Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #112

[Gemmie]

“'But in one year, one in a half years maximum, it’s [tariff] going to go to 150 percent, and then it’s going to go to 250 percent, because we want pharmaceuticals made in our country,' Trump said. "

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5436846-drug-import-tariffs-trump/

Here is a true story from back in 2013. I had to search my email for key words to find what I was looking for. Note that the pharmacist was NOT blaming Obamacare, he was just stating fact. This is what I fear might be coming down the pike for people. Note that this was maintenance meds for my cat (Prednisolone)

Here's my email to someone:

I had the vet call in a prescription to Costco for Booboo's drugs and they quoted EIGHT HUNDRED DOLLARS!! I was like.... Say what!?!!? I thought they had the wrong drug since I usually can get their meds for less than $5 (when the vet would charge me $65). This time it's cheaper at the vet. $35 where CostCo is selling for $800.

The pharmacist said something about a lot of drugs were doing that due to Obamacare and the ability to "something something" so they got away with it (I didn't recall exactly what he said as I was in shock). He said I could check back every few months and the costs might go back down but no promises.

 

[gremlin444]

Here is a true story from back in 2013. I had to search my email for key words to find what I was looking for. Note that the pharmacist was NOT blaming Obamacare, he was just stating fact. This is what I fear might be coming down the pike for people. Note that this was maintenance meds for my cat (Prednisolone)

Here's my email to someone:

I had the vet call in a prescription to Costco for Booboo's drugs and they quoted EIGHT HUNDRED DOLLARS!! I was like.... Say what!?!!? I thought they had the wrong drug since I usually can get their meds for less than $5 (when the vet would charge me $65). This time it's cheaper at the vet. $35 where CostCo is selling for $800.
The pharmacist said something about a lot of drugs were doing that due to Obamacare and the ability to "something something" so they got away with it (I didn't recall exactly what he said as I was in shock). He said I could check back every few months and the costs might go back down but no promises.

I am terrified of Rx costs going up. Both my son and I have long Covid (and I have other health conditions) and he has OCD and anxiety, so between the two of us there are A LOT of prescriptions. We are lucky in that our insurance is good and pays a good chunk of each. Recently I've been trying to get 90 day refills for any meds that he and I have been on for a while where the dosage isn't likely to change with the desperate hopes of at least having some in reserve at today's prices before things go up--but the problem is, we are still trying to find the right medication dosages/combo for my son so I can't do that with many of them. And it can't be done at all with his ADHD med. If prices go up immensely, I can't imagine that insurance companies will do an equal increase percentage wise in the portion they pay for each Rx.

So then people get to make hard horrible decisions that will certainly end up having negative health impacts on people. Maybe you start cutting a non extended release pill in half to try to make what would be a month's worth last an extra two weeks. Maybe you skip taking one of your meds twice a week. People with multiple prescriptions will start mentally weighing up which medications they could drop that won't kill them, but will "just" end up increasing their pain/blood pressure/anxiety/etc. So then health issues that were under control start to worsen--and in some cases the worsening will be permanent or very hard to reverse even if they start taking the full amount again. Maybe everyone in the family who takes meds will need to do this, or more likely parents will forego taking their meds to save money to make sure their kids get their full proper dosages.

But hey, I'm sure I can just drink some raw cow's milk and that will cure my rheumatoid arthritis that was jumpstarted by long Covid. I'm sure I can continue teaching sign language even though I won't be able to actually bend my fingers or wrists enough to form signs properly.

I also suspect this will domino effect itself into certain medications being being harder to get due to reduced supply/output by drug manufacturers. Anyone who had the fun of calling 10 pharmacies during Covid to find an ADHD med dreads this.

 

[Gemmie]

If they take my covid vaccine away I am NOT going to be happy. I'm of the camp that if you don't want it (whatever "it" may be as "it" varies), then simply do NOT GET "IT". But don't take away other's rights.

I'm already not thrilled that pharmaceuticals weren't able to create a new, UPDATED covid vaccine for what's currently(ish) going around. I don't want "good enough", I want the best. Is that too much to ask for? Apparently it is!!!

 

[mickey2942]

I am terrified of Rx costs going up. Both my son and I have long Covid (and I have other health conditions) and he has OCD and anxiety, so between the two of us there are A LOT of prescriptions. We are lucky in that our insurance is good and pays a good chunk of each. Recently I've been trying to get 90 day refills for any meds that he and I have been on for a while where the dosage isn't likely to change with the desperate hopes of at least having some in reserve at today's prices before things go up--but the problem is, we are still trying to find the right medication dosages/combo for my son so I can't do that with many of them. And it can't be done at all with his ADHD med. If prices go up immensely, I can't imagine that insurance companies will do an equal increase percentage wise in the portion they pay for each Rx.

So then people get to make hard horrible decisions that will certainly end up having negative health impacts on people. Maybe you start cutting a non extended release pill in half to try to make what would be a month's worth last an extra two weeks. Maybe you skip taking one of your meds twice a week. People with multiple prescriptions will start mentally weighing up which medications they could drop that won't kill them, but will "just" end up increasing their pain/blood pressure/anxiety/etc. So then health issues that were under control start to worsen--and in some cases the worsening will be permanent or very hard to reverse even if they start taking the full amount again. Maybe everyone in the family who takes meds will need to do this, or more likely parents will forego taking their meds to save money to make sure their kids get their full proper dosages.

But hey, I'm sure I can just drink some raw cow's milk and that will cure my rheumatoid arthritis that was jumpstarted by long Covid. I'm sure I can continue teaching sign language even though I won't be able to actually bend my fingers or wrists enough to form signs properly.

I also suspect this will domino effect itself into certain medications being being harder to get due to reduced supply/output by drug manufacturers. Anyone who had the fun of calling 10 pharmacies during Covid to find an ADHD med dreads this.

I work now, primarily for the medical insurance and benefits my employer offers. I had long Covid too, not that anyone really acknowledges that it exists. I just don't have the energy, motivation or desire to go back to my former job. Or anything similar.

I guess that I am considered woefully "under employed". But I really don't care. I love being at home and having a simple, rote, "menial' job that really doesn't require a lot of mental energy.

My life has changed substantially due to "Long Covid". I used to go running, spinning, do yoga. Now, it takes concentrated effort to force myself to walk to the mailbox.

 

[Gemmie]

Well, I just had my first negative mask-wearing experience yesterday, that trickled over into my relationship with an appliance salesman who thought I had a problem with him.

I was leaving the appliance store wearing my mask, as per usual when out in public, and just as I was walking out the door a couple was walking in, the woman in the lead. She took one look at me with a face like I was an alien with 2 heads, and he took a look at me and laughed a big belly roar of a laugh. I didn't skip a beat and mimicked his loud laugh as I passed by. I wanted him to know I was messing with him for messing with me.

So just now the appliance salesman, who has done WONDERFUL work helping me, called to find out if we had a problem. His voice scared me because I thought he was going to tell me they sold my fridge to someone else (on clearance, it's the only one left and I want it!! Not another one, but IT). Then he got the words out. Apparently the 2 gals that sit by the front door greeting people heard my huge mocking belly laugh and told the sales guy that they thought I was laughing at our experience, and had he done something to upset me.

Long story short... I thanked him for calling to clear that up as I'd HATE for him to think I had an issue as I'm not done with his help buying 6 appliance for 2 houses.

It was just an unfortunate experience, that bubbled over to affect someone totally innocent in the whole matter. I'm just so glad he called me.

Why can't people mind their own damn business? Seriously. What's wrong with some people?

 

[IceIce9]

Kennedy Cancels Nearly $500 Million in mRNA Vaccine Contracts

That kind of shot was first used during the Covid-19 pandemic, but the health secretary has been sharply critical of the technology.

www.nytimes.com

This may behind a pay wall

Kennedy Jr. is cancelling funding for MRNA vaccine contracts

If he had been in charge at the start of the pandemic in 2020 millions more would have died. Horrifying to even think about.

Is anyone surprised?

It is like the United States is turning into a third world country.

 

[ilovewings]

It is like the United States is turning into a third world country.

Yes it is

 

[Betty P]

It is like the United States is turning into a third world country.

It's insanity. I wonder if I can travel to Canada to get a Covid booster?

I recently had non-invasive surgery for a brain aneurysm. The weeks before and after surgery, I made sure to wear a mask in public places like the grocery, hardware or department stores. Some people were insulted and made remarks (its really none of their business, right?), others who said they were thinking of wearing a mask again and public-facing workers who are still wearing masks.

 

[meanmaryjean]

I mask in airplanes and crowded confined spaces. I was in Vegas last spring, wearing my mask, minding my own business and some drunken ol' boy gets in the elevator with me. Sees my mask and tells me "Ain't nothing to be afraid of - you don't need that mask honey!"
Now what ol' boy doesn't know about me is that I have latent TB (I'm a nurse, it happens) But I figured if he is that ignorant about Covid, surely he doesn't know what latent means when I say latent TB. (It means I cannot spread it- it is literally hiding in my lungs)
So I responded "Well, I mean- I DO have tuberculosis. But if you're OK with that..." as I reach for my mask as if to remove it.
If he could have jumped down the elevator shaft at that moment he would have. Instead he is stuck with me and my supposed cooties allllllll the way to the 32nd floor- where he exits and sprints away.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Ultra-processed foods make up the majority of kids' diet, CDC report finds

The report found the top source was sandwiches, including burgers and PB&Js, followed by baked goods.

www.nbcnews.com

Ultra-processed foods make up the bulk of what kids eat — and adults aren’t far behind, a report published Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds.

About 62% of kids’ and teens’ daily calories came from ultra-processed foods, the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics found, compared with 53% for adults.

The report marks the first time CDC has provided estimates about how much ultra-processed foods make up Americans’ diets.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in May cited ultra-processed foods among his list of top issues that need to be addressed to curb what he says is an epidemic of childhood chronic diseases...

 

[Gemmie]

Amid a slow but steady rise in COVID activity, SARS-CoV-2 wastewater detections last week rose from the low to the moderate level, with the highest levels in the West, followed by the South, where detections in Louisiana are at the very high level, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its latest weekly data updates.

The CDC said wastewater trends and model-based epidemic trends suggest that COVID infections are growing or likely growing in most states.

US COVID activity gains more steam

The CDC projects that COVID infections are growing or likely growing in most states.

www.cidrap.umn.edu

 

[Inthedetails]

Breaking news, Aug 8, 2025.

https://x.com/BNONews
BNO News
@BNONews

BREAKING: Gunman in Atlanta was targeting CDC headquarters because he believed the COVID vaccine made him sick - CNN

Gunman dead in Atlanta shooting near CDC and Emory University; officer killed, police say

Police in Atlanta say the suspect is dead after a shooting near Emory University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters.

www.cbsnews.com

 

[Betty P]

Breaking news, Aug 8, 2025.

https://x.com/BNONews
BNO News
@BNONews

BREAKING: Gunman in Atlanta was targeting CDC headquarters because he believed the COVID vaccine made him sick - CNN

Gunman dead in Atlanta shooting near CDC and Emory University; officer killed, police say

Police in Atlanta say the suspect is dead after a shooting near Emory University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters.

www.cbsnews.com

I hope this doesn’t encourage other anti-vaxxers to think they need to declare war against the rest of us. People still get so touchy if they see you wearing masks in public. Nutty.

 

[IceIce9]

I hope this doesn’t encourage other anti-vaxxers to think they need to declare war against the rest of us. People still get so touchy if they see you wearing masks in public. Nutty.

I was afraid that was what was behind the shooting as soon as I heard it was at the CDC.

 

[Vaderman]

I hope this doesn’t encourage other anti-vaxxers to think they need to declare war against the rest of us. People still get so touchy if they see you wearing masks in public. Nutty.

I just scheduled my appointment to get my COVID vaccine in spite of this gunman.

 

[gremlin444]

COVID significantly increases risk of death from metastatic cancer, new study shows

Viruses like COVID-19 and the flu could awaken dormant cancer cells that have previously spread to the lungs, triggering growth of metastatic disease.

healthimaging.com

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Amid measles surge, Michigan hospital develops 'cutting edge' rapid test

The development comes as the number of U.S. measles cases has increased almost five fold from a year ago.

www.detroitnews.com

Amid spiking rates of measles both in the state and across the country, a Michigan health system has announced a "cutting-edge" in-house testing system that aims to give patients rapid results regarding the highly contagious disease.

UM Health-Sparrow announced that the new test, administered via nasal swab, is the first of its kind in the state. The test must be ordered by a physician, the health system said, and the sample can be collected either inside the hospital or from the patient's vehicle...

 

[Stunned]

My doctor said that he would order a blood test for me to check for titers but didn't think I needed the measles vaccine due to immunity. I had the measles, mumps and german measles as a child, so should have immunity, but will get the blood test to be sure.

I also had the measles, mumps and chicken pox in the early 60s, so does that mean I'm immune to them now?

 

[Teche]

I did not have the MMR vaccine. I was born in the early 1950s and the youngest in my family. My internist said that I could get the MMR. My local Costco pharmacist said that all I needed was an order stating which vaccine I needed.

 

[meanmaryjean]

I also had the measles, mumps and chicken pox in the early 60s, so does that mean I'm immune to them now?

Most likely but let me also say I also had all those diseases in the pre-vaccine 60s as well BUT I have still gotten those vaccines as an adult and you should get a shingles vax if you've had the chicken pox.