COVID-19 treatment and vaccine update thread

[LawBeefaroni]

Rolling them out at work soon, looking forward to everyone being boosted again.

Did I mention that two of my employees have had COVID in the past few weeks? I cancelled an in-person one-on-one with one of the morning of the the day she tested positive because I was too busy. An few hours later she was informed of a close contact who was positive and got a positive on her own rapid test and PCR. Near miss there.

[LordMortis]

First!!

One of two CVS in the entire greater area and they didn't really have any sign ups today. The pharmicist told me they had a bunch of people try and do walk ins but all the walk ins had to be turned away.

Now for a ton of water and Tylenol on stand by.

[Zaxxon]

LM right now:

[LordMortis]

I'm hoping I feel that way in about two weeks. I'm ready to do.... things! Trivial things!!!!

[Smoove_B]

Awesome. I was looking earlier this morning but nothing was available in my area. Then I saw the State announce it on social media and I spent the next hour reporting people for misinformation, as one does.

[Zaxxon]

Managed to snag appointments at CVS for Sunday. The scheduling site makes no mention of whether these are the updated shots, but this seems to indicate yes. I also called in and spoke to someone who said it should be, but her English wasn't great.

LM, when you booked did it make mention of updated/bivalent?

[LordMortis]

Managed to snag appointments at CVS for Sunday. The scheduling site makes no mention of whether these are the updated shots, but this seems to indicate yes. I also called in and spoke to someone who said it should be, but her English wasn't great.

LM, when you booked did it make mention of updated/bivalent?

Yes. If you had checked yesterday CVS would have said they were cancelling all existing appointments while waiting on ???? (four letter abbreviation for CDC arm that does that stuff) approval for the bivalents and that you would need to reschedule. That message changed twice this morning. I didn't see any mention of bivalent when I was going through my approval online except for one line when I agreed to reading the two Moderna pdfs.

From my link the referral page states

Latest CDC guidance


Updated booster vaccines targeting the latest COVID-19 variants are now recommended for those eligible under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines. A Pfizer-BioNTech booster for ages 12 and older and a Moderna booster for ages 18 and older are available at select CVS locations. Check for availability.

[Zaxxon]

Gracias.

[Smoove_B]

Yes. If you had checked yesterday CVS would have said they were cancelling all existing appointments while waiting on ???? (four letter abbreviation for CDC arm that does that stuff) approval for the bivalents and that you would need to reschedule.

ACIP

[LordMortis]

That sounds correct.

[LordMortis]

I do not have the power

[Smoove_B]

I'm scheduled for tomorrow. Did you ever have a reaction to any of the prior shots? Maybe upgrading to 5G full signal is really working you over?

[LordMortis]

Pain, headache exhaustion to dose 2,3,4 of Pfizer. Dose 5 of Moderna ratcheted to mild flu medium food poisoning.

[Smoove_B]

Well, you're at the Vanguard of receiving this new bivalent booster, so I'll be curious to see if your experience is more common. To be clear, you're not outside of the realm of what could be expected, but I am a little surprised. I'm 3x Moderna at this point and I'll be getting another Moderna tomorrow so I'll report back.

[Max Peck]

I had a stronger reaction to Moderna (2nd dose and 1st booster) than Pfizer (1st dose). With Pfizer, I had a sore arm for about a day. With both shots of Moderna I had a brief overnight bout of chills and fever, on top of a sore arm that persisted for a couple of days.

[LordMortis]

I had corn on the cob for a brunch so I guess I must be on the mend. Still gonna take it easy today.

[Carpet_pissr]

I assume places are using up existing inventory of the vaccines vs just dumping them in favor of these new shots, correct? I think I prefer to wait a bit to get the new shiny.

[LordMortis]

As far as I know CVS cancelled all existing appointments prior to Firday to move to the bivalent injections but their questionnaire made it sound like you had to have had the original shot and booster before taking the bivalent booster, so ????

[Hamlet3145]

I assume places are using up existing inventory of the vaccines vs just dumping them in favor of these new shots, correct? I think I prefer to wait a bit to get the new shiny.

My appointment at Walgreens on Wednesday says it is specifically for the "updated" booster. Their wording: COVID-19 Updated Booster (Moderna)

[Carpet_pissr]

Nice. Guess I’ll schedule another then. Wife has been quarantining in our bedroom for the past week with what is I guess a mild case (cough, fatigue, etc).

[Blackhawk]

The state hasn't updated their registration system yet (you still can't schedule), and no CVS near me carries my brand. I'll have to wait a few more days.

[Carpet_pissr]

Gah, I get that this is hard for even the best companies, but IMO this is more important to get right: going through the CDC web site's little screening quiz to find out 1. IF I can get another shot, and 2. if I should, inserts this seeimgly innocuous question after a few previous questions:
"Have you had an updated booster?"

?!?! Fuck me, I have no idea what you mean by that, CDC! As in, the new ones they JUST came out with, or maybe you mean something else? When was this written? If this text was written 12 months ago, it could very well mean something different than if this was recently updated. And there's nothing there to explain what they mean by "updated" booster.

Admiteddly, this could VERY well be just the way my effed up brain works and perceives (overthinks more likely) things, so there's that, but bloody hell, how about just defining an ambiguous term in parenthesis for the thick like me?

If you can rage quit a website, I just did that. THAT'LL show 'em!

(PS - it occurs to me that the tiniest things like this are able to (and have maybe...forever) completely knock me off course, stop me from doing things, etc. I really think a 'normal' brain would consider the wording, maybe make a best guess, and proceed. Stupid little shit like this STOPS me. It's almost like my brain considers the ambiguity, and shuts down as a result of "not enough info"...just refuses to produce output bc the input is not perfect. WTF.)

[The Meal]

This week is the first time they've updated the booster.

[hitbyambulance]

(PS - it occurs to me that the tiniest things like this are able to (and have maybe...forever) completely knock me off course, stop me from doing things, etc. I really think a 'normal' brain would consider the wording, maybe make a best guess, and proceed. Stupid little shit like this STOPS me. It's almost like my brain considers the ambiguity, and shuts down as a result of "not enough info"...just refuses to produce output bc the input is not perfect. WTF.)

i used to do the same thing, sometimes. turns out it was a combination of petty adolescent-brained self-righteousness combined with OCD. counseling and medication fixed that.

[Carpet_pissr]

(PS - it occurs to me that the tiniest things like this are able to (and have maybe...forever) completely knock me off course, stop me from doing things, etc. I really think a 'normal' brain would consider the wording, maybe make a best guess, and proceed. Stupid little shit like this STOPS me. It's almost like my brain considers the ambiguity, and shuts down as a result of "not enough info"...just refuses to produce output bc the input is not perfect. WTF.)

i used to do the same thing, sometimes. turns out it was a combination of petty adolescent-brained self-righteousness combined with OCD. counseling and medication fixed that.

Now you have my attention: what kind of meds fix "petty adolescent-brained self-righteousness"? Must be a hell of a drug!

[hitbyambulance]

(PS - it occurs to me that the tiniest things like this are able to (and have maybe...forever) completely knock me off course, stop me from doing things, etc. I really think a 'normal' brain would consider the wording, maybe make a best guess, and proceed. Stupid little shit like this STOPS me. It's almost like my brain considers the ambiguity, and shuts down as a result of "not enough info"...just refuses to produce output bc the input is not perfect. WTF.)

i used to do the same thing, sometimes. turns out it was a combination of petty adolescent-brained self-righteousness combined with OCD. counseling and medication fixed that.

Now you have my attention: what kind of meds fix "petty adolescent-brained self-righteousness"? Must be a hell of a drug!

that is more the therapy + meditation/self-reflection part.

[Daehawk]

Does anyone think its unsafe to go see a movie in the theaters? If so plz explain. I want to see Maverick but am gun shy so to speak.

[Unagi]

Does anyone think its unsafe to go see a movie in the theaters? If so plz explain. I want to see Maverick but am gun shy so to speak.

You gotta get back in the cockpit Daehawk. Goose's death was an accident and if it was anyone's fault it was Iceman's fault - not yours.

I need you back up there. We need you. God damn it! - the country needs you!

[Zaxxon]

Well, CVS major fail. Despite my call on Friday, the local CVS has not received the updated shot, so now I await my Wed backup at Walgreens and get to have a free exposure session inside Target for no reason.

Fun times.

[Smoove_B]

I had COVID at the end of June, and I'm 99% sure it was BA.4 or BA.5 variant. I've been reading that I should wait longer to get the booster - basically that I wouldn't be getting the full benefit from it when it's only been ~2.5 months since I had the virus. I guess it makes sense. But then how long am I supposed to wait?

Ok, so this is the first I'm seeing it communicated in official news, from Slate:

The FDA recommends that the bivalent booster is administered at least two months following “primary or booster vaccination.” “For most people who have been boosted already, that timeline has already passed,” Bell notes. So, you could go get it now, by that logic.

But experts I spoke to point out that the FDA timeline doesn’t take into account infections, though they differed on the exact timeline to follow instead. “The immune system needs time to continue to refine itself and make improvements. It needs a good six months without interruption from another booster or even another infection to really produce an optimal response,” Scott says. Katelyn Jetelina, the author of the newsletter Your Local Epidemiologist, also advises waiting a little bit longer after either infection or vaccination—at least three months

I think overwhelmingly the opinions I've read from trusted voices are all saying at least 3 months, but this is actually the first time I'm seeing someone say 6 months. Not sure how helpful that is, but there you go.

[Smoove_B]

Well, CVS major fail. Despite my call on Friday, the local CVS has not received the updated shot, so now I await my Wed backup at Walgreens and get to have a free exposure session inside Target for no reason. Fun times.

It's apparently been a little haphazard for CVS locations. I tried signing up at various locations on Friday and one random CVS near me had appointments. To get another CVS appointment, I would have needed to travel ~20 miles away despite there being CVS locations that were closer.

I did get my shot today and the pharmacist was surprised they not only had the shots available but that people were coming in to get them. She didn't know why her store received them but said all of them in the area should now have slots. It really sounded like it was a matter of corporate scheduling them and perhaps coordinating with logistics to have them delivered.

As a post-script, not a single person was masked in the store, including the pharmacist that vaccinated me. I am not surprised, just disappointed. When you have a location where you *know* sick people will be coming and healthy people will also be visiting (to get vaccines or medicines for people that are sick at home), seems like a no brainer. But what do I know?

Here's hoping your Wednesday visit is without incident. I'm about 5 hours post shot and feel fine. My prior 3 were much earlier in the day so I'm not really sure what to expect, but if I transform into a Morlock overnight I'll have someone update my account here.

[LordMortis]

Well, CVS major fail. Despite my call on Friday, the local CVS has not received the updated shot, so now I await my Wed backup at Walgreens and get to have a free exposure session inside Target for no reason.

Fun times.

I think overwhelmingly the opinions I've read from trusted voices are all saying at least 3 months, but this is actually the first time I'm seeing someone say 6 months. Not sure how helpful that is, but there you go.

The CVS questionnaire didn't ask about prior infection but it did ask about treatment for infection. The big hits for treatment were 90 days.

[Kraken]

You early adopters are adorable. I'm sure that a month from now all the early birds will be taken care of, and in November the government will be begging people to get boosted again. (The government must continue to ignore the pandemic until after the election).

[LawBeefaroni]

As a post-script, not a single person was masked in the store, including the pharmacist that vaccinated me.

Not a single one?

[LordMortis]

You early adopters are adorable. I'm sure that a month from now all the early birds will be taken care of, and in November the government will be begging people to get boosted again. (The government must continue to ignore the pandemic until after the election).

I donut doubt it. Still, plague rat migration season has begun cases are soon to be on the rise as are will be the associated complications. I hope to be mitigating my risk and the risk of those around me a bit within the next couple of weeks. A month from now, I will feel better about going out, even as rates are on the rise. Also, as far as I can there is no early bird movement. Roll out is slow and there is no clamoring to get a shot. Back to the CVS website, there are now 4 CVS I can get a shot at within 3 miles of my house tomorrow. Two with Pfizer and two with Moderna.

[Zaxxon]

And they may even have the updated shot. Impossible to tell from the site.

[Smoove_B]

Not a single one?

As a day-walker, I don't count myself.

Unrelated, but China has apparently just released the first official inhaled/nasal COVID-19 vaccine:

China’s government approved the world’s first inhaled vaccine against COVID-19, the vaccine’s maker Cansino Biologics announced on Sunday.

The vaccine, called Convidecia Air, changes the liquid form of the vaccine into an aerosol using a nebuilzer. The vaccine can then be inhaled through the mouth using the nebulizer machine. The needle-free vaccine “can effectively induce comprehensive immune protection in response to SARS-CoV-2 after just one breath,” Cansino said in a statement.

The science appears to back Cansino’s claims.

In July, Chinese scientists published a pre-print study showing that people who received one booster dose of Cansino’s inhaled vaccine after two doses of the inactivated jab from Chinese maker Sinovac developed more antibodies than people who received three Sinovac shots. Four weeks after receiving the inhaled booster, 92.5% of people had developed neutralizing antibodies for Omicron.

Those who got three doses on Sinovac’s jab did not demonstrate any neutralizing antibodies for Omicron, either four weeks or six months after getting a booster.

Cansino’s stock price jumped 8% in Hong Kong on Monday.

Perhaps this will be the push the US needs to release a similar version:

Prominent scientists like Scripps Research executive vice president Eric Topol have called on the U.S. government to accelerate efforts to develop inhaled and nasal spray vaccines, believing that they may better target Omicron infections than injected jabs.

“Once [Omicron] gets in through our nasal mucosa, or our oral mucosa, upper airway. That’s game over [for] infection,” Topol said recently in a podcast with U.S. President Joe Biden’s former COVID-19 Response Coordinator Andy Slavitt. “The best way… to induce the mucosal immunity right at the upper airway is with either nasal or oral vaccines.

And then we can just spray everyone in public places like when we do mosquito fogging and be done with this. ( )

[Smoove_B]

And now India has their nasal vaccine approved.

NEW DELHI: The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) approved Bharat Biotech's Covid-19 recombinant nasal vaccine, health minister Mansukh Mandaviya tweeted on Tuesday. Notably, this will be India's first nasal vaccine for coronavirus.

...

The regulator approved the vaccine for primary immunisation of those aged 18 years and above, for restricted use in emergency situations, Mandaviya added.

The Hyderabad-based firm completed clinical trials of the nasal vaccine with about 4,000 volunteers and there is no side effect or adverse reaction reported so far, company sources had said.

#1 and #2 in terms of population size. I'm sure it's just a coincidence.

[Zaxxon]

Put me down as a supporter of mosquito fogging the American populace.

[Zaxxon]

Whelp, just got double-jabbed with the new Moderna hotness plus some flu concoction for good measure. Gonna go hide under the bed for 24 hours.