BA.5 Variant, the worst version of Omicron, is vaccine evasiive and surging across the country

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:We are at a pivotal point in the pandemic as it become endemic. We are all going to get it and some us multiple times. We don’t know the long term effects of multiple infection. We do no that for many that isolation, distancing, mask wearing also comes at a societal cost. Just look at airlines, incidents plummeted once mask mandate lifted. Everyone can get vaccinated and others will always be moresusceptible and vulnerable. What kind of society and life do we want to live? I’m willing to take the risks of long COVID and unknown long term risk to live a normal life and give my kids a normal childhood. I’m sorry for those that are not able to take that risk. I mean that sincerely.

This is all really easy to say when you’ve never dealt with chronic illness or long term disability. Would be interesting to see what you would say if your good health (or your children’s God forbid) was messed up for life. As another poster says this is just dripping with arrogance, privilege and lack of humility.

Please. Immunocompromised persons can wear N95 masks and social distance. It’s not like they didn’t have to do this during flu season every year before covid. Frankly, your post drips of wishing ill health on the PP.

It’s not that simple.

NP
Sure it is. I receive chemo weekly. I am immunocompromised. I will wear my N95 when necessary, and I fully expect non immunocompromised to go about their daily lives. We are waaay past 2020 people.

I don’t believe you. If you were really on chemo, you’d know that your N95 is nowhere near full protection for the newest strains of Omicron. Not even close.

I don’t care if you believe me. Just today, my oncologist said “go out. Do things. You don’t need to live in a bubble. Go to a restaurant. Only mask in crowded indoor spaces.”
I am 100% fine with my N95. Doesn’t change things because you don’t believe me.
Please, people, live you’re lives! Don’t let PP hold you back.

As a fellow immunocompromised person, I also didn't believe your first post. Now this your second post? Not a chance a dr told you to eat inside restaurant and "only to mask in crowded indoor spaces" nope! Didn't happen.

Or if it did I’d be looking for a new oncologist

.
What does your oncologist suggest?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow, someone reported the posts about the interview with Paul Offit, and they deleted them! Good bye, open scientific discourse.

Can you summarize?

You can watch it here and judge for yourself:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLo2Wwa3NNA

And to add, I honestly don't understand how anyone can delete this, probably under the guise of it being anti-vax. Offit is as pro-vax as they come, but he hasn't turned off his brain. He is the rare person who has the ability to inspire trust in vaccines even in skeptics. Deleting it doesn't help the cause of anyone who wants to keep vaccine-preventable diseases at bay, although it might help Pfizer in selling its Omicron-specific booster.

I watched it. It doesn’t seem anti vax to me but he also doesn’t say that he thinks the booster is harmful, just potentially not that helpful. There is a difference. He also didn’t say what he thinks should be done instead. You fight the war with the army you have, not the one you wish you had. This is what we have right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow, someone reported the posts about the interview with Paul Offit, and they deleted them! Good bye, open scientific discourse.

Why would they be deleted? The only "controversial" thing he said was that the modified booster has shown little improvement from a regular booster. I was contemplating whether to wait for a new booster in the fall or get the current available one. Now I think we'll get the current one. What else did I miss? (Honest question.)

DP here. I don’t think you missed anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow, someone reported the posts about the interview with Paul Offit, and they deleted them! Good bye, open scientific discourse.

Why would they be deleted? The only "controversial" thing he said was that the modified booster has shown little improvement from a regular booster. I was contemplating whether to wait for a new booster in the fall or get the current available one. Now I think we'll get the current one. What else did I miss? (Honest question.)

Any post that doesn't say vaccines are awesome and that you plan to get one is deleted on this forum. Scientific debates have been scrubbed in my observations here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow, someone reported the posts about the interview with Paul Offit, and they deleted them! Good bye, open scientific discourse.

Why would they be deleted? The only "controversial" thing he said was that the modified booster has shown little improvement from a regular booster. I was contemplating whether to wait for a new booster in the fall or get the current available one. Now I think we'll get the current one. What else did I miss? (Honest question.)

It is a knee-jerk reaction on the part of some people to report/delete anything that is critical of the government's official vaccination policy, which includes the plan for the Omicron-specific booster offered by Pfizer in the fall. Also, they probably don't like Dr. Zubin Damania, because he is generally critical of alarmist takes on Covid, and he is friends with and a frequent interlocutor of Vinay Prasad as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow, someone reported the posts about the interview with Paul Offit, and they deleted them! Good bye, open scientific discourse.

Can you summarize?

You can watch it here and judge for yourself:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLo2Wwa3NNA

And to add, I honestly don't understand how anyone can delete this, probably under the guise of it being anti-vax. Offit is as pro-vax as they come, but he hasn't turned off his brain. He is the rare person who has the ability to inspire trust in vaccines even in skeptics. Deleting it doesn't help the cause of anyone who wants to keep vaccine-preventable diseases at bay, although it might help Pfizer in selling its Omicron-specific booster.

I watched it. It doesn’t seem anti vax to me but he also doesn’t say that he thinks the booster is harmful, just potentially not that helpful. There is a difference. He also didn’t say what he thinks should be done instead. You fight the war with the army you have, not the one you wish you had. This is what we have right now.

Can we clarify once and for all that Offit is not anti-vax? You are right, he didn't say that the second booster his harmful, he only said that the new one doesn't appear to offer demonstrable advantages that would warrant authorizing a new product, and he did say that he for himself chose not to get a second booster even though his third shot was in May 2021 (due to him being a front-line medical professional). He believes all it would have gained him would be short-term protection from symptomatic disease, and he believes the quintessential purpose of any vaccine is to prevent severe outcomes. So he questions whether even our current "army" is necessary to deploy in the form of booster no. 2.

There is also a really enlightening bit in this interview about how the short incubation period of SARS-CoV-2 precludes it ever being eradicated by any vaccine, as was possible with long-incubation period viruses such as smallpox and measles.

[Anonymous]

The most effective countermeasure against the midterm variant is dropbox voting. We need to follow the political science.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are at a pivotal point in the pandemic as it become endemic. We are all going to get it and some us multiple times. We don’t know the long term effects of multiple infection. We do no that for many that isolation, distancing, mask wearing also comes at a societal cost. Just look at airlines, incidents plummeted once mask mandate lifted. Everyone can get vaccinated and others will always be moresusceptible and vulnerable. What kind of society and life do we want to live? I’m willing to take the risks of long COVID and unknown long term risk to live a normal life and give my kids a normal childhood. I’m sorry for those that are not able to take that risk. I mean that sincerely.

This is all really easy to say when you’ve never dealt with chronic illness or long term disability. Would be interesting to see what you would say if your good health (or your children’s God forbid) was messed up for life. As another poster says this is just dripping with arrogance, privilege and lack of humility.

Please. Immunocompromised persons can wear N95 masks and social distance. It’s not like they didn’t have to do this during flu season every year before covid. Frankly, your post drips of wishing ill health on the PP.

It’s not that simple.

NP
Sure it is. I receive chemo weekly. I am immunocompromised. I will wear my N95 when necessary, and I fully expect non immunocompromised to go about their daily lives. We are waaay past 2020 people.

I don’t believe you. If you were really on chemo, you’d know that your N95 is nowhere near full protection for the newest strains of Omicron. Not even close.

I don’t care if you believe me. Just today, my oncologist said “go out. Do things. You don’t need to live in a bubble. Go to a restaurant. Only mask in crowded indoor spaces.”
I am 100% fine with my N95. Doesn’t change things because you don’t believe me.
Please, people, live you’re lives! Don’t let PP hold you back.

As a fellow immunocompromised person, I also didn't believe your first post. Now this your second post? Not a chance a dr told you to eat inside restaurant and "only to mask in crowded indoor spaces" nope! Didn't happen.

Why is it so hard for you people to believe that my oncologist disagrees with your oncologist? Why? This is 100% what she said, word for word.

^^I believe you. I work with immunocompromised patients - cancer, post stem cell transplant - and we tell our patients similar advice.
I'd like to know what your immunocompromised state is (not the cancer patient but the one who says we should never go inside a restaurant or should always mask).
Signed,
an oncology nurse

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are at a pivotal point in the pandemic as it become endemic. We are all going to get it and some us multiple times. We don’t know the long term effects of multiple infection. We do no that for many that isolation, distancing, mask wearing also comes at a societal cost. Just look at airlines, incidents plummeted once mask mandate lifted. Everyone can get vaccinated and others will always be moresusceptible and vulnerable. What kind of society and life do we want to live? I’m willing to take the risks of long COVID and unknown long term risk to live a normal life and give my kids a normal childhood. I’m sorry for those that are not able to take that risk. I mean that sincerely.

This is all really easy to say when you’ve never dealt with chronic illness or long term disability. Would be interesting to see what you would say if your good health (or your children’s God forbid) was messed up for life. As another poster says this is just dripping with arrogance, privilege and lack of humility.

Ok but how much longer would you like those without risks to stay inside, mask and quarantine when the best we can do via vaccines is already here. Another year? Two? Fifteen?

When has a healthy child's debt to others been paid?

It has been paid. Let"s just stop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are at a pivotal point in the pandemic as it become endemic. We are all going to get it and some us multiple times. We don’t know the long term effects of multiple infection. We do no that for many that isolation, distancing, mask wearing also comes at a societal cost. Just look at airlines, incidents plummeted once mask mandate lifted. Everyone can get vaccinated and others will always be moresusceptible and vulnerable. What kind of society and life do we want to live? I’m willing to take the risks of long COVID and unknown long term risk to live a normal life and give my kids a normal childhood. I’m sorry for those that are not able to take that risk. I mean that sincerely.

This is all really easy to say when you’ve never dealt with chronic illness or long term disability. Would be interesting to see what you would say if your good health (or your children’s God forbid) was messed up for life. As another poster says this is just dripping with arrogance, privilege and lack of humility.

Please. Immunocompromised persons can wear N95 masks and social distance. It’s not like they didn’t have to do this during flu season every year before covid. Frankly, your post drips of wishing ill health on the PP.

It’s not that simple.

NP
Sure it is. I receive chemo weekly. I am immunocompromised. I will wear my N95 when necessary, and I fully expect non immunocompromised to go about their daily lives. We are waaay past 2020 people.

I don’t believe you. If you were really on chemo, you’d know that your N95 is nowhere near full protection for the newest strains of Omicron. Not even close.

I don’t care if you believe me. Just today, my oncologist said “go out. Do things. You don’t need to live in a bubble. Go to a restaurant. Only mask in crowded indoor spaces.”
I am 100% fine with my N95. Doesn’t change things because you don’t believe me.
Please, people, live you’re lives! Don’t let PP hold you back.

As a fellow immunocompromised person, I also didn't believe your first post. Now this your second post? Not a chance a dr told you to eat inside restaurant and "only to mask in crowded indoor spaces" nope! Didn't happen.

Why is it so hard for you people to believe that my oncologist disagrees with your oncologist? Why? This is 100% what she said, word for word.

^^I believe you. I work with immunocompromised patients - cancer, post stem cell transplant - and we tell our patients similar advice.
I'd like to know what your immunocompromised state is (not the cancer patient but the one who says we should never go inside a restaurant or should always mask).
Signed,
an oncology nurse

Thank you. These people were starting to drive me batty!
And thank you for what you do. My oncology nurses are the most amazing people! As a matter of fact everyone with Maryland Oncology and Hematology have been absolutely amazing.
My diagnosis is breast cancer, if that makes any difference.

[Anonymous]

We can’t “live with” a virus that you can be reinfected by within weeks. The long term health costs of this are going to be astronomical. This is a mass disabling event, and doctors and epidemiologists are screaming it.

It sucks, but other than getting vaccinated, wearing masks indoors, and avoiding indoor restaurant dining whenever possible, there is really not much that I can do. I'm not willing to never travel or socially distance from others forever. I have to go to work in person a few days per week, and my kids need to go to school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We can’t “live with” a virus that you can be reinfected by within weeks. The long term health costs of this are going to be astronomical. This is a mass disabling event, and doctors and epidemiologists are screaming it.

You still have not articulated an alternative

This ain’t it. We need indoor mask mandates until our HVAC systems and buildings are brought up to speed. That can happen; it just requires everyone turning away from hygiene theater and the pretense that vaccines alone have solved the problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We can’t “live with” a virus that you can be reinfected by within weeks. The long term health costs of this are going to be astronomical. This is a mass disabling event, and doctors and epidemiologists are screaming it.

You still have not articulated an alternative

This ain’t it. We need indoor mask mandates until our HVAC systems and buildings are brought up to speed. That can happen; it just requires everyone turning away from hygiene theater and the pretense that vaccines alone have solved the problem.

NP. Please stop with this until there is evidence that mask *mandates* actually help. So far the evidence is NOT in your favor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The problem to me, is that folks seem to be getting covid more often than a typical cold. How is this not disruptive? I am not worried about the symptoms. It is the repeated life disruptions that come with reinfections.

This is going to gradually subside as we build broader population immunity. Trying to prevent infections will mostly draw this inevitable process out longer.

I have not, to my knowledge, have COVID and neither has my DH nor my child. We test frequently- shoutout to daycare!- and do normal activities. He does swimming, soccer, etc. We went to the Zoo last week. We see friends. He goes to daycare. It is likely we had some form but with no symptoms I just dont think that it is statistically reasonable to assume that all 3 of us have been asymptomatic.

The only thing we have not done is travel because we no longer have enough leave to travel thanks to 2.5 years of COVID daycare policies. Our "vacation" while daycare is closed for a week between summer and school year (it is a preschool) will be us working 4 hour shifts while the other person takes our kid to the beach.

The stress of all this is affecting us, as a family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The problem to me, is that folks seem to be getting covid more often than a typical cold. How is this not disruptive? I am not worried about the symptoms. It is the repeated life disruptions that come with reinfections.

This is going to gradually subside as we build broader population immunity. Trying to prevent infections will mostly draw this inevitable process out longer.

I have not, to my knowledge, have COVID and neither has my DH nor my child. We test frequently- shoutout to daycare!- and do normal activities. He does swimming, soccer, etc. We went to the Zoo last week. We see friends. He goes to daycare. It is likely we had some form but with no symptoms I just dont think that it is statistically reasonable to assume that all 3 of us have been asymptomatic.

The only thing we have not done is travel because we no longer have enough leave to travel thanks to 2.5 years of COVID daycare policies. Our "vacation" while daycare is closed for a week between summer and school year (it is a preschool) will be us working 4 hour shifts while the other person takes our kid to the beach.

The stress of all this is affecting us, as a family.

This was our situation when our youngest was in daycare. We never did the give Tylenol to mask a fever thing and her daycare was strict about sending kids home. We had no vacation time left and work from home was uncommon then. When we had our second kid, we gave up on daycare and got a nanny. It was either that or I would have had to quit my job. Hang in there!