Coronavirus prep

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  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    edited November 2021
    SModa61 wrote: »
    Been MIA for a bit. Juggling lots. Anyhow, DH and I are planning on getting our boosters the week after thanksgiving and we are debating what choice to make. The two of us had Pfiser for our initial two. My husband keeps commenting on "how bad" his reaction was, though I don't think it was worse than a 24 hour flu. The question I am posing is, would you suggest the Pfiser booster or switching to the Moderna? Any insights? @summerskier I think I recall you making a post about a month ago about choosing to get boostered with your opposite vaccine.

    Sorry if this is an old topic, but I have not mastered MFP searches. :)

    @SModa61 I can't remember much about my reactions to my first two Pfizer shots. I'm sure I documented them here; too bad the search isn't great. My mom had Moderna and had more of a reaction than I did, but she is almost 84 and I am almost 55. (Her reaction is feeling like she is coming down with a cold.)

    Had my Pfizer booster last month and the next day my period started two weeks early, and pretty much continued til my actual period was due, when I had another one all over again. All this during closing on our house and moving >.< That and a mildly sore arm and perhaps a tiny bit of fatigue was the extent of my reaction.

    My OH had intense fatigue for 8-12 hours with all three Pfizer shots.

    I had my second shingles shot last week and had been dreading that, as I may have had a really bad reaction to the first one. (I say "may" because I was also diagnosed with the tick-borne illness Anaplasmosis two weeks after my shingles shot so I had no idea how much, if any, of my symptoms were from the shot and how much from the tick.)

    This time after the shingles shot my reaction was just a very sore and sometimes itchy arm for 4 days or so, which was a big relief.

    Now I'm ready for my flu shot!

    (I spaced them all out because if I had reactions I wanted to know to what.)
  • SModa61
    SModa61 Posts: 3,096 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    SModa61 wrote: »
    Been MIA for a bit. Juggling lots. Anyhow, DH and I are planning on getting our boosters the week after thanksgiving and we are debating what choice to make. The two of us had Pfiser for our initial two. My husband keeps commenting on "how bad" his reaction was, though I don't think it was worse than a 24 hour flu. The question I am posing is, would you suggest the Pfiser booster or switching to the Moderna? Any insights? @summerskier I think I recall you making a post about a month ago about choosing to get boostered with your opposite vaccine.

    Sorry if this is an old topic, but I have not mastered MFP searches. :)

    @SModa61 I can't remember much about my reactions to my first two Pfizer shots. I'm sure I documented them here; too bad the search isn't great. My mom had Moderna and had more of a reaction than I did, but she is almost 84 and I am almost 55. (Her reaction is feeling like she is coming down with a cold.)

    Had my Pfizer booster last month and the next day my period started two weeks early, and pretty much continued til my actual period was due, when I had another one all over again. All this during closing on our house and moving >.< That and a mildly sore arm and perhaps a tiny bit of fatigue was the extent of my reaction.

    My OH had intense fatigue for 8-12 hours with all three Pfizer shots.

    I had my second shingles shot last week and had been dreading that, as I may have had a really bad reaction to the first one. (I say "may" because I was also diagnosed with the tick-borne illness Anaplasmosis two weeks after my shingles shot so I had no idea how much, if any, of my symptoms were from the shot and how much from the tick.)

    This time after the shingles shot my reaction was just a very sore and sometimes itchy arm for 4 days or so, which was a big relief.

    Now I'm ready for my flu shot!

    (I spaced them all out because if I had reactions I wanted to know to what.)

    @kshama2001 I know I made comments here as well regarding what my and my husbands reactions were like. But in my mind, I think I am remembering them more minimally than they were, while my husband wanted to check off "severe reaction" (not) to previous vaccinations. Funny how time messes with the mind.

    I just turned 60 and completed menopause 10+ years ago, so I have none of the menstrual symptoms to share. But I will say that even without any vaccine, my menses were life altering that last year. I finally went to the doctor to complain. He asked me to try and hold out for a year or so, and it would resolve itself. I never had another period after that appointment......

    Flu shot is done. I think hubby and I are planning on shingles next summer once we get back north again for extended time. Sounds like you and I are sharing similar change of home situations. We signed on a townhouse July 6, before we started prepping to sell our home. Been dealing with both of those ever since and finally our house has new owners as of Nov 4. Meanwhile, we have had significant medical/life drama with my parents (86 and 84), beginning mid-Oct.

    Our boosters are scheduled. We went for the Pfizer. :)

  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
    Maybe someone mentioned this already, but I didn't see it here: there is a new variant identified. It seems there are small numbers so far (10 peoplespread between 3 countries and 2 continents), but seems like something worth watching.
    https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/south-africa-detects-new-covid-19-variant-small-numbers-2021-11-25/
  • BurnTheButter
    BurnTheButter Posts: 4 Member
    Good God people just buy what you need! If everyone just buys what they need we will all be ok!
  • Fuzzipeg
    Fuzzipeg Posts: 2,301 Member
    I've read low zinc levels can be associated with having covid and particularly loosing ones, taste and smell. I'm sorry the posters above have covid when they have tried to avoid this thing. Possibly if you have a multivitamin and mineral skulking at the back of the cupboard or can have someone pick up some zinc for you it may help. Please look into dose suggestions I've no idea what level is considered safe. If your diet is mixed, meat and veg, rather than veg you are more likely to be ok for zinc where as vegetarian's are more likely to be low in zinc, plants do not tend to have zinc content.

    Best wishes hope the worst passes soon for those with it.
  • lokihen
    lokihen Posts: 382 Member
    Here in Italy we are closing the airports to flights from South Africa. The African variant is worrying the experts. It may be able to get around the vaccines. More study is needed.

    The omicron variant seems to be all over the news today.
  • lokihen
    lokihen Posts: 382 Member
    What makes me twitchy is how quickly the WHO has moved to name omicron a variant of concern. Delta was first identified in Oct, 2020. Does anyone remember how long it took for it to be labeled a voc?
  • 33gail33
    33gail33 Posts: 1,155 Member
    kimny72 wrote: »
    While there are lots of scary articles about the south African variant, they are based on very limited data. Most of the pros I follow on social media are saying that while this is concerning, other variants have been concerning and turned out to not be a problem.

    From what I understand, any new variant has to be more transmissible than the current dominant variant, otherwise it can't get a foothold and dies out. So even if this new guy is better at evading vaccines, if it is less transmissible than Delta it won't matter. Also, it "looks" like it "may" be able to evade vaccines, that's not for sure yet.

    The South African scientific community did a fabulous service to the world by identifying and sharing news of this variant so quickly!

    That was yesterday’s news - today’s says that the new variant has taken over 75% of new South American cases in a week and is well on it’s way to being 100% in short order. Unless there’s been a mistake made, it looks super transmissible. And there are four cases in HK in fully vaxxed people. I think the only reason I’m not panicking is that my adrenaline system is so worn out from the past two years that I’m now incapable of panic. The good news, such as it is, is that the vax makers think it would “only” take about three months to get a new vax out tailor made for this variant.

    Like I said, not panicking - just really really tired of this and wanting to hear some good news.

    I haven't seen anything saying it has hit South America that hard. Do you mean South Africa?
  • SummerSkier
    SummerSkier Posts: 5,100 Member
    @spiriteagle99 I hear you. It seems like we are in an endless cycle with this virus. :( I was just looking at some #s. US Pop 333.7M, and identified 49.05M cases. Is that really possible that almost 14.7% of the US pop has had a case? Did I math that right? As far as World total 261.2M cases vs 7,846M Pop seems 3.3% (just using the data from the NYT website)
  • The_Enginerd
    The_Enginerd Posts: 3,982 Member
    kimny72 wrote: »
    The South African Health Minister says the vast majority of hospitalizations are still unvaxxed. There has been very slow uptake of vaccines in SA and surrounding countries. Said there is no data to suggest the new variant evades vaccine protection. That was a worry based on the number and placement of the mutations found in the lab, but so far there is no real world data to back that up.

    (Disclaimer: this is what I read from a doctor who listened to the statement, I didn't listen myself.)

    I was hoping TWIV would have something on it, but today's release did not include discussion of the new variant as far as I can tell. Likely too little info or lead time since WHO just held their emergency meeting yesterday. STAT had a good summary on the known/unknown regarding the new Omicron and what it could mean.

    https://www.statnews.com/2021/11/26/whats-known-and-unknown-about-the-coronavirus-variant-identified-in-south-africa/
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    33gail33 wrote: »
    kimny72 wrote: »
    While there are lots of scary articles about the south African variant, they are based on very limited data. Most of the pros I follow on social media are saying that while this is concerning, other variants have been concerning and turned out to not be a problem.

    From what I understand, any new variant has to be more transmissible than the current dominant variant, otherwise it can't get a foothold and dies out. So even if this new guy is better at evading vaccines, if it is less transmissible than Delta it won't matter. Also, it "looks" like it "may" be able to evade vaccines, that's not for sure yet.

    The South African scientific community did a fabulous service to the world by identifying and sharing news of this variant so quickly!

    That was yesterday’s news - today’s says that the new variant has taken over 75% of new South American cases in a week and is well on it’s way to being 100% in short order. Unless there’s been a mistake made, it looks super transmissible. And there are four cases in HK in fully vaxxed people. I think the only reason I’m not panicking is that my adrenaline system is so worn out from the past two years that I’m now incapable of panic. The good news, such as it is, is that the vax makers think it would “only” take about three months to get a new vax out tailor made for this variant.

    Like I said, not panicking - just really really tired of this and wanting to hear some good news.

    I haven't seen anything saying it has hit South America that hard. Do you mean South Africa?

    Oops, sorry this was a brain fart! Yes, South Africa.
  • ElioraFR
    ElioraFR Posts: 91 Member
    This new variant is called Omicron and has 50 mutations making it unlike the original one that the vaccine was modeled on. Stay safe everyone vaccinated or not it is spreading very fast.
  • Theoldguy1
    Theoldguy1 Posts: 2,493 Member
    @spiriteagle99 I hear you. It seems like we are in an endless cycle with this virus. :( I was just looking at some #s. US Pop 333.7M, and identified 49.05M cases. Is that really possible that almost 14.7% of the US pop has had a case? Did I math that right? As far as World total 261.2M cases vs 7,846M Pop seems 3.3% (just using the data from the NYT website)

    Columbia thinks 1/3 of the US had Covid by the end of 2020. Who know what it is almost a year later.

    https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/public-health-now/news/one-three-americans-already-had-covid-19-end-2020