Pandemic over!

[Ray,IN]

The way I interpret that statement is ; the pandemic is over, this is the new normal. We are supposed to get annual shots very much like getting flu shots. The CDC will make an EWAG as to which strain will be dominant, just like the flu shots.

[2gypsies]

2 hours ago, Ray,IN said:

The way I interpret that statement is ; the pandemic is over, this is the new normal. We are supposed to get annual shots very much like getting flu shots. The CDC will make an EWAG as to which strain will be dominant, just like the flu shots.

I agree.

[Bill Joyce]

We got both the flu shot and the new Pfizer Covid vaccine yesterday at Costco.  

[TXiceman]

We got out COVID booster for the newer BA variants this week, but on the advice of our doctor, we will wait until mid-October to get the Flu shot.

Ken

Edited September 24, 2022 by TXiceman

[Kirk W]

The following comes from the internet site, Web MD. It gives some of the debate points in the scientific community, as compaired to the political views. The quote is only one of the viewpoints from those quoted in the article. The article in my opinion gives us a lot to think about. 

Is the Pandemic Over? If Only It Were That Simple

“From a public health perspective, we are clearly still in a pandemic,” says Katelyn Jetelina, PhD, a health policy expert who publishes Your Local Epidemiologist, a newsletter on science for consumers. “The question is, ‘What phase of a pandemic are we in?’ It’s not an emergency, where the Navy is rolling in the ships [as it did to help hospitals cope with the volume of COVID patients in 2020.]”

“The biggest problem with that comment [by Biden] is, are we normalizing all those deaths? Are we comfortable leaving SARS-CoV-2 as the third leading cause of death? I was disappointed by that comment,” she says.

[TXiceman]

Kirk, I have to agree with the article based on the science.  I was talking to a respiratory therapist last night and she said she was still taking this seriously.  She said that they had three COVID cases admitted to the hospital in the past week.  This is in Bryan/College Station area at just one hospital.  Until we can get more vaccinated, it will still be around.

Take care and stay safe,

Ken

 

[LindaH]

We got the new COVID boosters and our flu shots last week.  Other than sore arms at the injection sites, we had no other reactions.

I, too, expect we'll probably be getting annual COVID vaccines together with the flu shots.  The thing I wonder about is that, unlike the flu, there isn't any "season" for COVID, so we may continue to have more frequent vaccinations as new variants crop up.

Edited September 25, 2022 by LindaH

[Ray,IN]

We got our flu and covid booster shots at the same time. My upper arm became red and had dark red spots the size of a dime.  That lasted a week. DW became feverish but no redness or spots.

I asked our Dr. about our reactions, she said "don't do that again" and advised me to get the shots on different days. She never did offer a reason.

 

A startling thing about SARS is, this might be the tip of an iceberg kind of thing.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-11238773/Covid-like-virus-lurking-bats-deep-Russian-caves-jump-humans.html

Edited September 25, 2022 by Ray,IN

[Dutch_12078]

My wife and I got our latest COVID-19 and senior flu shots on Thursday.  We got both shots in the same arm an inch or so apart and had no significant reactions except the expected injection site soreness that lasted a day or so.

[2gypsies]

We also got the new booster with the flu with no reactions.

[docj]

My wife and I both have had COVID vaccines and two boosters each.  We are pretty careful to mask when out shopping.

Despite that we both came down with COVID on the last two days of our Alaskan cruise last week.  Both of us had what would be considered relatively mild symptoms.  My wife tested negative yesterday; I'm hoping to do that tomorrow.

We'll get our next boosters after we wait the required 90 days from this infection!

Edited September 25, 2022 by docj

[Ray,IN]

1 hour ago, docj said:

My wife and I both have had COVID vaccines and two boosters each.  We are pretty careful to mask when out shopping.

Despite that we both came down with COVID on the last two days of our Alaskan cruise last week.  Both of us had what would be considered relatively mild symptoms.  My wife tested negative yesterday; I'm hoping to do that tomorrow.

We'll get our next boosters after we wait the required 90 days from this infection!

I"m glad you both weathered the infection easily. When we got COVID I thought I was going to have to get better to die. We were so sick we didn't even realize we should go to hospital ER.

What made me so ill was, I have chronic acute bronchitis/COPD/asthma.

That new virus in Russia worries me. It is immune to the vaccines we have now.

Edited September 26, 2022 by Ray,IN

[Kirk W]

While younger, healthier people may be able to safely loosen up their safeguards, they still should be aware of the people around them who have more risk, Jetelina says. “We cannot just put the onus entirely on the vulnerable. Our layers of protection are not perfect.”

Edited September 26, 2022 by Kirk W

[TXiceman]

6 minutes ago, Kirk W said:

While younger, healthier people may be able to safely loosen up their safeguards, they still should be aware of the people around them who have more risk, Jetelina says. “We cannot just put the onus entirely on the vulnerable. Our layers of protection are not perfect.”

Kirk, you are so right on this.  This is a worldwide problem, and everyone needs to do what is required to keep everyone healthy.

[RV_]

Just got back on here:

Ditto all the comments. We got our flu shots last week and we both made the same appointments to get the Pfizer bivalent as we all are getting regardless of brand.

We too are still wearing masks indoors when out, and are very glad that Joel and Ray and their much better halves came through the cross infections relatively OK.

Lynn's arm swelled up a lot from her flu shot, and she was very sore. So she was better today and switched arms. I had mine in the same arm, my left. As usual I had very little swelling and only a bit sore the next day. Covid boosters were sore for two days and I was a tad fatigued the second day after. That's about it. I'll come back and report in if it does anything weird for me.

I had the Shingles and Pneumonia shots ten years ago and am told I need the new versions so next week the Shingles and the week after Pnuemonia and we're done on those.

Stay well guys!

 

Edited September 27, 2022 by RV_

[Bill Joyce]

I guess Canada has decided it is over since on October 1st they are removing all the travel restrictions.

[Ray,IN]

At some point the world must get back to business or  a projected world wide-recession may become a reality. Already the U.S.A., China, and Great Britain are in a bear market. Russia is too, although for a different reason.

[Chalkie]

18 hours ago, RV_ said:

 

I had the Shingles and Pneumonia shots ten years ago and am told I need the new versions so next week the Shingles and the week after Pnuemonia and we're done on those.

 

Not quite. You have to take two Shingrix shots separated by 2 - 6 months and the new pneumonia shot requires two shots as well separated by one year. That is for us folks 65 and over.

Edited September 27, 2022 by Chalkie

[RV_]

No more reaction than slight soreness like the Flu shot 5 days previous which was back to normal 48 Hours later.

Ray we'll likely be taking shots every 6 months to a year from now on. We have no issues with any of them.

I am hoping that we progress to the point that we can develop a once a year shot fo COVID that covers more or all variants. But as far we are concerned once every six months is fine too.

Edited September 27, 2022 by RV_

[docj]

18 hours ago, RV_ said:

We too are still wearing masks indoors when out, and are very glad that Joel and Ray and their much better halves came through the cross infections relatively OK.

Although our symptoms weren't all that severe, the bug did, most definitely, take the starch out of us.  We're both finally testing negative and are beginning to act nearly normal again.  It has been a full 2 weeks of being under the weather!

[Kirk W]

Pneumococcal Vaccine Recommendations for pneumonia.

Who Should Get Shingrix?  for shingles.

Stay Up to Date with COVID-19 Vaccines Including Boosters  for Covid-19.

[RV_]

OK both had the new Omicron Bivalent Pfizer vaccine Monday the 26th September and we both had slightly sore arms and that was about it for the second day, yesterday Wednesday was day three and we had no soreness left and that was it.  All back to normal.

Safe Travels!