Now my friend may have COVID

[mvd]

Her son has it for sure (not sure which variant), she’s feeling symptoms, and her husband came home sick today. I have always put up with her even though she is not vaxxed - she has helped my mom and I a lot. I was with her the day before she came down with symptoms, but thankfully it has been about a week and my mom and I are ok.

What’s weird is she’s more mildly sick than her son and husband, and her son and husband are vaxxed. It is always possible she has something different. I will insist she gets tested and all her family is well before seeing her again. Thankfully no one in her family is seriously ill.

[captain queeg]

1. I heard from my sister that my nieces roommates came back from break

and both found out family members have Covid. The roommates haven’t been tested yet. My son just went back to school, he has 4 roommates. I won’t be surprised if some of them end up with it. My son just got his booster a week or two ago so I think he’ll be ok. It’s certainly spreading fast.

[mvd]

2. Yes, it is

I don’t go out very much but I still worry. I hope everyone in your family is ok.

[captain queeg]

3. Thanks. Just heard from my ex who is a teacher and many students are out right now.

I’m like you, I’ve been staying home as much as possible. I went out last week and stocked up. There seems to be some indication it’s peaking quickly, don’t think the info is all there yet though.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

4. Remind me again about how vaccines offer no protection?

The actual problem is that COVID 19 has a very low death rate. If it killed even a quarter of its victims, people would pay far more attention. It's a bit of a shame that it's not as deadly as Bubonic Plague.

But what we have is a serious disease that kills maybe one percent of those it infects. Which is a very low number. Meanwhile, the vaccines do seem to do a good job of preventing serious disease, hospitalizations, and deaths, but does not prevent getting the disease in the first place. Which honestly, is very unlike any other vaccines we've ever had. Polio, smallpox, and the like completely prevented the disease. Honestly, it's easy to understand the anti-vaxxer stance, given that. Not that I'm one of them. I'm vaxxed and boosted. While I often boast of my own amazing immune system, I'm not a complete idiot.

Honestly, if a disease with a truly serious death rate were to show up, we would be far less prepared to deal with it than we are now.

[royable]

5. Sorry, not _quite_ true.

You said, "Which honestly, is very unlike any other vaccines we've ever had. Polio, smallpox, and the like completely prevented the disease."

Looking up smallpox and polio vaccination prevention percentages at the CDC...

https://www.cdc.gov/smallpox/vaccine-basics/index.html
"Historically, the vaccine has been effective in preventing smallpox infection in 95% of those vaccinated."
Boosters were recommended after five years.

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/polio/hcp/effectiveness-duration-protection.html
"Two doses of inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) are 90% effective or more against polio; three doses are 99% to 100% effective."
And so they recommended FOUR doses.

Perhaps there are vaccines among "the like" that do give 100% immunity with one dose; I don't know about that.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

6. Those vaccines prevent the disease. Full stop.

The Covid vaccine, does no such thing, although it prevents serious illness and death, which is greatly appreciated.

But this is the first vaccine not to prevent the disease. Your quote above about preventing smallpox infection in 95% of those vaccinated, and polio in 90% of those vaccinated is vastly different from merely preventing serious disease or death.

Don't get me wrong. I'm vaccinated and boosted. I understand that the vaccine here is important. But I also understand that Covid19 is hardly a bringer of major death, unlike lots of other diseases in the past.

We have become complacent in the past hundred years or so. We simply have not faced a disease that actually kills a significant number of those infected. Well, okay, Ebola does that, but Ebola is actually quite hard to get, which matters a lot. Were we to be faced by a disease with a genuinely large mortality rate, like that of bubonic plague, life would change a lot.

[LisaL]

7. Covid vaccine was designed against an original covid virus.

Where it was able to prevent infection really well. Covid virus keeps mutating. Which is why covid vaccine is less likely to prevent infection against new variants such as Omicron.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

10. From the very beginning it was put out that the vaccine would

probably not prevent Covid, but keep it from being so bad. Mutations do complicate things.

[wnylib]

14. It is theoretically possible,

according to a biologist on NPR a couple days ago, for the delta and omicron variants to recombine and merge into a new variant with the high contagion of omicron and the severity of delta. Does not mean that it will happen, but it could.

[denbot]

16. Done, Deltacron. Discovered in Cyprus.

https://www.chiangraitimes.com/covid-19/does-the-new-deltacron-covid-variant-exist-scientists-explain-read-here/

[mvd]

8. Update: my friend is positive

I’ll keep up with how she’s feeling. Mom and I haven’t experienced symptoms.

[MissB]

9. Hope everyone recovers without any issues

My oldest decided to stay here for a few more weeks before returning home, across country. He can do the necessary grad school exams remotely (qualifying exams for his PhD program).

His roommate tested positive two days ago, so he would certainly be facing omicron if he’d flown home.

So I’m glad he’s here and hope that he decides to ride out the peak a bit longer.

[mvd]

11. So glad about the good timing

I don’t know if she’s dealing with Omicron (I suspect she is), but that variant has been scary for so many.

[mvd]

12. Friend is feeling better today

She’s lucky and my mom and I are lucky. She’s lucky to be doing well, since she was not vaxxed. My mom and I are lucky because we didn’t catch it.

[wnylib]

15. The original version which killed

so many people in early 2020 also infected people who had mild to no symptoms. The severity of covid in the unvaccinated seems to have a genetic factor. A study done by the Max Plank Institute indicates that some modern humans have inherited Neanderthal mutations in their immune systems that determine whether they have a mild or serious case.

[mvd]

17. Interesting

Cool info.

My friend is still experiencing cold and stuffiness symptoms. Whether it is a sinus infection or still COVID isn’t known, but she will not be out for a while longer.

[mvd]

13. She may be out and about by midweek

But I want to make sure she’s no longer contagious. I heard she suffered mostly from fever and exhaustion. For her other family members, it was more like a bad cold with cough.

Variant unknown but friend said she was with a couple others that day and they didn’t get it either.