Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #111

[BetteDavisEyes]

Interesting how different people respond to the various vaccines. I had the high dose flu shot and had no symptoms at all, just a sore arm which, of course, is expected.

When I first started seeing my PCP at age 65, she required me to have B12 shots for several months because I was terribly deficient in the nutrient. My mom had to have B12 injections, too, so B12 deficiency must be a family trait. The shots are uncomfortable intramuscular injections that can cause a very sore arm. The nurses who gave me the shots always reminded me to move my arm around for several hours following the shot to keep it from becoming sore. I swung my arm backward, forward, full circles, sidewards up and down every 15-20 minutes for a couple of hours after every shot. It worked! I do this every time I get any type of injection, and it pretty much prevents arm soreness.

 

[cujenn81]

When I first started seeing my PCP at age 65, she required me to have B12 shots for several months because I was terribly deficient in the nutrient. My mom had to have B12 injections, too, so B12 deficiency must be a family trait. The shots are uncomfortable intramuscular injections that can cause a very sore arm. The nurses who gave me the shots always reminded me to move my arm around for several hours following the shot to keep it from becoming sore. I swung my arm backward, forward, full circles, sidewards up and down every 15-20 minutes for a couple of hours after every shot. It worked! I do this every time I get any type of injection, and it pretty much prevents arm soreness.

I’ve always done this too, and it has always worked wonders for me. A nurse taught me this trick when I was a kid. I swing my arm around like I’m throwing a baseball every few minutes for about a half hour.

 

[IceIce9]

I know quite a few people who have had the COVID booster and flu shot at the same time. I just prefer to get vaccinations separately, in case I have a reaction I will know which vaccine caused it.

JMO

 

[Niner]

When I first started seeing my PCP at age 65, she required me to have B12 shots for several months because I was terribly deficient in the nutrient. My mom had to have B12 injections, too, so B12 deficiency must be a family trait. The shots are uncomfortable intramuscular injections that can cause a very sore arm. The nurses who gave me the shots always reminded me to move my arm around for several hours following the shot to keep it from becoming sore. I swung my arm backward, forward, full circles, sidewards up and down every 15-20 minutes for a couple of hours after every shot. It worked! I do this every time I get any type of injection, and it pretty much prevents arm soreness.

NOW you tell me! LOL! Next time I will know. Sore arm is gone now...

 

[Bethan]

I’m in the UK & had Covid & flu vaccinations yesterday.

I would have preferred to have them separately but there’s no guarantee that there would be vaccines available if I delayed one of them!

I felt very unwell overnight with headache, sweats, joint aches & a racing heart. Paracetamol helped. Hopefully over the worst now!
I had a similar reaction to my 1st Covid vaccination, though not as bad.

I reckon my reaction is a sign I’m mounting a strong immune response!

 

[sds71]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1713627295892582546

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

I had forgotten that I ordered our free government-issued Covid tests until they arrived in the mail yesterday. The tests expired July 2023, but checking the website on the enclosed notecard indicates that they are good through January 2024. We still have the most recent freebies, but I tossed the original test kits a while back. We now have 8 test kits that we hope we'll never have to use. All four boxes are BinaxNOW.

DH and I had a good laugh over the Covid test package. I had ordered a banker's style desk lamp over the weekend for the desk in our guest bedroom. I tracked Amazon shipping info and learned that the package was at our local USPS on Monday and would be delivered yesterday afternoon. We knew that a desk lamp wouldn't fit in our mailbox and that the postal carrier would have to bring the package to the porch. DH left to go swimming at 12:45PM as I awaited the delivery. Turns out that the package was actually delivered by UPS at 1:10PM. I brought the box inside and set it in the great room for DH to open and assemble. When he got home, he brought in the mail which had been delivered while he was out. He showed me the package with the Covid test kits and said, "Is this the frickin' lamp you ordered?" LOL!!

 

[Sundog]

Pfizer to price COVID treatment Paxlovid at $1,390 per course

Pfizer on Wednesday said it will set the U.S. price for its COVID-19 antiviral treatment Paxlovid at nearly $1,400 per five-day course when it moves to commercial sales after government stocks run out, more than double what the government currently pays for it.

www.reuters.com

Looks like Paxlovid will remain free for those on medicare and medicaid until the end of 2024 and for uninsured and underinsured until 2028.

 

[Sundog]

COVID Viral Load Peaks Later Now Than Early in Pandemic

Peak on day 4 of symptoms, rather than day 1, has implications for rapid tests, experts say

www.medpagetoday.com

 

[Gemmie]

RSV vaccination appears to be a one time thing. I do not have a sub for the NYT so all I can post is a SS of that Google shows in search results.



To add to that, I just heard from my mother who was in an RSV clinical trial. She had to wait till they were ready to inform all participants which group they fell in. She just sent me an email (so no proof so this will have to be MOO) that she not only received the actual RSV vaccine, but:

 

[Cool Cats]

Imagine we live in a place with a population of 60 people.

Then we learn that 10 people died. And we learn that 50% of them were vaccinated.

The newspaper may read, “Half of those who died from the virus were vaccinated.” But this headline does not tell us whether the vaccine protects people or not.
To be able to say anything, we also need to know about those who did not die: how many people in this population were vaccinated? And how many were not vaccinated?

Now we have all the information we need and can calculate the death rates:

• of 10 unvaccinated people, 5 died → the death rate among the unvaccinated is 50%
• of 50 vaccinated people, 5 died → the death rate among the vaccinated is 10%

We, therefore, see that the death rate among the vaccinated is 5 times lower than among the unvaccinated.

How do death rates from COVID-19 differ between people who are vaccinated and those who are not?

To understand how the pandemic is evolving, it’s crucial to know how death rates from COVID-19 are affected by vaccination status.

ourworldindata.org

 

[Gemmie]

Well, I got my free tests today. The extended expiry is 3.5 months out which really isn't very long. I wish we could get some newly made tests so we'd have more time. They're simply getting rid of old stash. I get it, that stuff has to be used up too, but for someone like me, who rarely leaves the house anymore, and is NEVER around people without my N95 on... my chances of catching it are pretty slim. Hence me wishing I could get some newer tests with dates further out.

Oh well. I suppose I could always buy newer ones at the store (where I could check expiry dates) and always have some on hand without going the free route. I'd always like 1 test on hand because the last thing I want to do if I feel crappy is to go to the store to buy anything! lol

 

[Elley Mae]

Judge tosses NYC COVID vaccine mandate, orders fired city workers’ back pay

“It is time for the City of New York to do what is right and what is just,” Staten Island Supreme Court Justice Ralph Porzio wrote in a decision.

nypost.com

 

[ilovewings]

Getting flu and COVID shot together still reasonable amid safety review of potential stroke risk: Experts

Older adults who received last year’s COVID booster and a high-dose version of the flu vaccine in the same visit may have a potential increased risk of stroke, according to a new FDA-funded study. Experts urged that the results were preliminary and may be explained by other factors such as the...

www.yahoo.com

Now they tell us-- there is the possible potential for older people who get the flu vaccine and covid vaccine together to have an increased risk of a stroke. This is not etched in stone but this issue is being investigated.

Personally, I would not get two vaccines at the same time for the simple reason if I had an adverse reaction I would not know which vaccine caused it. I have never had a flu vaccine anyway and probably won't start getting it now.

 

[Gemmie]

Getting flu and COVID shot together still reasonable amid safety review of potential stroke risk: Experts

Older adults who received last year’s COVID booster and a high-dose version of the flu vaccine in the same visit may have a potential increased risk of stroke, according to a new FDA-funded study. Experts urged that the results were preliminary and may be explained by other factors such as the...

www.yahoo.com

Now they tell us-- there is the possible potential for older people who get the flu vaccine and covid vaccine together to have an increased risk of a stroke. This is not etched in stone but this issue is being investigated.

Personally, I would not get two vaccines at the same time for the simple reason if I had an adverse reaction I would not know which vaccine caused it. I have never had a flu vaccine anyway and probably won't start getting it now.

I like your reason for not getting 2 at the same time.

Even though I may be wrong about this, since an immediate immune response happens when vaccinated, I've wondered if getting 2 vaccines at the same time might either make the immune system work too hard, or perhaps just not as robust since it's spread too thin. I'm definitely not an expert on the matter of vaccines and immune responses, but it just seems like that could be a possibility. Hence me not wanting to double up on vaccines.

And I especially wouldn't want to for the high-dose version on the flu shot as that seems like a double dose in itself. And with a Covid shot added on top of it, it just seems like my immune system could be overworked, or spread too thin, which wouldn't help it build antibodies.

All MOO. (yes, I know, I think too much. lol)

 

[ilovewings]

I like your reason for not getting 2 at the same time.

Even though I may be wrong about this, since an immediate immune response happens when vaccinated, I've wondered if getting 2 vaccines at the same time might either make the immune system work too hard, or perhaps just not as robust since it's spread too thin. I'm definitely not an expert on the matter of vaccines and immune responses, but it just seems like that could be a possibility. Hence me not wanting to double up on vaccines.

And I especially wouldn't want to for the high-dose version on the flu shot as that seems like a double dose in itself. And with a Covid shot added on top of it, it just seems like my immune system could be overworked, or spread too thin, which wouldn't help it build antibodies.

All MOO. (yes, I know, I think too much. lol)

I like your thought process!!!!

 

[Gemmie]

DBM. Wrong thread.

 

[Sundog]

Getting flu and COVID shot together still reasonable amid safety review of potential stroke risk: Experts

Older adults who received last year’s COVID booster and a high-dose version of the flu vaccine in the same visit may have a potential increased risk of stroke, according to a new FDA-funded study. Experts urged that the results were preliminary and may be explained by other factors such as the...

www.yahoo.com

Now they tell us-- there is the possible potential for older people who get the flu vaccine and covid vaccine together to have an increased risk of a stroke. This is not etched in stone but this issue is being investigated.

Personally, I would not get two vaccines at the same time for the simple reason if I had an adverse reaction I would not know which vaccine caused it. I have never had a flu vaccine anyway and probably won't start getting it now.

Article also states:

"Infection from COVID and flu also have been shown to increase risk of stroke as well as a host of other life-threatening outcomes linked to respiratory illnesses like pneumonia, according to Chin-Hong."

So risk of stroke exists if you get the flu or get covid, and if you get the vaccines together - according to this study.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

DH and I got our Covid boosters yesterday at 11:00AM (Rite Aid). We stopped for a few groceries afterwards and had no plans for the rest of the day. It was warm and sunny, so DH went outdoors to do a little yard work. We each had a bowl of soup with Italian bread and basically felt fine until fatigue hit both of us @8:00PM when neither of us could stay awake. Off to bed! DH woke up with a fever at midnight and took Tylenol (I was fast asleep). He took more Tylenol early this morning and still has a low-grade fever. I feel a little achy but that might be from nearly 12 hours in bed We are both happy to have our flu and Covid shots behind us and hope to stay well this winter.

 

[Gemmie]

Scientists have uncovered a possible explanation for one of COVID-19's most vexing legacies: the stubborn neurological symptoms of long COVID, such as brain fog, memory loss and fatigue.

The first clue emerged when researchers scoured the blood of long COVID patients: It was serotonin – specifically, a lack of the neurotransmitter circulating in the body — that grabbed their attention.

[...]

Their findings, published in the journal Cell, point to an intriguing hypothesis that winds its way from the gut up through the vagus nerve and ultimately into the brain.
[...]
Their hunch was that "viral persistence" — a major suspect in long COVID — could underlie the depletion of serotonin. Multiple studies show that well after the initial illness passes, some long COVID patients may have a lingering infection in certain parts of the body, sometimes called a "viral reservoir," which could be driving some of their symptoms.
[...]
"We can make the animals remember perfectly again by just reactivating their vagus nerve or by restoring their serotonin signaling," says Thaiss, referring to a cognitive behavioral test they performed on their mouse models of long COVID.

"Whether the exact same thing is true in individuals with long COVID is something we don't know."

Full (longish) article: https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsa...da&utm_id=61807542&orgid=132&utm_att1=nprnews