COVID-19 Megathread 6: Return of the Omicron

[Aurelius]

The sight of a MASK fills me with anger. Come on people take off your MUZZLE and breath in the fresh air. It is good for you I promise!

[Frodo]

The sight of a MASK fills me with anger. Come on people take off your MUZZLE and breath in the fresh air. It is good for you I promise!

It is a free country, they can do as they please.  Though at this point, the only people who should still be wearing masks are those with legitimate medical issues like a compromised immune system, or if they are elderly.  Otherwise you are simply virtue-signaling, which is irritating to those of us who have moved beyond those masks.  I just came back from vacation in Seattle and the San Juan Islands without once putting on my mask in the airport or on the plane (or the train).  And we are clearly in the majority.  

[It’s so Joever]

The sight of a MASK fills me with anger. Come on people take off your MUZZLE and breath in the fresh air. It is good for you I promise!

I can’t tell if this is parody or not?

[Frodo]

Omicron-specific Covid booster shots are just weeks away. Here’s who will—and won’t—be eligible

Newly updated Covid booster shots designed to target omicron’s BA.5 subvariant should be available within the next three weeks. That begs an important question: Who’s going to be eligible to get them?

The short answer: anyone ages 12 and up who has completed a primary vaccination series, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spokesperson tells CNBC Make It. It’s unlikely to matter whether you’ve received any other booster doses or not before, the spokesperson says — but if you’re unvaccinated, you won’t be eligible for the updated formula until you complete a primary series with the existing Covid vaccines.

The longer answer is somewhat more complex, because it depends on which booster shots get approved and when.

[Aurelius]

The sight of a MASK fills me with anger. Come on people take off your MUZZLE and breath in the fresh air. It is good for you I promise!

I can’t tell if this is parody or not?

I was Jimmieposting. There's a grain of truth to it, but I'm deliberately being over the top.

[It’s so Joever]

The sight of a MASK fills me with anger. Come on people take off your MUZZLE and breath in the fresh air. It is good for you I promise!

I can’t tell if this is parody or not?

I was Jimmieposting. There's a grain of truth to it, but I'm deliberately being over the top.

I figured, seemed a bit out of character. But the fact I was confused means it was at least somewhat accurate.

[jamestroll]

The sight of a MASK fills me with anger. Come on people take off your MUZZLE and breath in the fresh air. It is good for you I promise!

Yes!! I like your thinking.

Why restrict your breathing on something that will NOT work? There are reasons I do not attack n95 or kn95 masks. But really those should reserved for people with respiratory problems or work in the medical field.

The sight of a MASK fills me with anger. Come on people take off your MUZZLE and breath in the fresh air. It is good for you I promise!

I can’t tell if this is parody or not?

I was Jimmieposting. There's a grain of truth to it, but I'm deliberately being over the top.

I do tend to believe everything I type.. I make jokes sometimes but my intentions are pure and honest.

[Badger]

So, f***. After 2 and 1/2 years of ducking it, the wife tested positive for covid yesterday, and I did so today. Feeling pretty s***** overall.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

So, f***. After 2 and 1/2 years of ducking it, the wife tested positive for covid yesterday, and I did so today. Feeling pretty s***** overall.

Condolences. Best of luck.
I highly suggest you be sure to get your vitamins...

[jamestroll]

So, f***. After 2 and 1/2 years of ducking it, the wife tested positive for covid yesterday, and I did so today. Feeling pretty s***** overall.

Yall will be okay i hope you feel better.

Just don't be a hypochondriac. It's just a cold

[jamestroll]

So, f***. After 2 and 1/2 years of ducking it, the wife tested positive for covid yesterday, and I did so today. Feeling pretty s***** overall.

Yall will be okay i hope you feel better.

Just don't be a hypochondriac. It's just a cold

Up yours. Your constant Screaming Meemie act about covid has gotten really effing tiresome over the last 2 years. Don't tell me how to feel or not to feel for my own goddamn illness. That is beyond presumptuous.

As it stands it feels like a really s***** cold, but I don't need any direction from some internet troll who can't articulate two coherent sentences Beyond "FYRE FAUCCI!!1!" or going on and on and on like some Coomer how much he likes Latino guys. If you insist on continuing on in that vein, at least have that courtesy and common sense to stay out of MY lane.

You have for a long time now needed a big glass of STFU juice. Drink up now.

Hey! I hope you feel better. I am suggesting trying not to think of this virus and get better as soon as possible.

This winter will be pretty bad, so just be happy you have the extra immunity.

I know you are very very old, so I am legit worried.. just please stay strong and recover quickly.

Edit: for the 500th time, I am NOT a troll!!!

[Badger]

So, f***. After 2 and 1/2 years of ducking it, the wife tested positive for covid yesterday, and I did so today. Feeling pretty s***** overall.

Yall will be okay i hope you feel better.

Just don't be a hypochondriac. It's just a cold

Up yours. Your constant Screaming Meemie act about covid has gotten really effing tiresome over the last 2 years. Don't tell me how to feel or not to feel for my own goddamn illness. That is beyond presumptuous.

As it stands it feels like a really s***** cold, but I don't need any direction from some internet troll who can't articulate two coherent sentences Beyond "FYRE FAUCCI!!1!" or going on and on and on like some Coomer how much he likes Latino guys. If you insist on continuing on in that vein, at least have that courtesy and common sense to stay out of MY lane.

You have for a long time now needed a big glass of STFU juice. Drink up now.

Hey! I hope you feel better. I am suggesting trying not to think of this virus and get better as soon as possible.

This winter will be pretty bad, so just be happy you have the extra immunity.

I know you are very very old, so I am legit worried.. just please stay strong and recover quickly.

Edit: for the 500th time, I am NOT a troll!!!

Resolved via PMs. Sorry I snapped.

[Inmate Trump]

So, f***. After 2 and 1/2 years of ducking it, the wife tested positive for covid yesterday, and I did so today. Feeling pretty s***** overall.

Yall will be okay i hope you feel better.

Just don't be a hypochondriac. It's just a cold

This is just not true.

Certainly, there are a lot of people who have very minor cases no worse than a cold. But there are a lot of people who end up with severe cases, hospitalization, and lasting effects. And there are a lot of people who die because of this virus. It is correct that the virus is becoming easier to deal with, and we will eventually get to a point where it's a normal part of life going forward. We will adapt. But it's not just a cold, and while I don't advocate for continued lockdowns and being overly cautious to the point you're staying indoors forever, I do think it's very wise to be aware that we still aren't out of the woods just yet.

The reason people call you a troll is because you say things like this constantly. Stop spreading lies and maybe people won't think you a troll.

[jamestroll]

So, f***. After 2 and 1/2 years of ducking it, the wife tested positive for covid yesterday, and I did so today. Feeling pretty s***** overall.

Yall will be okay i hope you feel better.

Just don't be a hypochondriac. It's just a cold

This is just not true.

Certainly, there are a lot of people who have very minor cases no worse than a cold. But there are a lot of people who end up with severe cases, hospitalization, and lasting effects. And there are a lot of people who die because of this virus. It is correct that the virus is becoming easier to deal with, and we will eventually get to a point where it's a normal part of life going forward. We will adapt. But it's not just a cold, and while I don't advocate for continued lockdowns and being overly cautious to the point you're staying indoors forever, I do think it's very wise to be aware that we still aren't out of the woods just yet.

The reason people call you a troll is because you say things like this constantly. Stop spreading lies and maybe people won't think you a troll.

I may have been a TROLL years ago, but I am NOT  a troll TODAY! Yall just cannot handle people with distinct personalities.
 
But I changed my screen name temporarily to make you happy

I AM NOT A TROLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Frodo]

Fall Vaccination Campaign Will Bring New Shots, Worse Access

With the virus killing far fewer people than it once did and many Americans reverting to their pre-pandemic ways, the country’s no-expenses-spared attitude to saving lives has evolved into a response that has put a greater onus on individuals to protect themselves. In keeping with that approach, many health officials believe the vaccine machinery is in place to meet what they expect, lamentably, to be tepid demand this fall.

But others are worried that the country is surrendering a decisive opportunity to stoke that demand and restore the more robust vaccination efforts that lifted last year’s initial rollout.

“We are watching the dismantling of the hyperlocal infrastructure that actually brought needles to arms in the most vulnerable communities in the country,” said Stephen Thomas, the director of the Center for Health Equity at the University of Maryland. “To this day, vaccine uptake in the United States is embarrassing.”

The Biden administration said some 70,000 sites were prepared to vaccinate people this fall. While 60 percent of those are pharmacies, they also include doctor’s offices, community health centers and rural health clinics.

And while providers are supposed to vaccinate everyone for free, with or without insurance, the federal government ran out of money this spring to offer reimbursements for shots for uninsured people, making it more difficult for them to receive boosters.

Sonya Bernstein, a senior policy adviser for the White House Covid response team, said federal spending to support vaccination efforts was being held back by a stalemate in Congress over the administration’s request for billions of dollars in additional pandemic aid. Republicans have said that additional coronavirus spending could be covered with funding already approved by Congress, an assertion that some state health officials say is false.

[Frodo]

FDA expected to authorize Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech Omicron boosters
The move would set the stage for the Biden administration to begin offering the reformulated vaccine shortly after Labor Day.

[jamestroll]

in 2020:

they said: close all schools and mitigate businesses.

I said: keep all schools open, and close bars and high risk indoor events but not business closures in general.

prior to a vaccine

this is not europe.. we are not china..

[Bandit3 the Worker]

My idea in the spring of 2020 was to close schools, but not for very long. I definitely would have had schools reopened by the end of the school year - without masks.

Montana allowed schools to return on May 7, 2020. It shouldn't be considered taboo to have had schools open normally back in May 2020.

[jamestroll]

My idea in the spring of 2020 was to close schools, but not for very long. I definitely would have had schools reopened by the end of the school year - without masks.

Montana allowed schools to return on May 7, 2020. It shouldn't be considered taboo to have had schools open normally back in May 2020.

I remember that... and I never heard stories of mass deaths of kids in Montana.

Nor from Missouri or rural VA for that matter.

So get these.. I had a speech impediment.. so I was taken out of school and home schooled because they were afraid being in school with a speech impediment would hurt my development... this is when I was a child obviously.

There are reasons why I was going flipping insane about closed schools as a childless man who will never have kids.

[Frodo]

If you haven't gotten your COVID booster shot, now would be a very good time before you have to pay for it out-of-pocket and through your health insurance (if you have any), like with the flu shot:

Americans Could Have to Pay for Covid Shots Starting Next Year

[emailking]

I'll pay. I want all the shots.

[jamestroll]

I had an at home and PCR test that confirmed: I do not have covid.

But I have an extremely awful cold.  Much worse than my experience with covid.

Been bed ridden all day.

covid... lmao..

[Inmate Trump]

I had an at home and PCR test that confirmed: I do not have covid.

But I have an extremely awful cold.  Much worse than my experience with covid.

Been bed ridden all day.

covid... lmao..

Congratulations that your covid wasn't bad? I'm sure all the people who've died from covid would be clapping for you right now if their cases had been as mild as yours.

[emailking]

FDA authorizes Pfizer and Moderna's updated Covid-19 boosters

The US Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday authorized updated Covid-19 vaccine booster shots from Moderna and Pfizer. This is the first time updated Covid-19 vaccines have received emergency use authorization in the United States.

Both are bivalent vaccines that combine the companies' original vaccine with one that targets the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron sublineages. Both companies submitted applications to the FDA for emergency use authorization for their updated vaccines last week.

...

The shots can be administered only after they're recommended by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC's vaccine advisory group is scheduled to vote Thursday on whether to support recommending the boosters for use.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/31/health/fda-covid-vaccine-updated-booster-authorized/index.html

12 & older for Pfizer and 18 & older for Moderna.

[Koharu]

The growing evidence that Covid-19 is leaving people sicker

A Financial Times analysis of data from the UK’s NHS, one of the world’s richest health data sets, showed significant rises in deaths from heart disease since the start of the pandemic in all but the very oldest age groups. In the 40-64 age group, heart attack deaths increased 15 per cent in 2021 compared with 2019.

In February, meanwhile, an analysis of more than 150,000 records from the national healthcare databases at the US Department of Veterans Affairs suggested that even some people who had not been seriously ill with Covid had an increased risk of cardiovascular problems for at least a year afterwards.

Researchers found that rates of many conditions, such as heart failure and stroke, were substantially higher in people who had recovered from Covid than in similar people who had not been infected. A separate analysis of VA data, published in March, suggested that in the “post-acute phase” of the disease, people with Covid “exhibit increased risk and burden of diabetes”.