To Vaccinate or Not---The Rat Flu Odyssey Continues

So I’ve been told by the local health dept that because docs and our hospital aren’t consider dedicated labs the policy has to be swab…wait for results and then a follow up appt even if you’re negative. Some bullshit insurance crap. If you’re + you get a telehealth show. - and you have to go in and get evaluated for a cold. I don’t mind paying for a doc appt but seems kinda silly to pay the doc for a cold unless it escalates to a lung infection thing.

Maybe I’ll go and chip away at the deductible.

Prior to Xmas, “your local epidemiologist” stated that the antigen tests were ~50% accurate for asymptomatic cases. I believe she included a link to a study. There are a few people that i follow on Twitter that work in the testing programs in the film studio industry. In November, Erin Bromage, one of those people, stated that flowflex and binaxnow provided the best results for initial infection detecting, which are verified with pcr/molecular test.

Anyone get a 2nd Omicron booster yet? I'm coming up on 6 months. The family got Covid a month ago and I avoided it. I was the only one with the Omicron booster. If I get a second one soon, I figure I can get the updated vaccine in the fall.

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Originally Posted by funkendrenchman

Anyone get a 2nd Omicron booster yet? I'm coming up on 6 months. The family got Covid a month ago and I avoided it. I was the only one with the Omicron booster. If I get a second one soon, I figure I can get the updated vaccine in the fall.

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Wait, which one?

As far as I know there were a total of 5 shots available and I have them all.

OG shot 1
OG shot 2
Booster 1
Booster 2
Bivalent booster fall of 2022.

Did they sneak in another one and not tell me? I'm collecting the whole series.

He's just talking about a second bivalent one, not a new formulation.

Are they offering a 2nd bivalent? I hadn't heard that.

I just assumed but looking at the CDC site, you're right, a second bivalent is not currently authorized.

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Originally Posted by funkendrenchman

Anyone get a 2nd Omicron booster yet? I'm coming up on 6 months. The family got Covid a month ago and I avoided it. I was the only one with the Omicron booster. If I get a second one soon, I figure I can get the updated vaccine in the fall.

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Just got it yesterday afternoon.
5 months from my last Omnicron booster.
No issues getting it.
Just asked at the CVS pharmacy for it.
No reservations needed.
Mildly sore arm today but thats it.
In 5 months I will re evaluate our current situation for another shot.
Had 3 close friends go to the ER with Omnicron in the last month.
They still are not back to normal.
This virus is brutal.

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Originally Posted by TWINS

Had 3 close friends go to the ER with Omnicron in the last month.

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All unvaxxed?

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Originally Posted by TWINS

Had 3 close friends go to the ER with Omnicron in the last month.
They still are not back to normal.

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Going to the ER with Omicron doesn't necessarily imply critical illness. Working both urgent care, ER, and primary care, we see people frequently with covid. (obviously). It's been quite some time since I've personally seen anyone with anything other than mild illness and most have no significant pulmonary burden.

Fatigue for weeks after, yes.

Just my observation, certainly not arguing.

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Originally Posted by riser4

Are they offering a 2nd bivalent? I hadn't heard that.

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They’re not officially,but as mentioned above, you can get it. I

Ya, I'm filling my dance card up with sanctioned shots only. Collect them all. It's fun.

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Originally Posted by riser4

Ya, I'm filling my dance card up with sanctioned shots only. Collect them all. It's fun.

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I'm back on the annual plan unless the traffic at hospital up the street starts picking up again.

I've had all five. I got the bivalent one in November and experienced a couple of weeks of myocarditis afterwards. I'm not sure what I'll do if there is another vaccine in the future.

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Originally Posted by Woolly the Mammoth

I've had all five. I got the bivalent one in November and experienced a couple of weeks of myocarditis afterwards. I'm not sure what I'll do if there is another vaccine in the future.

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Oof, sorry to hear that Wolly. Did you get the Pfizer or Moderna boaster, as they have been labeled as possibly causing that.

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Originally Posted by Trackhead

Going to the ER with Omicron doesn't necessarily imply critical illness. Working both urgent care, ER, and primary care, we see people frequently with covid. (obviously). It's been quite some time since I've personally seen anyone with anything other than mild illness and most have no significant pulmonary burden.

Fatigue for weeks after, yes.

Just my observation, certainly not arguing.

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One was admitted for 5 days with phemonia.
Not sure on the vaccinations on these three.
We can't ask them as they get defensive.

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Originally Posted by riser4

Ya, I'm filling my dance card up with sanctioned shots only. Collect them all. It's fun.

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Good for you.
We travel all over the world.
Usually throw ourselves into the community wherever we are.
So shots and pills are the norm.
No big deal.
The Malaria pills do suck though.

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Originally Posted by liv2ski

Oof, sorry to hear that Wolly. Did you get the Pfizer or Moderna boaster, as they have been labeled as possibly causing that.

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All of mine were Pfizer. I've always been pro vaccine, but having heart pain was a bit scary.

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Originally Posted by Woolly the Mammoth

All of mine were Pfizer. I've always been pro vaccine, but having heart pain was a bit scary.

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I'd be curious to hear your thoughts if you've considered (or discussed with your doctor) the possibility that you may be at increased risk of myocarditis and/or how that possibility impacts your options going forward. A quick search for recurrent myocarditis showed a couple of single case reports from breakthroughs, but I didn't see a study following people who've had myocarditis (maybe my search-fu is weakening).

There are lots of studies showing that the virus is more likely to cause myocarditis than is the vaccine in the general population, but getting directly to the odds of recurrence from both the virus and a booster seems pretty useful.

Do you step up precautions against exposure?

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Originally Posted by TWINS

We can't ask them as they get defensive.

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That's been taboo since day one;)

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Originally Posted by Woolly the Mammoth

I've had all five. I got the bivalent one in November and experienced a couple of weeks of myocarditis afterwards. I'm not sure what I'll do if there is another vaccine in the future.

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I wouldn't bother. I had three, AND cancer/chemo recently, and my oncologist was not worried. I agree with her.

It came on the day after I got the booster, was pretty painful for about a week, then began to subside over the next 7-10 days. I'm in my mid-forties and don't know of any risk factors that I have. Ultimately I think I'll just have to make a decision whether to get another one based on the circumstances at that time in the future, and hopefully there will be more guidance developed by then.

Geez, the list of possible causes is a long as your arm.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-...s/syc-20352539

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Originally Posted by Woolly the Mammoth

hopefully there will be guidance developed by then that agrees with my already made up opinion.

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FIFY

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Originally Posted by Woolly the Mammoth

It came on the day after I got the booster, was pretty painful for about a week, then began to subside over the next 7-10 days. I'm in my mid-forties and don't know of any risk factors that I have. Ultimately I think I'll just have to make a decision whether to get another one based on the circumstances at that time in the future, and hopefully there will be more guidance developed by then.

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A doc I used to see would say your body has demonstrated its ability to develop myocarditis. Not an easily quantified risk factor, though. Given how many people are focused on this particular side effect I hope someone is following that population.

But we're never wrong to wait to make a decision until it's time. If you wind up digging into it when the time comes I hope you'll update.