US population is now 'trained' to respond better when (not if) a much worse virus comes along, but maybe I'm an optimist.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
I think you're an optimist. Half our population was only jaded by recent events pertaining to COVID, and the massive misinformation campaigns resulting from it. While I agree this experience has given us much better tools to deal with something worse, it has also primed half the population to consider it nothing but a hoax... until it's too late.
I'll remain optimistic... and think a few horrifying videos of mass death will convince people quick.
As you pointed out, a lot of the covid pandemic was driven by young people who got the (correct) message early on that they were in little danger. Different virus, different message, and you can see different behavior.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Oh, definitely. Perspective will shift after some period, no doubt. My pessimism was with regard to this reality, there will need to be mass death before that will happen.
If I have any optimism, it is the realization that it will ultimately bring us together in a way we haven't seen since the months following 9/11/2001. The political division happening in this country is not accidental, it is well-crafted by those benefitting from it, but that can be at least temporarily undone by any outside influence that impacts all of us.
A common enemy does yield some benefit. Canadian Bacon, anyone?
Canadian Bacon - Wikipedia
I've had covid 4-5 times, the last few times it was no worse than a cold. Like anything your body builds immunity with more exposure. I would rather get covid than the flu right now as I haven't had the flu in 25 years and I would expect it to hit me much worse than covid.
A follow up, I was felling fine for 4 days and then got up with symptoms. Its called the Paklovid rebound. Its basically the immune response build up after the anitvirals are out of the system. No where near as intense symptoms but if I was working I would call in sick.
Anyone I know who took Paxlovid had rebound symptoms. Hope it's all past for you now.