How has the coronavirus affected your personal life?

[Ulu]

I didn’t read through that, but I have to assume that if you can get Covid twice, you are either living in an extremely hostile environment, or maybe your immune system is trashed. By hostile, I mean you are under stress all the time and you are exposed to enormous viral attack.

I think Covid works much like the common cold, and if you survive it the first time, you’re going to get it over and over during the course of your life. Sometimes a mild case, sometimes a bad case, and once a deadly case, perhaps.

Personally, I had the luxury of waiting until I was pretty sure that the vaccines were not going to kill people off “mysteriously.” Also I think I was lucky to be able to get Moderna , which seems to be working better (?)

I haven’t seen any stats on that . . . just what I heard on the radio.

So I think at 66 I have lucked out so far. I’m sure I’ve been exposed through all of my granddaughters. they’ve all exposed each other and it’s gonna happen here on Sunday.

Two of them just turned 18. They are fraternal twins, but could not be more different. One is slender and destined to be the fashionable type. The other is buxom and has joined ROTC and is going off to be a military intelligence officer.

Anyhow I don’t think this vaccination business has slowed me down for more than a day. I have more problems from spicy food, pet hair allergies & dust.

So far I have been doing all the normal stuff. I’ve been working in the boat yard and I went out shopping for a new 5” grinder.

I’m gonna go out now and change a bad brake rotor on a truck.

 

[skjl47]

I think Covid works much like the common cold, and if you survive it the first time, you’re going to get it over and over during the course of your life. Sometimes a mild case, sometimes a bad case, and once a deadly case, perhaps.

Hello; First thing is there are over 100 different common cold virus known is my understanding. You are not getting the same cold virus each time. Each cold episode will be a different virus even tho they are all corona virus.
You could be correct that the covid will wind up with a number of distinct strains that are different enough from each other so to be a new infection to our bodies. A lot of folks had what is called the alpha strain. They will not get sick from that strain as the body will have a memory of alpha.

Among the things that confuse the issue is that the delta variety has become wide spread. Delta is some different from alpha, but apparently not different enough that the vaccines made for alpha can still work. Likely the same can be said for natural immunity in that someone who recovered from alpha will have some degree of protection against delta.
It is when the virus mutates enough to appear new to the immune system that both vaccines and natural immunity are no longer able to help. The mutated virus will have the protein spikes on the outside that are not quite the same shape as the alpha's spikes were. The antibodies made for the alpha covid strain attach in a sort of lock and key manner. The antibodies for alpha fit exactly onto the protein spikes of an alpha virus.
The alpha antibodies appear to fit onto delta virus spikes well enough even if not a perfect fit. That way a lot of delta virus is killed, but likely not all. The good thing is our immune system will be making new antibodies tailored for the delta and these will join the fight in a few days. I am guessing this may be why the first shots are helping with delta in that the vaccinated get sick but not as sick.

Thing is the covid virus has been passing thru millions of people since we became a host. There could be thousands of different strains of covid over time. Lots of them will be at a dead end and never get to a new host. Say some one like me who lives alone gets covid and a mutated strain happens when the RNA is corrupted as it takes over a cell to make copies. If I stay home and am not around anyone else the mutated strain dies off when my immune system deals with it or I die.
Some mutated strains will find new hosts and be passed along so will have a path to be wide spread. The early reports were the covid was not drifting ( mutating) a lot. Not sure if that still holds. That is what the flu does. The flu mutates often. We do not catch the same flu over and over. We catch one strain and become immune to it. Then another season we might catch a different flu strain .

There is often good news with the mutations in that as a virus adapts to a new host is can become less serious as far as the illness goes. That would be a good outcome. Of course strains could go the other way and cause a worse illness. But yeah, covid could become a part of our future.

 

[skjl47]

From the link you posted:

" A spokesperson told The BMJ that “the immune response from vaccination is more predictable” and that based on current evidence, antibody responses after infection “vary widely by individual,” though studies are ongoing to “learn how much protection antibodies from infection may provide and how long that protection lasts.”


"Frieden told The BMJ that the question of leveraging natural immunity is a “reasonable discussion,” one he had raised informally with the CDC at start of rollout. “I thought from a rational standpoint, with limited vaccine available, why don’t you have the option” for people with previous infection to defer until there was more supply, he says. “I think that would have been a rational policy. It would have also made rollout, which was already too complicated, even more complicated.”

Most infections were never diagnosed, Frieden points out, and many people may have assumed they had been infected when they hadn’t. Add to that false positive results, he says. Had the CDC given different directives and vaccine schedules based on prior infection, it “wouldn’t have done much good and might have done some harm."


“It’s a lot easier to put a shot in their arm,” says Sommer. “To do a PCR test or to do an antibody test and then to process it and then to get the information to them and then to let them think about it—it’s a lot easier to just give them the damn vaccine.” In public health, “the primary objective is to protect as many people as you can,” he says. “It’s called collective insurance, and I think it’s irresponsible from a public health perspective to let people pick and choose what they want to do.”

Hello; Let me look at these one at a time. First one ought to be simple enough. If I had the alpha covid virus and recovered naturally at home without extra medical help, then it follows that my immune system is up to the task.

The second point is the rollout ( of the vaccines) would be made more complicated. OK so it would be more complicated. Those who knew they had recovered from the covid already could just not show up for a shot. Making the rollout more complex does not lessen natural immunity at all.

The third point has some merit. I thought I may have had the virus early on in the outbreak. Not sure if testing was handy but I did not get tested. I did have an antibody test which was negative, but now know those tests have as much as 20% wrong outcomes. Thing is a lot of people had the covid infection and were tested at the time so they know for sure. Those people do not need the shots is the point.

The last is the more telling. It is easier to just give them the damn shots. That this puts the naturally immune at risk for what ever side effects that may come with the shots is less important than the so called collective insurance. It is irresponsible to let people pick and choose as has been our rights when it comes to personal health care before.

The only one of these responses that makes sense is the one about a person not knowing for sure the illness they had was covid. I was in that position myself. I had been ill with something different from a cold or flu but did not get a test. I am not sure if the test was handy. So not being sure I took the shots. But plenty know for sure they actually had covid, recovered on their own and do not need the shots.

 

[RD.]

I didn’t say it all made perfect sense, nor do I get a say in creating any of these rules or mandates. Hopefully as time passes additional peer reviewed studies will offer more insight into what is going to work best for everyone.

 

[skjl47]

Opinions | Natural immunity to covid is powerful. Policymakers seem afraid to say so. (msn.com)

“More than 15 studies have demonstrated the power of immunity acquired by previously having the virus. A 700,000-person study from Israel two weeks ago found that those who had experienced prior infections were 27 times less likely to get a second symptomatic covid infection than those who were vaccinated. This affirmed a June Cleveland Clinic study of health-care workers (who are often exposed to the virus), in which none who had previously tested positive for the coronavirus got reinfected. The study authors concluded that “individuals who have had SARS-CoV-2 infection are unlikely to benefit from covid-19 vaccination.” And in May, a Washington University study found that even a mild covid infection resulted in long-lasting immunity.”

“Downplaying the power of natural immunity has had deadly consequences. In January, February and March, we wasted scarce vaccine doses on millions of people who previously had covid. If we had asked Americans who were already protected by natural immunity to step aside in the vaccine line, tens of thousands of lives could have been saved. This is not just in hindsight is 20/20; many of us were vehemently arguing and writing at the time for such a rationing strategy.”

“One reason public health officials may be afraid to acknowledge the effectiveness of natural immunity is that they fear it will lead some to choose getting the infection over vaccination. That’s a legitimate concern. But we can encourage all Americans to get vaccinated while still being honest about the data. “



Hello; There is more worth reading in the article. It is an opinion piece but does have links to some information. One link is below.



Booster shots won’t stop the delta variant. Here’s the math to prove it. - The Washington Post

 

[Rocksor]

weren’t COVID infection parties happening in some colleges at the beginning? What about children chicken pox parties, which have occurred for thise who refused giving their children the chicken pox vaccine. That’s the type of thinking that would gain a lot traction because in their eyes COVID vaccine is too new

 

[skjl47]

weren’t COVID infection parties happening in some colleges at the beginning? What about children chicken pox parties, which have occurred for thise who refused giving their children the chicken pox vaccine. That’s the type of thinking that would gain a lot traction because in their eyes COVID vaccine is too new

Hello; First I heard of such, but do not put this sort of thing past people. I had chicken pox as a kid.

 

[RD.]

Meanwhile, back at the ranch........

Alberta has declared a state of public health emergency. COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to rise, largely in unvaccinated Albertans. New measures to protect the health care system, stop the spread, and increase vaccination rates come into effect starting September 16.

 

[RD.]

COVID-19 Live Updates: News on coronavirus in Calgary for Sept. 15 | Calgary Herald

• Alberta is reaching out to other provinces for ICU space, said Dr. Verna Yiu, AHS president and CEO.
• A range of new public health measures was detailed by Health Minister Tyler Shandro, including indoor capacity limits and a work-from-home directive.
• Premier Jason Kenney declared a state of public health emergency in Alberta on Wednesday.
• The head of the Alberta Medical Association is calling on the province to add new public health measures as ICU admissions hit another record high Tuesday.
• Albertans will be able to print card-sized proof of vaccinations from MyHealth records starting Thursday.
• In a Zoom video meeting with doctors, Dr. Deena Hinshaw said she believes lifting restrictions in July led to the fourth wave of COVID-19.
• Security was strengthened outside Foothills Medical Centre as Alberta Health Services prepared for a crowd of anti-vaccine protesters anticipated to rally at the hospital Monday afternoon.

The MyHealth records website crashed last night. No doubt from server overload.
Back to the grind for me tomorrow.

 

[pacu mom]

COVID-19 Live Updates: News on coronavirus in Calgary for Sept. 15 | Calgary Herald

• Alberta is reaching out to other provinces for ICU space, said Dr. Verna Yiu, AHS president and CEO.
• A range of new public health measures was detailed by Health Minister Tyler Shandro, including indoor capacity limits and a work-from-home directive.
• Premier Jason Kenney declared a state of public health emergency in Alberta on Wednesday.
• The head of the Alberta Medical Association is calling on the province to add new public health measures as ICU admissions hit another record high Tuesday.
• Albertans will be able to print card-sized proof of vaccinations from MyHealth records starting Thursday.
• In a Zoom video meeting with doctors, Dr. Deena Hinshaw said she believes lifting restrictions in July led to the fourth wave of COVID-19.
• Security was strengthened outside Foothills Medical Centre as Alberta Health Services prepared for a crowd of anti-vaccine protesters anticipated to rally at the hospital Monday afternoon.

The MyHealth records website crashed last night. No doubt from server overload.
Back to the grind for me tomorrow.

I wish we had your "public health measures" in my area.