Coronavirus

[AWvsCBsteeeerike3]

Sorry to hear ima. Ima post a few links to various videos regarding long haulers.

https://youtu.be/tFXr14xmuGw

https://youtu.be/3CfRw0zYzlg

Good info there.

Sounds like your doc is on top of things. Neither of the videos I posted touch on it, but I think (again, not a doc, not medical advice) it's starting to be understood that covid is a multi-phase disease. The early part is infection and viral replication which is a couple days. Then the body either fights it off or it gets worse. If it gets worse, that can lead to hospitalization. Somewhere around this time (a week or two post infection), a lot of the issues are going to be more associated with immune system dysregulation than the virus itself. The immune dysregulation is likely the cause of most long hauler symptoms hence the steroids which will more/less turn off the immune system. And help fight inflammation that can be experienced.

It's worth noting, not sure what your doc has you on, a large threat post covid is blood clots. NAC is supposed to be good at preventing those. As are a myriad of blood thinners.

As with most things covid, nothing is approved/set in stone, but it sounds like your doctor is aware of the issue, which a lot of docs weren't early on, and has a plan. So, that's good. Hope you get to feeling better, ima.

[mikechamp]

To everyone on the board who has gotten COVID, I hope you all get better soon and/or continue to fight it off.

In the meantime, here's something I found that feels very applicable, and it just so happens to center on Iowa, where some of our members live:

States risk repeating last summer's mistakes in reopening

It only took one day for customers to begin walking into her Des Moines, Iowa, deli without a mask after Gov. Kim Reynolds lifted the state's mask mandate.

Carey Hansen, owner of Manhattan Deli, said it had been weeks since she had to ask customers to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommended mask guidance. But immediately after Reynolds' announcement, compliance dropped. When she asked customers to put a mask on, they told her the governor no longer required them to do so. She countered, telling them that her shop required it, but the only backing she has now is the printed sign on her door, stating masks are required to enter. "It felt really nice to just have it be a universal expectation that masks should be worn. And unfortunately, that's been completely undone this week here in Iowa," Hansen said.

https://www.yahoo.com/gma/states-risk-r ... 00443.html

[IMADreamer]

To everyone on the board who has gotten COVID, I hope you all get better soon and/or continue to fight it off.

In the meantime, here's something I found that feels very applicable, and it just so happens to center on Iowa, where some of our members live:

States risk repeating last summer's mistakes in reopening

It only took one day for customers to begin walking into her Des Moines, Iowa, deli without a mask after Gov. Kim Reynolds lifted the state's mask mandate.

Carey Hansen, owner of Manhattan Deli, said it had been weeks since she had to ask customers to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommended mask guidance. But immediately after Reynolds' announcement, compliance dropped. When she asked customers to put a mask on, they told her the governor no longer required them to do so. She countered, telling them that her shop required it, but the only backing she has now is the printed sign on her door, stating masks are required to enter. "It felt really nice to just have it be a universal expectation that masks should be worn. And unfortunately, that's been completely undone this week here in Iowa," Hansen said.

https://www.yahoo.com/gma/states-risk-r ... 00443.html

It's happened here too. It's like people think it's over. I had to run and get some bolts Sunday morning and I was the only person at the hardware store with a mask on and technically I'm immune for a while since I just had it last month.

[Jocephus]

the university has done a good job of providing tests not only to campus community but the area as a whole, etc. that said, we got an email this morning saying that they've detected the new b.1.1.7 variant from someone on campus so its definitely in western CO now

[Jocephus]

[AWvsCBsteeeerike3]

Pretty big news circulating the interwebs recently that the pfizer vaccine provides a pretty strong degree of protection after even the first dose.

The Covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE generates robust immunity after one dose and can be stored in ordinary freezers instead of at ultracold temperatures, according to new research and data released by the companies.

The findings provide strong arguments in favor of delaying the second dose of the two-shot vaccine, as the U.K. has done. They could also have substantial implications on vaccine policy and distribution around the world, simplifying the logistics of distributing the vaccine.

A single shot of the vaccine is 85% effective in preventing symptomatic disease 15 to 28 days after being administered, according to a peer-reviewed study conducted by the Israeli government-owned Sheba Medical Center and published in the Lancet medical journal. Pfizer and BioNTech recommend that a second dose is administered 21 days after the first.

The finding is a vindication of the approach taken by the U.K. government to delay a second dose by up to 12 weeks so it could use limited supplies to deliver a single dose to more people, and could encourage others to follow suit. Almost one-third of the U.K.’s adult population has now received at least one vaccine shot.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/single-dos ... 1613723218

Too lazy to look up the israeli study and publish the results, I'll take their word for it as it makes sense.

One thing to note that's promising is the UK where the new 'more transmissable' variant of Sars-Cov-2 is now dominant is seeing a precipitous dropoff in daily new cases (with daily deaths coming along as well). I'm not sure if that's due to the vaccine, natural infecitons, or most likely the combination of the two. But, it is encouraging to see given the UK's aggressive policy of getting as many people at least one shot instead of following Pfizer's timeline of the 2nd dose given 3 weeks after the first dose.

I'd be curious to understand why the double dose protocol was put in place to begin with. Sure, the booster makes sense from a theory background, two is better than one if it works, I guess. But, why did they originally think the booster was necessary? If the goal is to introduce the s protein such that the body would recognize it and form an immune response, one would think one dose would be sufficient. But, it's way above my head so who knows. They also could have, perhaps, thought in order to ensure success given the immediate need for the vaccines, it was best to put their most comprehensive protocol in place which would include two doses.

[BottenFieldofDreams]

I'm not hearing a lot of blowback on the vaccine. I theorize that now that [expletive] got real, anti-vaxxers have largely STFU. However, I could totally just be turtled into my bubble on this. Also, my media outlets may not be covering it for fear of perpetuating the sentiment.

[AWvsCBsteeeerike3]

It's funny in a sad way how things have unintended consequences. For the better part of a year now, health officials across the globe, America, and I imagine the states (at least in Arkansas) have been calling for distancing and for people to in particular stay home as possible. Then, bam, a massive winter storm rolls through America causing great damage but also preventing travel and forcing people to stay home. As such, over that time, daily new cases have taken a nose dive.

Some of the precipitous fall off, surely, is people not getting out to be tested. But, also, there will likely be a lull in new cases over the coming weeks as travel, business, and get togethers were nearly impossible as roads became impassable and people were forced to shelter in place.

Hopefully that lull in new cases continues and vaccinations can resume rapidly.

[Jocephus]

yeah, it seemed like after NYE (2 weeks after) we had finished the remaining "big events" that people would likely break/bend rules on. then i forgot about super bowl weekend and now this. i'm sure it'll tick back up but hopefully not too bad.

[Freed Roger]

As far as positive covid case decline - wondering how much less people being tested ay this point factors.