COVID-19 Megathread 6: Return of the Omicron

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Republicans need to put ballot measures in every state that bans the state from being able to implement any restrictions

I would support such a measure as long as "any restrictions" doesn't include vaccine mandates. Those I support because I'm vaccinated so they don't inconvenience or cause harm to me any. Mandated social distancing and mask mandates do.

Mandated vaccines do harm to those who may not, out of concern for their own personal health, want to take the vaccine; and in turn, restricting those people from daily life (in essence, almost placing them on a form of house arrest) has profound negative psychological effects as well.

Don't want to deal with the problems, get vaccinated. If you value the wisdom of Joe Rogan and Alex Jones over that than that's your problem.

Considering there have been reports of otherwise healthy people having cases of blood clots and myocarditis after taking the vaccines, and considering that:

1) I have two significant health risks for blood clots AS IS

2) I have a family history of blood clot related cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, including a first cousin who had a near fatal heart attack in his early 20s, an aunt dead at 62 from a heart attack, a grandfather dead at 55 from a stroke, and other relatives who died young from blood clot related strokes and heart attacks -


I would be literally putting my life at risk taking it. I wear a mask in public, and stay home when I have a cold. I had Covid at least once that was diagnosed and suffer from long Covid (fatigue). Should I really risk dying at age 31 for someone else’s comfort?

The FDA is not recommending people at risk for blood clot conditions not take it and based on the stats of everyone who has been vaccinated I probably have a better chance dying of alcohol poisoning every time I go to a music venue I don't drive to than you do of a blood clot. AKA both of us have a significantly higher chance of dying from Covid.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

The hilarious thing about SnowLabrador's freakout is that the main reason the FDA hasn't authorized another booster for non-immunocompromised people under 50 is that the vaccine wouldn't even be all that effective anyway, studies show that the immunity boost wanes very quickly. Vaccines have a huge "diminishing returns" effect, but this is actually a good thing: It's because the immune system then no longer treats the infection as new and unique and it's just same old so there's no need to spawn such an extreme reaction. Also the fact that the current vaccines are not designed for the current variants, likely there will be authorization for new vaccines once those are created. But it's really not a big deal, a 21-year old who has been fully vaxxed and boosted even if they were just boosted six months ago isn't at any more threat from Covid than a cold, they still have enough T-cells to deal with it fairly easily. Plus there's evidence people who catch it after being vaccinated get "titanium immunity" and another breakthrough case is basically impossible. So if 100 million people catch it and say 2/3 of them are vaccinated, that means over 66 million people aren't going to catch it ever again, in addition to however many got titanium immune during the Omicron surge. I don't know if I'm one of these because I've never tested positive for Covid, but it's also why I'm not worried at all.

If they come out with another vaccine designed for the current variants I'll go ahead and get another booster, but this is also why I'm in no hurry despite my booster being over six months ago.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Why do people care whether their cold is covid or something else?  I had a cold two weeks ago.  I felt bad for two and a half days, and then it went away.  Was it covid?  Maybe, maybe not, and I don't really care one way or the other.  It's mutated to the point where it's just one of many colds out there.

I'm not going to complain though for an odd reason...I'm actually getting paid to take Covid tests. Yes seriously. I'm participating in a pharmaceutical program that requires biweekly Covid tests, but because such tests are unpleasant, they compensate you an extra $50 for each test. So if I ever catch Covid instead of just a cold I'll know, but I'll get paid to know!