Just Getting Covid for the First Time Now (Summer 2022)

vaxxed ppl r likelier to get covid, how severe depends on how much u keep up w/ boosters

Hope you get better soon. I haven't gotten it yet, but had congestion and post nasal drip months ago. Could have been a cold or who knows.

OP, half my family, two good friends of mine, and a bunch of coworkers just got it as well. There must be a new surge. So far I have never had it, mysteriously.

Can I have your stuff, OP?

I've noticed a lot more people wearing masks at the grocery stores in the past 2 weeks, which suggests that it's surging again. I'm going to start wearing a mask again.

I never stopped wearing a mask in public. I want this shit to be totally over before I go back to normal.

Thanks, my DL friends. It is really freaky that this thing is still bubbling up out there and it’s very real and no one seems to care. Definitely going to be careful and hope those fall boosters become a thing. Not ready to die and give up my stuff just yet!

I also just had it for the first time. I’m vaxxed and double boosted. Not really a lot of coughing, but sore throat, sinus issues, fever, fatigue. I’m finally feeling better, almost like my “myself” again. Wasn’t TERRIBLE but I don’t want it again..or to have to take more days of leave from work.

Oh R1, aren't you tired yet?

Yeah, R1 is a complete fool and a liar.

Sorry you're sick OP. My best friend called me mid last week to tell me her 27 year old daughter had COVID (never vaccinated or boosted), and then promptly gave it to her live in boyfriend. She is a manager at Publix and they're paying her for 14 days to stay home. My friend (who is a 71 year old female - vaccinated and one booster) was scared to death the daughter had given it to her since she'd been at her home a few days before. A couple days later she developed a sore throat. She is a stroke survivor and has mobility problems so we called a home health care concern to come over and give her a COVID test. They came the next day, gave her their test (which takes 2 days for an answer) and gave her one of the home tests she had received. The home test came back negative for COVID. 2 days later they called and said she definitely was COVID positive, and by that time she was considerably sicker. Thankfully she seems to have contracted a milder case as by last night she texted me saying she felt considerably better.

And kids this is why I never go near another human being without wearing a mask and I keep hand sanitizer on my person or in my car and at home at all times. And, unless I have a good reason to go out and be around people I keep my old ass at home.

I know several people who have gotten it recently for the first time. It goes to show that, just because you haven't caught it yet, it doesn't mean that you must be naturally immune.

I have hopes for the new vaccine this fall which accounts for variants.

But r11 reminded me, my niece is stopping by this week for a visit for a couple hours on her way elsewhere and last I heard, she only had the one J&J shot two years ago. Shit.

I know more people who have had it in the last two months than throughout the last two years. None of them have mentioned the loss of smell and taste so I think that is less prevalent with the new variants.

One friend still doesn't have her taste back after two years, though she said her sense of smell is slowly recovering. One of my neighbors had a very mild case before Thanksgiving last year and he says everything still tastes like metal.

Anecdotally, a known Russian troll on one of my other boards types just like R1. It seems to be their new tactic. Typing like an illiterate teenager sending a text. R U understanding?

The new variants are even better at breaking through the vaccines.

r15, r9, r10 if anything i am super pro vax, telling yall to be as vax as possible

i was the first last yr to tell u bitches about breakthrough covid by extrapolating the israel data, and u grateful lot called me a troll

per minnesota health department:

"Some breakthrough infection rates may appear equal or higher for people who are fully vaccinated "

I got fully vaxxed and boostered as soon as it became possible to do so, from 2 years back. Then I finally got Covid this past January. It was like a slight cold and actually last just about 3 days, less intrusive and shorter in timespan than most much worse colds I've ever occasionally had. I've wondered if part of the reason could've been that once we were encouraged to be able to stop wearing the masks, I began doing so last summer unless I felt I was in a compromising situation or of course in those private and public businesses where we have been required to wear them (about which I'd never be an asshole and not cmply). I wonder whether these unmasked periods may have helped me little by little to start acquiring communal natural immunity with others. Also, I know of some people who were similarly vaccinated completely and then they stopped common-senselessly no longer practicing regular handwashing, hand sanitizing, moving away from crowds of same people around them for more than a few seconds at a time, touching their hands to their noses or mouths or eyes, etc.; or who basically have stayed hermetically sealed up 24/7 all through these past 2 years. I really think that such people lowered their communally attained natural immunity so much, that even a common cold could suddenly strike them more severely than usual, let alone possibly after all this time get Covid now and get it very bad.

I'm sorry you have Covid, it's like the flu, it's awful, and I hope you get over it soon. But you will get over it. It's not a death sentence.

Hydrate, eat some soup, take some Vitamin C and ibuprofen or aspirin for the body aches. For the dry cough, I used Chloraseptic. It's a topical antiseptic in spray form (phenol), it quells that scratchy feeling in the back of the throat.

It's a nasty bug. Take care, OP, but don't despair.

In NYC if you’re older or have health issues you get a prescription for Paxlovid. I’m not sure that’s true everywhere.

Feel better OP.

I'm double vaccinated and have had a booster shot in February. I've had it 2 confirmed times now, and another time (unconfirmed) at the very beginning of this year. I tested positive on April 27th after visiting family in NY. Took about 3 weeks to feel better.

Went on a cruise on June 9th, and came back with covid and there were over 55 people confirmed to have it as well by the end of the cruise. There were probably a lot more than that...that's just the amount of ppl who self-reported on the cruise's Facebook page. My cruisemate also got it and it was very severe for her. She had to go get the Paxlovid shot as she was having such difficulties with breathing. She also lost her sense of taste/smell, but has since recovered those senses and tested negative finally 2 days ago. It was her first time getting sick with it; me, this 2nd time was pretty much just feeling tired and having wonky stomach issues.

I just got it for the first time a couple of weeks ago too. I was sooo tired. It reminded me of when I had mono a few years ago.

I got Covid after a flight out of O'Hare. I was masked in the terminal and on the plane. Have been on a course of paxlovid, which has some unsettling side effects. I still feel like s***. I was vaxxed and boosted. I am seeing a number of breakthrough cases among my friends.

Be careful.

I'm sorry to hear it OP. Make sure you get medical attention and make sure you fight to get your senses back, if necessary.

Can I have your stuff, OP?

[quote] Be careful out there folks, this thing isn’t over yet.

Anyone who thinks it's over must not be looking at the graphs. New daily cases in the U.S. this same time last year were in the neighborhood of 15,000 per day. New cases right now are well over100,000 per day.

The main difference is the death rate hasn't gone up proportionately.

Just like you, OP, my sister did everything right, but she got it two weeks ago. She was sick for about nine days.

The posters that think people are Russian trolls make me worry about their mental healthy. Do they suffer from paranoid delusions?

Low IQ

"make me worry about their mental healthy."

Oh, dear, R29.

I worry about your Englishy.

I just had a booster shot a couple of weeks ago. I have had the stupid thing 3 times. Luckily it hasn't been any worse than the average cold but It makes me cough for a couple of weeks. I got it in Feb 2020 before it was called a pandemic and it only lasted 4 days

I don’t feel sorry for most of you. Going on cruises? No wonder you got covid! Stupidity.

Me too!!! Double vaxxed and single boosted. People around me have symptoms but so far nothing from me. We are all positive though, for the first time like you OP. It's a surge for sure, maybe the last one if it's finally getting us.

That is stupid R32, you sound jealous. The reality is people need to live their lives. it isn't killing people anymore, it is more like a cold. Are you going to stop living because of something that is no worse than a cold? Are we supposed to destroy the economy completely for a stupid endemic at this point no worse than a cold.

^^^ a stupid cold that has become endemic.

Since long COVID is an issue, no it's not like a cold, particularly for anyone with risk factors.

And, yeah,last month or so I've seen way more people with it than during the previous 2.5 years. Omicron's very, very contagious and a lot of people don't mask, so it gets around.

I just had a friend die two weeks ago who lost her smell and taste. lots of brain fog. She kept saying she had long covid and was in a ton of support groups that were egging her on. Then she couldn't walk or talk. Turned out to be an aggressive malignant brain tumor. never went to the doctor because she thought is was covid.

My sister, a hairdresser, got it recently. We live in an area where most are double-vaxxed (boosters depend on age/need).

As she was triple-vaxxed, her illness was mainly like a very bad cold, but after a month, she still has no sense of taste or smell. Who knows what this has done to her neurologically? People who say this is just a cold can get fucked. It’s NOT a fucking cold. We don’t have enough long-term studies yet to know whether that’s the case or what the long-term effects might be.

I (a disabled asthmatic) haven’t had it yet; neither have my elderly parents, because we’re careful and have the luxury of not having to go out much. I hope it will become an endemic pathogen that causes little harm, but we’re not there yet, no matter how “over it” some people are.

christ that's awful. I'm sorry.

It is awful. She was a huge deal in the environmental movement. She was doing a lot of work on why all the trees are dying all over the place.

[quote]I really think that such people lowered their communally attained natural immunity so much, that even a common cold could suddenly strike them more severely than usual, let alone possibly after all this time get Covid now and get it very bad.

Thats now how it works ... that's now how any of it works.

[quote]Went on a cruise on June 9th

Unfathomably stupid. The other day I was watching a video of a family whose channel I've subscribed to, because they have cute dogs, and the parents had COVID and they still sent their kids to school and off to play with friends. Those kids are almost certainly carriers. It's been 2 1/2 years, how have people not learned the basics of this virus yet?

R42, they know, but they don't care. 3 times I've been at work (where I offer curbside service) and had customers come in, browse and chat and only after 20 minutes of close contact do they say things like, "I'm in quarantine" or "man, I've been so sick, lately" Not to mention those just being visibly sick and miserable.

A guy I work with went to Europe with his wife for a wedding a couple of weeks ago. The wedding was a super-spreader event. They stayed for a week after the wedding, during which they heard other guests were getting sick, but he felt fine until the night before the flight. But since the U.S. just waived the requirement to get tested before returning home, he didn't get sick. Had a massive headache on the flight. Didn't wear a mask. Tested at home that night and were both positive. He was sick for four days, she never had any symptoms -- but they were both infectious while on planes and in airports.

Maskless. What a dick. Forgot to mention all my encounters with the sickies involved the dumb and the maskless too

Yes, I know a yuppie straight couple who are "so progressive." Both tested positive for Covid and 3 days later went to a concert in Brooklyn because they already had their tickets.

^ and I said "so progressive" because they are the types who would shit on the MAGA flyovers for being selfish idiots. When they are engaging in the same behavior when it comes to Covid.

I also had if for the first time about a month ago after being vaxxed and boosted and working in person for the past year and a half. Luckily it was like a three-day cold.

I think long covid is probably because people are not very healthy in the first place. Too many people with obesity and diabetes. And before someone says I am blaming the people, yes I am. There is no excuse for being 300-400 lbs. Long covid usually lasts about 4 months but most people even get over that too. Virtually all the people who died were old(understandable) you can die of a cold when you are old 85 to 90 but the vast majority of younger people were all really fat many with type 2 diabetes. You get type 2 because you are fat. Type 2 makes you very vulnerable to infections and clotting issues. Add Covid and you get really sick.

[quote]I think long covid is probably because people are not very healthy in the first place.

An important thing to know is that that third shot is not a booster. Doctors have now declared it is definitely a three-shot vaccine, but they only became sure of that as they watched it take effect.

Because people are getting Covid more than once, it looks like susceptible people are going to have to keep having boosters, and that "herd immunity" is a lot further off than we originally thought it would be by now. It could be that people are getting different variants, but if it turns out you can get the same variant twice, then if the disease doesn't make you immune obviously a vaccine won't cover you forever either.

My brother has long covid. It's improved a lot after the shots, but he's one of the healthiest people I know. I finally had to tell him, only one physical activity per vacation with him. Otherwise it would be days of hiking, canoeing, snowshoeing, cross country skiing or biking. He's in great shape as a result. Covid fucked him up for months. Going up the stairs winded him. Now his blood pressure has sky rocketed and he has afib. He also has anxiety, which was never a problem before. It's apparently a symptom afib and long covid. His activities are down to walking the dog and biking much shorter distances. He's miserable. I'm miserable for him. He's not a malingerer or "spoonie" in any way. He just wants to be halfway normal again.

Really r50, you are a shit stirrer, healthy people die all the time, most of these so called long covid are fat fuckers with diabetes, so eat shit you shit stirrer.

What do you think your post accomplishes, r53? You sound like a whiny child.

People are still getting Covid, but it is hardly still a pandemic. You get it, stay at home a few days, and then keep on trucking. Are there even any places with mask mandates any longer?

the flu can put you down for a long time too. But you finally get over it. I had the hong kong flu in 1968 and my temp went up to 105. I was 18 and very healthy but after that flu, I kept getting sick. I was sick for a year with first measles and then mono. my immune system was weak but you do get over it. Before I never had measles, mumps, or chicken pox. I never got sick and had a really healthy immune system. But I was sick for a year. After that my immune system went back to normal and I still never got sick with anything major. Got colds. As a kid, I was really disappointed that I never got sick with chicken pox or any other childhood disease because I didn't get to stay home from school like the other kids. I tried hard to get it and stayed over at people with that childhood. I may be partly lucky because I had covid three times (I live in an elevator building and people often didn't wear masks) and I'm old. I never got very sick with it. I got it early in Feb 2020 and maybe my immune system was already primed when I got delta and omicron. But I got delta 3 months after I got vaccinated in Feb 2021. Never managed to get a booster before I got omicron but just had one recently. I'm also not sure whether it is a good idea to get vaxxed every couple of months.

[quote]I think long covid is probably because people are not very healthy in the first place.

A lot of people on here should start saying "I believe" instead of "I think". It's a far more accurate description of what they're doing, since they are unencumbered by evidence.

Just getting over Covid; sick for over a week with very bad cold symptoms. Body aches for a day, no fever, bad sore throat, coughing and fatigue were the worst symptoms (double vaxxed and one booster.)

Had our drugstore deliver a prescription to the house; I called to him from a second floor window that I couldn’t come down to get the stuff in person because I have covid and in quarantine. He thanked me for the warning and said there are a lot of selfish people who don’t let him know that they have it and he’s caught it twice already as a result.

ur brother sounds hot,r 52

can u let him know that i am open and available to be his live in companion during this hard time?

I had it at the beginning of the month. I was sick for three days with a fever, congestion, and very sore throat. It felt like a bad sinus infection.

I had anticipated it would feel more like the flu, which is how it felt for about 24 hours after each of my three boosters. I was much sicker after the vaccinations, but it came and went quickly.

I’m a teacher and tested poz at work. The school nurse told me that Omicron tended to be more upper respiratory rather than lower, so on that count I guess I’m more typical.

God damned dumb asses! Go on a cruise. Go to concerts. Go to large gatherings. Keep going - hopefully we can eliminate you because you are so dumb.

Take a Valium R62

[quote] Thanks, my DL friends. It is really freaky that this thing is still bubbling up out there and it’s very real and no one seems to care. Definitely going to be careful and hope those fall boosters become a thing. Not ready to die and give up my stuff just yet!

Death comes for all of us, OP. Give us your stuff!!!

Apparently, the current booster offers little protection against the new variants and that's why it's surging again. I was going to get my 2rd booster next month, but I've decided to wait until the new advanced booster comes out.. Pfizer just announced that its upcoming booster will offer protection against all current variants. That will be available this fall. Until then, I will wear a mask again until the new super-booster becomes available.

I think if you're traveling, or in close contact with lots of people, you're going to catch it. And most people are doing just that right now.

I recently directed a musical at the local community theater. Half the cast plus myself got Covid during rehearsals. After the first two weeks of a 3 week run, the lead got Covid and I took over. My Covid experience was sore throat, aches, and chills. Lasted one day. Never lost sense of taste.

Yes, every convention, wedding and indoor concert friends have gone to in the last two months has been a super-spreader event.

Only had it once, (after vax, before boost) but I still get the “Covid phantom odor” once in a while. My SIL said she kept smelling a particular perfume odor, but mine smells like a dirty latrine. Apparently it’s just a neurological glitch, not anything real. I’m trying to train my brain by sniffing camphor every time I smell it, but that’s not always possible.

It sounds crazy, I know.

COVID can cause permanent damage to the heart, lungs and kidneys. Obviously, it's more of an issue in the cases requiring hospitalizations, but the issue's bad enough that there are concerns in the medical community about a long-term increase in the need for transplants and having a big enough supply.

You'll probably be fine, but the odds of not being fine are high enough that I don't feel like rolling the dice. Wearing a mask when I go to the store is a lot less inconvenient than dialysis.

I had one dose of the vaccine a year ago. And that's it. No COVID so far.

[quote]it's like the flu, it's awful, and I hope you get over it soon. But you will get over it. It's not a death sentence.

Despite presenting as a respiratory illness, COVID is actually vascular -- meaning, it can damage your blood vessels, and that kind of damage can manifest itself in health issues years later. It's not at all like the flu, even though the symptoms are similar.

[quote]COVID can cause permanent damage to the heart, lungs and kidneys.

Exactly. Vascular damage can also affect your brain.

We're still soooo early into the research and knowledge about the long-term effects of COVID -- and the damage it causes -- that, like R69 and others in this thread, I'm still being hyper-careful and have zero interest in contracting even a "mild" case.

Today's Washington Post Update.

[quote]How many times can a person in their 60s be infected with Coronavirus after taking both shots of the vaccine and a booster shot? —Vanitha, Bloomington, Ill.

The short answer, unfortunately, is that the number of times a vaccinated and boosted person can get infected is probably limitless.

There are two main factors at play. The first is that SARS-CoV2, the virus that triggered the current pandemic, is constantly evolving and some of those changes are giving it the ability evade immunity from vaccines and boosters as well as previous natural infection. We are currently in the midst of another wave of illness from new versions of omicron, which have a key change in part of the spike protein that locks into our cells, that Science magazine recently dubbed “masters of immune evasion.”

The other issue is that immunity from the virus is suspected to last only a limited amount of time. This is why public health officials recommended a booster for all Americans and a fourth shot for those who are immunocompromised or older.

“Like most things in medicine it’s never black and white and there are so many subtleties,” said Thomas Moore, a clinical professor at medicine at the University of Kansas School of Medicine Wichita campus. “People can and do get reinfected even if they do everything right.”

A number of scientific groups are working on a universal coronavirus vaccine that they hope will be able to prevent against all existing strains of SARS-CoV-2 as well as anything that comes up in the future.

In the meantime, Moore emphasized that there is overwhelming evidence that getting the vaccine and booster when recommended remains the best defense in preventing serious illness or death.

“I think the lesson here is to keep your immunity against the virus current and wear a mask in public,” Moore said.

I've held off on my second booster just because of the limited immunity thing. I'm basically timing it so that it's effective when I have to travel. Throwing in the shingles vaccine for an extra-dose of elder misery.

At least it's easy to make an appointment. Made one today for tomorrow. Should figure out a crappy show to binge.

"The Omicron sub-variant BA.5 is the worst version of the virus that we’ve seen. It takes immune escape, already extensive, to the next level, and, as a function of that, enhanced transmissibility, well beyond Omicron (BA.1) and other Omicron family variants that we’ve seen (including BA.1.1, BA.2, BA.2.12.1, and BA.4).

You could say it’s not so bad because there hasn’t been a marked rise in hospitalizations and deaths as we saw with Omicron, but that’s only because we had such a striking adverse impact from Omicron, for which there is at least some cross-immunity (BA.1 to BA.5)."

Yeah, I've been hearing that the next round of Omicron is worse than they thought it would be. Oh joy.

If you catch Covid, it indicates that you did not take adequate precautions.

The Queen's Jubilee caused a big surge in Britain with BA.4 and BA.5 becoming dominant.

The Royal Family are superspreaders. And that's not counting Fergie's monkeypox.

I got another round of it within 6 wks of testing positive. It took 3 weeks to fully test negative and then within 4 weeks, I tested positive again. There is some misinformation out there about how long you stay *somewhat* immune after contracting the infection...everybody and their brother (and even online news) said I would be immune for probably 2 months. I still wore a mask often and I don't work outside the home, so really didn't believe I could catch it again so quickly.

^^*within 7 weeks of testing positive

Again and again ... and maybe even again and again.

I was super careful for 2 years too--and I got it. Vaxxed and double boosters too. There is a short window to take Paxlovid, which I took. Get your doctor to get you a prescription, if you are in the window of time to take it. It stops the virus from replicating. I had no fever or headaches, but low energy. I also had sinus issues and sore throat, and a cough. Still not 100% energy wise, but feeling okay. This strain is not as bad, but is more contagious.

Paxlovid is only for really old people. It has a lot of negatives too. Don't recommend it for everyone. And not everyone can get it. Lots of rebound COVID infections after taking Paxlovid too. Very troubling. If it worked for you and you're over 70 - Good. I guess. It's really only for high risk people who test positive early on a REAL PCR test. It's increasingly contraindicated for many if not most cases.

[quote]I've been hearing that the next round of Omicron is worse than they thought it would be

Indeed: COVID-19’s 6th wave begins, with more seriously ill and more deaths.

Medical centers around the country have reported an increase in hospitalized patients, those who are seriously ill and the number who have died.

The internal medicine department at Ziv Medical Center in Safed is the most overburdened, at 123% capacity, followed by Hillel Yaffe Medical Center in Hadera, at 121%.

The current positivity rate is 25%, up from 10% last week.

R84 posted that and you could almost hear the glee has he typed. More deaths. More hospitalizations. Some of you have completely gone off the deep end with this thing.

I was so proud for making the two year mark. I barely left home, only did grocery pickups, masked everywhere I could, and the first work trip in more than two years, I got it. ☹️ And I masked on the plane there and back even after the mandate was lifted. But I knew almost immediately. I woke up with a slight cough and by 6pm had a full on fever, aches, and chills. But I got Paxlovid and only had symptoms for three days and tested negative at 5 days. Still had to quarantine for another 5, and then mandatory mask for another ten according to my doc (and the CDC recommendations are sketchy as fuck and confusing and I’m a freakin’ infectious disease epidemiologist and I had no idea what the hell to do!)

Then my sister and nephew got it (not from me) within 2 weeks of me getting it. And my dad thinks he wants to wait until the fall to get the second booster because he thinks that’s when we’re gonna “have a spike”.

I told him, both your kids got it within a month of one another after two years into things. THIS IS THE SPIKE. Get the shot old man!!

I’m 42 and took paxlovid and it worked like a charm. My symptoms were really severe and it cleared them up.

R79, isn’t that what some people with original Covid reported? Got really sick, got over it finally and then a month later, got sick again. It wasn’t a new infection, it was the original one that somehow lay dormant and then came roaring back.

Yeah, they need to just open the floodgates and make Paxlovid available to everyone (if it isn’t already). I have a pre-existing condition, so got it. But I know others with no pre-existing conditions and their doctors prescribed it.

r88 I never heard about that, and in fact felt fully recovered and tested negative five days before, 2 days before and the day of the trip I took with a friend. The boyfriend (whose house I had dinner with and spent the night at the night before, drove us to the airport, helped handle our luggage, gave out hugs, etc) tested positive the next day for it. I suspect we were both infected with it directly before the trip.

I am in the hospital for a completely unrelated procedure. After it was over and I was in recovery they told me, “you tested positive for COVID.” I was quite surprised. I have had four doses of Moderna, three of them were full doses: the original, the second dose, and the first booster (on a doctor’s recommendation I got the full dose for the first booster, though I’m not immune-compromised). The second booster was the standard half dose. Plus, I feel fine. I have no symptoms at all. And I have been very careful to wear a mask and not be around people for weeks. Ugh. 😷

Dumbasses. Stop gathering in large groups. Idiots.

So I guess we’ve all agreed to not hold China responsible for unleashing this on the world. Great.

After suffering with this for two weeks, I’m ready to declare war on them.

The nervous nellies like r84 & r92 are always going to come up with an excuse to keep masks on, no gatherings, live like a hermit etc. I haven't worn a mask once since the mandate was lifted in March and go to any large gathering I feel like, just like before the pandemic. Life goes on!

Have you had COVID. R94? It’s no walk in the park. Some immunized people never have symptom and some never even know they’re infected. But as a triple-vaxxed person, when I got it, it was terrible. And now I can’t get the 4th shot for two more months. I’m masking up still and avoiding crowds because I really don’t want a repeat.

For anyone thinking of listening to R83’s nonsense, below is the actual FDA checklist for prescribing Paxlovid.

Also, I want to give a shout out to Evusheld for anyone actively fighting cancer or otherwise severely immunocompromised. Please consider asking your doctor about it if you need to do something like travel.

Are you sure you don't have AID$ Miss OP?

Yup, my in laws in Vegas got Covid. My partner was there with them for a reunion

This thing has become so insignificant that a email went out at work that you no longer have to quarantine if you're not experiencing symptoms and you can come to work if you want.

^That’s ridiculous

[quote]a email went out at work that you no longer have to quarantine if you're not experiencing symptoms and you can come to work if you want.

^^Well, that seems like a lawsuit waiting to happen.

I’m shocked I still haven’t gotten it.

To the poster who got covid again 7 weeks later - were your symptoms less severe?

Early research suggests that if you catch COVID-19 more than once, you're more likely to face serious health issues.

R104 this article puts the percentage of asymptomatic cases at 60%. I find it indefensible fear-mongering for the headline in your article to be published. 3 out of 5 chance of NO symptoms, which means the other 40% includes all symptomatic persona, mild to moderate to severe.

[quote]If you catch Covid, it indicates that you did not take adequate precautions.

^^ With the exception of hospital staff working in COVID wards, where they have no choice but to be in frequent close contact with infected patients and sometimes catch COVID themselves despite extreme PPE and adhering to all protocols, I totally agree with this.

Many people say they "have no idea" how they caught it, but when you dig a little deeper the potential source/cause/reason often becomes clear.

Everyone I know who's had it contracted it after knowingly putting themselves at risk -- attending or hosting gatherings, travelling overseas (where, per these travellers, "no one else was wearing a mask"), dining out at restaurants, going to concerts, attending a conference, etc. etc.

What so many people seem to be totally forgetting is basic masking 101 -- namely, that wearing a mask protects others *from you*, it doesn't really protect you (much) from others.

So, going to a play or sitting on a plane or riding the bus fully masked and fully vaxxed doesn't necessarily make much difference/help if someone two rows over is carrying COVID and isn't masked.

These emerging variants are super-contagious, too, so you don't have to spend hours in a confined space with an infected person to catch it, either. That's what's so troubling -- many people are behaving as though the pandemic is over, and are forgoing masks (and many other precautions, as well), when we really should be keeping them on for a while yet.

I'm R106, you go right ahead and keep your make on for while yet. Whereas, I will keep it off as usual!

r103 - yes, symptoms much less severe. Pretty much just fatigue, wonky digestive issues and sleeping quite a lot. NOTHING like the first go-round of COVID.

Thanks R108

[quote]I find it indefensible fear-mongering for the headline in your article to be published. 3 out of 5 chance of NO symptoms, which means the other 40% includes all symptomatic persona, mild to moderate to severe.

Great! So 3 out of 5 people are walking around passing it to 2 out of 5 people who may get it and die. Bye grandma!

[quote]vaxxed ppl r likelier to get covid

Link to credible data supporting your claim, please.

[quote]If you catch Covid, it indicates that you did not take adequate precautions.

[quote]^^ With the exception of hospital staff working in COVID wards, where they have no choice but to be in frequent close contact with infected patients and sometimes catch COVID themselves despite extreme PPE and adhering to all protocols, I totally agree with this.

Many (many, many) people have jobs that require them to be in the public and that puts them at risk. Grocery stores, restaurants, ride-share drivers and a million other jobs.

Let’s not blame people for catching a communicable disease, m’kay? We wouldn’t stand for it at the height of the HIV epidemic and COVID is more contagious, highly transmissible and practically unavoidable.

This is interesting:

May 11, 2022

"Growing share of Covid-19 deaths are among vaccinated people..."

"...in January and February, amid the Omicron surge, more than 40% of Covid-19 deaths were among vaccinated people."

R113, Older people and people with risk factor have higher vaccination rates than younger people, but are also more likely to die of COVID because of pre-existing conditions. However, thanks to vaccinations, they're not dying at the same rates as they were pre-vaccination. Plus, of course, a lot of the vulnerable unvaxxed are already dead.

[quote] Many (many, many) people have jobs that require them to be in the public and that puts them at risk

Solid point, and I should have included those people, as well. That’s also why everyone (in the public) should still be wearing masks.

R113, 67% of Americans are fully vaccinated. Let’s say 100 Americans die of Covid. Let’s say half of them are vaccinated and half are unvaccinated. Deaths are still hitting the unvaccinated much harder since they make up only 33% of the population.

Yes of course. Some people can't do math. It is recommended now to use the term "up to date" with your vaccinations. Because receiving a second jab over a year ago is NOT fully vaccinated.

And obviously for others, two boosters is what's medically considered to be up to date.

And there will be more.

When I came back from New York in early March, I was sick like a dog for 2-3 days:

Headache

Shivering

A fever of 42 (107F) that I could barely lower: After the paracetamol stopped working, it would run up again

The worst mouth herpes outbreak I ever had (11 locations spread across my lips)

Never lost my smell, taste, nor appetite.

Was it COVID or just dehydrated and exhausted, with the immune system taking a dive?

I meant to add:

I did a blood test to check for antibodies, but as I’ve been vaccinated twice and boosted once (December) it’s impossible to tell whether my antibodies are a response to an infection or the consequence of being fully vaccinated…

I know of several younger people who have had those symptoms and tested negative for COVID and then, when asymptomatic, tested positive several days later.

[quote]Never lost my smell, taste, nor appetite.

I read (don’t remember where) that Omicron or whatever the hell variant we’re in, is less likely to cause loss of smell and taste than the early COVID variants. So I was hugely relieved to get it in May and not lose those. My sister got it as well at the same time (not from me) and thought she’d lost her sense of smell and taste, but she was just so congested that it was a false alarm. A friend had COVID in November and lost taste and smell THREE MONTHS after she recovered! 😳 It still hasn’t returned and it’s been since February. Another friend with early COVID is a long-hauler and had to be hospitalized twice, months after she recovered. And she has all sorts of weird memory problems and new pains. She was an avid runner and in really good shape before COVID!

We should all consider ourselves lucky that it’s mutating in some positive ways. It may be more infectious, but it seems to be getting less serious (not to say it isn’t still serious). But lower mortality, lesser symptoms.

That’s not unusual for viruses. They work on the same principles of natural selection that all species do, just very accelerated. If they cause too many deaths, they aren’t good at transmission and variants that cause less mortality predominate. If they cause too many severe symptoms, people isolate longer and then they also have less opportunity to be transmitted. So they naturally become less dangerous (but often more transmissible).

HIV and Hepatitis C are exceptions because they have such long latency periods between infection and disease.

But it also explains why Ebola (usually) pops up and disappears quickly. It’s too lethal and while it’s highly contagious, it wipes itself out by killing its hosts before they can transmit.

R119, you can see if you can get a test for nucleocapsid antibodies rather than spike antibodies. The vaccines only induce cells to make spike protein, so the body hasn't "seen" the nucleocapsid as a consequence of vaccination. Nucleocapsid antibodies would be a sign that you were infected.

People just have to come to terms with the fact that Covid is here to stay, but not let it control our lives either. Otherwise, what is the point of living.

r76. I had a friend who stayed home (alone) for most of the last two years and was extra safe when she went out. She was double vaxxed. She got Covid and died of it.

R124 - how old was she? Did she have any underlying conditions? How horrible.

R124, that just sounds like plain KARMA. She was so paranoid of catching Covid that she lived like a hermit for two years and of course, I'm sure wore her mask even when driving alone in her car. Only to actually catch it and die. Yep, KARMA! Life is about living.

You don’t understand karma anymore than you do Covid, R126.

When I went out today to go shopping I noticed a lot more people wearing masks.

I guess I didn't realize the infection rate was going way up. The news never talks about COVID anymore, too busy talking about Donald fucking Trump.

I am double vaxxed as of last fall, but have quite a few pre exsiting conditions. Probably should start wearing a mask again.

it's up. i don't care what you anti-maskers say; i say wear them. being infected twice in the past 6 months (after being triple vaxxed) means it's mutating and if you don't want to die or infect your loved ones or fellow people, we need to still be vigilant. people are still getting infected and some of them are dying.

you people that don't care don't need to be on the planet anymore.

^ thin the herd ^

Although many people did not deserve what happened to them. Disease is not Karma. Nor is catching COVID totally avoidable. Stupidity kills more people than being too careful. That's logistics.

get another booster reeeetard!

I have never stopped wearing a N95 mask, despite the mask mandate being lifted.

Still no Covid.

i'm triple vaxxed, was a hermit until my recent vacation for the past 2 1/2 years. i would have had the fourth vax if i had enough time before the vacay and I'm telling you - don't hold off on the fourth vax if you are thinking of it and don't leave off masks right now. it's resurging. believe it, I know from enough people.

[quote] R124], that just sounds like plain KARMA. She was so paranoid of catching Covid that she lived like a hermit for two years and of course, I'm sure wore her mask even when driving alone in her car. Only to actually catch it and die. Yep, KARMA! Life is about living

🙄. Did you co-wrote “Ironic” with Alanis Morissette by chance? I’ve never seen such a poorly misuse word before.

The Moderna Omicron variant vaccine should be available in “August/September/October”

There’s also a Sanofi/Glaxo Smith Kline “protein-based” vaccine (vs mRNA) coming. It’s targeted towards unvaccinated people who are afraid of the mRNA ones. Shingrex is a protein based vaccine, it’s more traditional. Theoretically it can also be used as a booster.

The Covid paranoid freaks are welcome to continue to hide under the bed and ALWAYS wear their precious little security blankets. Meanwhile, I now continue to live just like before 2020!

I, too, didn't get Covid until 4 weeks ago. It was horrible - mostly gastrointestinal symptoms. Nausea/vomiting/abdominal pain, couldn't eat solid food for a week and had to get IV fluids as I was so dehydrated. I was sick for 2 weeks, and only recently felt well enough to go for walks, etc. I am fully vaxed but as mentioned above, the vaccine is not strong against Omicron variants and Moderna plans to release an Omicron variant vaccine, hopefuly soon.

Poster who advised taking Paxlovid after infection might rethink, as it can cause covid rebound.

I'm not really sure who Paxlovid is for, but I know it's targeted at the elderly/people with preexisting conditions/the unvaccinated. At 81, Dr. Anthony Fauci is certainly within this population, but he just came out and said he is experiencing rebound symptoms from taking Paxlovid. When I came down with Covid last week, my family begged me to get a Paxlovid prescription, but the doctor said I wasn't in the guidelines (younger/healthy/vaccinated) and didn't prescribe it to me. My family was pissed, but I think the doctor likely made the right call. There's still so much with this thing that we are figuring out.

^ Same with me. My doctor said I didn’t need it and he was right. I got over it easily without Paxlovid.

Double boosted, tested poz today. Was feeling slightly shitty since Sunday but Monday when I tested I was neg. Hubby tested poz on Monday. His fever is breaking. I hope today is my worst day. Basically feels like a bad sinus infection but my jaw is so sore, Slight cough and a bit of labored breathing but its probably because I vape.

r118 ewwwwww you herpes whore!

don't forget you mail in ballots for november!

people that say "poz" are sickly aids whores!

I took paxlovid and got no rebound 🤷‍♂️ My PCP prescribed it because my symptoms were terrible and I live alone. It cleared them up and I was grateful. Had no side effects from it other than the metal taste in my mouth.

Long COVID affects more people than many realize. In the U.S. alone, roughly one in five adults with a known previous case of COVID-19 currently has Long COVID symptoms, according to recent data from the National Center for Health Statistics. Others could be living with the condition without realizing it.

Today, Rachel Bean is struck by how many people still don’t realize that their health issues could be signs of Long COVID. She’s talked to people who insist they’ve fully recovered from COVID-19, but also complain of classic Long COVID symptoms like fatigue and cognitive dysfunction. “People aren’t necessarily connecting the dots,” Bean says.

Caught it for the first time 2 weeks ago. I'm vaxxed and boosted x2. No fever or loss of smell/taste, but a lot of coughing, congestion and major fatigue. I was tired all day no matter how much sleep I got or how many naps I took. First 2 days were brutal, like a very bad cold. Lost 4 days of work. My sides hurt from coughing so much.

By the 5th day I was noticeably better and within 8 days I felt fully recovered. It's crazy hoe intense it started, then quickly peaked and immediately started wearing off. Usually respiratory infections like colds linger in me for weeks. This whole thing ran its course in just over 1 week, and it didn't start out mild at all. I credit that quick recovery to the vaccine. A week ago I thought for sure I had weeks of misery ahead of me. Thanks, Moderna!

I'm surprised people don't have a supply of at home tests. Besides the fact that we all received them from the government, they're widely available, very affordable and easy to use.

When I got Covid last month I used a government-supplied test that indicated I was positive. Due to the possibility of long Covid, I also had a PCR test at a clinic, to demonstrate that I was indeed positive for Covid if I needed such documentation for insurance/disability.

Smart, R149.

I just came back from the dentist. First try time since the pandemic begin that I wore no mask at the dentist, even though everyone else was. Mask wearing is OVER!

r151 is why we can't have nice things.

My dentist office still requires it.

So does mine r153. I get it, but it seems weird to wear your mask in and take it off for your appointment.

All the hospitals and clinics in my city still require them.

If I saw some asshole patient gallivanting around my dentist's office without a mask I'd raise hell and switch dentists.

The offices of all medical professionals around here require masks.

Dentistry and Endoscopes are procedures that produce the most aerosols. Yet they are not surgical - so did not require PCR testing prior to treatment. It was not manageable that way.

Most Dentists took the reigns by the fall of 2020 and figured out the best ways to protect themselves and their patients. To perform at least emergency and basic upkeep procedures. A dentist is far more at risk than the patient with their mouth and throat open for 30 minutes.

My dentists opened up with doctor using the entire office per day. So they never put a patient into a room that was just vacated by another open mouth. They installed the highest quality air filtration systems - require day before telephone screening and at the door screening for symptoms and body temp and had heavy plastic curtain barriers like beads between doors of treatment rooms and common areas. The gloves, robe over scrubs, fit tested N95s, face shield and goggles my dentist wears would make most anyone feel pretty safe. She even did her own X-Rays and cleanings until the first vaccines came out. I'm grateful, because I put off many other health procedures or had them cancelled during the first 18 months of Covid.

My dentist(s) figured out how you deliver health care and keep their life afloat. Though she was more than $60,000 in debt for government loans to cover office rent and overhead for all of 2020 and most of 2021. She kept the patients that needed or wanted to come. And I seldom felt in a safer environment.

okay, so now that's over. Back to making money and business. But people still need to mask up in medical settings - no matter the 'government' rules.

*My dentists reopened with just ONE doctor using the entire office per day. And the receptionist. That's it.

[quote]She even did her own X-Rays and cleanings until the first vaccines came out.

This is weird but the last time I had my teeth cleaned (about a month ago) my DENTIST cleaned my teeth. I didn’t want to ask why and didn’t know if it was a slow day or the hygienist called in sick. But I’ve never had a dentist do a full cleaning. Always the hygienist and then a quick exam by the dentist. But now you make me wonder if it was a COVID thing.

I certainly had a cleaning with the hygienist since the start of the pandemic, but maybe she’s doing something new?

. My whole family caught it last week,. We're all triple vaxxed, and already recovered. Our ages span 33 to 76 and we're all fine now. You can recover but get vaxxed!!!!

I caught it a couple of weeks ago. Body aches, headache, sore throat and sinus congestion. The aches lasted about two days. The congestion lasted about a week, and I'm still coughing from the sore throat.

[quote]If I saw some asshole patient gallivanting around my dentist's office without a mask I'd raise hell and switch dentists.

So you're that type of person. Good to know.

I don't have the sore throat thank god but I do have a cough and its mostly when I've been lying on one side and then switch sides like my lungs are compressed. Fever is starting to break but I'm still achy and week. I'd put this in the top 3 of bad flus, worse than Bird flu.

*weak. I guess I have covid brain fog too.

Feel better r163. It took me about a week but I’m coming around now.

i'm the poster that has had covid twice in the last 2 months. my low grade fever FINALLY broke after 2 weeks. thankfully i've had no real breathing issues, just digestive stuff going on. i think i'm FINALLY on the other side of this, although the fatigue is still real.

I was directly exposed three days ago, so far so good.

Feel better r166

Wishing you a speedy, full recovery R166

Thanks, r168 and r169! it's been a slowly moving trash fire, but I think I'm finally on the other side.

Feel better r166! Sounds like you’ve had a rough go of it. Hope you’re getting better now.

New York City suddenly removed its color-coded coronavirus alert system this week just as newer Omicron subvariants are fueling another rise in cases and hospitalizations.

Mayor Eric Adams and health officials quietly took down the city’s high profile alert system that warned New Yorkers when they were at a greater risk of catching the virus and should consider taking more precautions.

Thanks r171!

Worried I just caught it. Rushing my Mom to a bathroom rest stop on a trip to visit family, I neglected to wear my mask (where I usually would). Now several hours later, my face feels warm, chest feels phlegym and burny, I've no appetite, I'm achey (though that could be from driving), and my breathing is heavy.

Obviously I caught something at that rest stop, even if it wasn't the Omi. Fuck. Fucking family, man.

Crap, a woman I know who works in schools, has two doctors for parents (so she knows how to take precautions) and double masks with with an N95 and a covering mask has just gotten it. Fucking omicron is *everywhere*.

R174 I don’t think you would develop symptoms that quickly?

Symptoms take at least two days to show up.

My workplace had an in office luncheon last week. I didn't go. I work from home. I almost went but it was really hot outside and I decided to just stay home. Glad I did because right after lunch, a guy who was there said he started feeling ill. Of course, no one there was wearing masks. He went home and tested positive and now a bunch of people at my workplace have it.

I know it's not as deadly now, but I still would rather not have it.

I was the only person wearing a mask at Starbucks today with about 20+ people inside. The workers aren’t wearing them now either.

I felt like a pillock.

You can't catch Covid and test positive all in one day. Omicron tends to become symptomatic somewhere around day 2.9. OG Covid was more likely to appear days 5 to 8.

Many are not symptomatic. Most often you will not test positive on the first day or two of being symptomatic.

If you started feeling sick just hours after going to the office luncheon or a public bathroom, r174 - you caught it somewhere else. Makes not much difference. Don't blame yourself. The Omicron 5 variant is the most contagious and immune evading one yet.

The only way to control it won't happen. Everyone would have to mask again. Remember that your mask protects others more than yourself. Same as it ever was. Masking works when everyone wears them. Otherwise it's a bit of an anxiety crutch. I use them myself in shopping malls and grocery stores. But don't think it will protect you on a plane, restaurant or at the theatre. Not anymore.

I was in CVS today and all the staff masks are now gone.

[quote]I know it's not as deadly now, but I still would rather not have it.

I know several people with long COVID, and you are correct, you don't want to get it. It doesn't matter if you get a severe case or an asymptomatic one- you can have long-term problems no matter what your infectious stage is like.

Well R172, NY has the right idea, time to move on and stop living in fear!

COVID CASES USA 7-DAY AVG

113,691 JUN 30 2022

12,541 JUN 30 2021

DEATHS 7-DAY AVG

375 JUN 30 2022

271 JUN 30 2021

[quote] Now several hours later, my face feels warm, chest feels phlegym and burny, I've no appetite, I'm achey (though that could be from driving), and my breathing is heavy.

That’s a panic attack from fearing you have Covid. You didn’t get Covid that fast.

R184, Ooh, better continue to self isolate and wear your little mask.

Anyone lose their sense of taste during recovery? I'm pretty much out of it on day 5. But as of today everything tastes like a bland version of what it was. It wasn't the case during active infection. Smell is mostly ok. But I've now been requisitioned for a chest xray because my cough became somewhat productive last week and my phlegm had some blood in it. Just once mind you.

My neighbor had it before this last Thanksgiving. Says everything still tastes like metal.

The sister of a friend of mine had it 18 months ago. Her sense of smell just started coming back in the last month but her taste is still off.

The one silver lining in these later variants is that symptoms show up much quicker - two to four days after infection, instead of up to two weeks, so you are at least able to know sooner, get treatment sooner, and infect fewer people, in theory.

Hey R184 etc, instead of spouting crap post after crap post, why don't you just catch COVID and croak?

Sorry, R184 --- R190 was for the deranged R186 etc flooding this thread with inane posts.

Still surging in the UK. Especially Scotland.

A report at Bloomberg also notes that: "The UK is not alone with the coronavirus rearing its head across multiple countries in Europe -- including Germany, France and Italy -- with renewed rapid transmissions. New outbreaks are causing growing absences from workplaces and worsening labor shortages."

[quote]The one silver lining in these later variants is that symptoms show up much quicker - two to four days after infection, instead of up to two weeks, so you are at least able to know sooner, get treatment sooner, and infect fewer people, in theory.

I agree in theory that if one knows that they are infected, they shouldn't do things to infect others.

[quote]Remember that your mask protects others more than yourself. Same as it ever was. Masking works when everyone wears them.

^^ This needs to be put into PSAs everywhere, because it appears that the majority of the population has completely forgotten that this is how/why masking works, which is a big part of why cases are surging again everywhere.

People are behaving as though the pandemic is somehow over just because mask mandates have lifted, and they've tossed their good sense aside along with their masks.

Reminder to everyone who's said "I'm vaxxed and wear my mask all the time but still caught COVID": if you're masked but *other* people around you -- who may have COVID -- are *not* masked, they can very easily spread it to you.

Masking helps prevent infected people from spreading the virus to others.

It doesn't prevent a non-infected masked person from CATCHING the virus from others.

Depends on the quality of the mask actually. But Omicron gets in through the eyes too probably.

Anyone that still wears a mask is a paranoid doofus!

Not true. I kept my mask on during a very close jacket fitting with a young unmasked man who tested positive an hour after I left his house. Six days on I still have no symptons, and pray I squeak by.

So fuck off R196. My lungs my choice, asshole.

I am 33. Caught covid two weeks ago. Triple vaxxed. Slight stuffy head for a few days and that was it. My dear mother is 75. Triple vaxxed. (likely the one who gave it to me believe it or not, she had it first and her friends all had it in advance is that). Hada headache and bad stuffy nose cold and cough for about five days. She's totally recovered now. Get vaxxed!!!!!!!!!

Glad you and your mom are okay R198.

I lost my sense of smell and taste during recovery. 4 shot and I did everything right. If it doesn't come back in a month, I'll probably kill myself. I can't live not tasting food or drink again. There's really no point in living.

R200 I’m really sorry to hear that. Thinking good thoughts for it to return.

[quote] Poster who advised taking Paxlovid after infection might rethink, as it can cause covid rebound.

Only in 1-2% of he people who take it. The odds are in your favor by far that it will help.

I finally caught it--woke up with symptoms today, and then took an antigen test, and discovered I had it. So far the only symptoms are a stuffiness of the head and a runny nose, and a little bit of a scratchy throat. But this is only the first day.

I immediately called my doctor's office, and since I have a mechanical heart vale they immediately ran over a full course of Paxlovid.

I am already dreading spending the next few days in the house. But at least I'm highly unlikely to die--a little boredom is nothing compared to what happened to poor Terrence McNally and poor Dawn Wells.

My best wishes and hope are with you, R203. A full recovery. You're only on day one - it tends to get a bit worse. With luck it will just last for 3 to 5 days.🤞

I'm not a big believer in feeling lucky because you didn't die and others did. (sounds kind of 12 step thinking:) BUT, no one should blame themselves for getting COVID at this point either. It's almost inevitable. It's a random world.

I imagine you're a bit scared. But your quick testing and action and treatment give you the best chance for a great outcome. Your vaccines and the current variant are on the side of it not becoming too serious. If you don't a develop a fever, count yourself lucky.

No administrations but one. Use a saline nasal spray. Like Otrivin. Gentle Stream. It's not curative, but it moves things along.

Get well soon R203.💋

R200, there is plenty of hope to regain your sense of taste and smell. Lots of research is going into this.

R203 the paxlovid will make your mouth taste like grapefruit flavored metal for hours but it’s worth it. Popsicles and gum help a bit. Feel better!

Totally agree, R204

By now COVID can happen to anyone.

Good lord. Die already, stupid people.

Those of you who keep getting Covid, what kind of shape are you in? Do you have comorbidities....diabeties? Obesity? Do you take lots of prescription medicine? Have a good diet? Enough sleep?

I haven't even had the flu in 25 years. Sure I could get something and die tomorrow, but so far so good. And I'm old.

Two new omicron subvariants discovered in Louisiana.

^(That graphic always reminds me of a pepperoni pizza at first glance. They should change it.)

When I got it for the first time in May of this year, I had no underlying issues. Exercise regularly, eat healthy, etc. I’m 43.

There is no 'normal' to return too...only new interpretation

The Debbie downer like R210 love to post any tidbit of bad news they can get their hands on. Life goes sweetie, the lockdowns are OVER!

271 daily Covid deaths in a US population of over 330 million. Lockdowns now!

^ That's 100,000 people in a year. To add to the 1.1 million already dead in the US. Count yourself in R215, if you don't think it's a significant number of Covid deaths.

Do you know how many children have lost a parent in the United States? I don't give a rusty fuck if you wear a mask or get booster shots. How many people lost a parent or grandparent and were not even able to be with them when they died? Don't minimize the collective loss and immeasurable trauma of Covid. The world will NEVER be the same. And it's not over yet.

It is what it is, we just have to live with it. As long as mask mandates don't come back or restrictions, I'm ok with it.

R196 is literally the reason why we will never get out of this covid mess.

I can't believe the people I encountered on Amtrak traveling between DC and NYC. I was the only person I saw wearing a mask for a 2 hour + train ride, and I definitely got some demeaning looks from the R196 types on board. 2+ hours locked in a tin can with 50 other people from all over, traveling all over, breathing each others air. You can't tell me nonsense like that isn't fueling exponential transmission opportunities, and it happens daily all over.

I won't even ride an elevator without a mask, and R196 can fucking bite me.

Covid death rate creeped right back up. This is happening all over the world.Accounts I follow on Twitter are reporting shortages of hospital beds in Canada and Australia. Australian accounts report they cant get their hands on rapid tests for a fair price.

Anecdotal and contradictory reports from twitter: people have been sickened multiple times with covid. Each time is worse than the last illness. One account reported DEATH of a 28 year old who had been sick twice with the infection before dying after the last exposure. One account reports this last variant B.5 is as deadly as delta.

R218, Its obvious enjoying life isn't for your thing. You should just hide under the bed and live like a hermit as much as possible.

California Covid hospitalizations and deaths both up more than 25% over two weeks ago.

Experts say the surge is being driven by the Omicron subvariant known as BA.5, which has rapidly become dominant in the United States and is especially good at infecting people even if they’ve been vaccinated, boosted and already had the virus.

This is our @CDCgov

X No warning on BA.5

X Still says 2 vaccine doses ="fully vaccinated"

X Says 5 days is all that's needed for isolation when 5 days is the median length of infectiousness

X 1 in 4 age 50+ w/ 2nd booster (<-survival benefit)

X Transmission is the accurate map👇

The symptoms of coronavirus subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 are similar to those of earlier versions of Omicron, experts said.

The majority of people who catch Covid won’t die from it, but you can never be sure you’re not going to be one of those people.

The reinfection issue is concerning.

[quote] Anecdotal and contradictory reports from twitter: people have been sickened multiple times with covid. Each time is worse than the last illness.

The operative word there is anecdotal.

From the CDC website: “Symptoms during reinfection are likely to be less severe than during the initial infection, but some people can experience more severe COVID-19 during reinfection.”

I’m shocked by how many people I know with it. I hosted a work pride event and a small group got cobid after. I was shocked I did not. My BF and I had a wet cough a few days later. He felt worse than I did. No fever or chills or aches. More like a sinus infection with green yuck in my throat and nose. We tested negative on three binax and three weeks PCR tests. So either we had a cold or a very weird case that the tests could not even detect.

The masks such as K94 N95 etc actually do protect yourself, not the cloth and surgical ones, I thought we knew that already. You pussies need to shelter in place away for the rest of us, you're obviously nutcases. NOTHING IS SHUTTING DOWN.

[quote]From the CDC website: “Symptoms during reinfection are likely to be less severe than during the initial infection, but some people can experience more severe COVID-19 during reinfection.”

On the other hand:

People who get reinfected with the virus that causes COVID-19 have more health risks with each round of reinfection, a large national database study reveals.

Researchers saw worse health effects during active infection, but some symptoms lasted as long as 6 months, suggesting a direct link between reinfection and long COVID.

[quote] You pussies need to shelter in place away for the rest of us, you're obviously nutcases. NOTHING IS SHUTTING DOWN.

You seem to be seeing things that aren't there -- nobody on this thread has called for "shutting down." Do you have Covid brain fog?

Around 100,000 people died of the Hong Kong flu in the US in 1968.

52,000 people died of the flu just 5 years ago. Were any of you even aware of that?

No one was freaked out about it. We live with it and life goes on.

Yes, we are aware of “that” but also aware that Covid has vastly exceeded those death counts, even with mitigation measures and highly effective vaccines. As with many right wingers. R232 projects his ignorance on people who know more than he does.

my co worker got covid in may. he still has a cough. he feels fine otherwise.

[quote]As with many right wingers. [R232] projects his ignorance on people who know more than he .

You are exceedingly stupid

i heard on the news that they may bring back indoor mask mandates

No panic here. But long Covid is an issue I hope I never have to deal with.

Plus, there's usually a "flu season." So far with Covid, it's like all the fucking time.

The nervous nellies are so desperate to cling to their utopia of lockdowns and mask wearing, Always posting some new supposedly bad news Covid number. Their dream is for it to go forever. Sorry, NOT happening!

I've been consistent that I think people need to do what works best for them. I believe in personal choice and no mask mandates. If you still want to mask and people give you the stink eye, you tell them fuck off. But that's a two way street. If someone is not masking and you give them the stink eye, then they have every right to tell you to fuck off. Personally, I hate the mask requirements at medical facilities, but alas I don't think that one is going anywhere - unfortunately.

R239, You're kind of an idiot, aren't you? You think viruses give a fuck about freedom? They do what they do and mutate so they can continue to replicate. We don't understand COVID all that well because it's recent virus. We do know that it doesn't just swing by like a cold or flu and then leave without long-term damage. It kills some people and leaves others with permanent damage.

The idea that *hospitals* which have the most vulnerable members of society in them--cancer, serious infections--people with immune systems that don't work well--shouldn't require masking just shows what a stupid, self-absorbed little prick you are.

^ all kinda true ^

Health care workers deserve some protection from US too.

What better place to wear a mask than in a hospital or medical office?

OP, it's odd that you're surprised you're just getting it now, when in fact, the overwhelming majority of the country -- 74% -- hasn't gotten covid.

The media did a good job trying to make it seem like everyone on earth was getting sick, and worse, people were dropping like flies.

But they didn't. Yes, a little more than a million people died either from covid or due in part to covid (with typical comorbidities like diabetes or...being fat), but that still represents LESS THAN ONE HALF OF ONE PERCENT of the population.

R238, I am in Europe right now. The Europeans are so over it. People are living their lives, going to restaurants, going on vacation, concerts, etc.

R242 That's simply not true. The CDC reported that as of February 2022, close to 60% of US adults and 75% of US children had evidence in their bloodstream of having had Covid-19. With this trailing data, one would expect the numbers are higher now.

Ha, this is a very timely thread. I'm vaxxed, all that, but this week, I've felt fatigue that reminded me of having mono in college, a dull headache and a sore scratchy throat. Never had a fever or lost sense of taste/smell, but I but I have this burning smell in my nose that doesn't go away. At the same time, it's been really hot & dry where I live, which always aggravates my sinuses & I haven't been sleeping well due to the heat.

I took a home test & tested negative, so I can't tell if I'm turning into a hypochondriac attributing seasonal issues (sinus issues due a hot dry summer) or if perhaps I have a mild case of COVID.

R245 take a PCR. One of my symptoms was the burning sinuses. It felt different from allergies.

antimaskers, antivaxxers are weird. Why would hospitals NOT do everything to protect the health of patients and staff? Nurses and doctors have been sickened by covid and some have long covid while others died. Masks mandates in a clinic bothers people? Outrageous.

Aww, R240 don't get your panties all in a bunch now. You can continue to be as big a mask advocate as you want and even wear it while taking a shit at home. But you DO NOT control others opinions on the subject!

R240 shows that the forever maskers just don't get what the problem is. They want us to remain in a constant state of terror. That's not happening. It's nice to see restaurants and movie theaters and shopping areas packed with people again.

Tell us you are the spike protein without telling us you are the spike protein, r249.

No movie theaters or gyms for me until this is done

Life was better masked up. Not only do I not get to see your ugly mug, but I get to avoid your heavy unvaxed viral load. Here’s to you, Murica!

[quote]It's nice to see restaurants and movie theaters and shopping areas packed with people again.

Cue: surge in new cases + new variants in 5, 4, 3...

It's called, LIFE GOES ON, R253!

CDC:

As of July 7, 2022, over 73% of the U.S. population is in a location with a medium or high #COVID19 Community Level. If you live in a medium or high community level, consider taking steps to protect yourself and others.

An aspiring model from Florida who had her legs amputated after being infected with Covid-19 has returned home from hospital in time for her 21st birthday.

Claire Bridges, from St Petersberg, Florida, was admitted to hospital in Tampa on 16 January this year with severe leg pain and coronavirus, according to a GoFundMe page set up by her family.

Though fully vaccinated, she was born with a serious heart condition, leading to grave Covid complications that stopped her heart and eventually forced doctors to amputate both her legs.

But now her father Wayne Bridges has told Newsweek that she had been able to go home and spend her birthday on Saturday with her loved ones.

Mr Bridges said: “She is very happy to be home around family and friends. We had a cookout for her on Saturday, which was her birthday. We're happy to get her out of the hospital life and in her mom's house and more comfortable surroundings.

[post redacted because independent.co.uk thinks that links to their ridiculous rag are a bad thing. Somebody might want to tell them how the internet works. Or not. We don't really care. They do suck though. Our advice is that you should not click on the link and whatever you do, don't read their truly terrible articles.]

^Shameless, fear-mongering headline. The article discusses reinfection but doesn’t say anything specific about the chances of monthly infections.

R256 why keep posting fear porn? Someone lost their legs from Covid which is rarer than rarer. Why not post about the people who get it, get over it, and move on with their lives?

I was in line at the DMV on Thursday. The elderly lady in front of me was having trouble logging into the computers there so I helped her out. She said she had to renew her driver's license because it expired two years ago. She said she had been in the hospital for TWO YEARS with Covid and complications from it. I was shocked as I knew that some long term effects can happen but I can't even imagine being hospitalized for that long.

The original COVID strain from Wuhan had an R0 of 3.3.

Delta had an R0 of 5.1, and the first Omicron had an R0 of 9.5.

Omicron BA.4/5 has an R0 of 18.6.

Australia is having the same problems the United States is. They just got rid of their version of Donald Trump who dragged his feet in response to contain the infection. Australians take the infection more seriously than Americans. They need access to more at home tests and struggle to find affordable versions of the tests.

Here’s a superb example of fear porn in The NY Times. Headline: What the BA.5 Subvariant Could Mean for the United States. Then the lede is buried in the 13th paragraph: Experts say it is too early to fully predict what the latest subvariants may bring to the United States.

New York City hospitalizations are at the highest level since February as positivity rates surge to 15%.

"Compounded with booster vaccination rates remaining largely stagnant, public health experts view the spiking hospitalization rate as especially troubling as it indicates that more people are falling seriously ill from the virus."

From the WaPo:

[quote] Covid is no longer mainly a pandemic of the unvaccinated. Here’s why. Image without a caption Analysis by McKenzie Beard November 23, 2022 at 7:46 a.m. EST

[quote]For the first time, a majority of Americans dying from the coronavirus received at least the primary series of the vaccine. Fifty-eight percent of coronavirus deaths in August were people who were vaccinated or boosted, according to an analysis conducted for The Health 202 by Cynthia Cox, vice president at the Kaiser Family Foundation.

[quote]It’s a continuation of a troubling trend that has emerged over the past year. As vaccination rates have increased and new variants appeared, the share of deaths of people who were vaccinated has been steadily rising. In September 2021, vaccinated people made up just 23 percent of coronavirus fatalities. In January and February this year, it was up to 42 percent, per our colleagues Fenit Nirappil and Dan Keating.

[quote]”We can no longer say this is a pandemic of the unvaccinated,” Cox told The Health 202.

Let me guess R265, you would still like everyone to be living under restrictions and mask mandates like 2 years ago. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN! Life goes on, but YOU are certainly welcome to stay home and hide under the bed!

R265, something like 70% of Americans have had the primary series. Of Americans 65 or older, it’s something like 92% who’ve had the primary series. The pool of totally unvaccinated Americans, especially among the older population, is getting smaller and smaller. In the month they’re talking about, August 2022, about 80% of Covid deaths in the U.S. were among people over the age of 65. Let’s say 1000 people died in August, although the real number was much higher. Of that thousand, if 58% were vaccinated and 42% were unvaccinated, that still means the unvaccinated died at a much higher rate because they come from a smaller pool. And since 80% of the deaths were from the age group where 92% are vaccinated, we’re talking about a tiny pool of unvaccinated Americans making up a substantially outsized number of deaths. So, yes, vaccinated people are dying, but the small pool of unvaccinated people continues to provide a disproportionate number of deaths.

R266: no actually I do not

I just find it strange that ardent Vaccine advocates like WaPo is now admitting that Covid is killing more VACCINATED people than the Unvaccinated

Something I never expected to see from WaPo

I got Covid last week for the first time. I’m vaccinated and double boosted but rarely wear a mask anymore unless I’m on a plane. My symptoms were pretty mild, mainly a runny nose and stuffy head.

^ that me, r265

i have cough with production right now. self test is negative. I am still wearing a mask. Not for covid but for flu or whatever the fuck is still going around. Lots of people coughing on the street with open mouths. few are wearing masks on subways.