Fear and Loathing, a Rat Flu Odyssey

[Johnny H]

To KQs post of the group photo.

[bodywhomper]

Thx for the small adult size mask recs. My wife found earloop kn95 that hopefully fit well. We’ll see.

[old goat]

Also, just read that yellow fever mosquito trapped in Sacramento area. No cases yet. Monkeypox, Marberg, polio, yellow fever--are we being sent a message?

[SumJongGuy]

Also, just read that yellow fever mosquito trapped in Sacramento area. No cases yet. Monkeypox, Marberg, polio, yellow fever--are we being sent a message?

+global climate disasters..

[old goat]

Ya think?
And don't forget all those shark attacks in the news. It's a real feeding frenzy. A media feeding frenzy that is.

[KQ]

Also, just read that yellow fever mosquito trapped in Sacramento area. No cases yet. Monkeypox, Marberg, polio, yellow fever--are we being sent a message?

Well I'm covered for polio and yellow fever. Highly doubtful I need to worry about Monkeypox. Marberg.... yeah not going to Ghana or having visitors but I'll keep my eye out for it and mask on.

[old goat]

Well I'm covered for polio and yellow fever. Highly doubtful I need to worry about Monkeypox. Marberg.... yeah not going to Ghana or having visitors but I'll keep my eye out for it and mask on.

What if the next pandemic is Western equine encephalitis?

[skiJ]

What if the next pandemic is Western equine encephalitis?

vector transmission - not likely to become a pandemic
( please do vaccinate your horses )


skiJ

[SumJongGuy]

Zika skeeters would suck.. oops poorly worded.. But especially now with severe birth defect management options more limited in many states.

[skiJ]

By Jeremy Kamil

Dr. Kamil is a virologist and associate professor of microbiology and immunology at Louisiana State University Health Shreveport.



The blitz of Omicron variants has felt like one long wave. And many questions have arisen amid the tumult. Are we seeing the emergence of entirely new coronavirus variants that are impervious to immunity from vaccines and previous infections? If we keep getting reinfected, is it inevitable that most of us will end up developing long Covid?

In short, the answer is no.

As a virologist, it’s important to me that people understand Covid-19 remains a great concern. But this does not excuse or license a misdiagnosis of the current situation.

Let’s start with what is true. BA.5, one of the most recent Omicron variants to emerge, is everywhere. It unquestionably has an advantage in terms of transmissibility over previous Omicron lineages, most likely because it’s better at evading our existing repertoire of antibodies.

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BA.5 and its close cousin BA.4 have a key mutation that enables them to sneak past an important class of so-called broadly neutralizing antibodies. These particular antibodies did a great job of preventing infections from a wide swath of earlier variants.

That’s changed in some ways.

In recent weeks I’ve watched many vaccinated friends and family members get infected with the coronavirus for the first time. The most concerning of these are cases like a colleague of mine who was infected in May and again in June, both times becoming ill.

OPINION CONVERSATION
Questions surrounding the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, as well as vaccines and treatments.
What’s next after the end of mask mandates?
Aaron E. Carroll, the chief health officer of Indiana University, details several alternative measures for fighting Covid.
How will the virus continue to change?
A group of scientists who study how viruses evolve explains what might be in store.
Why don’t experts agree about the necessity of another booster?
Markham Heid, a health and science journalist, details why several considerations, all valid, lead to different opinions among scientists.
Why do some people never get Covid?
Daniela J. Lamas, a pulmonary and critical-care physician, investigates whether genetics are at play.
Thankfully, reinfection a few weeks after recovery is not the norm. Scientists have shown that people who previously contracted Covid-19 are less likely to get infected with the variant du jour than people who had never seen the virus, and this trend holds true for Omicron. Early research from Qatar that has not yet been peer-reviewed showed that people who had a BA.1 infection in, say, January were significantly less likely to experience a BA.4 or BA.5 breakthrough infection months later. While more research on this is welcome, these findings are consistent with how immunity, played out at the population level, helps explain the rise, fall and magnitude of epidemic waves.

Dig deeper into the moment.

Antibodies remain a powerful defense against this coronavirus. They do many things to protect us, while also flagging the virus for destruction by other elements of the immune system. Even though some studies have found that Omicron variants may induce weaker antibody responses than earlier variants, this is most likely because Omicron causes less severe disease, thanks to immunity from vaccines and prior infections.

Our immune system works much like a wise yet frugal investor, calibrating responses according to the magnitude and extent of the various danger signals sensed during infection. Generally speaking, the greater the symptoms and disease from infections like Covid or the flu, the stronger the antibody response. When existing antibodies are good enough to keep disease to a minimum (because fewer virus particles succeed in replicating in the body), we tend to see much lower amounts of antibodies than when someone ends up hospitalized from the coronavirus. Vaccines are a great way around that problem: They stimulate our immune systems to make antibodies, and other tailored defenses, even when there is no disease.

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Right now the immunological makeup of the population is a mix. People who were infected with prior variants may now be catching Omicron infections, even if they’re also vaccinated. People who have never had Covid may be getting it now. It’s true that some people who got infected from an earlier Omicron variant in December, January or even more recently are catching BA.5 now, and becoming sick from it.

Alas, this current situation, where some are newly susceptible to infection while others remain protected, is no friend to nuance. It’s difficult to generalize broadly and make bold predictions concerning how well an individual or a population will hold up against infection now or later. But despite Omicron’s knack for circumventing antibodies, it’s clear that prior immunity, be it from vaccines or previous infections, protects from severe outcomes such as death and hospitalization. There has yet to be a variant that negates the benefits of vaccines.

Recently, an early study, which was not peer-reviewed, argued that reinfections are just as dangerous as primary infections, but there is by no means a consensus on this among scientists and medical experts. (The study only really showed that getting reinfected is worse than not being reinfected.) Other scientists are concerned about the long-term risks of multiple reinfections. However, there is no debate that prior immunity, in most cases, reduces the severity of subsequent infections. Catching the coronavirus more than once or after vaccination does not necessarily put someone at risk for the most serious and chronically debilitating forms of long Covid, though more research is needed to understand what might predispose someone to that.

The Food and Drug Administration should move swiftly to authorize new booster shots that target Omicron variants. The existing data suggest that updated shots, even based on earlier Omicron lineages, would be more effective at preventing infections than continuing to use the current vaccine boosters, which are based on the original 2019 coronavirus spike.

In the meantime, if you are eligible, it’s wise to get boosted with the currently available shots, which are still outstanding at preventing hospitalization and death. (This is especially critical for older people.) Wearing a mask when mixing indoors and avoiding indoor dining when case numbers are high remains advisable for those who’d prefer not to kick the tires on their existing immunity. Fortunately, monoclonal antibody cocktails are available that remain effective against BA.5. One such product, Evusheld, is given prophylactically to protect patients, while others are used to treat severe infections. Paxlovid, which can be taken at home, may also be a good option for people who test positive and are eligible for it.

Most immunologists I know are cautiously optimistic about our long-term prospects. We don’t know exactly what this virus will do next, and we should never be dismissive of those who have a high risk profile or are dealing with long Covid. Nonetheless, most of us can have faith in our immune systems, especially when we make use of vaccines and boosters. Recorded history may hold little precedent for the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. But this is not our immune systems’ first rodeo.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/22/o...infection.html


skiJ

[SumJongGuy]

Casual, totally unscientific maggot poll.. Outdoor event venues, games, concerts, venue at capacity. At least triple vaxxed, are you wearing the mask? Do other conditions impact your choice.. i.e. over 90 degrees, breeze, no wind, etc. ?

[bodywhomper]

Yes

[Thaleia]

Yep.

[m2711c]

over 90 degrees? is ambient temperature a factor in transmissibility?

[raisingarizona13]

Casual, totally unscientific maggot poll.. Outdoor event venues, games, concerts, venue at capacity. At least triple vaxxed, are you wearing the mask? Do other conditions impact your choice.. i.e. over 90 degrees, breeze, no wind, etc. ?

No. It's time to move on.

[SumJongGuy]

No. It's time to move on.

Forgot to mention that this county is code orange for community spread right now. Does "time to move on" mean just suck it up and deal with the fact that a lot of people are going to be getting sick with this because most don't care anymore?

This is a serious question.. My gut says answer is yes..

[SumJongGuy]

over 90 degrees? is ambient temperature a factor in transmissibility?

It definitely is a factor in how many others will and won't be covering up..

[old goat]

No. It's time to move on.

Pandemics don't have a time limit. We move on when the amount of disease says we can move on. (Currently the CDC is recommending masks indoors in areas of high transmission. It doesn't address outdoor events, which I take to mean it's up to your risk level and tolerance. Personally I'm still avoiding the kind of crowds where I would be close to multiple people for a long time--ie a packed outdoor concert, given my age and risk factors.)

[LongShortLong]

No. I'm staying home or going outdoors with few people.

I respect society has decided it's ok to gather and get sick. I think they're stupid. But that applies to many other things they do, too.

[raisingarizona13]

If I die I die.

I'm not scared.

Let nature take it's course.

If I get sick I'll isolate but other than that.......no.

You can't keep hiding from this. It needs to run it's course.

[skiJ]

If I die I die.

I'm not scared.

Let nature take it's course.

If I get sick I'll isolate but other than that.......no.

You can't keep hiding from this. It needs to run it's course.

wow.

I'm with goat and LSL - but I'm old and have risk factors including lung damage
( Thank you, Influenza. And pneumonia ) ;

I don't think I have been "scared" for a long time, but I sure don't want to transmit it to my elderly neighbors ;

we all will die -
in the last weeks of her life, my 84 year old demented mother said ( regarding death ),

' don't be in a hurry '


I wish you luck... skiJ

[Cisco Kid]

Biggest talkers are the biggest pussies IME. "Jesus will take care of me" is a narcissistic cop out.

[bodywhomper]

Eugenics

[AdironRider]

At this point the onus is on you. If large group gatherings aren’t your thing because of Covid, don’t go or wear a mask, but I’m not playing that silly game any longer to make you feel safe.

[BCMtnHound]

If I die I die.

I'm not scared.

Let nature take it's course.

If I get sick I'll isolate but other than that.......no.

You can't keep hiding from this. It needs to run it's course.

So you’ve died before?

J/K.


Sort of. And facing death is close, but…


I’m still in the camp that transmission to others in certain environments requires some form of barrier like a mask.

I will be attending an outdoor music festival this coming weekend. Not wearing a mask. But I already am someone who really likes their personal space. This will not be a crowded venue, but certain to attract a lot of anti-vaxers.

Damn pandemic.