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

**bodywhomper** · 05-21-2022, 09:15 AM

My niece’s prom last Friday in the Bay Area was a super spreader event. 70 kids so far tested positive. School is nearly completely maskless. This week, there were kids that attended that prom with friends are already home sick, they’re symptomatic but have not tested positive on an antigen test (yet), they believe that their symptoms are allergies or a cold, they’re going to school maskless, and they’re following the school’s guidance.

Most kids are wearing them at my son’s small HS, but it’s the opposite at the big HS across road. My twins small middle school, in the midst of an outbreak, most kids were not at school after the camping trip, the school strongly suggested that kids wear masks at school, and only about half of those that came to school were masked.

**mcski** · 05-21-2022, 09:18 AM

Wow my kid goes to a big HS in sf but most kids are still wearing masks. Def hearing about more sick so we may be about to get prom fall out as well

**::: :::** · 05-21-2022, 09:29 AM

Yeah, mine called the recent prom a super spreader too

**yeahman** · 05-21-2022, 09:59 AM

Originally Posted by ::: :::

Yeah, mine called the recent prom a super spreader too

They didn't mask at the prom?

**SumJongGuy** · 05-21-2022, 10:43 AM

Cases are ... "only" up 40% here this week. Here we are, unless it's double or triple nobody bats an eye anymore. A few more folks have put the masks back on inside stores and venues, but hardly noticeable.

**bodywhomper** · 05-21-2022, 11:28 AM

Originally Posted by yeahman

They didn't mask at the prom?

They didn’t mask at my HSer’s prom, either. This is the small HS where most (almost all) the kids and staff wear masks every day in class.

So interesting teen social stuff going on.

The Bay Area prom of my niece, she spent about 20 minutes goofing off with friends in an enclosed photo booth set-up. Something like 7 or 8 friends. She’s the only one of that crew that hasn’t tested positive yet.

**liv2ski** · 05-24-2022, 02:36 AM

Lady coughing out a lung in LAX on Saturday. Wife started to feel weird Monday, coughing and sick Tuesday. Her self test showed 2 lines (positive) today. FML as we are in Amsterdam due to take the train to Paris tomorrow. What to do other than keep her in the hotel room?

**liv2ski** · 05-24-2022, 02:37 AM

O we are double boasted. Her Pfizer and mine was Moderna

**SumJongGuy** · 05-24-2022, 06:00 AM

Originally Posted by liv2ski

Lady coughing out a lung in LAX on Saturday. Wife started to feel weird Monday, coughing and sick Tuesday. Her self test showed 2 lines (positive) today. FML as we are in Amsterdam due to take the train to Paris tomorrow. What to do other than keep her in the hotel room?

Originally Posted by liv2ski

O we are double boasted. Her Pfizer and mine was Moderna

Did she wear a good mask or raw dog the airport and flight? And you've probably got it also by now, maybe asymptomatic, but in a hotel with her so exposed.

**::: :::** · 05-24-2022, 07:05 AM

Originally Posted by yeahman

They didn't mask at the prom?

He didn’t go so I dunno
(Given the proclivity at school, I’d guess yes, but then again maybe not per bodywhomper)

**liv2ski** · 05-24-2022, 07:41 AM

Originally Posted by SumJongGuy

Did she wear a good mask or raw dog the airport and flight? And you've probably got it also by now, maybe asymptomatic, but in a hotel with her so exposed.

We were masked up a lot. I will take a test tomorrow to see if I am asymptomatic. I was always sick the day after my Moderna boasted, where as she wasn't with her Pfizer, so maybe I am more immune? Neither have tempetures but she is congested, and coughing a little. She has been sleeping all day.

**summit** · 05-24-2022, 07:45 AM

I don't know what the criteria in Europe are but if risk factors then see about Paxlovid or monoclonals. Good luck.

**liv2ski** · 05-24-2022, 09:30 AM

It takes 5 days for the pharmacy to receive paxlovid, so that is a little late. She just woke up after sleeping all day and said she feels much better than this morning. Hopefully a little better tomorrow and so on.

**RShea** · 05-24-2022, 05:19 PM

So how accurate are the in home Covid-19 self tests? Specfically the iHealth Antigen Rapid Test??

A member of the house was tested at a Hospital and was admitted for treatment. I was coughing some Sunday and yesterday and a bit of sinus pressure (which I've had from time to time over the years even before covid came on the scene), but no other symptoms - no fever, no lose of taste, no problems breathing. I did the test yesterday and it showed positive. Nobody else in the house had positive, but still everyone the house is Quarantining and will all be doing another testing round tomorrow. I cancelled all work on sites Yesterday and today and will only be doing remote or alone work. Feeling even much better even this afternoon also.

I regularly get asked the standard questions - cough, any one you been in contact with in the last 10 days with Covid, Travel outside the country, Entering some locations. Get my temperature taken regularly some places and usually it is lower than 98....

So 5 days after the symptoms go away and 2 negative tests is safe? Or longer??

**SumJongGuy** · 05-24-2022, 05:33 PM

Originally Posted by RShea

So 5 days after the symptoms go away and 2 negative tests is safe? Or longer??

Pretty sure the last update recommendations was to isolate 5 days after positive but OK to go out MASKED after 5 days if you're feeling OK. Take the mask off after day 10.. unless still symptomatic, fever, etc..

**RShea** · 05-24-2022, 05:52 PM

Originally Posted by SumJongGuy

Pretty sure the last update recommendations was to isolate 5 days after positive but OK to go out MASKED after 5 days if you're feeling OK. Take the mask off after day 10.. unless still symptomatic, fever, etc..

If I am inside I am masking when out still (except for eating and drinking something.) Outdoors was a different story, but have no problem masking for 10 days at all times indoors or out if that needs to be done and is the recommendation. Thanks. Found CDC Quarantine where you enter the date of your first symptoms, and they say May 28th, and travel later date.

**bennymac** · 05-24-2022, 06:11 PM

Study suggests association between air pollution and severity of covid outcomes:

An extensive study of thousands of COVID-19 patients in Ontario hospitals found links between the severity of their infections and the levels of common air pollutants they experience. “This adds to existing evidence that air pollution is a silent killer,” said Chen Chen, an environmental epidemiologist at the University of California and lead author of the study.

https://www.cmaj.ca/content/194/20/E693

**liv2ski** · 05-25-2022, 10:27 AM

Just here to say, get the Moderma booster. It is working for me. Wife feeling a bit better each day, but is sleeping a bunch, so there goes the first week of the trip. O well, first world problems.

**Yonder_River** · 05-25-2022, 11:28 AM

Hope that she's back to normal soon. I guess the bright side is you aren't finding this out before your flight home in which case you would be trapped there until she tests negative.

Taking the family to Europe the summer and I'm a bit nervous about one of us testing positive and not being allowed back in. It happened to my in-laws a couple months ago. The requirements are such bullshit, it makes absolutely no scientific sense when our own country is such a free-for-all.

**skaredshtles** · 05-25-2022, 11:53 AM

Originally Posted by Yonder_River

Hope that she's back to normal soon. I guess the bright side is you aren't finding this out before your flight home in which case you would be trapped there until she tests negative.

Taking the family to Europe the summer and I'm a bit nervous about one of us testing positive and not being allowed back in. It happened to my in-laws a couple months ago. The requirements are such bullshit, it makes absolutely no scientific sense when our own country is such a free-for-all.

Look on the bright side - by then it may not be *worth* coming back in.

**LongShortLong** · 05-25-2022, 03:34 PM

Adding a checkmark to the "highschool prom equals superspreader" column. Niece's classmates in a bay area county are testing positive - sister says they are dropping like flies. Photos show a large building with high ceiling (like costco high), but no masks.

**bodywhomper** · 05-25-2022, 05:28 PM

My niece has escaped the firing squad from prom so far (two weekends ago). She was directly exposed with long periods unmasked in small and minimally ventilated places where many others were infected at prom and exposed from secondary “attack” by infectious prom attendees. This is their second time of high exposure w/o being infectious. Most of their choir and their choir teacher were all infected during/after a week-long trip where no mitigation measures other than vax protection were utilized and my niece never tested positive after over a week of pcr testing after the trip. Wild.

**yeahman** · 05-25-2022, 06:50 PM

Two weeks post prom here and all kinds of cough/crud is going around the high schools but I don't think anybody is testing for covid. Spring sports divisional and state tournaments are going on and nobody wants to miss their chance to compete.

**SumJongGuy** · 05-25-2022, 07:40 PM

Originally Posted by yeahman

Two weeks post prom here and all kinds of cough/crud is going around the high schools but I don't think anybody is testing for covid. Spring sports divisional and state tournaments are going on and nobody wants to miss their chance to compete.

Like how there wasn't a single positive COVID case in the NCAA national football championship teams or the Superbowl teams.

My daighter's prom had a lot of positive cases (school was testing most students through last week). At least 3 of the kids my daughter went with got it. My kid wore a mask most of the night. She hates getting sick.

**Trackhead** · 05-25-2022, 07:47 PM

Saw my 2nd covid patient in MONTHS......family wanted patient to get checked out. Day 8 of illness, doing absolutely fine. 80+ yrs old, triple mRNA vacc, no 4th shot. Lung ultrasound really unimpressive, chest xray looked great, was just tired. Kind of mirrored a lot of what we saw since the new year. Elderly being admitted with minimal hypoxia, typically being admitted for weakness/dehydration.

My point, while there may be a lot of covid, we have seen very little with any significant disease burden since Delta.