COVID

[Sheenas7]

Well my husband got COVID and I did that evening. We both had been double vaccinated with Pzfizer thank god! It never attacked the lungs but it was a beast. Fever, fatigue, body aches, GI issues, no appetite. For me it was 10 days and for Rick 2 weeks. We are fully recovered. It was a surprise. I think when the virus went way down in our area Mclean, Va, my husband started going to health club again and I do believe he got it there.
My INR went to 4.1 but when I started eating normally it settled back to in range. I guess we may have some added immunity from just clearing the virus but doctors don’t know how much or for how long. My grandkids have started school so maybe it’s time to mask indoors with them again. It was feeling so good until we became breakthroughs. We were so lucky to have had the protective double vaccine!

 

[Luckyguy17]

Good for you Sheenas and husband on your Covid recovery.

It seems to confirm that a double vaccination can prevent severe Covid and hospitalization. Local stats here say almost 99% of hospitalizations did not complete the full vaccination schedule.

Also, a new Covid passport is in effect here today, for access to restaurants, gyms, coffee shops, theatres etc. No access to shops, If no proof of vaccination (via a passport) On phone or on paper.

Masks are still encouraged when indoors and in crowds.
it seems likely and quite disappointing in North America that we will continue the Covid risk through fall/winter at a minimum. Masking and social diatancing remains a good practice when amongst strangers.

 

[pellicle]

Glad your ok

 

[Chuck C]

Happy to hear that you came through it ok! And yes, good thing that you were vaccinated, as the statistics show overwhelmingly that you are less likely to have a severe case if vaccinated.

Just got Mom her 3rd shot (booster). Super easy and no wait.

Sheenas, you should have very good immunity for many months, having just recovered.

https://www.science.org/content/art...er-immunity-vaccine-vaccination-remains-vital
The Israel data is showing that those who received the booster(3rd shot) had much better protection than those who had received just two, so getting the booster is something that folks might want to consider, especially if you were vaccinated over 6 months ago, at which point the data suggests that the protection decreases.

https://www.reuters.com/world/middl...gnificantly-lowers-infection-risk-2021-08-22/

 

[cldlhd]

Happy to hear that you came through it ok! And yes, good thing that you were vaccinated, as the statistics show overwhelmingly that you are less likely to have a severe case if vaccinated.

Just got Mom her 3rd shot (booster). Super easy and no wait.

Sheenas, you should have very good immunity for many months, having just recovered.

https://www.science.org/content/art...er-immunity-vaccine-vaccination-remains-vital
The Israel data is showing that those who received the booster(3rd shot) had much better protection than those who had received just two, so getting the booster is something that folks might want to consider, especially if you were vaccinated over 6 months ago, at which point the data suggests that the protection decreases.

https://www.reuters.com/world/middl...gnificantly-lowers-infection-risk-2021-08-22/

I also saw something in the news scroll that apparently Moderna has a higher antibody response than Pfizer

 

[caro]

So glad you’re both fully recovered! Thank you for sharing this. I’ll be wearing my n95 for everything now. Wow those are rough symptoms and for so long! Especially for being vaccinated. I have been hearing about more and more breakthrough cases from friends and family. So scary. I didn’t go to a 250 guest indoor wedding this past weekend. No one was wearing masks. Not everyone was vaccinated. No vaccination requirement.

 

[elMIguel]

So glad you are recovered. My wife and I both just got over it ourselves. It took 10 days and it was no fun, to say the least. We were vaccinated way back in February so our protection likely began to wane. We were also able to get monoclonal treatments last week so that likely helped us recover.

 

[Chuck C]

I also saw something in the news scroll that apparently Moderna has a higher antibody response than Pfizer

Yes this does appear to be the case, although I am not aware of any head to head data comparing the effectiveness of the booster.

This article has some interesting comparisons:

" The study reported that in July in Florida, where COVID cases are at an all-time high and the delta variant is prevalent, the risk of a breakthrough case was 60% lower for Moderna recipients as compared to Pfizer recipients"

" Similarly, in Minnesota last month, the authors found that the Moderna vaccine (also known as mRNA-1273) was 76% effective at preventing infection, but the Pfizer vaccine (known as BNT162b2) was 42% effective. "

https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/cor...ccine-stronger-against-delta-variant/2603249/

 

[Chuck C]

I also saw something in the news scroll that apparently Moderna has a higher antibody response than Pfizer

Also, this, which did not look at vaccine comparison, but still striking benefit from being vaccinated:

" Health experts have said that a majority of hospitalizations and deaths associated with the variant in recent months are almost entirely in unvaccinated individuals. The CDC has said the risk of infection is 8x higher in the unvaccinated than the vaccinated, and the risk of hospitalization or death is 25x higher."

https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/cor...ccine-stronger-against-delta-variant/2603249/
Another point, which I find remarkable, relating to the booster, was this information from the Moderna study:

" Antibodies had waned six months after vaccination, the company said, but the third shot boosted antibodies to an even higher point than was seen after the initial shots, even though the booster was just half the original dose. "

https://www.npr.org/sections/corona.../1033474298/moderna-fda-covid-19-booster-shot

 

[Sheenas7]

Thank you for all the good wishes. My internist said I have to wait till November to get booster.
My second dose of Pfizer was March 7.
I guess I have some extra protection since I just cleared the virus. Still wish I could get booster sooner. Wonder if having just had COVID if the reaction would make me sick if I took it too soon?

 

[caro]

Not sure. I know people who’ve gotten boosters very easily at CVS because they didn’t want to wait 8 months. They have pre-existing conditions like us and aren’t sure how immunocompromised they are. I’m sure people without any health issues at all have done the same. 8 months seems long. I think there was a study that Pfizer starts losing efficacy at three months. Sounds like Pfizer (and all the other Pharma companies) should start making Moderna’s vaccine. Obviously Pfizer and others are so much better than nothing but that’s quite a difference in effectiveness between Moderna and Pfizer.

 

[Michael O]

I also saw something in the news scroll that apparently Moderna has a higher antibody response than Pfizer

This is likely true, but there's a fair amount of data that higher antibody response isn't exactly directly correlated to protection level. That is, the antibody response differential between Pfizer and other vaccines isn't necessarily reflected in different levels of protection.

 

[Chuck C]

I know people who’ve gotten boosters very easily at CVS because they didn’t want to wait 8 months. They have pre-existing conditions like us and aren’t sure how immunocompromised they are.

This seems to be the case from the dozen of so people that I know who have received the booster. It seems to vary depending on the organization administering the vaccine. Kaiser, for example, is strictly going by the language used by the chain of command, at least in California. But others, like CVS seem to be much more lenient about letting the compromised get the booster, but that might vary depending on who is working the counter that day. At Costco, there was no requirement to prove that Mom was immunocompromised, just checking a box that stated that she is. They did appear to look at the dates of her 2nd shot to make sure that it had been 8 months.

There is a big issue in the US currently, with millions of vaccines expiring soon. Some states have already tossed thousands that have expired already. So, getting them into the arms of folks who are immunocompromised before they go bad is perhaps weighing in to the policy and the administration apparently already plans to move up the booster eligibility date from 8 months to 6 months anyway. Given at how effective the third shot appears to be at stopping breakthrough cases, I'm all for it.

 

[caro]

Also all for it. Having expired vaccines is deeply upsetting when thinking about all the people here who need boosters and the fact that so many people around the world need (and want) their first shot. I know someone who had multiple heart surgeries and went to Walgreens for a booster. They grilled him on the medications he is taking. They told him he isn't taking enough prednisone to qualify as immunocompromised. Turned him away. He then went to CVS and they gave him the booster. He had to check a box that says he's immunocompromised. It's easy to make appointments online for the vaccine at CVS, and they are also taking walk-ins. I think the general population will start getting boosters mid September? There is a lot of supply and a lot less demand right now compared to when people's 8 months kick in.

 

[Chuck C]

Having expired vaccines is deeply upsetting when thinking about all the people here who need boosters and the fact that so many people around the world need (and want) their first shot.

It's absolutely tragic. It was hard to predict the misinformation campaign which would lead to the high level of vaccine hesitancy that we have. In the third world, most don't have the internet, so they don't hear the BS about the microchips in the vaccine and so forth. In some ways the third world has become more science literate than many modern nations, as their heads are not filled up with misinformation.

 

[Chuck C]

I found this interesting, in relation to Covid-19 and INR.

As the pandemic got worse, the volume of patients going to the lab to be tested for INR decreased, which correlated with a higher level of high INR readings.

" Testing volumes showed relatively little change in January and February, followed by a significant decrease in March, April, and May, and then returned to baseline in June. Outpatient testing showed a larger percentage decrease in testing volume compared to inpatient testing. At 10 of the 11 study sites, we observed an increase in the percentage of abnormal high INR results as test volumes decreased, primarily among outpatients."

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33760097/

 

[Superman]

This is / was one of the major issues and complaints about the pandemic response. The lockdowns created an environment where people neglected routine medical care. Particularly for chronic conditions, but also not going in for other concerns (putting off a colonoscopy for example, or skipping annual cardiology checkups). Unfortunately it’s one of those areas where we can only know what happened and not what would have been different.

Probably best to assume everyone was doing the best they could with the information available to minimize the catastrophe.

 

[tom in MO]

I found this interesting, in relation to Covid-19 and INR.

As the pandemic got worse, the volume of patients going to the lab to be tested for INR decreased, which correlated with a higher level of high INR readings.

" Testing volumes showed relatively little change in January and February, followed by a significant decrease in March, April, and May, and then returned to baseline in June. Outpatient testing showed a larger percentage decrease in testing volume compared to inpatient testing. At 10 of the 11 study sites, we observed an increase in the percentage of abnormal high INR results as test volumes decreased, primarily among outpatients."

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33760097/

I like the conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic impacted INR testing among outpatients which may be attributable to several factors. Increased supratherapeutic INR results during the pandemic period when there was reduced laboratory utilization and access to care is concerning because of the risk of adverse bleeding events in this group of patients. This could be mitigated in the future by offering drive-through testing and/or widespread implementation of home INR monitoring.

The conclusion should be that the medical establishment should start pushing home INR monitoring instead of keeping the testing in-lab to make more money off their patients. Drive through INR testing is a waste of money when they could home test. Better for the environment too.

 

[lilyofthewest]

cldlhd said:


I also saw something in the news scroll that apparently Moderna has a higher antibody response than Pfizer

Yes this does appear to be the case, although I am not aware of any head to head data comparing the effectiveness of the booster.

This article has some interesting comparisons:

" The study reported that in July in Florida, where COVID cases are at an all-time high and the delta variant is prevalent, the risk of a breakthrough case was 60% lower for Moderna recipients as compared to Pfizer recipients"

" Similarly, in Minnesota last month, the authors found that the Moderna vaccine (also known as mRNA-1273) was 76% effective at preventing infection, but the Pfizer vaccine (known as BNT162b2) was 42% effective. "

Moderna vs. Pfizer: Is One Vaccine Stronger Against the Delta Variant?
With many now able to choose which COVID vaccine they receive, questions surrounding which offers better protection against the now-surging delta variant have spiked.

I have a friend in the original trials for moderna. Got the vaccine really early on, not plecebo. She's still getting her blood tested regularily as follow up. She agrees with the findings on Moderna's longer lasting effects.

 

[Eva]

Glad you both recovered, Sheenas. May you both stay healthy and safe.
My husband just took his Moderna booster shot last week at CVS. Can‘t wait to receive mine.