Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #112

[dmac55]

deleted by me

 

[Inthedetails]

Does Covid change? Is it like flu? With different strains?

Yes.

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is constantly accumulating mutations in its genetic sequence over time. These mutations can result in new variants with different traits. New variants of SARS-CoV-2 are expected to continue to emerge. Some variants will emerge and disappear, while others will emerge and continue to spread and may replace previous variants.

It is important to track the emergence of variants so that those of interest can be further characterized in the lab to determine if they evade immunity and how they spread.

Variants and Genomic Surveillance

CDC uses genomic surveillance to identify and track SARS-CoV-2 variants.

www.cdc.gov

 

[Gemmie]

Does Covid change? Is it like flu? With different strains?

Yes. There are many MANY variants. That is why we've talked in this thread about the latest/newest formula vaccines. We're working through the Greek alphabet. Omicron, Delta, etc., and then spinoffs of those.

I'll see if I can find the tree that I posted a long time ago. It's old, so you'll have to imagine the tree grew exponentially.

 

[Gemmie]

Does Covid change? Is it like flu? With different strains?

Here are 2 of my old posts with the information in tree format.

First one HERE. Second one HERE.

 

[Gemmie]

Does Covid change? Is it like flu? With different strains?

Something else to wrap your head around... And this is OLD data (4.5 yrs old). No clue how many we're up to now, thanks to all those that act like it's over and go out maskless in public. JMO on that!!!!!

Q: How many times has the coronavirus mutated?

We know the coronavirus currently has 12,700 identified mutations, 12 main types of the virus (identified as 19 A, the original type, through 20 J), five strains and almost 4000 variants.

Coronavirus Mutations and Variants: What Does It Mean?

As a leader and partner in public health, we protect, improve and promote the health and well-being of all people through evidence-based practices.

srhd.org

 

[IceIce9]

How much is the COVID vaccine without insurance?​

The vaccine is no longer free for most people without insurance. If you don’t have health coverage and don’t use discounts, you can expect to pay $200 or more for a COVID vaccine. And an administration fee may be added to the cost of your shot. You may be able to save on your COVID vaccine with a GoodRx coupon.

https://www.goodrx.com/conditions/covid-19/how-much-will-the-coronavirus-covid-19-vaccine-cost#cost-without-insurance

When I got my last Covid shot, the receipt from the pharmacy said, “you saved $194 with insurance.“. So I took that to mean if I didn’t have insurance, my Covid shot would have cost me $194.

 

[charminglane]

I had my trifecta of shots this morning - Covid, flu, shingles #2 at CVS. Moderna vaccine.
Feeling good.
Teeth cleaning at 4.
Self care Monday.

 

[Stunned]

Heard the COVID vaccination was available in town (small town), went to get it and my flu shots needed a prescription for my COVID shot. I'm 68 years old and live in NC, can't even begin to tell you how angry I was!

 

[Gemmie]

Heard the COVID vaccination was available in town (small town), went to get it and my flu shots needed a prescription for my COVID shot. I'm 68 years old and live in NC, can't even begin to tell you how angry I was!

I think it's still too early by a couple of weeks. Pharmacies are covering their butts due to all the administration changes, cuts, etc., and waiting for official news of who can get them.

I agree though... you should have been able to get it due to your age alone, with or without the guidelines being nailed down and official.

 

[gremlin444]

Heard the COVID vaccination was available in town (small town), went to get it and my flu shots needed a prescription for my COVID shot. I'm 68 years old and live in NC, can't even begin to tell you how angry I was!

Do you need a prescription to get a COVID-19 vaccine in North Carolina?

CVS Health says it can issue FDA-approved vaccines without a prescription in most U.S. states, but policies vary based on where you live.

www.wcnc.com

According to the North Carolina Board of Pharmacy, pharmacists across the state are currently not authorized to administer the COVID-19 vaccine without a valid prescription.
“In North Carolina, without a prescription, you cannot get a COVID-19 vaccine, no matter what your age is or what your conditions are,” Deese said.
This restriction remains in place until further guidance is issued by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which is scheduled to meet Sept. 18 and 19. ACIP recommendations often guide states in vaccine rollout and policy decisions.

 

[Betty P]

I had my trifecta of shots this morning - Covid, flu, shingles #2 at CVS. Moderna vaccine.
Feeling good.
Teeth cleaning at 4.
Self care Monday.

Almost sounds like my week, but at Walgreens. They give you a discount coupon to use on other purchases if you get your vaccine there.


For the uninsured, GoodRX provides a discount on some COVID 19 vaccines. For the Pfizer one, it’s as low as $80, depending on the pharmacy in your area.

https://www.goodrx.com/covid-19-vaccine

 

[charminglane]

Almost sounds like my week, but at Walgreens. They give you a discount coupon to use on other purchases if you get your vaccine there.


For the uninsured, GoodRX provides a discount on some COVID 19 vaccines. For the Pfizer one, it’s as low as $80, depending on the pharmacy in your area.

https://www.goodrx.com/covid-19-vaccine

Yes, I did receive a $10 off $20 coupon.
And more needles--this redhead required much Novocain at the dentist.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/life/wellness/2025/09/09/how-to-get-coronavirus-vaccine-whos-eligible-amid-limited-access/86056304007/

Getting an updated coronavirus vaccine can be particularly challenging this year.

The Food and Drug Administration approved those shots for people who are 65 and older or have underlying conditions that elevate their risk of severe disease, narrowing the pool of Americans who have easy access to the shots.

Health and Human Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also appointed critics of coronavirus vaccines to a key Centers for Disease Control and Prevention committee that recommends immunization (and may add more). That committee isn’t scheduled to meet to discuss coronavirus vaccines until Sept. 18, and its decision will guide doctors, insurance companies and states in how they ensure Americans have access to the shots...

 

[Gemmie]

I had my trifecta of shots this morning - Covid, flu, shingles #2 at CVS. Moderna vaccine.
Feeling good.
Teeth cleaning at 4.
Self care Monday.

I'm not meaning to sound critical. Rather, I'm hoping this will sound like solid advice for people to consider which is why I'm saying it.

I would time my teeth cleaning to ~2 weeks after getting a Covid shot. Most definitely not the same day. Why? Because we all know its efficacy wains over time. Your last vaccine is working the least it's been on the day you get your next vaccine (every day it's working a little less than the day before).

It takes a couple of weeks for the new vaccine to be at its highest efficacy. Hence me suggesting folks might want to consider that timeline when they make appts like teeth cleaning since you're laying there with your mouth open for about an hour.

It typically takes a few weeks after vaccination for the body to produce T-lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Find links to guidance and information on all topics related to COVID-19, including the COVID-19 vac

www.cdc.gov

vaccines/how-they-work.html

 

[Gemmie]

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/life/wellness/2025/09/09/how-to-get-coronavirus-vaccine-whos-eligible-amid-limited-access/86056304007/

Getting an updated coronavirus vaccine can be particularly challenging this year.

The Food and Drug Administration approved those shots for people who are 65 and older or have underlying conditions that elevate their risk of severe disease, narrowing the pool of Americans who have easy access to the shots.

Health and Human Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also appointed critics of coronavirus vaccines to a key Centers for Disease Control and Prevention committee that recommends immunization (and may add more). That committee isn’t scheduled to meet to discuss coronavirus vaccines until Sept. 18, and its decision will guide doctors, insurance companies and states in how they ensure Americans have access to the shots...

Is it FINALLY official for those 65+ and/or have underlying health conditions??? We've all been waiting not very patiently for a decision to get made so pharmacies can offer them.

 

[charminglane]

I'm not meaning to sound critical. Rather, I'm hoping this will sound like solid advice for people to consider which is why I'm saying it.

I would time my teeth cleaning to ~2 weeks after getting a Covid shot. Most definitely not the same day. Why? Because we all know it's efficacy wains over time. Your last vaccine is working the least it's been on the day you get your next vaccine (every day it's working a little less than the day before).

It takes a couple of weeks for the new vaccine to be at its highest efficacy. Hence me suggesting folks might want to consider that timeline when they make appts like teeth cleaning since you're laying there with your mouth open for about an hour.

It typically takes a few weeks after vaccination for the body to produce T-lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Find links to guidance and information on all topics related to COVID-19, including the COVID-19 vac

www.cdc.gov

vaccines/how-they-work.html

I did not know this, thank you!
Will definitely remember in the future.

 

[Gemmie]

I did not know this, thank you!
Will definitely remember in the future.

You are most welcome, @charminglane! I'm so glad I hadn't offended you as I was looking to help people.

That's what I had done the for my last cleaning. Waited 2 wks after my vaccine because I knew the hygienist was on the same vaccine schedule as me. Imagine my horror as she's bending over my face, telling me all about the fun her and her friends had out in some public place recently, and hadn't had a chance to get her next vaccine. I just cringed inwardly.

 

[Gemmie]

Ugh at this news for Oregon. I can only imagine it's the same for other states as well. This is why I've said a few times that I think it's too soon and people are jumping the gun. Understandably, since we've been able to make these decisions for ourselves in the past and people in this thread want to be safe! GRRRR...

The latest COVID-19 vaccines are only available to Oregonians with a prescription for the time being, but the state’s doctors are hesitant to order the inoculations.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared the updated COVID-19 shots for seniors and younger Americans with certain health conditions — excluding healthy children and young adults — but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory committee has not yet issued recommendations on who should receive them.

Until the committee issues its recommendation, state policy bars pharmacists from giving the shots to anyone without a prescription, even to those for whom the drug is approved.

So go see a doctor, then? It might not be so simple.

Doctors, too, are hesitant to prescribe or administer the new COVID-19 vaccine without the CDC’s official recommendation on the shot.

Oregon doctors hesitate to dispense latest COVID-19 vaccines in vacuum of medical guidance

A lack of federal and state guidance has left doctors worried about potential liability or insurance complications.

www.oregonlive.com

 

[Betty P]

Ugh at this news for Oregon. I can only imagine it's the same for other states as well. This is why I've said a few times that I think it's too soon and people are jumping the gun. Understandably, since we've been able to make these decisions for ourselves in the past and people in this thread want to be safe! GRRRR...

The latest COVID-19 vaccines are only available to Oregonians with a prescription for the time being, but the state’s doctors are hesitant to order the inoculations.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared the updated COVID-19 shots for seniors and younger Americans with certain health conditions — excluding healthy children and young adults — but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory committee has not yet issued recommendations on who should receive them.

Until the committee issues its recommendation, state policy bars pharmacists from giving the shots to anyone without a prescription, even to those for whom the drug is approved.

So go see a doctor, then? It might not be so simple.

Doctors, too, are hesitant to prescribe or administer the new COVID-19 vaccine without the CDC’s official recommendation on the shot.

Oregon doctors hesitate to dispense latest COVID-19 vaccines in vacuum of medical guidance

A lack of federal and state guidance has left doctors worried about potential liability or insurance complications.

www.oregonlive.com

I thought Oregon, Washington and California were going to create their own group to approve use of COVID 19 vaccines? Yes, they are. They will supersede the CDC for now.

California, Oregon, and Washington to launch new West Coast Health Alliance to uphold scientific integrity in public health as Trump destroys CDC’s credibility | Governor of California

www.gov.ca.gov

 

[IceIce9]

Ugh at this news for Oregon. I can only imagine it's the same for other states as well. This is why I've said a few times that I think it's too soon and people are jumping the gun. Understandably, since we've been able to make these decisions for ourselves in the past and people in this thread want to be safe! GRRRR...

The latest COVID-19 vaccines are only available to Oregonians with a prescription for the time being, but the state’s doctors are hesitant to order the inoculations.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared the updated COVID-19 shots for seniors and younger Americans with certain health conditions — excluding healthy children and young adults — but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory committee has not yet issued recommendations on who should receive them.

Until the committee issues its recommendation, state policy bars pharmacists from giving the shots to anyone without a prescription, even to those for whom the drug is approved.

So go see a doctor, then? It might not be so simple.

Doctors, too, are hesitant to prescribe or administer the new COVID-19 vaccine without the CDC’s official recommendation on the shot.

Oregon doctors hesitate to dispense latest COVID-19 vaccines in vacuum of medical guidance

A lack of federal and state guidance has left doctors worried about potential liability or insurance complications.

www.oregonlive.com

I’m training in Kentucky again this week. The inability to get vaccinated is a hot topic here in the Commonwealth.

Governor Andy Beshear was a strong advocate for COVID vaccination and has actively supported routine childhood vaccinations as well as COVID vaccination.

Hopefully this situation will be resolved soon.