COVID-19 treatment and vaccine update thread

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Thu Apr 21, 2022 5:30 pm

I'm confused... What would be confusing about an earlier approval?

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Thu Apr 21, 2022 5:59 pm

I *think* it's because Pfizer has been trying to get theirs approved but they missed their target, so to have Moderna just "jump' ahead in approval when so many parents were thinking their kids under 5 would be getting a Pfizer shot...might be confusing? So they both (potentially) get approval in June, presumably.

I am just as confused as everyone else. Unprecedented to withhold a vaccination...unless of course you're continue to follow the belief that kids aren't really at risk - then it makes sense to just delay it, because no harm will come to them if they're infected.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Thu Apr 21, 2022 6:54 pm

While I was waiting to get my second booster, a woman sat her unmasked toddler down next to me. It was coughing a nice rich bronchial-sounding cough. I promptly got up and moved. The point isn't to protect those little germ factories, it's to protect the rude old men who have to share the planet with them.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Tue Apr 26, 2022 2:12 pm

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/majority- ... d=84321029

A new CDC analysis estimates that at least three out of every five Americans have antibodies that indicate a prior COVID-19 infection. Prior to the omicron-fueled surge in cases from December 2021 to February 2022, only an estimated one-third of people in the U.S. were estimated to have a prior infection.
...
About 58% of adults had detectable antibodies as of February -- but that rose to nearly 75% among children and teens under 17.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Tue Apr 26, 2022 4:43 pm

Given that my son had it and we have a very small house, I figure that there is a fairly good chance I had it asymptomatically last fall, too.

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Sat May 07, 2022 3:50 pm

Paxlovid Mouth Is Real—And Gross

More than two years into this pandemic, we finally have an antiviral treatment that works pretty darn well. Paxlovid cuts a vulnerable adult’s chances of hospitalization or death from COVID by nearly 90 percent if taken in the first few days of an infection. For adults without risk-heightening factors, it reduces that likelihood by 70 percent. Also, it might make your mouth taste like absolute garbage the whole time you’re taking the pills.

In Pfizer’s clinical trials, about 5.6 percent of patients reported an “altered sense of taste,” called dysgeusia in the medical literature. A Pfizer spokesperson assured me that “most events were mild” and “very few patients discontinued study as a result”; the outer packaging of the drug doesn’t mention it at all, and the patient fact sheet breezes past it. But Paxlovid-takers told me it’s absolutely dysgeusting.

The bad taste may come on shortly after people take their first set of pills. (If prescribed Paxlovid, you’re supposed to take three pills, twice daily, for five days.) For a 36-year-old dog walker in Washington, D.C., named sangam 'alopeke (who styles their name without capital letters), the effect emerged within about an hour of the first dose. Lindsay Wright, a 40-year-old creative director in Winnipeg, Canada, said she noticed it after 90 minutes. Sheila Borkar, a 30-year-old transportation engineer who also lives in Washington, took a pill before bed and woke up to the taste.

“I imagine this is what grapefruit juice mixed with soap would taste like,” Anna Valdez, a nursing professor in Sonoma Valley, California, told me. (We communicated over Twitter direct messages because Valdez had lost her voice from COVID.) “It is horrible and does not go away.” Borkar was reminded of acid reflux. “This didn’t taste like food,” she said. “It didn’t quite taste poisonous, but it definitely tasted like something that should not be consumed.” Her friend Jeffrey Holliday, a 33-year-old business analyst, told me, “It tasted like I chewed a bunch of vitamins.”

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Sun May 08, 2022 11:46 pm

Nose Spray Vaccines Could Quash COVID Virus Variants

The relentless evolution of the COVID-causing coronavirus has taken a bit of the shine off the vaccines developed during the first year of the pandemic. Versions of the virus that now dominate circulation—Omicron and its subvariants—are more transmissible and adept at evading the body’s immune defenses than its original form. The current shots to the arm can still prevent serious illness, but their ability to ward off infection completely has been diminished. And part of the reason may be the location of the jabs, which some scientists now want to change.

To block infections entirely, scientists want to deliver inoculations to the site where the virus first makes contact: the nose. People could simply spray the vaccines up their nostrils at home, making the preparation much easier to administer. There are eight of these nasal vaccines in clinical development now and three in phase 3 clinical trials, where they are being tested in large groups of people. But making these vaccines has proven to be slow going because of the challenges of creating formulations for this unfamiliar route that are both safe and effective.

What could be most important about nasal vaccines is their ability to awaken a powerful bodily defender known as mucosal immunity, something largely untapped by the standard shots. The mucosal system relies on specialized cells and antibodies within the mucus-rich lining of the nose and other parts of our airways, as well as the gut. These elements move fast and arrive first, stopping the virus, SARS-CoV-2, before it can create a deep infection. “We are dealing with a different threat than we were in 2020,” says Akiko Iwasaki, an immunologist at Yale University. “If we want to contain the spread of the virus, the only way to do that is through mucosal immunity.”

dbt1949 · Post by **dbt1949** » Thu May 12, 2022 12:14 am

I just read where North Korea got their first case of covid.
I keep thinking about the WW Z movie where they pulled everyone's teeth to keep from spreading the disease.

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Thu May 12, 2022 10:36 am

I'm pretty sure that North Korea had their first case of COVID a couple of years ago.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Mon May 16, 2022 10:26 pm

covidtests.gov is live again and giving out 8 free tests per household. Hasn't been officially announced yet but I just ordered mine.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Mon May 16, 2022 10:54 pm

Thank you.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Mon May 16, 2022 11:06 pm

I’m sure Smoove would be horrified at the baby shower conducted in our work break room today. I know of one attendee who has not been vaccinated, and whose LEO husband has previously caught it and had one of his colleagues die from it.

Masks? What are those?

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Tue May 17, 2022 3:03 pm

Kids 5-11 are about to get boosted. Crickets for any vaccine for the under-5 crowd, still.

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Fri May 20, 2022 10:46 am

Zaxxon wrote: Tue May 17, 2022 3:03 pm Kids 5-11 are about to get boosted. Crickets for any vaccine for the under-5 crowd, still.

CDC advisory panel recommended approval yesterday. Come on, Wolensky; give that sign-off. I'd love to get the kiddos jabbed again tonight or tomorrow...

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Fri May 20, 2022 11:04 am

She signed off on it hours after the panel recommended it...

link

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Fri May 20, 2022 11:15 am

Smoove_B wrote: Fri May 20, 2022 11:04 am She signed off on it hours after the panel recommended it...

link

Someone should tell the CDC!

Their site looks to be partially updated but not consistent. Glad I was just behind the times! Unfortunately our pharmacy is also still only allowing 5-11 with immunocompromisation.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Mon May 23, 2022 9:27 am

Hey, remember kids under 5? Some progress:

Vaccine makers Pfizer and BioNTech said they will complete their submission for emergency use authorization of their Covid-19 vaccine for children under the age of 5 this week after a study of a third dose found it improves the efficacy of the vaccine.

The companies said that, with three doses, the vaccine performed about as well in young children as it does in adults. The vaccine was well tolerated, induced a strong immune response and was 80.3% effective at preventing Covid infections at a time when the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus was circulating.

“The study suggests that a low 3-[microgram] dose of our vaccine … provides young children with a high level of protection against the recent Covid-19 strains,” Ugur Sahin, CEO and co-founder of BioNTech, said in a statement.

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Mon May 23, 2022 9:29 am

Would be nice if it's fast-tracked from here. Given that it's a 3-dose course and autumn is coming.

In related news, my kids got their booster Friday. Kicked their butts on Sat and one was still petered out yesterday.

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Mon May 23, 2022 4:38 pm

June 15 FDA review meeting.

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/23/kids-co ... dlers.html

So hopefully by end of June...

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Mon May 23, 2022 9:44 pm

I got a text from my son's behavioral therapist about his appointment tomorrow (in person, here at the house.) She told us that she was exposed over the weekend, but a test today came back negative. She wanted to know if we wanted to go ahead with our appointment at 9:30 AM tomorrow - and that she'd be willing to wear a mask if we wanted.

She tested negative the day after exposure. Well, that's a relief!

I let her know that we'd be cancelling, and would try again after negative test next week. Note that she hadn't said anything about further tests - I figured that throwing out that expectation couldn't hurt.

Defiant · Post by **Defiant** » Tue May 24, 2022 12:50 am

Interesting thread:

The tl/dr version is: When it came to omicron, those with boosters had less body aches and less fevers, but were more likely to have congestion - that may be the vaccine working better at slowing down the virus when the person is first infected. And if it isn't slowed down, the body is more likely to try to respond by raising your temperature and by activating parts of your body that will cause body aches.

https://twitter.com/DataDrivenMD/status ... 3009041408

https://twitter.com/DataDrivenMD/status ... 0315288576

https://twitter.com/DataDrivenMD/status ... 4960101381

https://twitter.com/DataDrivenMD/status ... 5554598912

Post by **ImLawBoy** » Tue May 24, 2022 9:52 am

Twins were boosted yesterday. I'm six weeks out from surgery as of Friday, so I'm planning on boosting (second) after that (but not over the weekend since it's my birthday weekend and I don't want to be laid out then if I have a reaction (although I haven't had much for any of the shots so far). My wife has second booster FOMO since she's not yet 50.

Defiant · Post by **Defiant** » Thu May 26, 2022 6:14 pm

Anecdotal thread, but disturbing if it turns out to be the case.

https://twitter.com/StephTaitWrites/sta ... 2303232000

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Thu May 26, 2022 6:50 pm

My own experience with these kinds of stories is that people aren't nearly as careful as they think they are. That's not an indictment against anyone, it just takes constant awareness to monitor risk. I've lost track of family friends that have said they wear masks all the time and they don't know how they got COVID, but when I talk to them a bit more they're removing their masks in scenarios where they think they are low risk and/or don't know how they can wear one and do [X] (like eat food). No surprise, that's likely how your exposure happened.

Even outside, under the right conditions (close, crowded, yelling/singing), risk is higher. There's nothing magical about being outside if you're standing or sitting close to someone and you're laughing or yelling at each other. This isn't the 6' distance thing either - too many variables.

Once again, I saw a woman yesterday wiping her shopping cart down at the supermarket like she was preparing it for surgery. After tossing the wipes in the trash she proceeded to walk inside...without a mask.

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Thu May 26, 2022 6:56 pm

Maybe she was worried about monkey pox.

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Thu May 26, 2022 7:26 pm

Well after 2+ years the Covid finally hit our house.

My daughter had a seizure today at school and fell flat on her face, busting her jaw up. Got her home, she was running a fever. Tested her and she was positive. Doc thinks COVID triggered the seizure (she has a history of them, albeit very infrequent - it's been 2 years since her last one).

Of course it happened right before we were headed out of town on vacation, but I'm glad we caught it before we left.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Thu May 26, 2022 7:37 pm

Sorry to hear, YK. Hope no dental damage was done.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Thu May 26, 2022 7:39 pm

So sorry to hear that and so frustrated to hear it happened.

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Thu May 26, 2022 7:47 pm

Thanks, just got an update and no serious damage. Sprained a tendon in her jaw. Should be fine, but may have a lot of milkshakes in her future.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Thu May 26, 2022 8:36 pm

The new mutant for this year is an omicron/delta one. Its very catchable and the latest vacc wont help ya. Its also as strong as delta. If you had omi then no help either. If you had delta earlier then maaaaybe. Theres a couple others overseas right now worse than it.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Thu May 26, 2022 9:34 pm

YellowKing wrote: Thu May 26, 2022 7:26 pm Well after 2+ years the Covid finally hit our house.

My daughter had a seizure today at school and fell flat on her face, busting her jaw up. Got her home, she was running a fever. Tested her and she was positive. Doc thinks COVID triggered the seizure (she has a history of them, albeit very infrequent - it's been 2 years since her last one).

Of course it happened right before we were headed out of town on vacation, but I'm glad we caught it before we left.

Seems like there's no escaping it anymore. Wife and I are both still never-infected, as far as we know, but although we're still taking precautions we're not being hyper cautious, so I'm sure it's just a matter of time. People in general are willfully oblivious. Once again on grocery day fewer than 10% of the people at the store were masked.

Glad YellowPrincess is OK and I hope the virus doesn't romp through your family.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Thu May 26, 2022 9:49 pm

I stopped wearing a mask a month ago just cause Im tired of it. Still worry every time I have to go anywhere.

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Thu May 26, 2022 9:58 pm

Kraken wrote:Glad YellowPrincess is OK and I hope the virus doesn't romp through your family.

Thanks. Yeah in YP's case she's vaxxed and boosted, and has worn a mask at school and in public even after mandates were dropped. That can only do so much, though, if nobody else is taking precautions.

I took a test today and was negative. YellowPrince complained of being extremely tired tonight (highly unusual for a 10 year old who's usually bouncing off the walls), so I fear it's hit him as well.

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Wed Jun 01, 2022 10:29 pm

Kraken wrote:Glad YellowPrincess is OK and I hope the virus doesn't romp through your family.

Narrator: "But the virus would romp through their family..."

So COVID hit my wife, son, and I over the weekend. We pretty much spent the beautiful Memorial Day weekend in a house that sounded like an old-timey tuberculosis ward. My wife and son got the worst of it, with tons of congestion and coughing. My mom brought us groceries, dropped them on the porch, and literally ran back to her car like the virus was going to unlock the door and chase after her.

I kept expecting the government agency from E.T. to show up, envelop our house in a tent, then start walking around in hazmat suits.

I started feeling bad Monday, a day or two behind the rest of the family. Primarily achiness, chills, and extreme fatigue. I didn't seem to get the full-blown congestion that the rest of the family did, so other than the exhaustion I felt OK enough to work the past couple of days. I've been trying to get a lot of rest, which I think has helped more than anything.

YellowPrincess is feeling much better now, and claims to be back 100%. My wife and son are still struggling a bit, but seem to have rounded the corner. All in all seems like it's taking about a week to shake this stuff, so I think we'll be mostly back to normal by the weekend.

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Wed Jun 01, 2022 10:49 pm

Fingers crossed.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Thu Jun 02, 2022 1:27 am

So you're all invulnerable until the next wave.

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Thu Jun 02, 2022 8:18 am

You'd think so, but then again BA.4 and BA.5 are optimized for natural immunity evasion...

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Thu Jun 02, 2022 3:55 pm

Zaxxon wrote: Mon May 23, 2022 4:38 pm June 15 FDA review meeting.

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/23/kids-co ... dlers.html

So hopefully by end of June...

Maybe even 6/21...

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/02/us/p ... ccine.html

Post by **ImLawBoy** » Fri Jun 03, 2022 4:17 pm

Booster No. 2 installed this morning. So far a sore arm. I'm Moderna x4 at this point - I think they have to start paying me soon.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Sun Jun 05, 2022 11:38 am

Wife just found out she was exposed to covid at her book club Thursday night. The person sitting next to her, a teacher, tested positive (with mild cold-like symptoms).

Home covid test was negative and Wife is asymptomatic. She's going for a PCR test this afternoon. If she has it, I almost surely do, too. But I don't think there's any value in wasting a home test on myself when neither of us feel sick and hers was negative.