2019–20 Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19) Thread

[JanMary]

38 minutes ago, barbara said:

Annual flu shots have a 40-60% efficacy rate yet seriously impact the number of flu cases annually. 50% is so much better than nothing at all.  And, as @rockstaryuzu pointed out, your chances of getting very ill, having to be hospitalized or dying are significantly lowered if you have been vaccinated. 

But flu shots are not compulsory right? Actually never in my life have I heard people talking about the urgency of getting flu shots... I think they are of different nature.

 

Yes, 50% is better than nothing. I mean this could make people less motivated to get this vaccine, when they already have doubts on the side effects and the urgency. 

[barbara]

1 hour ago, JanMary said:

But flu shots are not compulsory right? Actually never in my life have I heard people talking about the urgency of getting flu shots... I think they are of different nature.

 

Yes, 50% is better than nothing. I mean this could make people less motivated to get this vaccine, when they already have doubts on the side effects and the urgency. 

31-64K people die of the flu each year in the United States.  I don't know of any school systems that require a flu shot to attend, as the measles, mumps and rubella vaccines are, but there are children who die from the flu every year.  Not a huge number, but still too many.  Getting a flu shot is not mandatory but just good health practice if someone is older or has regular contact with children (who may not die as frequently but still do catch it and pass it in.)  25% off all college students get the flu.  It may not be fatal most of the time, but that misery can be avoided.

[rockstaryuzu]

5 hours ago, JanMary said:

But flu shots are not compulsory right?

For those of us who work in healthcare, like myself, they nearly are. While my workplace can't force me to get the flu shot, they can send me home without pay if there's a flu outbreak in my area and I haven't gotten the flu shot that year. I can't afford to stay home without pay for very long. Therefore, the flu shot may as well be compulsory for me. 

 

The government can't force anyone to get vaccinated,  but they sure can make life miserable for you if you don't do it. In my province,  for example, unvaccinated children aren't allowed to start school until they can either prove they've had their shots, or else come up with a convincing reason why they can't get them. So your choices are 1. Vaccinate 2. Explain your decision not to vaccinate really,  really well, and hope it'll be accepted, and 3. Keep your kids out of school completely.  Some of those childhood diseases are horrifying, but we've forgotten how harmful they once were because we've been vaccinating for so long. If we stop, the diseases will come back. 

 

 

I do understand being hesitant about the vaccine. I was, at first. But even the clinical trials they did were with larger sample groups than normal, so the likelihood that they would uncover any serious or rare side effects before going to market with it  is higher too. If you think about it, that would actually make the vaccine safer 

 

[ralucutzagy]

Tomorrow I will , finally, take my first shot of covid vaccine. The Pfizer one. The next one is on May 12th. I hope everything will go well. Fighting.

[barbara]

1 hour ago, ralucutzagy said:

Tomorrow I will , finally, take my first shot of covid vaccine. The Pfizer one. The next one is on May 12th. I hope everything will go well. Fighting.

That is GREAT news!  And it will go well.  You will be amazed at how much relief you feel.

[liv]

It does feel great to be vaccinated. I've been fully vaccinated since early February, and seeing the variant numbers go up in my province, and the restrictions put into place because of them... just going to the store knowing I'm protected really makes you feel good. Obviously we all still take precautions because nothing is 100%, but just knowing you have your army primed and ready inside... feels a bit like a little superhero lives in there thanks, Pfizer.

 

Edit: And, to emphasize, again, that Covid is more than just some "flu, " a Canadian Olympic champion from 2018, in bobsleigh, has been hospitalized with covid. He's only 30, and obviously, more physically fit than your average Joe.

[rockstaryuzu]

The athlete @liv mentioned

 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/olympic-gold-medalist-alex-kopacz-in-hospital-with-covid-1.6000944

[barbara]

3 hours ago, rockstaryuzu said:

The athlete @liv mentioned

 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/olympic-gold-medalist-alex-kopacz-in-hospital-with-covid-1.6000944

Well, that's scary.

[rockstaryuzu]

Pleased to report that yesterday,  my brother, sister, and brother-in-law all got their first jab of AstraZeneca. That's all the adults in the family half-vaccinated, except for my mother, who remains fearful of half-a-dozen different conspiracy theories surrounding the vaccine. 

 

You win some, you lose some, I guess.

[barbara]

3 minutes ago, rockstaryuzu said:

Pleased to report that yesterday,  my brother, sister, and brother-in-law all got their first jab of AstraZeneca. That's all the adults in the family half-vaccinated, except for my mother, who remains fearful of half-a-dozen different conspiracy theories surrounding the vaccine. 

 

You win some, you lose some, I guess.

Good news.  And your mother (who would be driving me crazy with her conspiracy-fueled objections, as I imagine she is you...) is at least protected by the adults around her not likely to bring the virus to her.

[rockstaryuzu]

Well, she'll come around eventually.  She still wants to travel after this pandemic is over, and I'm 100% certain vaccination will be a requirement for that

[rockstaryuzu]

happy to report that my hospital finally got with the program, took matters into their own hands, and started administering second doses to all us half-vaccinated staff today.

 

Side effects: other than an unexpected reunion in the waiting area with about about half my department who've been mainly working from home and I haven't seen in a year, and me ripping a fingernail in half while trying to get my health card out, I have had exactly NONE. Not even the sore arm I got the first time. I can't believe it. I was all prepared to get sick today but nothing happened.

 

I feel so grateful and relieved, and now I really hope everyone else can get vaccinated very soon too.

[barbara]

5 hours ago, hananistellata said:

I have a quick question for those who know a bit more about COVID.

 

So my older sister has some very very important exams coming up so she receives lessons from a tutor. Let's say that if she gets COVID from her teacher (which I hope won't happen), what are the chances for the rest of the family getting it as well? Obviously we live together so it is guaranteed that the risk will be preeeeety damn high but I've heard multiple stories from people I know irl that had a family member with COVID but managed to avoid getting it. So I guess it's not that high?

 

Also a follow up question- are COVID self tests accurate? Me and my family have been doing those for a while now to meet work/school requirements but can they be trusted in general?

I am not a physician but know some about Covid.  I'm guessing you live someplace where people are not readily getting vaccinated.  If your sister is in close contact with someone who has Covid, she can get it and pass it on to family members easily without even knowing she's sick (and I don't have any experience with at home testing -). The very best thing she can do is to wear masks when at her tutor (and a face shield or glasses) and ask the tutor to wear a mask. If she is that concerned about it, best to wear a mask at home as well.  Also, washing hands and doing her best to stay as far away from other family members as possible is a good idea,  If she knows  she has Covid, she's going to need to isolate completely from anyone else until she is Covid-free,  That's the only way for the family to stay safe (if she gets sick.)

 

[rockstaryuzu]

On 5/29/2021 at 9:31 PM, hananistellata said:

I have a quick question for those who know a bit more about COVID.

 

So my older sister has some very very important exams coming up so she receives lessons from a tutor. Let's say that if she gets COVID from her teacher (which I hope won't happen), what are the chances for the rest of the family getting it as well? Obviously we live together so it is guaranteed that the risk will be preeeeety damn high but I've heard multiple stories from people I know irl that had a family member with COVID but managed to avoid getting it. So I guess it's not that high?

 

Also a follow up question- are COVID self tests accurate? Me and my family have been doing those for a while now to meet work/school requirements but can they be trusted in general?

about COVID self-tests...I've heard that they can give false negatives, which obviously are a lot more dangerous than false positives, because it gives you a fasle sense of security. Also, even if the test is 100% accurate, it's only applicable to the time at which you do the test. You could easily test negative in the morning, pick up the virus from someone in the afternoon, and then have a two or three day period where the virus is in your system but won't necessarily show up on the test. So use with caution, testing not a be-all end-all by any means. 

 

IMO just being cautious by masking and keeping your distance from other people (at least 2m) and practicing scrupulous hand hygiene is still the best defense, at least until we know more about how well vaccination works with this virus. 

 

I'm fully vaccinated and still masking, distancing , and staying home except for work. And will continue to do so until I hear otherwise from a trustworthy health authority. But at least now I'm not afraid of dying if I do catch it. 

 

 

[river]

On 5/29/2021 at 9:31 PM, hananistellata said:

I have a quick question for those who know a bit more about COVID.

 

So my older sister has some very very important exams coming up so she receives lessons from a tutor. Let's say that if she gets COVID from her teacher (which I hope won't happen), what are the chances for the rest of the family getting it as well? Obviously we live together so it is guaranteed that the risk will be preeeeety damn high but I've heard multiple stories from people I know irl that had a family member with COVID but managed to avoid getting it. So I guess it's not that high?

 

Also a follow up question- are COVID self tests accurate? Me and my family have been doing those for a while now to meet work/school requirements but can they be trusted in general?

 

The most recent data I can find on transmission of COVID within the family is around a 4-45% transmission rate depending on which study you look at. Probably the best data is somewhere around 20-30%, compared to around 10-15% if the contact was someone outside the household. Those studies were done before the emergence of the more infectious strains, though, so definitely best to be cautious as the numbers would probably be worse now in an unvaccinated population. Certainly she needs to mask up and try to maintain her distance during lessons unless everyone involved is fully vaccinated. I don't suppose there's any way the tutoring sessions could be done virtually?

 

Anecdotally, my husband got COVID and I didn't. (Thank goodness for JNats happening when it did. I needed the distraction during quarantine.) But then he managed to infect one of his coworkers, so it was definitely just luck on my part.

 

At-home tests... well, it depends on what platform is being used. Probably better than nothing, but there's always the risk of a false negative leaving you with a false sense of security.