Coronavirus

[Norbert]

Every time I check out a social media feed, whether Facebook, NextDoor, etc., I get the feeling COVID is here to stay forever. Either it’s downplayed or ignored by many still.

I just read an article that the health official in Placer County, CA (area between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe) became the 49th health official to resign in CA since April. One county board member there apparently believes that the death numbers are wildly over inflated, stating people are “dying with COVID, not of COVID.” A comment to that by someone else was, “Those at-risk people were going to die anyways.”

The person who said that is also "going to die anyways".

 

[jerry33]

Glad I got my flu shot so I won't have to play the game:

• Is this the flu or is it Covid?

Now if I get sick this winter I'll know it isn't the flu.

A flu shot does not entirely prevent you from getting the flu. Sometimes it just makes the symptoms less, other times you get unlucky and find a strain that the shot doesn't cover (and once in a great while those that decide what to put in the flu shot guess wrong about the flu strains for that year). It also helps if you have had a flu shot every year for the past several years because there is always some residual immunization.

 

[jerry33]

I just read an article that the health official in Placer County, CA (area between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe) became the 49th health official to resign in CA since April. One county board member there apparently believes that the death numbers are wildly over inflated, stating people are “dying with COVID, not of COVID.” A comment to that by someone else was, “Those at-risk people were going to die anyways.”

Nothing like a politician that cares about his or her constituency. Real fellow feelings there.

 

[dhanson865]

A flu shot does not entirely prevent you from getting the flu. Sometimes it just makes the symptoms less, other times you get unlucky and find a strain that the shot doesn't cover (and once in a great while those that decide what to put in the flu shot guess wrong about the flu strains for that year). It also helps if you have had a flu shot every year for the past several years because there is always some residual immunization.

I'm the type that gets over a flu quickly. A severe flu for me is a couple of days of severe discomfort sleeping 12-18 hours per day and then getting over it faster than the average person. If the shot works it'll be less than 24 hours for me to get over it, if not it might take me a day or two longer.

Like the worst flu I've had in the past 4 decades has never had me "down" with severe symptoms for more than 3 days in a row.

So if it lasts more than 2 days I know it didn't sync up with the flu shot. If I have something that lasts for more than 3 or 4 days I know it isn't the flu.

I can't say the same for others in my family, I'm always the one with the shortest bout.

edit: I'd like to point out during a bout like that a day feels like forever. 1 day vs 2 vs 3 vs 4 is a world of difference if you are wondering if it is going to be life threatening. that's why I used the "Is this Flu or is it Covid?" wording.

 

[cusetownusa]

Glad I got my flu shot so I won't have to play the game:

• Is this the flu or is it Covid?

Now if I get sick this winter I'll know it isn't the flu.

I wish I was that confident. My kids both got the flu shot last year and both got the flu. I didn’t get it nor did I have the flu shot. I plan on getting the flu shot this year.

 

[TespaceX]

We always get the flu shot. Having said that, as many here likely experienced, we still got sick multiple times every year during the winter season ever since our kids began daycare/preschool. Before kids, it was very rare for us to get a cold or flu.

So, we are somewhat glad that our little kids are doing remote learning this year.

 

[TEG]

...as many here likely experienced, we still got sick multiple times every year during the winter season ever since our kids began daycare/preschool. Before kids, it was very rare for us to get a cold or flu.
So, we are somewhat glad that our little kids are doing remote learning this year.

Someone I worked with once referred to small children as "the little vectors..."

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

I caught a bit of flak here a while back saying “COVID is nearly over.” (Context: proper execution and rollout of 50 million antigen tests per month.) But folks, Christmas came early! The proof is in the pudding!

Football is back!
Rallies are back!

https://twitter.com/markpmeredith/status/1304932801649623040?s=21

I am really hoping outdoor activities are 100% ok. Guess we are going to find out soon!

Reading between the lines, Fauci thinks we’re f**ked.

 

[renim]

'Overall, a decrease in relative humidity of 1% was associated with an increase in cases of 7–8%. Overall, we found no relationship with between cases and temperature, rainfall or wind speed. Information generated in this study confirms humidity as a driver of SARS‐CoV‐2 transmission.'
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If true, there is an absolute s$$tload of relevance to airconditioning....

Also as a Qlder its pleasing, christmas is humid in Qld, but dry in NSW and Victoria
(Apart from at the nsw border, qld doesn't burn like nsw or victoria)

 

[Norbert]

Time for another premature re-opening. It's like T and people would miss the CoronaVirus...the won't let it go below 500 deaths/day.

 

[cwerdna]

Third death linked to Millinocket wedding as Maine reports 19 new COVID-19 cases
3 deaths, 147 coronavirus cases now tied to Maine wedding

Now the count's up to 161 known cases linked to the wedding: Maine CDC updates outbreaks in Millinocket, Madison, York County | newscentermaine.com.

 

[cusetownusa]

We always get the flu shot. Having said that, as many here likely experienced, we still got sick multiple times every year during the winter season ever since our kids began daycare/preschool. Before kids, it was very rare for us to get a cold or flu.

So, we are somewhat glad that our little kids are doing remote learning this year.

while I’m not happy about remote learning 3 days a week (remote learning with a kindergartener has not been fun) but I do like how everyone wears masks in public. While the intent is to slow the spread of COVID-19, the added benefit is that it slows the spread of all viruses, etc. no one in my family, including 2 young kids that always seemed to be sick, have been sick since February. Now that school has started 2 days a week for my kids and 5 days a week for my wife(teacher), will be interesting to see how infrequent they all get sick compared to previous years.

 

[dhanson865]

on the topic of FLU and COVID

What happens when flu meets Covid-19?

someone's comment on this summed it up as:

It looks like if you have COVID19 and flu at the same time, compared to COVID19 only, your chances of survival don't change drastically, but you're more likely to suffer more inflammation and specifically more heart damage.

 

[JRP3]

I have no plans to be around people indoors this winter and since I'd have to expose myself to people to get a flu shot I'll skip it. Don't think I've ever had one and I think I only had the flu once, or at least been sick enough to think it might have been the flu.

 

[SageBrush]

VueMedi has a series of very informative discussions geared towards physicians but I don't think well read lay people would have trouble listening in. This
SARS-CoV-2 Viral Kinetics: How Long Do COVID-19 Patients Remain Infectious? Does Mild Infection Kinetics Differ from Serious Ones? Can Hospitalized Patients Transmit Virus for More Than 20 Days? Does Kinetics Differ in Asymptomatic Patients?

discussion summarized infection kinetics. I post it since the accepted understanding by the frequent posters in this thread is wrong. I think you have to register at the website to see the video (or others.) Highly recommended

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/09/09/nfl-jacksonville-jaguars-coronavirus/

(Clear cookies for the site if you want to read it.). Anyway, the NFL has been quite successful so far. More successful than I would have guessed. However, they actually do appear to be TRYING. It’s amazing what happens when the threat is not dismissed. And when you actually put real resources into reducing spread (It is almost like we could have done that in this country...).

We shall see how the season goes. I am not optimistic, but they are doing way, way better than I would have predicted, so it’s possible they know what they are doing, and will not have outbreaks, and will really be a model. They did have the benefit of learning from other leagues’ mistakes.

 

[eevee-fan]

 

[renim]

VueMedi has a series of very informative discussions geared towards physicians but I don't think well read lay people would have trouble listening in. This
SARS-CoV-2 Viral Kinetics: How Long Do COVID-19 Patients Remain Infectious? Does Mild Infection Kinetics Differ from Serious Ones? Can Hospitalized Patients Transmit Virus for More Than 20 Days? Does Kinetics Differ in Asymptomatic Patients?

discussion summarized infection kinetics. I post it since the accepted understanding by the frequent posters in this thread is wrong. I think you have to register at the website to see the video (or others.) Highly recommended

unfortunately, I fail the registration requirements, so I couldn't see it, but I have a few comments/queries anyway.

mean serial interval from exposure to transmission, is approx 6 days Epidemiology and transmission of COVID-19 in 391 cases and 1286 of their close contacts in Shenzhen, China: a retrospective cohort study
mean incubation period from exposure to initial symptoms is approx 5 days

while that is not the median, hopefully its close enough, that is at about 6 days after exposure approx 50% of the infections have occurred, it also indicates that if a public health response has no detectable effect after 6 days, then 1/2 of its benefit is already used up. That indicates that Victoria's compulsory masking was mostly irrelevant and ineffective, but stage 4 lockdown was immediately and highly effective.

It also indicates the agility at which NSW has been actioning its contract tracing and the acceptance/effectiveness of the follow up isolation. It has to be rapid, the clock is ticking and if it takes 2 days to locate an outbreak, then 2 days to find someone, and 2 more days to get a test and results, thats 6 days have passed, approx, 50% of followon infections have already occurred.

it also means that restricting testing until person has symptoms is very counterproductive, as effectivley nearly half the transmissions have occurred anyway.......

If i have this wrong, please correct

 

[renim]

nb serial inteval was defined as time lapse between onset on symptoms for intial patient to onset on symptoms for follow on patient, and may range from 2 to 7 days, I was hoping to use it as proxy for time between infection and re-transmission

 

[SageBrush]

unfortunately, I fail the registration requirements

I hereby deem you an internet physician. Choose your specialty and get on with it