Coronavirus prep
Replies
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T1DCarnivoreRunner wrote: »HawkingRadiation wrote: »I’ve not seen any statistics showing which shot people with breakthrough cases got. It seems like that would be an interesting statistic.
If anyone has seen the breakdown, please post.
I don't know if somebody (CDC??) is keeping track of which vaccine has the most break-thru cases, or if testing centers ask for the name of the vaccine that a person received. It would be interesting to know.
I was reading online (Mr. Google to the rescue) that breakthrough cases may be under counted and underestimated since not all vaccinated people feeling sick or "thinking" that they got covid seek testing. Some just quarantine themselves for few days. In addition, some vaccinated people that might have been infected with the new variant could be totally un-symptomatic, but still able to spread the virus. That is why masks are still needed.
I agree. My dh was sick last week with a bad cold; I'm guessing but we had no proof. When he called the dr. they told him not to worry about getting tested because he had Covid back in November and was vaccinated in March/April. They only asked if he was running a fever. With all the breakthrough infections going on of vaccinated people.....I didn't agree with his dr. at all.
Our numbers are low but are they really, if people aren't getting tested the way they were?
Could go ahead and get tested. My mom and several people in the same house have had a bad cold lately. She had Covid August 2020 and was vaccinated earlier this year. If not for negative tests, I would have guessed Covid again. But people still do get other respiratory infections.
He's fine now. But it still baffles me why they didn't at least give him the option. He probably could've pushed a test for himself but he's one of those people that a) believe everything his dr. tells him and b) is lazy. They told him people are getting bad colds in our area so he went with that. 
But then how would they know if they're all bad colds and not Covid if they're not still pushing the tests?
He feels justified by his drs. decision because he didn't have a fever and didn't lose his sense of taste or smell. I reminded him that back when we contracted it in November, my only symptom was fatigue and I was tested because he'd had a "cold" and got tested. I cannot remember if he had a fever then or not.
They're getting lax with the testing. SMH
And to @lokihen, I agree with you.10 -
That's especially worrisome because the main symptoms of the delta variant are headache, runny nose, sore throat... just like a very bad cold.
Or in my case, just like whenever my allergies act up OR I get too run down. Seriously, I think I have those symptoms every other week on average, if not weekly.8 -
That's especially worrisome because the main symptoms of the delta variant are headache, runny nose, sore throat... just like a very bad cold.
Or in my case, just like whenever my allergies act up OR I get too run down. Seriously, I think I have those symptoms every other week on average, if not weekly.
I used to think I was getting colds all the time but it turned out the building I worked in had toxic mold from a flood that was not remediated properly.7 -
Our numbers are low but are they really, if people aren't getting tested the way they were?
Hard not to get "political". I think we've heard me rant about a certain province and about the "feeling" that once we've been vaccinated we're good to go hug everyone without masks or restrictions and no matter what.
Up to now I haven't encouraged my dad to move out of "that" province because a) he has built his life and support network there and because b) I've felt that him moving to a congregate facility currently represents a risk that he can/could still afford to avoid by remaining home alone c) I was hoping that things would improve so that he could move to an independent living facility near his current location so as to retain contact with people he knows
With the decision to hide our head in the sand and avoid further testing (as of the end of August testing in Alberta will only be available when your doctor feels that testing you for COVID is relevant in terms of providing care to you), and with the general anti-masking attitude in the province (here's looking at you Superstore employees not wearing masks... oh, sorry, I'm not looking, because I'm shopping at Walmart where they do wear them)... anyway, I am seriously considering whether it is time to start arguing for him to move to an independent living facility in another province where we still consider masking indoors to be appropriate and closer to where I live.
Throughout all of this I have been incredibly thankful that my frail, mobility-impaired 82 year old father has continued to live independently in his own home, even though it has meant an extra house for me to maintain. At least he's been safe.
I don't know if you have Chartwell homes there, or if his budget can accommodate the price tag, but they fared very well locally. Not a single outbreak.
You heard a lot about how bad the homes were - but my mom lives in a Chartwell retirement home that had an "outbreak" in Dec/Jan before they were vaccinated. Three people tested positive, all staff, not one resident got infected. (But yeah it costs me almost $5000 a month.)4 -
T1DCarnivoreRunner wrote: »HawkingRadiation wrote: »I’ve not seen any statistics showing which shot people with breakthrough cases got. It seems like that would be an interesting statistic.
If anyone has seen the breakdown, please post.
I don't know if somebody (CDC??) is keeping track of which vaccine has the most break-thru cases, or if testing centers ask for the name of the vaccine that a person received. It would be interesting to know.
I was reading online (Mr. Google to the rescue) that breakthrough cases may be under counted and underestimated since not all vaccinated people feeling sick or "thinking" that they got covid seek testing. Some just quarantine themselves for few days. In addition, some vaccinated people that might have been infected with the new variant could be totally un-symptomatic, but still able to spread the virus. That is why masks are still needed.
I agree. My dh was sick last week with a bad cold; I'm guessing but we had no proof. When he called the dr. they told him not to worry about getting tested because he had Covid back in November and was vaccinated in March/April. They only asked if he was running a fever. With all the breakthrough infections going on of vaccinated people.....I didn't agree with his dr. at all.
Our numbers are low but are they really, if people aren't getting tested the way they were?
Could go ahead and get tested. My mom and several people in the same house have had a bad cold lately. She had Covid August 2020 and was vaccinated earlier this year. If not for negative tests, I would have guessed Covid again. But people still do get other respiratory infections.
He's fine now. But it still baffles me why they didn't at least give him the option. He probably could've pushed a test for himself but he's one of those people that a) believe everything his dr. tells him and b) is lazy. They told him people are getting bad colds in our area so he went with that. But then how would they know if they're all bad colds and not Covid if they're not still pushing the tests?
He feels justified by his drs. decision because he didn't have a fever and didn't lose his sense of taste or smell. I reminded him that back when we contracted it in November, my only symptom was fatigue and I was tested because he'd had a "cold" and got tested. I cannot remember if he had a fever then or not.
They're getting lax with the testing. SMH
And to @lokihen, I agree with you.
But if it is Covid, which with vaccination is generally equivalent to a bad cold, then what is the point of testing to confirm that? At some point we move on from the pandemic "panic" stage of this, to the endemic stage - where yes, people are still going to get Covid, even with the vaccine, and they are going to recover without treatment in the vast majority of cases.
I read recently that the Delta variant is as contagious as chicken pox, if that is the case then we are not going to eradicate it by testing and isolating people indefinitely. The only way through this now is to vaccinate as many as possible so that it doesn't cause mass severe illness and death. The messaging that we are somehow going to "beat" Covid by eradicating it from the population through lockdowns, testing and isolation is outdated. It isn't going to happen.16 -
Looking into Chartwell, thank you for the tip.
There are several in a circle around my home location and also some in Edmonton and Calgary but none in a three hour radius from dad's current location...
I don't believe any of the three we checked out near dad actually got outbreaks; but they were extensively locked down with visitors banned.
I know that near home at least three of the places we looked at and were considering had outbreaks and at least one death each.0 -
T1DCarnivoreRunner wrote: »HawkingRadiation wrote: »I’ve not seen any statistics showing which shot people with breakthrough cases got. It seems like that would be an interesting statistic.
If anyone has seen the breakdown, please post.
I don't know if somebody (CDC??) is keeping track of which vaccine has the most break-thru cases, or if testing centers ask for the name of the vaccine that a person received. It would be interesting to know.
I was reading online (Mr. Google to the rescue) that breakthrough cases may be under counted and underestimated since not all vaccinated people feeling sick or "thinking" that they got covid seek testing. Some just quarantine themselves for few days. In addition, some vaccinated people that might have been infected with the new variant could be totally un-symptomatic, but still able to spread the virus. That is why masks are still needed.
I agree. My dh was sick last week with a bad cold; I'm guessing but we had no proof. When he called the dr. they told him not to worry about getting tested because he had Covid back in November and was vaccinated in March/April. They only asked if he was running a fever. With all the breakthrough infections going on of vaccinated people.....I didn't agree with his dr. at all.
Our numbers are low but are they really, if people aren't getting tested the way they were?
Could go ahead and get tested. My mom and several people in the same house have had a bad cold lately. She had Covid August 2020 and was vaccinated earlier this year. If not for negative tests, I would have guessed Covid again. But people still do get other respiratory infections.
He's fine now. But it still baffles me why they didn't at least give him the option. He probably could've pushed a test for himself but he's one of those people that a) believe everything his dr. tells him and b) is lazy. They told him people are getting bad colds in our area so he went with that. But then how would they know if they're all bad colds and not Covid if they're not still pushing the tests?
He feels justified by his drs. decision because he didn't have a fever and didn't lose his sense of taste or smell. I reminded him that back when we contracted it in November, my only symptom was fatigue and I was tested because he'd had a "cold" and got tested. I cannot remember if he had a fever then or not.
They're getting lax with the testing. SMH
And to @lokihen, I agree with you.
But if it is Covid, which with vaccination is generally equivalent to a bad cold, then what is the point of testing to confirm that? At some point we move on from the pandemic "panic" stage of this, to the endemic stage - where yes, people are still going to get Covid, even with the vaccine, and they are going to recover without treatment in the vast majority of cases.
I read recently that the Delta variant is as contagious as chicken pox, if that is the case then we are not going to eradicate it by testing and isolating people indefinitely. The only way through this now is to vaccinate as many as possible so that it doesn't cause mass severe illness and death. The messaging that we are somehow going to "beat" Covid by eradicating it from the population through lockdowns, testing and isolation is outdated. It isn't going to happen.
1) So the infected person knows that he needs to quarantine and protect vulnerable people
2) To give public health officials relevant data to understand local risk factors, possible spreader events and long term vaccine efficacy metrics.23 -
T1DCarnivoreRunner wrote: »HawkingRadiation wrote: »I’ve not seen any statistics showing which shot people with breakthrough cases got. It seems like that would be an interesting statistic.
If anyone has seen the breakdown, please post.
I don't know if somebody (CDC??) is keeping track of which vaccine has the most break-thru cases, or if testing centers ask for the name of the vaccine that a person received. It would be interesting to know.
I was reading online (Mr. Google to the rescue) that breakthrough cases may be under counted and underestimated since not all vaccinated people feeling sick or "thinking" that they got covid seek testing. Some just quarantine themselves for few days. In addition, some vaccinated people that might have been infected with the new variant could be totally un-symptomatic, but still able to spread the virus. That is why masks are still needed.
I agree. My dh was sick last week with a bad cold; I'm guessing but we had no proof. When he called the dr. they told him not to worry about getting tested because he had Covid back in November and was vaccinated in March/April. They only asked if he was running a fever. With all the breakthrough infections going on of vaccinated people.....I didn't agree with his dr. at all.
Our numbers are low but are they really, if people aren't getting tested the way they were?
Could go ahead and get tested. My mom and several people in the same house have had a bad cold lately. She had Covid August 2020 and was vaccinated earlier this year. If not for negative tests, I would have guessed Covid again. But people still do get other respiratory infections.
He's fine now. But it still baffles me why they didn't at least give him the option. He probably could've pushed a test for himself but he's one of those people that a) believe everything his dr. tells him and b) is lazy. They told him people are getting bad colds in our area so he went with that. But then how would they know if they're all bad colds and not Covid if they're not still pushing the tests?
He feels justified by his drs. decision because he didn't have a fever and didn't lose his sense of taste or smell. I reminded him that back when we contracted it in November, my only symptom was fatigue and I was tested because he'd had a "cold" and got tested. I cannot remember if he had a fever then or not.
They're getting lax with the testing. SMH
And to @lokihen, I agree with you.
But if it is Covid, which with vaccination is generally equivalent to a bad cold, then what is the point of testing to confirm that? At some point we move on from the pandemic "panic" stage of this, to the endemic stage - where yes, people are still going to get Covid, even with the vaccine, and they are going to recover without treatment in the vast majority of cases.
I read recently that the Delta variant is as contagious as chicken pox, if that is the case then we are not going to eradicate it by testing and isolating people indefinitely. The only way through this now is to vaccinate as many as possible so that it doesn't cause mass severe illness and death. The messaging that we are somehow going to "beat" Covid by eradicating it from the population through lockdowns, testing and isolation is outdated. It isn't going to happen.
I can only answer that personally: With suspicious mild symptoms recently, I chose to be tested. (Here, it was easy, besides.) If I had a cold or allergies - despite my symptoms being a bit off for those based on past experience - then the annoyance of keeping to myself while waiting for test results was minor. (I recognize that that might not be true for others.) If I had Covid, and was therefore capable of spreading it to others, and did spread it, that would devastate me psychologically, let alone what could happen to those others.
I think multiple strategies need to stay in play, not just one. Yes, I agree that vaccination is at the top of the list, it's just not the whole list.19 -
sooo my older grandaughter 15 years old has covid and she was at our home on last wednesday visiting. Her older brother and his girlfriend got it too. My two younger grandaughters 6 and 2 years were here also that day. Hope they dont get it too. And we had just started seeing them June of this year since march 2020. Ughhh hubs and I got tested today to make sure we dont have this. Praying for all who get this virus21
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I think it is SUPER important to remember that not everyone is vaccinated, and we don't yet know how long vaccine or illness acquired protection lasts. No children under 12 are vaccinated yet. Those taking immuno suppressive medications don't yet know if the vaccine is actually protecting them or not. Those who are protected don't yet know if or when they'll need a booster. Researchers don't yet know if folks who got covid are protected enough for any period of time.
Until those issues are squared away, you can't just say oh well we did the best we could, everyone's gonna get it eventually anyway, and stop trying to contain it. Unless we're ok with another million or so Americans dying of it this year, and far more children than I can stomach.
Plus, the pandemic is international. There are still large areas of the world where tons of people haven't had the opportunity to get vaxxed yet. We are so tragically spoiled here. Viruses don't stop at national borders.
Tracking breakthrough cases would help researchers understand how well the vaccines are working. Maybe they can be tweaked. Maybe those asymptomatic cases are causing unseen damage. Maybe one brand of vaccine is better at preventing infection than the other.
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The unvaxxed in our office were given a stern warning that masks are mandatory. We'll see how long that last.18 -
I'm listening to an interview with Dr Ashish Jha and he is saying that if you get past sensationalized media reports and "leaks", it is a tiny fraction of vaxxed people getting sick. And the data about vaxxed people being able to spread it suggests that while they CAN spread it, they are much less likely to. There are several different variables that go into being "infectious", not just how many virus particles are in your nose at any given time. He said his interpretation of the current data is more like a vaxxed person might infect one other person if they happen to catch them at the wrong time. He's concerned that fear mongering headlines are over dramatizing a slight weakness that might rarely come into play. Obviously that's just one read of the situation, but I thought a more positive view of what the new data might mean could be helpful for some of us, myself included, who could use that balance lol.17
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T1DCarnivoreRunner wrote: »HawkingRadiation wrote: »I’ve not seen any statistics showing which shot people with breakthrough cases got. It seems like that would be an interesting statistic.
If anyone has seen the breakdown, please post.
I don't know if somebody (CDC??) is keeping track of which vaccine has the most break-thru cases, or if testing centers ask for the name of the vaccine that a person received. It would be interesting to know.
I was reading online (Mr. Google to the rescue) that breakthrough cases may be under counted and underestimated since not all vaccinated people feeling sick or "thinking" that they got covid seek testing. Some just quarantine themselves for few days. In addition, some vaccinated people that might have been infected with the new variant could be totally un-symptomatic, but still able to spread the virus. That is why masks are still needed.
I agree. My dh was sick last week with a bad cold; I'm guessing but we had no proof. When he called the dr. they told him not to worry about getting tested because he had Covid back in November and was vaccinated in March/April. They only asked if he was running a fever. With all the breakthrough infections going on of vaccinated people.....I didn't agree with his dr. at all.
Our numbers are low but are they really, if people aren't getting tested the way they were?
Could go ahead and get tested. My mom and several people in the same house have had a bad cold lately. She had Covid August 2020 and was vaccinated earlier this year. If not for negative tests, I would have guessed Covid again. But people still do get other respiratory infections.
He's fine now. But it still baffles me why they didn't at least give him the option. He probably could've pushed a test for himself but he's one of those people that a) believe everything his dr. tells him and b) is lazy. They told him people are getting bad colds in our area so he went with that. But then how would they know if they're all bad colds and not Covid if they're not still pushing the tests?
He feels justified by his drs. decision because he didn't have a fever and didn't lose his sense of taste or smell. I reminded him that back when we contracted it in November, my only symptom was fatigue and I was tested because he'd had a "cold" and got tested. I cannot remember if he had a fever then or not.
They're getting lax with the testing. SMH
And to @lokihen, I agree with you.
But if it is Covid, which with vaccination is generally equivalent to a bad cold, then what is the point of testing to confirm that? At some point we move on from the pandemic "panic" stage of this, to the endemic stage - where yes, people are still going to get Covid, even with the vaccine, and they are going to recover without treatment in the vast majority of cases.
I read recently that the Delta variant is as contagious as chicken pox, if that is the case then we are not going to eradicate it by testing and isolating people indefinitely. The only way through this now is to vaccinate as many as possible so that it doesn't cause mass severe illness and death. The messaging that we are somehow going to "beat" Covid by eradicating it from the population through lockdowns, testing and isolation is outdated. It isn't going to happen.
1) So the infected person knows that he needs to quarantine and protect vulnerable people
2) To give public health officials relevant data to understand local risk factors, possible spreader events and long term vaccine efficacy metrics.
My point is that at a certain point as the disease becomes endemic quarantining infected people with mild illness isn’t feasible. At a certain point (I believe that point to be now in my specific area of the world) we have to shift our containment strategies away from “positive cases” to more meaningful metrics, such as hospitalizations and deaths. Mass testing of mildly ill people in a post vaccine scenario just doesn’t make sense. That is the whole point of the vaccine program, to keep people alive and out of the hospital, even after they are exposed.
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An article of interest
CDC shares "pivotal discovery" on Covid-19 breakthrough infections
A new study shows the Delta Covid-19 variant produced similar amounts of virus in vaccinated and unvaccinated people if they get infected – illustrating a key motivation behind the federal guidance that now recommends most fully vaccinated Americans wear masks indoors again.
The study, published by the US Centers for Disease Control last week, describes 469 Massachusetts residents who were infected in a July outbreak in Barnstable County, which includes the summer vacation destination Provincetown. No deaths were reported among them.
About 74% – or 346 cases – had been fully vaccinated. Of those cases, 79% reported symptoms. Genetically sequenced cases revealed the Delta variant as the main culprit.
The researchers found evidence that viral loads were similar among 127 fully vaccinated people and 84 others who were unvaccinated, partially vaccinated or whose vaccination status was unknown. Viral load is a proxy for how likely someone might be to transmit the virus to others.
“High viral loads suggest an increased risk of transmission and raised concern that, unlike with other variants, vaccinated people infected with Delta can transmit the virus,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a statement.
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My wife and daughter had to fly to Ohio last week. Daughter wasn't feeling well for like two days when she got back. She's on the mend now, but it sounded like a break through infection (she's vaxxed, as we all are, by the Pfizer vaccine). Wouldn't have went but my wife's only sister is ready to pass and she wanted to see her while she still could. They ate inside while in Cincinnati a few times and took some Ubers. I would imagine that's how she was exposed. Or on the plane. Who knows. They had four flights and one had a guy coughing behind them the entire flight.
Very, very glad they are both vaccinated. If she has it, it's been very, very mild (no temp, oxygen readings great -- heck, hers are better than mine!).11 -
T1DCarnivoreRunner wrote: »HawkingRadiation wrote: »I’ve not seen any statistics showing which shot people with breakthrough cases got. It seems like that would be an interesting statistic.
If anyone has seen the breakdown, please post.
I don't know if somebody (CDC??) is keeping track of which vaccine has the most break-thru cases, or if testing centers ask for the name of the vaccine that a person received. It would be interesting to know.
I was reading online (Mr. Google to the rescue) that breakthrough cases may be under counted and underestimated since not all vaccinated people feeling sick or "thinking" that they got covid seek testing. Some just quarantine themselves for few days. In addition, some vaccinated people that might have been infected with the new variant could be totally un-symptomatic, but still able to spread the virus. That is why masks are still needed.
I agree. My dh was sick last week with a bad cold; I'm guessing but we had no proof. When he called the dr. they told him not to worry about getting tested because he had Covid back in November and was vaccinated in March/April. They only asked if he was running a fever. With all the breakthrough infections going on of vaccinated people.....I didn't agree with his dr. at all.
Our numbers are low but are they really, if people aren't getting tested the way they were?
Could go ahead and get tested. My mom and several people in the same house have had a bad cold lately. She had Covid August 2020 and was vaccinated earlier this year. If not for negative tests, I would have guessed Covid again. But people still do get other respiratory infections.
He's fine now. But it still baffles me why they didn't at least give him the option. He probably could've pushed a test for himself but he's one of those people that a) believe everything his dr. tells him and b) is lazy. They told him people are getting bad colds in our area so he went with that. But then how would they know if they're all bad colds and not Covid if they're not still pushing the tests?
He feels justified by his drs. decision because he didn't have a fever and didn't lose his sense of taste or smell. I reminded him that back when we contracted it in November, my only symptom was fatigue and I was tested because he'd had a "cold" and got tested. I cannot remember if he had a fever then or not.
They're getting lax with the testing. SMH
And to @lokihen, I agree with you.
But if it is Covid, which with vaccination is generally equivalent to a bad cold, then what is the point of testing to confirm that? At some point we move on from the pandemic "panic" stage of this, to the endemic stage - where yes, people are still going to get Covid, even with the vaccine, and they are going to recover without treatment in the vast majority of cases.
I read recently that the Delta variant is as contagious as chicken pox, if that is the case then we are not going to eradicate it by testing and isolating people indefinitely. The only way through this now is to vaccinate as many as possible so that it doesn't cause mass severe illness and death. The messaging that we are somehow going to "beat" Covid by eradicating it from the population through lockdowns, testing and isolation is outdated. It isn't going to happen.
I can only answer that personally: With suspicious mild symptoms recently, I chose to be tested. (Here, it was easy, besides.) If I had a cold or allergies - despite my symptoms being a bit off for those based on past experience - then the annoyance of keeping to myself while waiting for test results was minor. (I recognize that that might not be true for others.) If I had Covid, and was therefore capable of spreading it to others, and did spread it, that would devastate me psychologically, let alone what could happen to those others.
I think multiple strategies need to stay in play, not just one. Yes, I agree that vaccination is at the top of the list, it's just not the whole list.
I would keep to myself right now with any respiratory symptoms - would stay home from work, mask when out, not visit my mother, until the symptoms resolved. I guess you are saying that you would only do that if you tested positive for Covid? I wouldn’t need a positive Covid test to take those precautions right now.
In the past before the pandemic I would have been a little more lax - would probably have gone into work with mild symptoms. But I have always isolated myself from vulnerable people, would not visit my mother, young children etc with any respiratory infection. (I have worn masks into her retirement home before the pandemic even happened if I absolutely had to go there for an emergency reason if I felt ill at all.)
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T1DCarnivoreRunner wrote: »HawkingRadiation wrote: »I’ve not seen any statistics showing which shot people with breakthrough cases got. It seems like that would be an interesting statistic.
If anyone has seen the breakdown, please post.
I don't know if somebody (CDC??) is keeping track of which vaccine has the most break-thru cases, or if testing centers ask for the name of the vaccine that a person received. It would be interesting to know.
I was reading online (Mr. Google to the rescue) that breakthrough cases may be under counted and underestimated since not all vaccinated people feeling sick or "thinking" that they got covid seek testing. Some just quarantine themselves for few days. In addition, some vaccinated people that might have been infected with the new variant could be totally un-symptomatic, but still able to spread the virus. That is why masks are still needed.
I agree. My dh was sick last week with a bad cold; I'm guessing but we had no proof. When he called the dr. they told him not to worry about getting tested because he had Covid back in November and was vaccinated in March/April. They only asked if he was running a fever. With all the breakthrough infections going on of vaccinated people.....I didn't agree with his dr. at all.
Our numbers are low but are they really, if people aren't getting tested the way they were?
Could go ahead and get tested. My mom and several people in the same house have had a bad cold lately. She had Covid August 2020 and was vaccinated earlier this year. If not for negative tests, I would have guessed Covid again. But people still do get other respiratory infections.
He's fine now. But it still baffles me why they didn't at least give him the option. He probably could've pushed a test for himself but he's one of those people that a) believe everything his dr. tells him and b) is lazy. They told him people are getting bad colds in our area so he went with that. But then how would they know if they're all bad colds and not Covid if they're not still pushing the tests?
He feels justified by his drs. decision because he didn't have a fever and didn't lose his sense of taste or smell. I reminded him that back when we contracted it in November, my only symptom was fatigue and I was tested because he'd had a "cold" and got tested. I cannot remember if he had a fever then or not.
They're getting lax with the testing. SMH
And to @lokihen, I agree with you.
But if it is Covid, which with vaccination is generally equivalent to a bad cold, then what is the point of testing to confirm that? At some point we move on from the pandemic "panic" stage of this, to the endemic stage - where yes, people are still going to get Covid, even with the vaccine, and they are going to recover without treatment in the vast majority of cases.
I read recently that the Delta variant is as contagious as chicken pox, if that is the case then we are not going to eradicate it by testing and isolating people indefinitely. The only way through this now is to vaccinate as many as possible so that it doesn't cause mass severe illness and death. The messaging that we are somehow going to "beat" Covid by eradicating it from the population through lockdowns, testing and isolation is outdated. It isn't going to happen.
I can only answer that personally: With suspicious mild symptoms recently, I chose to be tested. (Here, it was easy, besides.) If I had a cold or allergies - despite my symptoms being a bit off for those based on past experience - then the annoyance of keeping to myself while waiting for test results was minor. (I recognize that that might not be true for others.) If I had Covid, and was therefore capable of spreading it to others, and did spread it, that would devastate me psychologically, let alone what could happen to those others.
I think multiple strategies need to stay in play, not just one. Yes, I agree that vaccination is at the top of the list, it's just not the whole list.
I would keep to myself right now with any respiratory symptoms - would stay home from work, mask when out, not visit my mother, until the symptoms resolved. I guess you are saying that you would only do that if you tested positive for Covid? I wouldn’t need a positive Covid test to take those precautions right now.
In the past before the pandemic I would have been a little more lax - would probably have gone into work with mild symptoms. But I have always isolated myself from vulnerable people, would not visit my mother, young children etc with any respiratory infection. (I have worn masks into her retirement home before the pandemic even happened if I absolutely had to go there for an emergency reason if I felt ill at all.)
That's not exactly what I'm saying. I did isolate myself as soon as I noticed respiratory symptoms, even though they were mild. I then decided to get a Covid test (symptoms still present but declining at that time), continued to isolate until I got the negative result just over 24 hours after the test, by which time symptoms were pretty much gone.
I started noticing symptoms late Saturday, cancelled appointments I had on Monday (and stayed home alone entirely), got tested on Tuesday, cancelled another engagement Wednesday, got the results on Wednesday afternoon, didn't go out again until Thursday. Throughout, I believed I didn't have Covid, but recognized that it was possible.
I'd put it as the negative test giving me more confidence that it was fine to be around others again once symptoms subsided, vs. staying solo a bit longer out of extra caution . . . I'm certainly not saying that I wouldn't isolate unless I had a positive test.
I didn't expose vulnerable people to symptomatic respiratory disease either, pre-Covid, except in cases where I was quite certain it was seasonal allergies, which tend to have slightly different symptoms for me than respiratory viruses.8 -
I'm probably not making myself very clear - I am not advocating for a free for all where sick people go out and spread it around - I think it is prudent for anyone with respiratory symptoms to stay home/mask until they are symptom free. I don't think that Covid testing vaccinated people is necessary for that to happen.
I think that the messaging around the vaccine has been really, really bad. From the beginning telling people that even when they have the vaccine they still have to take every precaution they took prior to the vaccine isn't super convincing for vaccine hesitant people to get it. And all the hand wringing and drama over "breakthrough cases" which are either asymptomatic or mild, is just reinforcing hesitancy.
It needs to be emphasized that the vaccine was never meant to create sterilizing immunity, that mild "breakthrough cases" are expected and normal - not that they are a huge deal and/or a failure of the vaccine. Getting a bad cold from the Covid virus is a vaccine success story - it means that the vaccine is doing what it was intended to do. And that messaging isn't getting out enough imo.8 -
No vaccine is 100%, its just not possible. The protection rate of the covid vaccine is way in excess of common children's vaccines which have been thought "good enough" for years. No one should expect any vaccine to cancel out all possibility of post vaccine infection. I think Pfizer is in the region of 70% effective so most vaccinated persons are probably 70% less likely to contract the simple first form than a non vaccinated person but this Delta variant has deviated sufficiently to make it able to circumvent some of the protection provided by the original form. Its what we in the UK have been living with for weeks before it breached the US. Thankfully, for some reason, our numbers have declined in recent days, regrettably there are still deaths.
We are not hearing as much about the possibility of top up vaccines now. It is hard to imagine it will be an easy call for the decision makers as to which aspects of the vaccine to amplify. I suppose much will depend on how research has developed and what is thought to be a continuous part of the virus. Relieved I'm not a decision maker.
Just heard, our 16/17 year olds are to be offered the Pfizer vaccine, its the only one cleared for use in the age group over here.
Good luck everyone.6 -
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-08-03/delta-s-spread-seen-pushing-herd-immunity-threshold-above-80
Delta related deaths are becoming more common locally as the cases soar. The mocking of the vaccinated seems to be on the decline as more are lining up for the vaccine. One way or another Delta is getting the USA closer to herd immunity it seems.8 -
I'm probably not making myself very clear - I am not advocating for a free for all where sick people go out and spread it around - I think it is prudent for anyone with respiratory symptoms to stay home/mask until they are symptom free. I don't think that Covid testing vaccinated people is necessary for that to happen.
I think that the messaging around the vaccine has been really, really bad. From the beginning telling people that even when they have the vaccine they still have to take every precaution they took prior to the vaccine isn't super convincing for vaccine hesitant people to get it. And all the hand wringing and drama over "breakthrough cases" which are either asymptomatic or mild, is just reinforcing hesitancy.
It needs to be emphasized that the vaccine was never meant to create sterilizing immunity, that mild "breakthrough cases" are expected and normal - not that they are a huge deal and/or a failure of the vaccine. Getting a bad cold from the Covid virus is a vaccine success story - it means that the vaccine is doing what it was intended to do. And that messaging isn't getting out enough imo.
Yes, I think those are good points, and I share your frustration about the messaging.3
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