Coronavirus prep

1…492493494495497

Replies

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    The new variant is pretty nasty and aggressive. In my department of 8, 5 of us came down with it between May and June...3 of us at the same time at the end of June. My wife also caught it...she was way sicker than I was, but hers was shorter in duration...mine lingered for about 4 weeks. One of the guys who got it in my department was a 100% denier and un-vaxed. He's not a denier anymore. He spent a week and a half bed ridden and thought he was going to have to go to the hospital. He was out of the office for a total of 22 days and lost around 15 Lbs and he was already pretty lanky.

    I'll probably get it just like I get my flu shot every year...I usually do that in October, but I don't know if that's too close to when I actually had it or if I need to get the shot since I already had the virus...I'll check with my Dr. in Oct. It was way worse than my first round of COVID.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,598 Member
    Just learned I may've been exposed to Covid on Saturday. No symptoms, so we'll see.

    I will get the new Covid vac (need to check when my last one was, for timing), RSV, flu - maybe all at once.

    I still need to get around to Shingrix, too, somewhere in there. (I had its predecessor).

    I'm 67 y/o, have early stage COPD (still almost entirely asymptomatic). To me, for me, it seems like a no-brainer to stay up with the recommended vaxes for respiratory stuff.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    SModa61 wrote: »
    I figured with the latest booster/vaccine coming out, I should wake everyone up and see if there is anything to discuss!!

    I got my flu shot.

    Thinking about the new RSV vaccine

    and uncertain as to whether I want a 5th COVID shot.

    That's me. :)

    Thanks for resurrecting!

    I plan to get the new one when it is available to me in the VA, where they are willing to inject me in the glute. During my 6 months course of Lupron injections, I learned that I have no soreness after a shot there, which is nice.

    I'll reconsider that if their turns out to be a long wait at the VA vs CVS.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    I was wondering if COVID boosters were still free in the US, and the answer is "Yes, but not everywhere for the uninsured." (See below.)

    https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-covid-vaccine-boosters-fda-price-variants/

    UPDATED ON: SEPTEMBER 12, 2023

    Updated COVID-19 vaccine and booster shots are expected to be available nationwide as soon as Wednesday, after a panel of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's outside vaccine advisers voted by a wide majority to back new shots retargeted for newer variants ahead of the fall virus season.

    The CDC panel's vote comes after the FDA approved and authorized the new shots from Moderna and Pfizer on Monday, amid an increase in COVID hospitalizations and concern about the spread of several new variants.

    "CDC is now recommending updated COVID-19 vaccination for everyone 6 months and older to better protect you and your loved ones," CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen said in a release after signing off on the panel's recommendations.

    ...Are COVID boosters still free?

    For Americans with insurance, COVID-19 vaccines will remain free through in-network providers, similar to the annual flu shot.

    Under a law passed early in the pandemic, private insurers have been required to cover COVID-19 vaccines "immediately upon the vaccine becoming authorized or approved" by the FDA. This is different than other vaccines, which insurers typically have several months to implement coverage for.

    For Medicare, seniors will continue to pay nothing for their COVID-19 vaccinations from any providers that accept Medicare assignment, a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services spokesperson said. Medicare Advantage beneficiaries also will also not have to pay anything, as long as they get their shots from an in-network provider.

    For uninsured Americans, the Biden administration aims to offer shots for free through its "Bridge Access Program"* at health centers, local health departments and pharmacies.

    The first shots are expected to be available at these sites by the end of the week, officials said.

    * CDC’s Bridge Access Program

    ...Local Health Centers
    • Federally qualified health centers will partner with state and local immunization programs to provide free vaccines to uninsured and underinsured adults
    • Health Resources & Services Administration will provide funding to Federally Qualified Health Centers to support services that will help ensure equitable access

    Pharmacies
    • A retail pharmacy component of the Bridge Access Program is intended to provide free COVID-19 vaccines to uninsured adults and adults whose insurance does not cover all COVID-19 vaccine costs
    • CDC intends to negotiate modifications to CDC’s existing Increasing Community Access to Testing (ICATT) contracts with CVS, Walgreens, and eTrueNorth in order to provide pharmacy-based vaccination services to uninsured adults in low access areas and areas of low vaccination coverage
  • SummerSkier
    SummerSkier Posts: 5,186 Member
    Oh thanks for resurrecting this thread. I have a maths problem.🤔😳 I have been following the world Covid stats for the US and it includes a weekly tab. I can see that Covid is on the rise from manually recording the #s for a few weeks but what confuses me is how the weekly # stats ALWAYS show that % of rolling weekly infections and death rate percentages are dropping. Is it averaging averages or something like that. 🙃

    I think the #s may be understated as it is not always reported if someone is not hospitalized right? Anyway my Dr did say with school having started he was getting quite a few patients calling in with Covid now. Hopefully it’s just low level and people will remember some of the things we learned the past 3 years. Or not.
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
    Just got back from summer at the beach (I do get to the beach, but it's mainly a working vacation, with my son's family there--lots of cooking, and gardening. At least we're airconditioned now), so am checking in. COVID numbers are on the rise in Italy and we are a worldwide vacation spot in Rome, so there's no chance of avoiding anything. We will ask our doctor, my BIL, what to do and when.
  • Gisel2015
    Gisel2015 Posts: 4,189 Member
    My husband and I got in July the 6th Covid shot in preparation for a six-weeks vacation in September and October. That trip was canceled because we were going to Maui...
    I am getting the flu shot at the end of this month and a couple of weeks later the new Covid vaccine. The RSV vaccine will be probably be scheduled at the end of October or November. We live in California, so cold weather doesn't arrive until January. We are still at 104F during the day. It's crazy!
    My husband follows more or less the same schedule. We are both too old to risk catching any of those nasty viruses even if we don't have major health issues at the present time.
  • RetiredAndLovingIt
    RetiredAndLovingIt Posts: 1,395 Member
    We have had the original Covid shots, 4 total, and the bivalent booster that was out a year ago. Will probably get the new booster when available since both over 70 & I have asthma. Sometimes I wonder if they are worth it, I had Covid in Jan '22 and again in March '23. Neither case that bad, but did get Paxlovid in March. Dh also had it in June '22 after going to Sweden. Wouldn't say his was a bad case either, he just had a terrible sore throat for about 4 days, and also got Paxlovid. Almost everyone in our family, 5 adults & 1 "ex" (lol), and 2 out of 4 grandkids. I really believe only 1 of the grandkids has been Covid free (think the other must have had a light case, due to being in a lot of sports, I don't think he escaped.) The one that I am pretty sure has not had it has never given up wearing a mask.

    Re: the RSV shot. Is this something they are giving and recommending? I didn't think to ask the Dr about that when I had my wellness check. I'm not sure I really know what RSV is other than respiratory virus.
  • RetiredAndLovingIt
    RetiredAndLovingIt Posts: 1,395 Member
    I also read that they say you should get the shots in the same arm as last time, but I don't remember which one I used. :D
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,598 Member
    RetiredAndLovingIt wrote: »
    \
    (snip)

    Re: the RSV shot. Is this something they are giving and recommending? I didn't think to ask the Dr about that when I had my wellness check. I'm not sure I really know what RSV is other than respiratory virus.

    Seems to be recommended in the US for people 60+, especially if immunocompromised or at high risk if they get a respiratory infection. There's also some implications for pregnant women (who can pass some immunity to the fetus), but I'm not sure of details of the recommendations for that group. There's also a monoclonal antibody for very young children.

    So far, my understanding is that if someone's not in one of those groups, RSV vax is not recommended (because not very necessarily given serious risk levels from getting the disease).
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,598 Member
    RetiredAndLovingIt wrote: »
    I also read that they say you should get the shots in the same arm as last time, but I don't remember which one I used. :D

    I guess I should feel lucky (!?) that as someone who's had most of the lymph nodes removed under one arm (breast cancer surgery), only the other arm is ever to be used for injections, blood draws, IVs, etc. That makes it easy to remember which arm. :D
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    edited September 2023
    RetiredAndLovingIt wrote: »
    I also read that they say you should get the shots in the same arm as last time, but I don't remember which one I used. :D

    I sleep on my left arm. After getting the first shot in my left arm, and it was very sore, I switched arms. That was easy for me to remember. However, lately I've been getting shots in my glute, because no soreness. I have to get this done at my doctor's - the person at CVS would not do this.

    However, now I'm rethinking this.

    https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/covid-shots-same-arm-may-elicit-better-immune-response

    "...Our study indicates that ipsilateral vaccinations generate a stronger immune response than contralateral vaccinations," said researcher Laura Ziegler in a Saarland University press release.

    More research needs to be done to confirm these findings, the authors said, but they suggest the effect might be due booster vaccination drainage by the same lymph nodes used for priming.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,302 Member
    Hmm, I would be dubious about this making much, if any, real life difference.
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
    SModa61 wrote: »
    @cwolfman13 I appreciate you sharing your personal experience. To date, I have had 4 shots plus one confirmed case of COVID, so obviously I have been willing, and, at one time, eager for the vaccination. But to be honest, I think I have spent more days sick from the four shots, than I have the one case of COVID. Your description/experience though is certainly giving me pause.

    @AnnPT77 Did the two shingles last year, so between booster 1 (shot 3), 2 shingles, the flu, and booster 2 (shot 4), I was feeling like a pin cushion. I don’t remember any issues with the shingles despite being warned I would have problems – but I do remember some advice that shot 2 is worse than shot 1, yet I don’t remember any problem.

    @kshama2001 I guess I don’t get to complain about number of shots…….. I hope you are doing well!!

    @summerskier Your speaking British!! (Maths) :) I’m going to let the smarter folk field your question.

    Flu shot – I have literally no pain or side effects. If it were not for the bandaid left on me, I would have no idea one was done.

    Injection arm for COVID vaccine. I mentioned to DH how IF I get the next booster I am changing arms as I have been having left breast pain after each of the vaccinations. He said you can’t/shouldn’t change arms. I thought he was joking. Would you believe it, there are studies saying to use the same arm for greater immune response. Despite that, if I get the shot I am changing arms as I would like to sort out this breast issue (have had two mammograms since this issue and even one at a diagnostic level. Both claim no concerns) Note: when I was 32 I had shingles that only involved my left breast. My theory is that somehow the vaccine is aggravating those damaged nerves.

    DH and I are heading to Scotland and Amsterdam in less than two weeks and a shot will not happen before that, so we may learn the hard way about the new variant. It feels like half of the people traveling lately are getting COVID. Sister is encouraging us to get Paxlovid to take with us overseas. I am also packing/bringing some of my collection of test kits.

    Parents are still in their assisted living. Late August, 21 out of 75 assisted living residents, 4 aids, 1 nurse, and 1 memory care resident came down with COVID. Building went on the mid-level lock down for 10 days. DH was not happy about my visits into the facility during the lockdown. I used a lot of hand sanitizer, and wore the mask that IMO more helps me to keep my hands away from my face.

    I am now a grandmother X 2. Littlest is three weeks as of today. If anything gets me to take extra vaccinations, it will likely be to protect the vulnerable ie parents, and new grandson.

    Yes, people traveling should know---COVID is rampant. I had old friends contact me because they were on a trip to Italy and wanted to get together on Sunday in Rome. I just got an email that they've got COVID and are in quarantine in a hotel in Sorrento. Not bad for a place to be stuck in, with a view of the sea.
  • SuzySunshine99
    SuzySunshine99 Posts: 2,989 Member
    My husband just got the RSV, since he is 60+ and has heart issues. He'll get the COVID one as soon as it's available.

    My workplace always offers flu shots in October...I'm wondering if they'll also offer the covid at the same time. I've read some conflicting reports about whether or not it's a good idea to get both on the same day. It won't hurt you, but might make both less effective? I don't know...I might space them out by a week to be safe.
  • gesundundmunter
    gesundundmunter Posts: 227 Member
    SuzySunshine99 wrote: »
    My husband just got the RSV, since he is 60+ and has heart issues. He'll get the COVID one as soon as it's available.

    My workplace always offers flu shots in October...I'm wondering if they'll also offer the covid at the same time. I've read some conflicting reports about whether or not it's a good idea to get both on the same day. It won't hurt you, but might make both less effective? I don't know...I might space them out by a week to be safe.

    In the fall of 2021, Albertsons routinely offered flu and Covid vaccines on my campus. Just used different arms for the shots in case of side effects, only brief soreness. I didn't get Covid till September 2022.
  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 2,247 Member
    Nony_Mouse wrote: »
    cmriverside wrote: »
    But...


    Okay. I don't have TV and I don't look at the news.

    Ya'll - WHY are people stripping grocery shelves? Are we being locked into our houses? Do they think it is going to blow over in a week? Are all the food supply chains being shut down by the government? I don't understand...you guys are kind of freaking me out but I don't really know why.

    giphy.gif

    Looking at the news (credible) during what is likely the start of a pandemic is probably a good idea. No need to panic, but being informed, and being prepared, is a sensible thing to do. Then you won't have to panic when you realise everyone around you is sick and you can't buy food because all the stores are closed (because all the staff are sick) :)
    What do you consider "credible" news?

  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
    tomcustombuilder wrote: »
    Nony_Mouse wrote: »
    cmriverside wrote: »
    But...


    Okay. I don't have TV and I don't look at the news.

    Ya'll - WHY are people stripping grocery shelves? Are we being locked into our houses? Do they think it is going to blow over in a week? Are all the food supply chains being shut down by the government? I don't understand...you guys are kind of freaking me out but I don't really know why.

    giphy.gif

    Looking at the news (credible) during what is likely the start of a pandemic is probably a good idea. No need to panic, but being informed, and being prepared, is a sensible thing to do. Then you won't have to panic when you realise everyone around you is sick and you can't buy food because all the stores are closed (because all the staff are sick) :)
    What do you consider "credible" news?

    Nony hasn't been around since 2021. She won't see this.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    tomcustombuilder wrote: »
    Nony_Mouse wrote: »
    cmriverside wrote: »
    But...


    Okay. I don't have TV and I don't look at the news.

    Ya'll - WHY are people stripping grocery shelves? Are we being locked into our houses? Do they think it is going to blow over in a week? Are all the food supply chains being shut down by the government? I don't understand...you guys are kind of freaking me out but I don't really know why.

    giphy.gif

    Looking at the news (credible) during what is likely the start of a pandemic is probably a good idea. No need to panic, but being informed, and being prepared, is a sensible thing to do. Then you won't have to panic when you realise everyone around you is sick and you can't buy food because all the stores are closed (because all the staff are sick) :)
    What do you consider "credible" news?

    I'm not Nony, but I prefer to get my news from NPR. At the start of the pandemic, they had many epidemiologists on.
  • Fuzzipeg
    Fuzzipeg Posts: 2,301 Member
    Wherever Nony is, I very much hope they are well.
  • Gisel2015
    Gisel2015 Posts: 4,189 Member
    When to get the new Covid-19 vaccine to maximize your protection
    https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/14/health/new-covid-vaccine-timing-wellness/index.html
    “Your exposure to the virus does not depend on when you schedule your vaccine,” said Dr. Tochi Iroku-Malize, a family physician in New York and president of the American Academy of Family Physicians. “The virus is not waiting for you to go get your vaccine. So get the vaccine now, as soon as you’re able.”
  • PeachHibiscus
    PeachHibiscus Posts: 163 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    I don't understand why people don't do simple things.

    Regarding flu shots, that was me for a lot of years. I felt sick after receiving it one time so for years afterwards I didn't get them. My so-called justification was "well, I've never had the flu." My husband had never had the flu either but he consistently got his every year. Then something like 8 years ago, we both got influenza A. He had very mild symptoms but I was significantly sicker and missed a week of work. I've gotten the flu shot every year since.
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,748 Member
    I haven't had the flu for the past 30 years. I've only had it twice in my life. I am generally very healthy. Usually I don't bother with flu shots. So far I've missed Covid. I got the Covid shots because my husband is high risk and I have gotten flu shots a couple of times for the same reason. I tried last year but my doctor got distracted and forgot to give it to me. My husband's doctor insisted on the annual flu and pneumonia vaccines but hasn't pushed him to get the Covid booster after the first one. My husband is a skeptic and keeps saying he won't have any more Covid shots but I'm hoping to wear him down before his next doctor's appointment. He trusts his doctor and I think that if the GP says it is worth getting he will. When the boosters were only effective for about 2 months, there didn't seem to be much point. With a new strain, maybe.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,097 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    RetiredAndLovingIt wrote: »
    I also read that they say you should get the shots in the same arm as last time, but I don't remember which one I used. :D

    I sleep on my left arm. After getting the first shot in my left arm, and it was very sore, I switched arms. That was easy for me to remember. However, lately I've been getting shots in my glute, because no soreness. I have to get this done at my doctor's - the person at CVS would not do this.

    However, now I'm rethinking this.

    https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/covid-shots-same-arm-may-elicit-better-immune-response

    "...Our study indicates that ipsilateral vaccinations generate a stronger immune response than contralateral vaccinations," said researcher Laura Ziegler in a Saarland University press release.

    More research needs to be done to confirm these findings, the authors said, but they suggest the effect might be due booster vaccination drainage by the same lymph nodes used for priming.

    That's interesting, but if I had a reason for wanting to change arms, I don't think I'd be overly swayed by a single study that only measured immune cells two weeks out. Also, I'd want some data on whether the lower number found with using opposite arms was insufficient -- no point in trying to boost the immune response if the lower number is completely sufficient to do the job.
  • SModa61
    SModa61 Posts: 3,113 Member
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    RetiredAndLovingIt wrote: »
    I also read that they say you should get the shots in the same arm as last time, but I don't remember which one I used. :D

    I sleep on my left arm. After getting the first shot in my left arm, and it was very sore, I switched arms. That was easy for me to remember. However, lately I've been getting shots in my glute, because no soreness. I have to get this done at my doctor's - the person at CVS would not do this.

    However, now I'm rethinking this.

    https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/covid-shots-same-arm-may-elicit-better-immune-response

    "...Our study indicates that ipsilateral vaccinations generate a stronger immune response than contralateral vaccinations," said researcher Laura Ziegler in a Saarland University press release.

    More research needs to be done to confirm these findings, the authors said, but they suggest the effect might be due booster vaccination drainage by the same lymph nodes used for priming.

    That's interesting, but if I had a reason for wanting to change arms, I don't think I'd be overly swayed by a single study that only measured immune cells two weeks out. Also, I'd want some data on whether the lower number found with using opposite arms was insufficient -- no point in trying to boost the immune response if the lower number is completely sufficient to do the job.

    Also, on a related note. I thought I read yesterday that the latest Vaccine is a "new vaccine" and not a booster. If that's the case, it is a little more like starting from scratch.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    SModa61 wrote: »
    SuzySunshine99 wrote: »
    My husband just got the RSV, since he is 60+ and has heart issues. He'll get the COVID one as soon as it's available.

    My workplace always offers flu shots in October...I'm wondering if they'll also offer the covid at the same time. I've read some conflicting reports about whether or not it's a good idea to get both on the same day. It won't hurt you, but might make both less effective? I don't know...I might space them out by a week to be safe.

    Regardless of which shots I do, I never do them at the same time. But that's the experimentalist in me. I only want to play with one variable at a time. If I have a reaction beyond injection site pain, I will know what it is likely associated with. This is also why I clearly know I have felt like cr@p after each of my four COVID vaccinations. Makes it harder to motivate myself to want the next.

    I have done the flu already. Zero reaction to it, but I did change sizes of my body. I always do left arm injections, but I am trying out changing to my right. I don't recall if I said it here or on facebook, but I seem to deal with left breast pain seemingly after my COVID vacinations. That breast had a lovely case of shingles 30 years ago, and I had left breast pain for about 10 years following. I'll be a bit more open to vaccinations if I can stop triggering months of breast pain, and not have another expensive "emergancy" diagnostic mammogram like in 2022. Maybe it's unrelated, but at least I am trying to work it out.

    Try getting the shots in your glute. You may have to get this done at your doctor's office rather than a pharmacy.

    I found this compelling to not worry about the same arm thing:
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    RetiredAndLovingIt wrote: »
    I also read that they say you should get the shots in the same arm as last time, but I don't remember which one I used. :D

    I sleep on my left arm. After getting the first shot in my left arm, and it was very sore, I switched arms. That was easy for me to remember. However, lately I've been getting shots in my glute, because no soreness. I have to get this done at my doctor's - the person at CVS would not do this.

    However, now I'm rethinking this.

    https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/covid-shots-same-arm-may-elicit-better-immune-response

    "...Our study indicates that ipsilateral vaccinations generate a stronger immune response than contralateral vaccinations," said researcher Laura Ziegler in a Saarland University press release.

    More research needs to be done to confirm these findings, the authors said, but they suggest the effect might be due booster vaccination drainage by the same lymph nodes used for priming.

    That's interesting, but if I had a reason for wanting to change arms, I don't think I'd be overly swayed by a single study that only measured immune cells two weeks out. Also, I'd want some data on whether the lower number found with using opposite arms was insufficient -- no point in trying to boost the immune response if the lower number is completely sufficient to do the job.

Categories