COVID-19 treatment and vaccine update thread

[Smoove_B]

Oct 11th update:

This is now a significant fall lull relative to prior years. Transmission has decreased substantially since early September. Estimates:

310,000 new infections/day
1 in every 108 people currently infected
Numbers at half the 12-month average

[Kraken]

Hooray! We've finally conquered Covid. That line isn't going to go back up.

[LordMortis]

Is that J Weiland from the GoGos? Maybe this will be catalyst to get me out of the house and around people? Though 108 still seems crazy high to me and that is way lower than normal lows. Crazy. Past years suggest this the end of valley, right? Right before Halloween parties and then packing in warm closed spaces for the holidays. Let's hope the peak is a ways off and also statistically much lower.

[Max Peck]

We now have a timeline for the fall COVID vaccination program here in Ontario. Designated at-risk demographics are eligible now, and the general population will be eligible as of 28 October.

[Smoove_B]

Is that J Weiland from the GoGos?

Are you talking about the actress from Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure?

Maybe this will be catalyst to get me out of the house and around people? Though 108 still seems crazy high to me and that is way lower than normal lows. Crazy. Past years suggest this the end of valley, right? Right before Halloween parties and then packing in warm closed spaces for the holidays. Let's hope the peak is a ways off and also statistically much lower.

Everyone is still reading the tea leaves. It could be that we've been soaking in COVID-19 for so long now that the disease dynamics/spread has changed. Maybe we really are going to Great Barrington Declaration our way out of this on the backs of sick, disabled and dead folks. I really don't know anymore but I'm also 100% confident this is now the world we live in and people should just get comfortable with being sick multiple times a year and possibly to the point where it affects your long term health.

But yes, seeing what happens post Halloween and Thanksgiving will certainly be something to watch.

[Smoove_B]

I'm sure the auto insurance industry will respond accordingly:

Findings indicate an association between acute COVID-19 rates and increased car crashes with an OR of 1.5 (1.23-1.26 95%CI). The analysis did not find a protective effect of vaccination against increased crash risks, contrary to previous assumptions. The OR of car crashes associated with COVID-19 was comparable to driving under the influence of alcohol at legal limits or driving with a seizure disorder.

...

The study suggests that acute COVID-19, regardless of Long COVID status, is linked to an increased risk of car crashes presumably due to neurologic changes caused by SARS-CoV-2. These findings underscore the need for further research into the neuropsychological impacts of COVID-19. Further studies are recommended to explore the causality and mechanisms behind these findings and to evaluate the implications for public safety in other critical operational tasks. Finally, neurologists dealing with post-COVID patients, should remember that they may have an obligation to report medically impaired drivers.

This fits with my anecdotal experience on local roads and highways that people seem to really have lost the ability to drive over the last ~5 years.

[FishPants]

Got my Moderna 2024 edition and flu shot on Saturday with my wife, while the pharmacist seemed to use his needle like a dart (even with a 1..2...3 STICK! approach as he psyched himself up for it) it wasn't all that bad. Got it at 10am, and by 9pm I couldn't stay awake for anything - otherwise no other affects. I wasn't too concerned about it until an acquaintance (sort of) 52 year old guy, athletic and fairly clean living ended up in ICU (and continues to be) due to random blood clots that have caused all kinds of shit to his organs while he's been in a coma for 3 weeks. They figure probably covid related but can't tell for sure, but not a lot of other reasons for blood to start clotting out of nowhere.

[Smoove_B]

Nasal vaccines are coming:

Vaccines delivered through the nose are now being tested for several diseases. In the U.S., early clinical trials are showing success. Two of these vaccines have generated multiple immune system responses against the COVID-causing virus in people who received them through a puff up the nose; earlier this year their makers received nearly $20 million from Project NextGen, the Biden-Harris administration’s COVID medical initiative. Researchers are optimistic that a nasal spray delivering a COVID vaccine could be ready for the U.S. as soon as 2027. Although recent efforts have focused on inoculations against SARS-CoV-2, nasal vaccines could also protect us against the flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and more.

Thankfully we won't have to worry about COVID-19 in 2027 so taking as much time as possible makes sense.

[Lassr]

Got my Covid booster Friday. My arm hurt for 2 days and that was it. I'm now fully vaccinated for the winter as I got my Flu shot the week before.

[Smoove_B]

Not even news anymore, but ACIP met today:

CDC now recommending 6-month vaccine cadence for:

•everyone 65 years and older.

•moderately to severely immunocompromised of any age (who can also get more doses in consultation with their clinicians).

Policy is for 2024-2025 only.

[LordMortis]

I will be seeking six month boosters if they are covered then. Putting it in my calendar.

[Unagi]

I wasn't too concerned about it until an acquaintance (sort of) 52 year old guy, athletic and fairly clean living ended up in ICU (and continues to be) due to random blood clots that have caused all kinds of shit to his organs while he's been in a coma for 3 weeks. They figure probably covid related but can't tell for sure, but not a lot of other reasons for blood to start clotting out of nowhere.

I'm sorry, but - what ?

[Max Peck]

I wasn't too concerned about it until an acquaintance (sort of) 52 year old guy, athletic and fairly clean living ended up in ICU (and continues to be) due to random blood clots that have caused all kinds of shit to his organs while he's been in a coma for 3 weeks. They figure probably covid related but can't tell for sure, but not a lot of other reasons for blood to start clotting out of nowhere.

I'm sorry, but - what ?

Is this the first you've heard about COVID-19 causing blood clots? It's been a known issue since fairly early on in the pandemic.

[Smoove_B]

A study that was just published on long-term effects of COVID-19 infection:

We used a cohort of US Marines from a previous longitudinal, prospective observational study of acute SARS-CoV-2, most of whom were enrolled prior to infection. A panel study was established to assess for post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), defined as symptoms at least 4 weeks after symptom onset or diagnosis. Symptoms were assessed through questionnaires and validated quality of health metrics. Periodic US Marine Corps fitness testing metrics provided an additional standardized functional assessment and were compared to a pre-pandemic cohort.

...

Globally dispersed Marine participants (n = 899) seen an average of 330 days following initial enrollment were predominately male (n = 825, 91.7%), White (n = 613, 71.6%) or Black (n = 149, 17.4%) with a median age of 18 years (interquartile range: 18–19). Among 798 SARS-CoV-2 infected participants, 197 (24.7%) developed PASC. The most prevalent symptoms were loss of taste and/or smell (n = 82; 41.6%), shortness of breath (n = 74; 37.6%), and cough (n = 45; 22.8%). Those with PASC had higher rates and severity of somatic (p < 0.0001), general depressive (p < 0.0001), and anxiety (p = 0.005) symptoms. Compared to a historic cohort of Marines, participants with PASC scored worse on their physical fitness assessments due to slower run times (p = 0.002). Those with PASC continued to have decreased physical performance one year after completing initial training.

Explain:

In this population of healthy young adult US Marines with mostly either asymptomatic or mild acute COVID-19, one fourth reported physical, cognitive, or psychiatric long-term sequelae of infection. The Marines affected with PASC showed evidence of long-term decrease in functional performance suggesting that SARS-CoV-2 infection may negatively affect health for a significant proportion of young adults.

No really, I don't understand. What does it mean?

Compared to historic data for U.S. Marines, about 25% of those infected in this group (N=798) reported or were evaluated to have chronic physical and mental health issues after experiencing mild or asymptomatic infections of COVID-19.

Maybe it will take the military documenting how COVID-19 is impacting the health of potential soldiers for us to do something. Hell, that's what changed after WW1 here in America - when the military documented just how hard it was to bring soldiers up to a "combat ready" standard based on horrific baseline health status in America at the time.

[Unagi]

I wasn't too concerned about it until an acquaintance (sort of) 52 year old guy, athletic and fairly clean living ended up in ICU (and continues to be) due to random blood clots that have caused all kinds of shit to his organs while he's been in a coma for 3 weeks. They figure probably covid related but can't tell for sure, but not a lot of other reasons for blood to start clotting out of nowhere.

I'm sorry, but - what ?

Is this the first you've heard about COVID-19 causing blood clots? It's been a known issue since fairly early on in the pandemic.

Guess I wasn't (at the time) sure what was and what wasn't over-hyped. And then in this case, I wasn't sure if there would or wouldn't be any other reasons for blood clots to show up - as I can't imagine this is the first time in medical history where something may cause them ?

[Smoove_B]

Guess I wasn't (at the time) sure what was and what wasn't over-hyped. And then in this case, I wasn't sure if there would or wouldn't be any other reasons for blood clots to show up - as I can't imagine this is the first time in medical history where something may cause them ?

Yeah, I can appreciate that. Similar to how they recently confirmed a link between blood type and COVID-19 risks (similar to the same risks for heart disease), there seems to be a connection with clotting and COVID-19 for some people that we still don't quite understand - thought it's likely an unidentified genetic risk factor.

It's weird because people still seem to think of it like a respiratory disease ("It's like the flu...") but overwhelmingly the evidence seems to be that it's a cardiovascular disease that is spread through the respiratory route.

[Unagi]

Thanks (yet again) for the information.

[FishPants]

I wasn't too concerned about it until an acquaintance (sort of) 52 year old guy, athletic and fairly clean living ended up in ICU (and continues to be) due to random blood clots that have caused all kinds of shit to his organs while he's been in a coma for 3 weeks. They figure probably covid related but can't tell for sure, but not a lot of other reasons for blood to start clotting out of nowhere.

I'm sorry, but - what ?

Is this the first you've heard about COVID-19 causing blood clots? It's been a known issue since fairly early on in the pandemic.

Guess I wasn't (at the time) sure what was and what wasn't over-hyped. And then in this case, I wasn't sure if there would or wouldn't be any other reasons for blood clots to show up - as I can't imagine this is the first time in medical history where something may cause them ?

Yeah I guess this guy never gets sick either, for the first time in his entire marriage his wife said he had a cold - and then went into the ER as he was having a hard time breathing (he was vaccinated during the pandemic early years, but hadn't kept up with it after that). It's a sad situation, his organs gradually failed and he died without ever waking up and being able to say goodbye to his kids (who are rightfully so gutted and destroyed). Just weeks previously he was fully healthy, completed a bike race/triathlon a month previous, and now he is gone. The amount of surgeries and specialists working on him was off the charts (They weren't placating the family when they said he was the sickest person in Canada, and had specialists across North America involved in trying to figure out what the actual fuck - he was having clots while also experiencing random bleeds in his somtach, intestines and lungs).

Nobody quite sure what the hell just happened, but they did indicate it was aligned with the the peak of covid this season. Glad I got the jab again, although I think I may be one of the only people in my social and work circles that still does - most seem apathetic at best, or "it was a scam" camp now.

[LordMortis]

Rough. That sounds a lot like my cousin, though I don't know that he had complications from blood clots. Just that he went in to a coma, came out of it, and they induced him back in to one because he was so bad off and then he died. Caught it at super spreader event fairly early in the pandemic. His wedding.

[Max Peck]

I got my COVID and flu shots this morning. I've been assigned to Team Pfizer this year, for the first time since 2021.