Octopus Overlords

LawBeefaroni wrote: Tue Jan 25, 2022 4:33 pm Of course this is all happening on the tail end of bothering-to-do-anything.

Smoove_B wrote: Tue Jan 25, 2022 4:35 pm Yup. Just wait until the free COVID-19 test kits show up later this week or next with reagents that have been rendered useless because of the temperature.

The FDA has revised its emergency use authorization (EUA) for two monoclonal antibody combinations to treat mild-to-moderate COVID-19 because they are not effective against the dominant Omicron variant.

The drugs are bamlanivimab combined with etesevimab from Eli Lilly, which was authorized for use in February 2021, and casirivimab with imdevimab, from Regeneron, which received an EUA in November 2020.

The FDA action is in line with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines Panel, which recently advised against use of the drugs due to reduced activity against Omicron and because real-time testing to identify rare, non-Omicron variants is not readily available.

Smoove_B wrote: Tue Jan 25, 2022 4:35 pm Yup. Just wait until the free COVID-19 test kits show up later this week or next with reagents that have been rendered useless because of the temperature.

Blackhawk wrote: Tue Jan 25, 2022 5:52 pm

Smoove_B wrote: Tue Jan 25, 2022 4:35 pm Yup. Just wait until the free COVID-19 test kits show up later this week or next with reagents that have been rendered useless because of the temperature.

I don't suppose they have any sort of indicator included to show if they've been compromised...

A Quidel spokesperson said, "The QuickVue At-Home OTC COVID-19 Test should always be stored upon receipt according to the temperature printed on the kit box (59°F to 86°F or 15°C to 30°C). Quidel has performed studies that demonstrate the product performs as expected under different temperature conditions (i.e., heated and frozen conditions) encountered during shipping. If you have any concerns about the shipping conditions of your test kit, please contact the retailer where you purchased the test."

The FDA is the agency that regulates medical devices and it says all authorized tests “...should be stored and used in accordance with the authorized labeling.” Adding, “In most cases, the authorized instructions for use include that the test should be brought to room temperature prior to use.”

So the bottom line is – it depends on the brand of the test. So read the package and follow the instructions.

The FDA has more details on Antigen tests here. You can look up instructions for use by entering OTC in the search bar.

Lucira has quite a bit of data regarding the temperature testing they did on pages 20 and 21

Cue’s label specifically says: “Store the unopened Cue COVID-19 Test Cartridge Pack and the foil pouches inside the pack in the temperature range shown in the table below. Do not use a cartridge that has been stored outside of this temperature condition.”

SD Biosensor says: “Store the kit at 36-86 °F / 2-30 °C and protect from direct sunlight. The expiry date of the materials is indicated on the external packaging. Do not freeze the kit.”

CareStart says: “Store the test kit as packaged between 1 ~ 30°C. The test device must remain in the sealed pouch until use. Do not freeze any contents of the kit.”

InBios says: “The kit is designed to be stored at room temperature (15-30°C or 59-86°F) for the duration of its shelf life. Exposure to temperatures over 30°C or 86°F can impact the performance of the test and should be minimized. The kit should not be frozen or refrigerated.”

ACON Flowflex says: “The kit can be stored at temperatures between 36-86°F (2-30°C). The test is stable until the expiration date is printed on the sealed pouch. The test must remain in the sealed pouch until use. DO NOT FREEZE. Do not use after the expiration date.”

If you have any concerns about the shipping conditions of your test kit, please contact the retailer where you purchased the test.

Blackhawk wrote: Tue Jan 25, 2022 10:33 pm Does anyone have Joe Biden's number?

pr0ner wrote: Wed Jan 26, 2022 5:10 pm My government issued tests are waiting for me at my mailbox at home. Hopefully not too long that it makes the tests go bad (it was delivered just before 3; I won't get home til 6:20 or so) since it's hovering around freezing today.

Ralph-Wiggum wrote: Fri Jan 28, 2022 9:37 am The CDC has told pharmacies that immunocompromised people are now eligible for a 2nd booster shot. I haven't scheduled mine yet since I need to find a block of time when I can feel like crap for two days, but will probably get it sometime in the next few weeks.

Ralph-Wiggum wrote: Fri Jan 28, 2022 9:37 am The CDC has told pharmacies that immunocompromised people are now eligible for a 2nd booster shot. I haven't scheduled mine yet since I need to find a block of time when I can feel like crap for two days, but will probably get it sometime in the next few weeks.

The Meal wrote: Fri Jan 28, 2022 10:08 am

Ralph-Wiggum wrote: Fri Jan 28, 2022 9:37 am The CDC has told pharmacies that immunocompromised people are now eligible for a 2nd booster shot. I haven't scheduled mine yet since I need to find a block of time when I can feel like crap for two days, but will probably get it sometime in the next few weeks.

Assuming no J&J, shot #4 is considered the first "booster" for the immunocompromised, in my understanding. Shot#3 completed the IC's regular dose.

The Meal wrote: Fri Jan 28, 2022 10:08 am

Ralph-Wiggum wrote: Fri Jan 28, 2022 9:37 am The CDC has told pharmacies that immunocompromised people are now eligible for a 2nd booster shot. I haven't scheduled mine yet since I need to find a block of time when I can feel like crap for two days, but will probably get it sometime in the next few weeks.

Assuming no J&J, shot #4 is considered the first "booster" for the immunocompromised, in my understanding. Shot#3 completed the IC's regular dose.

Smoove_B wrote: Tue Jan 25, 2022 4:21 pm Free masks are starting to show up in random locations around the United States - check with your local pharmacy or public health agency to see if they have them in stock.

N.Y.C. is offering free home delivery of Covid antiviral pills, though supply is limited.
The pills, which require a prescription, are prioritized for those who test positive for the coronavirus and are at higher risk for severe illness.

Mayor Eric Adams announced that oral antiviral pills would be made available for free, same-day at-home delivery starting Sunday for eligible New Yorkers who receive a prescription. According to a statement from the mayor’s office, treatments will be prioritized to New Yorkers who test positive for the coronavirus and are at higher risk for severe illness as supplies are still restricted.

The city will provide Paxlovid, developed by Pfizer, and molnupiravir, developed by Merck. Both drugs will be distributed by Alto Pharmacy, a telehealth prescription medication provider the city has partnered with.

LONDON (Reuters) - Leading South African scientists are set to investigate COVID-19 and HIV in tandem, amid mounting evidence that the collision of the two pandemics could be generating new coronavirus variants.

The team at the Network for Genomic Surveillance in South Africa (NGS-SA), which first alerted the world to the COVID variant Omicron, said it was time for a "systematic" investigation of what happens when patients with untreated HIV get COVID-19.

A number of studies, including one published by the team last week, have found that people with weakened immune systems – such as patients with untreated HIV – can suffer from persistent coronavirus infections, often for months.

The virus remains in their systems and accumulates mutations, some of which may give it an advantage.

Some researchers believe this could be how Omicron and some of the other COVID variants developed, although other scientists believe it may have arisen in animals before spilling back over into humans.

In a small group of monkeys, an omicron-specific version of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine did not protect against the omicron variant better than Moderna's current, highly effective booster. This finding casts doubt on whether a switch to variant-specific doses is necessary.

The study was led by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and posted on a preprint server last Friday. The study has not been peer-reviewed or published in a scientific journal. It also has all the limitations of an animal study and only involved eight monkeys. The study's findings will have to be verified in human trials, which are currently underway.

Still, there's good reason to think the finding will hold up. As the authors of the study note, this isn't Moderna's first variant-specific booster. The company had previously developed a booster against the concerning variant beta. As with the omicron-specific booster, the beta-booster didn't outperform the original vaccine at protecting primates from beta. And that finding later held up in human trials.

"The nonhuman primate (NHP) model has... been largely predictive for what has been observed in humans in terms of protective efficacy," the authors write.

Exodor wrote: Wed Feb 09, 2022 3:38 pm We've been lucky but COVID has finally found us.

El Guapo wrote: Fri Feb 11, 2022 11:41 am Good luck to both of you. FWIW somehow no else else in my family got it from my wife, despite us spending a lot of time together leading up to her positive test. So you know, some hope on that.

BREAKING: Pfizer pulls FDA request for Covid vaccine for kids under 5

Right pointing backhand indexThe company believes three doses "may provide a higher level of protection in this age group." Data on the third dose is expected in early April.

LawBeefaroni wrote: Fri Feb 11, 2022 11:43 am

El Guapo wrote: Fri Feb 11, 2022 11:41 am Good luck to both of you. FWIW somehow no else else in my family got it from my wife, despite us spending a lot of time together leading up to her positive test. So you know, some hope on that.

Same for us. Just one positive after spending days in the same rooms, on the couch together, etc. And that was Omicron.

ImLawBoy wrote: Fri Feb 11, 2022 11:11 am

Exodor wrote: Wed Feb 09, 2022 3:38 pm We've been lucky but COVID has finally found us.

Sigh. Same here. Boy twin came home early from school yesterday complaining of a stomache ache, but he seemed otherwise fine. This morning he had a fever and a home test came up positive. I'm taking him for a formal test this afternoon, but that's a formality, I think. Everyone else in the house has tested negative so far, but considering his sister and I spend an hour or so in the car with him to and from school . . . .

For now he's in his room watching Minecraft videos on YouTube and I took the time limit off of his tablet so he can watch stuff there. We kept his sister home today out of an abundance of caution. I don't know how long we'll be able to maintain any real isolation - he's only 7. Our biggest concern at this point is making sure his older brother doesn't get it, since he's been known to be hospitalized for the cold. Fortunately he's been vaccinated and boosted and is on medication that some early studies show seem to grant protection from COVID, so fingers crossed.