Fear and Loathing, a Rat Flu Odyssey

[PB]

Help men out here: will a 4th shot /second booster put you over your cumulative pain allotment?

[old goat]

Yes. Big pharma doesn't want you to know, and everyone who gets one has to sign an NDA. but the 4th shot is given in the eyeball. I could be in lot of trouble for telling you this but I feel it's my duty

[yeahman]

Help men out here: will a 4th shot /second booster put you over your cumulative pain allotment?

I just think it's quite likely unnecessary. Do you get shots for fun and/or to make a political statement?

[Cisco Kid]

Like you just did?

I'm waiting for the go ahead for #5

I'll take all I can get because I've had them all my life and I'm still here. Not for any political reason but because I aced HS Bio and I'm not an idiot

[yeahman]

Like you just did?

I'm waiting for the go ahead for #5

I'll take all I can get because I've had them all my life and I'm still here. Not for any political reason but because I aced HS Bio and I'm not an idiot

Well, you actually are an idiot, based on your post and your complete failure to interpret mine. Congrats on acing HS biology though. Too bad you never matured beyond that level.

[LongShortLong]

It's inconceivable to me that we haven't caught it yet. Fingers crossed, knock on wood, I'm sure my time is coming and I'm not looking forward to it nor underestimating the potential for a bad case of long covid.

Math suggests it's conceivable. Perhaps more likely than not.

Some rough math. 25 cases/100k/day looks to be about the national average. We used to guess that was a 3x or 4x undercount. With unreported antigen tests and covid fatigued people who don't test at all, I've heard the undercount may be 10x now. So, 25 * 10 / 100k * 100% = 0.25% chance the average person catches covid in any one day.

Counting four flights and a wedding as 5 average days (!), and guesstimating 15 more average days of dining out, and if you were a perfect hermit the other days - you had a roughly 5% chance of catching covid (20 days * 0.25%). And yes, there's a lot of guesses. Also, I took some math shortcuts estimating the cumulative probability, and ignored virology effects that are justifiable in this example but not all examples.

Another way to look at the average person's chances: 250 cases / 100k / day means after 400 days, there will be 100k infections per 100k people. That's one infection for each population member. Some of those will be reinfections. Some people won't get infected at all.

And if it turns out the undercount is 5x instead of 10x, cut the probabilities in half, and double the time required to reach one infection per person. I haven't seen any strong justification for the 10x number.

[jono]

The 0.25% didn't come from pure travel days, either. But still, yeah, not everyone is getting it.

[bodywhomper]

There’s still evidence that every infection can still result in long covid and some with long covid and some after infection single or multiple infection end up with damaged T cells.

[jono]

I just think it's quite likely unnecessary. Do you get shots for fun and/or to make a political statement?

I'm also keeping an eye on the trend while waiting for a shot that's not based on a fully eradicated strain. Last I saw the difference between 4 shots and 3 on death and I think hospitalization or some other proxy for "bad" was about 4 times. So it seemed like that was still an improvement at that point, but if there's something more applicable to current BA4/5 mutations that'd be useful to know. Have you seen something specific lately?

[CarlMega]

I see no reason to get sick unnecessarily. Of a shit load of stories, here's two: My reckless buddy caught it 3 times, each time worse than the previous. My dad who is uber fit and careful, finally got it and it almost took him out. Getting sick isn't great.

[yeahman]

I'm also keeping an eye on the trend while waiting for a shot that's not based on a fully eradicated strain. Last I saw the difference between 4 shots and 3 on death and I think hospitalization or some other proxy for "bad" was about 4 times. So it seemed like that was still an improvement at that point, but if there's something more applicable to current BA4/5 mutations that'd be useful to know. Have you seen something specific lately?

I have not, but am also content to play the waiting game at this point. I have sifted through the studies on blood type quite a bit, wondering if my O blood has something to do with not getting it, but researchers continue to go back and forth on that. For awhile they were saying no, but some of the most recent articles I've read are leaning back toward yes it does. Not that it matters but I am curious.

[KQ]

I'm also keeping an eye on the trend while waiting for a shot that's not based on a fully eradicated strain. Last I saw the difference between 4 shots and 3 on death and I think hospitalization or some other proxy for "bad" was about 4 times. So it seemed like that was still an improvement at that point, but if there's something more applicable to current BA4/5 mutations that'd be useful to know. Have you seen something specific lately?

There is a more targeted shot that will be out in the Fall.

2 new variants circulating.

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-...n-booster-shot

[yeahman]

I see no reason to get sick unnecessarily. Of a shit load of stories, here's two: My reckless buddy caught it 3 times, each time worse than the previous. My dad who is uber fit and careful, finally got it and it almost took him out. Getting sick isn't great.

Almost everybody I know who is super careful has gotten it. My dad is 90 and pretty careful but still traveling and gathering with family and friends, and so far has avoided it. Lotsa luck involved with all this IMO.

[jono]

There is a more targeted shot that will be out in the Fall.

2 new variants circulating.

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-...n-booster-shot

And with that I just realized time hasn't been standing still for the last month and we actually are closer to "fall." I'm gonna blame working.

[CarlMega]

Almost everybody I know who is super careful has gotten it. My dad is 90 and pretty careful but still traveling and gathering with family and friends, and so far has avoided it. Lotsa luck involved with all this IMO.

Maybe. But getting vax'd to mitigate severity and taking precautions in line with your situation is still sensible. I guess I'm contrasting that with...oh an air of cavalier attitudes that pop up here and again where it's like YOLO lick some door knobs, everyone gets it. I dunno. People still bitch about the pandemic and I'm like 'not getting sick has been fucking fabulous'. I avoid sick people and aim to avoid the seemingly unsick filthy gross masses too (thank you once again pandemic, I never knew how much happier I am avoid disgusting people #blessed). So I see no honor in getting sick and common fucking sense says one should avoid getting sick unnecessarily.

[Cisco Kid]

Well, you actually are an idiot, based on your post and your complete failure to interpret mine. Congrats on acing HS biology though. Too bad you never matured beyond that level.

"I just think it's quite likely unnecessary. Do you get shots for fun and/or to make a political statement?"
Man, at least be honest with yourself. And
Yer mother wears combat boots.

[bodywhomper]

There’s still evidence that every infection can still result in long covid and some with long covid and some after infection single or multiple infection end up with damaged T cells.

One of the studies


https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1....09.22278592v1

[raisingarizona13]

Thanks for distilling it to the root of the issue… (R)eal Men don’t need pussy-ass masks. That’s as fucking simple as it is right there. If the he(R)oes at the top had come out and said “you know what, it’s inconvenient sometimes but one of the things we can do to help save lives is wear a mask” we’d have had far less deaths. So well done guys! At least you’re not pussies I guess!?!

Meh, whatever. I just like to huck a rock at the hornets nest every now and then.

[SumJongGuy]

I only cover up now when I'm in a situation or extended conversation where I'm in tight quarters with other people for more than a few minutes sharing recently used air.

When I see other people wearing a mask in public I think of several possibilities.
1) They have tested positive or suspect they have it but need to go do some shit out and about (not ideal but better than not masked)
2) They are immune compromised with little or no protection from the vaccines. Getting this shit would suck badly, way worse than if I get it again.
3) They just happen to give a fuck about other people and their own personal health.

[KQ]

3) They just happen to give a fuck about other people and their own personal health.

^this.

I don't want to be the asshole who spreads disease. I hated it when I commuted and worked in an office and people would go to work sick. I'm retired now but hope for the sake of those still working that masks will become more the norm now during cold & flu season. It's the polite thing to do like covering your nose and mouth when you sneeze or cough.

[::: :::]

Well, you actually are an idiot, based on your post and your complete failure to interpret mine. Congrats on acing HS biology though. Too bad you never matured beyond that level.

Not sure what hoop you think you’re dunking on, but it isn’t one that reasonable people admire

[bodywhomper]

Special Ed teacher at school my wife works at is out with covid. Taught all last week w/o mask. Indoor AQ in the classrooms is unclear (school district is not transparent). Unclear when she was infected or infectious. Multiple children in that class with immuno-problems and sensory problems with wearing masks.

[SumJongGuy]

Special Ed teacher at school my wife works at is out with covid. Taught all last week w/o mask. Indoor AQ in the classrooms is unclear (school district is not transparent). Unclear when she was infected or infectious. Multiple children in that class with immuno-problems and sensory problems with wearing masks.

This area had some of the tightest mask mandates as anywhere until about 6 moths ago. Governor just dropped the emergency status a month ago. Pretty sure schools (and everywhere public) is optional now. I only know of one retail venue that still requires masks, and it's a charity place where the volunteers live in communal shelter housing.

But, kids are still getting off the bus with masks on so some are doing more than required.

[bodywhomper]

My wife is generally the only masked person at that school unless providing therapy outdoors.

It is a maskless culture, but it’s putting some children at risk of a lot of problems. Several of those kids had covid (at least) 3 times by the end of the last school year.

[SB]

Meh, whatever. I just like to huck a rock of truth/freewill at the TGRhornets nest every now and then.

The personal satisfaction of doing so is greatly diminished by the insidious brainpowerwashing of those unable to recognize they are being duped/used but hey, there are many rocks to throw.

Choose yor rock wisely.