COVID-19 vaccine discussion

19 hours ago, Deej said:

The vaccine doesn't work idiots in 3...2...1...

For sure it could work better. Two of the above posters presumably had high spike protein antibody titers yet still contracted the disease. I still think we need to have a vaccine that targets more than a portion of one protein. There is a scenario where the virus kills the unvaccinated and moderately infects the vaccinated so the vaccinated become the carriers. That would not be ideal.

40 minutes ago, Incredulity said:

My family has pretty much recovered.

Each kid had about 36 hrs of 100-101 fever and were lethargic.

Wife was chilled, lethargic and tired for about 3 days.  No fever. Lost taste and smell about 3 days in, still gone.

I was mildly tired, slight congestion. Lost smell and taste 3 days in, but it started recovering yesterday.  I believe I have viral pinkeye as my right eye has been extremely bloodshot for the last 4 or 5 days.  I think my exposure was my son sneezing in my face so apparently virus entered my eye.

 

Overall Moderna seems to have been highly effective in minimizing the illness.  
 

The taste and smell thing is really bizarre.  For me it appeared suddenly, and wasn’t at all what I expected based on previous illness effects on senses.  It literally just was gone, not dampened or modified.

 

 

I'm now 1) 76 hours from first symptoms and 2) 52 hours from my swabbing for the positive test result, and my taste and smell are still normal.

I slept really well last night, with some vivid dreams, but my heart rate was higher than usual (typically it's in the low to mid 50's, last night it was 66).  Pulse ox is still 97 or 98.  I still have a lethargic feeling, but not horrible, and a slight headache. Still pounding water, along with Vit C and D, zinc.  Sore throat is gone.  Still no cough or congestion.

This seems like recovery from a 36-48 hour flu bug so far.

Edited October 31, 2021 by SizzleChest

Seventh day since first symptoms and fifth day since first positive test…and I feel fine. No aches or fevers. Nothing like that. Just sudden loss of taste and smell on Friday. Lethargy and sore throat are gone. Coughing up and blowing out some mucus still but feel relatively normal now. Oximeter readings still good. Slept hard last night for the first time in a few days.  IF, and i stress IF, I am through the worst of it, then vax did an incredible job of mitigating symptoms for me. Next two days are the make or break according to my Dr.  Most everyone is pretty mild the first week. It is day 7-9 that shit goes sideways if it going to as I understand it. 

1 hour ago, Bevo said:

For sure it could work better. Two of the above posters presumably had high spike protein antibody titers yet still contracted the disease. I still think we need to have a vaccine that targets more than a portion of one protein. There is a scenario where the virus kills the unvaccinated and moderately infects the vaccinated so the vaccinated become the carriers. That would not be ideal.

Got my booster on Friday. Moderna, H‑E‑B. It was the booster, not a third dose; so only 1/2. Only side effect was/is a sore arm.  
 

Need to get my 6 year old signed up for her first dose soon. 
 

My wife is pregnant and she got her 3rd (full) dose last month. 
 

After this the only person in my house without vaccines will be my 3 year old. 

1 hour ago, sidis said:

Seventh day since first symptoms and fifth day since first positive test…and I feel fine. No aches or fevers. Nothing like that. Just sudden loss of taste and smell on Friday. Lethargy and sore throat are gone. Coughing up and blowing out some mucus still but feel relatively normal now. Oximeter readings still good. Slept hard last night for the first time in a few days.  IF, and i stress IF, I am through the worst of it, then vax did an incredible job of mitigating symptoms for me. Next two days are the make or break according to my Dr.  Most everyone is pretty mild the first week. It is day 7-9 that shit goes sideways if it going to as I understand it. 

Did you test again?

2 hours ago, SizzleChest said:

 

but my heart rate was higher than usual (typically it's in the low to mid 50's, last night it was 66). 

Damn. You an athlete or something because that’s pretty low if you are normally in the low 50s. 

1 minute ago, JimmyJames said:

Damn. You an athlete or something because that’s pretty low if you are normally in the low 50s. 

LOL.  Dude, I'm a 54 year old fat.  I just manage stress well for the most part and try to maintain good sleep habits.

2 minutes ago, SizzleChest said:

LOL.  Dude, I'm a 54 year old fat.  I just manage stress well for the most part and try to maintain good sleep habits.

Apparently so. If I get a resting heart rate in the 60s I’m pumping fists. 

Did you test again?

When I had a breakthrough case, was informed to not test for awhile. Wait to 4-5 weeks after testing positive I think. The PCR tests are sensitive enough to pick up dead viruses still.

Just got Pfizer booster after J&J shot 4/1. CSB.

I got my Pfizer booster last Saturday after my J&J shot in late March.  No side effects from either shot for me other than the sore arm and that is pretty much gone already too.

trying to get my kids (ages 5-11) vaxxed before thanksgiving.  our pediatrician is completely worthless.  they not only have no plans re: the actual shot starting soon, they have no plans on how they're going to disseminate the information on what their plans are. 

On 10/31/2021 at 11:28 AM, Bevo said:

For sure it could work better. Two of the above posters presumably had high spike protein antibody titers yet still contracted the disease. I still think we need to have a vaccine that targets more than a portion of one protein. There is a scenario where the virus kills the unvaccinated and moderately infects the vaccinated so the vaccinated become the carriers. That would not be ideal.

Is it your belief that this vaccine is less effective than most vaccines?  Because that's just not true.  This is a phenomenal vaccine in terms of efficacy and protection.  No it is not 100%, but the best hope at the time Covid hit was somewhere around 60-70%, and it's far better than that.  

Moreover, even when the vaccine "fails," it still prevents people who contract the disease from getting really, really sick at an even more phenomenal rate.

Bottom line is that it is roughly 90% effective against lab-confirmed, symptomatic infection and approaching 100% against moderate and severe disease for general Covid, and 60%-88% against symptomatic infection and 96% effective against severe disease from the Delta variant.  That's amazing.

To put that in perspective, the original Salk polio vaccine is/was 60-70% effective against polio, and the much improved later version still never got above 90%.  Smallpox vaccine is 90-95% at preventing severe disease.  Chickenpox is around 82%.

And as far as antibody counts go, I think we'll find that they're not as much of a guidepost as we expected them to be.

35 minutes ago, The Royal We said:

I got my Pfizer booster last Saturday after my J&J shot in late March.  No side effects from either shot for me other than the sore arm and that is pretty much gone already too.

My booster illness was rougher than shots 1 and 2 but faster, if that makes sense.  Day 1 was like I drank a case of beer the night before.  Day 2 was 4 hours of a really rough flu-like thing.  Then fine.  Shot 2 was 4-5 days of a mild cold.

21 hours ago, JimmyJames said:

Apparently so. If I get a resting heart rate in the 60s I’m pumping fists. 

Beta blockers.  Enough metroprolol can get you to 30 - if that's what you want.

2 minutes ago, Liquor and Poker said:

and 60%-88% against symptomatic infection from the Delta variant

I don't believe 88% effectiveness against symptomatic infection from the Delta variant compared to unvaccinated individuals. I would believe 80%. This article says 66% in the US. https://www.statnews.com/2021/08/24/as-delta-spread-covid-19-vaccine-effectiveness-against-infection-fell-from-90-to-66-in-one-key-study/ It is definitely worth a read. And I think 90% would be a worthwhile goal to obtain. RNA viruses are trickier than DNA viruses (like pox viruses) to develop effective vaccines. But, I think we need to do better or we may be looking at decreased effectiveness as time goes on. That is a huge problem because the spike protein is the best target by far. I don't want to be looking at secondary and tertiary targets because the primary target failed. I want to include other targets while the current vaccine remains largely effective.

49 minutes ago, Liquor and Poker said:

Beta blockers.  Enough metroprolol can get you to 30 - if that's what you want.

I’m 41 and overweight.  Heart rate dips into mid/high 40’s during sober sleep, 50’s+ if I had literally any alcohol the night before.  Fitbit RHR history is essentially an alcohol consumption tracker because it seems to mostly gauge RHR on your heart rate when asleep.  Nothing pisses it off more than going to sleep drunk.  
 

Today it says my RHR is 60, but it’s been dropping as I started walking regularly again and trying to cut back drinking.  
 

Highest jump in one night was the night after my full strength booster, when I woke up dripping sweat with chills and my heart going nuts at 90+ simply laying down.  Was brutal.  

Edited November 1, 2021 by Homercles

Got moderna booster after Pfizer last spring.  Felt alright.  I just felt tired much earlier the evening after (about 24 hours after the shot). Went to bed and felt fine since.  
 

Getting hi dose flu tonight a week after Moderna boost

41 minutes ago, Gatorubet said:

Getting hi dose flu tonight a week after Moderna boost

I was just speaking with a patient who said she felt fine after the COVID booster but felt sick as a dog after her flu vax. Ts&Ps. I guess I should get mine as well. Has the flu been going around?

3 minutes ago, Bevo said:

I was just speaking with a patient who said she felt fine after the COVID booster but felt sick as a dog after her flu vax. Ts&Ps. I guess I should get mine as well. Has the flu been going around?

I had the 3rd Pfizer shot and had not much more than a general malaise for a day. Had the flu shot 4 weeks later and felt like shit for 4 days. 

I got the flu shot a few weeks ago and didn't notice any after affects.

I had second dose of covid vaccine in April. In early September my “S” antibodies were at 400-something. Last Thursday I started feeling “off”. Got worse by Saturday and tested: positive. Been feeling like a full-on flu since Saturday.

1 hour ago, KaiserSoze said:

I got the flu shot a few weeks ago and didn't notice any after affects.

Same here, got it 10/1 and zero side effects.  Not even a sore arm.

1 hour ago, KaiserSoze said:

I got the flu shot a few weeks ago and didn't notice any after affects.

This right here. But I got the flu (and TDAP because new baby and it being more than 5 years since my last one) prior to my booster. 

Now, y'all got me thinking. Should I get both at the same time or risk feeling like shit for multiple days on two separate occasions? I usually only get a sore arm from the flu shot so I'm thinking two separate shots spaced a few weeks apart is the way to go.

56 minutes ago, Bevo said:

Now, y'all got me thinking. Should I get both at the same time or risk feeling like shit for multiple days on two separate occasions? I usually only get a sore arm from the flu shot so I'm thinking two separate shots spaced a few weeks apart is the way to go.

YMMV but that plan worked for me. Only side effect of either shot was a sore arm for a few days. 

4 hours ago, Deej said:

I had the 3rd Pfizer shot and had not much more than a general malaise for a day. Had the flu shot 4 weeks later and felt like shit for 4 days. 

My flu shot didn't produce any effects other than 4 solid days of my arm feeling like a fastball hit it.  It must have been the needle the nurse used.  I didn't question:

Boosted, moderna part 3. Sore arm, tired.

On 10/30/2021 at 3:42 PM, sidis said:

Breakthrough here as well. Picked it up traveling last weekend with idiot friends. Monday and Tuesday had sore throat but felt fine. Tested both days and was negative on each. Wednesday, the lethargy picked up a bit and tested again. Came up positive twice. Stayed home since Tuesday morning. Somehow treated my 8 year old daughter for a week and never got it but going to some stupid ass bar in Minneapolis got me.

So far, no fever and no head or body aches. No issues breathing. A little more tired than usual yesterday and today and had a tough time sleeping last night. Coughing up and blowing decent amount of mucus. Taste and smell made a departure yesterday morning which sucks. Spending a lot of time outside just hanging out in fresh air when I can. Oximeter readings have all been >95 so far. Hopefully, all that continues and Moderna did a good job of training my body’s army.

Taking shitloads of vitamin d, vitamin c, zinc.  Going to start taking a bit of aspirin for fighting clotting. Water, water, more water all day and night right now. Get fucked Covid you fucking mother fucker. Feel free to eat a whole fucking dick. 

Your fault for living in Minnesota 

Is there any point in getting a booster if my antibody counts were high in the Texas cares study’s?

5 hours ago, Deej said:

I had the 3rd Pfizer shot and had not much more than a general malaise for a day. Had the flu shot 4 weeks later and felt like shit for 4 days. 

I got both at the same time (full dose Moderna “booster” and flu shot). Different arms - I didn’t feel bad at all but the arm I got the Moderna shot hurt like a bitch for 2 days. No physical effect from the flu shot. 

Edited November 2, 2021 by Planet Houston

6 minutes ago, StruggleBus said:

Your fault for living in Minnesota 

Incorrect. Was just traveling there. 

double post

Edited November 2, 2021 by Planet Houston

On 10/31/2021 at 12:57 PM, hornian said:

Got my booster on Friday. Moderna, H‑E‑B. It was the booster, not a third dose; so only 1/2. Only side effect was/is a sore arm.  

 

how do i know if i need a 1/2 doze or full doze booster ?

Just now, tx 3 putt said:

 

how do i know if i need a 1/2 doze or full doze booster ?

Depends if you want the 4 hour nap or the 8 hour nap.

1 minute ago, SizzleChest said:

Depends if you want the 4 hour nap or the 8 hour nap.

 

8 hr, ill go full doze 

Saw this stat today:

Quote

 

California has already mandated that kids in kindergarten through 12th grade will need to be vaccinated against Covid-19, possibly as soon as next fall. A Covid vaccine would join five others that are required for children attending childcare or school nationally, including shots for measles and tetanus.

But there’s a lot of hesitancy around the Covid shot for kids. While 27% of parents said they’d get their kids vaccinated right away, 30% of parents said they would “definitely not” vaccinate their kids, according to a survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation. That’s double the rate of adults who said they wouldn't get vaccinated in December 2020.

 

 

6 hours ago, StruggleBus said:

Is there any point in getting a booster if my antibody counts were high in the Texas cares study’s?

 

Who knows? Antibody count is only part of the story. Without getting technical, the types of antibodies and other parts of your immune system are important as well. Personally, I have questions on not if to get the booster but when to get it. Over Christmas I have a long vacation planned so to me it seems important to get the booster a few weeks before vacation - this will end up spacing about a year between when I got my first shot and my booster. My decision is based more on circumstances than antibody count (since I don't know my count and I don't know if I ever contracted COVID). I would assume I have been exposed plenty so aside from taking precautions, I am probably pretty lucky. OTOH, I don't like the idea of having had 6 doses of the vaccine if the virus stays around for 3 years. I would rather be at 3. That decision is not based on science, though. Science doesn't really have an answer to that question of risk/reward.

Does anybody else here read that Morning email from the NY Times?  It’s written/edited by the same guy every day but its message on Covid swings 180 degrees in tone all the time. It upsets me mostly that it’s so blatant and obvious. 
 

This morning the it has decided to make Covid super scary again. The UK is a disaster for opening up too much, cases are rising again, vaccinations have stalled, protection from early vaccinations is waning, etc. 

https://messaging-custom-newsletters.nytimes.com/template/oakv2?campaign_id=9&emc=edit_nn_20211102&instance_id=44368&nl=the-morning&productCode=NN&regi_id=115763618&segment_id=73279&te=1&uri=nyt%3A%2F%2Fnewsletter%2Ff3e9b033-65f4-555a-8822-8481d05222ab&user_id=52582b04c3b92afd841aaf462e715115
 

Now look at last week.  Cases are falling, severity is good, but the US is so much worse than places like the UK:

https://messaging-custom-newsletters.nytimes.com/template/oakv2?campaign_id=9&emc=edit_nn_20211026&instance_id=43778&nl=the-morning&productCode=NN&regi_id=115763618&segment_id=72649&te=1&uri=nyt%3A%2F%2Fnewsletter%2F7a9563af-a274-5b82-8f76-2ad8d568b82d&user_id=52582b04c3b92afd841aaf462e715115

20 minutes ago, Liquor and Poker said:

Does anybody else here read that Morning email from the NY Times?  It’s written/edited by the same guy every day but its message on Covid swings 180 degrees in tone all the time. It upsets me mostly that it’s so blatant and obvious. 
 

This morning the it has decided to make Covid super scary again. The UK is a disaster for opening up too much, cases are rising again, vaccinations have stalled, protection from early vaccinations is waning, etc. 

https://messaging-custom-newsletters.nytimes.com/template/oakv2?campaign_id=9&emc=edit_nn_20211102&instance_id=44368&nl=the-morning&productCode=NN&regi_id=115763618&segment_id=73279&te=1&uri=nyt%3A%2F%2Fnewsletter%2Ff3e9b033-65f4-555a-8822-8481d05222ab&user_id=52582b04c3b92afd841aaf462e715115
 

Now look at last week.  Cases are falling, severity is good, but the US is so much worse than places like the UK:

https://messaging-custom-newsletters.nytimes.com/template/oakv2?campaign_id=9&emc=edit_nn_20211026&instance_id=43778&nl=the-morning&productCode=NN&regi_id=115763618&segment_id=72649&te=1&uri=nyt%3A%2F%2Fnewsletter%2F7a9563af-a274-5b82-8f76-2ad8d568b82d&user_id=52582b04c3b92afd841aaf462e715115

Sounds like you should unsubscribe from that mailer tbh

48 minutes ago, Captainant said:

Sounds like you should unsubscribe from that mailer tbh

I get your point, but that wasn’t mine. 

Tomorrow is day 10.  I will actually wait until day 11 to reintroduce into society but i am feeling totally normal.  even my smell and taste is starting to incrementally come back which is nice and insanely fast.

everyone's mileage clearly varies with this thing but my own experience was probably the ultimate endorsement of the moderna vaccine.  my experience over the last week and a half compared to my unvaccinated in-laws who got it back in the summer is extraordinary.  all of us are generally the same age (late 30's - mid 40's) and same general-ish health status (meaning none of them were fat smoker types).  they were down for the freaking count, couldn't get out of bed for almost two weeks and one had to go to the hospital.  it took them a month to get back to feeling normal and were all feverish/aches/everything.  they were utterly miserable and complaining that the energy required to send a text message made them have to go back to sleep.  similarly, treating my 8 year old, clearly unvaccinated daughter who got it was tough.  she was in a rough place for a good while with terrible fever and aches, etc...

i had a scratchy throat for a day or two and was a little tired after working all day from home on thursday and friday, along with smell and taste loss.  thankfully never had a fever, never even a headache or body ache, never trouble breathing, certainly no vomiting or anything.  i felt totally normal for the 95% of the time from first symptoms to now.  moderna shots in march and april apparently armed me with the seal team six version of virus hunter antibodies.  i suppose it is possible that would have been the outcome without vaccination but i seriously doubt it would have been such a walk in the park. /nojinx.

still incredibly bizarre to recount the vectoring this thing seems to follow.  i clearly picked it up sometime the weekend before last between thurs-sat while traveling to shithole minneapolis.  no sustained, long close contact at all with anyone during those travels.  five other dudes on the trip with me, none of them got it.  came home on sunday.  sexed up my wife on both sunday night and monday night before i tested positive when i would have assumed it was mega-transmittable.  hugged my kids, read to them in bed, cooked them dinner, etc...  no one else in my house ever got it.  so strange to me.

Edited November 2, 2021 by sidis

11 minutes ago, sidis said:

Tomorrow is day 10.  I will actually wait until day 11 to reintroduce into society but i am feeling totally normal.  even my smell and taste is starting to incrementally come back which is nice and insanely fast.

everyone's mileage clearly varies with this thing but my own experience was probably the ultimate endorsement of the moderna vaccine.  my experience over the last week and a half compared to my unvaccinated in-laws who got it back in the summer is extraordinary.  all of us are generally the same age (late 30's - mid 40's) and same general-ish health status (meaning none of them were fat smoker types).  they were down for the freaking count, couldn't get out of bed for almost two weeks and one had to go to the hospital.  it took them a month to get back to feeling normal and were all feverish/aches/everything.  they were utterly miserable and complaining that the energy required to send a text message made them have to go back to sleep.  similarly, treating my 8 year old, clearly unvaccinated daughter who got it was tough.  she was in a rough place for a good while with terrible fever and aches, etc...

i had a scratchy throat for a day or two and was a little tired after working all day from home on thursday and friday, along with smell and taste loss.  thankfully never had a fever, never even a headache or body ache, never trouble breathing, certainly no vomiting or anything.  i felt totally normal for the 95% of the time from first symptoms to now.  moderna shots in march and april apparently armed me with the seal team six version of virus hunter antibodies.  i suppose it is possible that would have been the outcome without vaccination but i seriously doubt it would have been such a walk in the park. /nojinx.

still incredibly bizarre to recount the vectoring this thing seems to follow.  i clearly picked it up sometime the weekend before last between thurs-sat while traveling to shithole minneapolis.  no sustained, long close contact at all with anyone during those travels.  five other dudes on the trip with me, none of them got it.  came home on sunday.  sexed up my wife on both sunday night and monday night before i tested positive when i would have assumed it was mega-transmittable.  hugged my kids, read to them in bed, cooked them dinner, etc...  no one else in my house ever got it.  so strange to me.

It's a weird fucking bug, man.  Seriously, it just behaves in some ways that are curveballs compared to what we expect from similar viruses, which is part of the reason that the response etc. has been so erratic and has changed course multiple times -- because COVID likes to pull a fucking Crazy Ivan with regularity.

52 minutes ago, sidis said:

Tomorrow is day 10.  I will actually wait until day 11 to reintroduce into society but i am feeling totally normal.  even my smell and taste is starting to incrementally come back which is nice and insanely fast.

everyone's mileage clearly varies with this thing but my own experience was probably the ultimate endorsement of the moderna vaccine.  my experience over the last week and a half compared to my unvaccinated in-laws who got it back in the summer is extraordinary.  all of us are generally the same age (late 30's - mid 40's) and same general-ish health status (meaning none of them were fat smoker types).  they were down for the freaking count, couldn't get out of bed for almost two weeks and one had to go to the hospital.  it took them a month to get back to feeling normal and were all feverish/aches/everything.  they were utterly miserable and complaining that the energy required to send a text message made them have to go back to sleep.  similarly, treating my 8 year old, clearly unvaccinated daughter who got it was tough.  she was in a rough place for a good while with terrible fever and aches, etc...

i had a scratchy throat for a day or two and was a little tired after working all day from home on thursday and friday, along with smell and taste loss.  thankfully never had a fever, never even a headache or body ache, never trouble breathing, certainly no vomiting or anything.  i felt totally normal for the 95% of the time from first symptoms to now.  moderna shots in march and april apparently armed me with the seal team six version of virus hunter antibodies.  i suppose it is possible that would have been the outcome without vaccination but i seriously doubt it would have been such a walk in the park. /nojinx.

still incredibly bizarre to recount the vectoring this thing seems to follow.  i clearly picked it up sometime the weekend before last between thurs-sat while traveling to shithole minneapolis.  no sustained, long close contact at all with anyone during those travels.  five other dudes on the trip with me, none of them got it.  came home on sunday.  sexed up my wife on both sunday night and monday night before i tested positive when i would have assumed it was mega-transmittable.  hugged my kids, read to them in bed, cooked them dinner, etc...  no one else in my house ever got it.  so strange to me.

Don't minimize the potential effect of the vaccine on positively impacting transmissibility.  I'm pretty sure I got it the 23rd or 24th, was around 5 people indoors for over 4 hours 3-4 days later and none of them got it (all tested negative, zero symptoms).  Team Moderna here too; triple vaxxed.

Oh, and I still have not lost taste or smell and have felt 100% the last two days (was down with fever, chills, body aches from Thursday morning to Friday evening, improved greatly over the weekend).

25 minutes ago, SizzleChest said:

Don't minimize the potential effect of the vaccine on positively impacting transmissibility.  I'm pretty sure I got it the 23rd or 24th, was around 5 people indoors for over 4 hours 3-4 days later and none of them got it (all tested negative, zero symptoms).  Team Moderna here too; triple vaxxed.

Oh, and I still have not lost taste or smell and have felt 100% the last two days (was down with fever, chills, body aches from Thursday morning to Friday evening, improved greatly over the weekend).

Wait, you caught covid after three doses of the vaccine?

7 minutes ago, XYZ said:

Wait, you caught covid after three doses of the vaccine?

He got something that resembles a bad cold because his immune system was primed to respond, rather than rolling the dice with a trip to the hospital to see how many tubes they could stick up his ass. 

9 minutes ago, XYZ said:

Wait, you caught covid after three doses of the vaccine?

Not sure.  I got my booster on the 23rd, so I might have been infected, and THEN gotten my booster.  Fucked up timing is all I can say.

Just now, Anastasis said:

He got something that resembles a bad cold because his immune system was primed to respond, rather than rolling the dice with a trip to the hospital to see how many tubes they could stick up his ass. 

I have a home setup for that.