Coronavirus

[Slipstream]

I've had similar but mostly Moderna. I got Covid the last day-ish on a two week road trip with 3 long stops. I got a Moderna Fall booster a week or two before the trip. My resulting case was mild. My spouse showed no signs and tested negative. Reasons to consider Novavax from someone I've learned to trust with unbiased views.

Substack post is having an tech issue but I cut-n-paste some interesting parts from her email.

Is mixing Novavax after an mRNA series better?​

There is some evidence that mixing is immunologically better and some evidence that staying with mRNA is better. It’s a bit hard to know which one is “right” given how little evidence we have at this point. (See a breakdown of the similarities and differences here.)

That said, there are two reasons people may want to go with Novavax:

• Hesitant about mRNA biotechnology, regardless of its long history.
• Side effects. In a randomized clinical trial, Novavax had fewer side effects than mRNA vaccines. This is one major reason why I’m going with Novavax this fall for the first time. (The mRNA vaccines kick my butt. Fingers crossed, this is more forgiving for me).
  

  ​

  Side effects from varying combinations of Covid-19 vaccines. Figure from the Lancet, with YLE annotations. Original source here.

Thanks for the info and the study. The study seems to conclude that for most immunogenicity: Moderna boost +prior AstraZeneca or Pfizer > Novavax boost + prior AstraZeneca > homologous Pfizer boost + prior Pizer > Pfizer + Novavax > homologous AstraZeneca (> symbol meaning non-inferiority to homologous Pfizer + Pfizer control group ).

Although the study also notes "...the T-cell response across all groups was greatest with AstraZeneca/Novavax, which might prove important in terms of durability of protection and protection against new SARS-CoV-2 variants.", the overall cellular response with Novavax was near the lowest of all the combinations.

The study also speculates that because the Moderna vaccine has over 3 times the dosage (100 micrograms) of Pfizer (30 micrograms), this might account for the greatest immune response with Moderna.

But darn, the Moderna boost really hit me hard for a few days.

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

I would not expect any of the existing vaccines to provide robust protection from infection with JN.1 (now sweeping and dominant).

Efficacy is probably pretty low from that perspective (no one tests it, so we have no idea), but it is still likely a very good idea to get the booster and have a milder course with lower risk of hospitalization, death, and even infection.

Just worth mentioning, since if you don’t want COVID, you’ll still need other protections (N95, and you can do whatever, except eating inside).

It’s also possible a booster of the monovalent (two monovalent at least three months apart) will work better even against JN.1 for a period of time, which is why I got the booster again (Novavax on top of Moderna monovalent). But no one knows.

I still wear an N95 everywhere I can indoors though, with few exceptions. Annoying especially in winter!

 

[scottf200]

State of Affairs: Jan 9 - A whole lot of sickness out there
KATELYN JETELINA JAN 9, 2024

State of Affairs: Jan 9

A whole lot of sickness out there

yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com

Interesting nuances (to me):

 

[cwerdna]

There’s a Huge Covid Surge Right Now and Nobody Is Talking About It

The US is in the midst of the largest Covid surge since Omicron, but with minimal testing and good population immunity, the wave is largely being ignored.

www.wired.com

We Are in a Big COVID Wave. But Just How Big?

The curves on some COVID-19 graphs are looking quite steep, again. Reported levels of the virus in U.S. wastewater are higher than they have been since the first omicron wave, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, though severe outcomes still remain rarer than in...

news.yahoo.com

 

[Dave EV]

You needed this :

View attachment 1006117

Glad everyone made it through. Lots of stuff out there.

Where do you get a test like that? Or is it just photoshop?

I've had a nasty flu/COVID-like bug the last week and am on the mend with a lingering cough and stuffiness. It doesn't appear to be COVID (tested 3 days into it, negative). I did get a flu-shot as well this season.

For some reason, none of my family managed to pick it up from me, either, despite sharing a car for 10 hours, too. So not likely COVID, but also hard to believe that no-one else in my family got it despite sharing close quarters.

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

Where do you get a test like that? Or is it just photoshop?

Not sure. Maybe hospitals can put them together. Quick Google showed this:

SARS-CoV-2 & Flu A/B Rapid Antigen Test

Rapid Antigen Test for the detection and differentiation of the nucleocapsid protein antigens of SARS-CoV-2, influenza virus A, and influenza virus B in present in the human nasopharynx

diagnostics.roche.com

So certainly it is possible, for anything where the antigen test exists (of course). But not sire about all at once and whether it is Photoshop. Twitter is the source so it is probably fake.

 

[DrGriz]

Not sure. Maybe hospitals can put them together. Quick Google showed this:

SARS-CoV-2 & Flu A/B Rapid Antigen Test

Rapid Antigen Test for the detection and differentiation of the nucleocapsid protein antigens of SARS-CoV-2, influenza virus A, and influenza virus B in present in the human nasopharynx

diagnostics.roche.com

So certainly it is possible, for anything where the antigen test exists (of course). But not sire about all at once and whether it is Photoshop. Twitter is the source so it is probably fake.

It's a standard rapid panel available at most if not all hospitals in some form.

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

It's a standard rapid panel available at most if not all hospitals in some form.

Good to know. That was the sense I got from the Tweet but it wasn't clear.

Would be great to have publicly available, though not really sure the value. If you're sick you should stay home and/or wear a mask. Doesn't really matter what you've got.

I guess maybe it would reduce the number of false negatives (since basically right now if people test negative for COVID they think they're good...)? At least if they test positive for something they might think twice about giving it to someone else. Though probably not.

 

[Buckminster]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1747357791579193433

Anything in this?

 

[wdolson]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1747357791579193433

Anything in this?

This is being reported in a lot of low quality sources, but it does appear to be real. The original source:
Lethal Infection of Human ACE2-Transgenic Mice Caused by SARS-CoV-2-related Pangolin Coronavirus GX_P2V(short_3UTR)

Hopefully all traces of this strain will be destroyed now that the experiment is done. It does raise the risk of a natural mutation that is similar. If the incubation period is long, it could prove to be worse than the first round of COVID, though if the incubation period is short it could be like Ebola: extremely nasty in affected areas but doesn't spread much because people get sick too quickly for it to spread and it can be contained by governments.

 

[scottf200]

Long Covid Research Roundup
What did we learn in 2023? Vaccines help and so much more.
KATELYN JETELINA - JAN 18, 2024

Long Covid Research Roundup

What did we learn in 2023? Vaccines help and so much more.

yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

I seem to have escaped my trip to Vegas without COVID. Spent plenty of time indoors in casinos (with an N95 of course).

I even ate inside (judiciously) a couple times.

Basically wore an N95 inside at all times except in the hotel room and in the aforementioned restaurants.

All is well. It was good to be back, definitely the time to visit. Forgot it was such a short drive from San Diego.

 

[jerry33]

FWIW. The CDC has opened V-Safe for COVID again. Just received a text message from the CDC yesterday.

 

[DrGriz]

FWIW. The CDC has opened V-Safe for COVID again. Just received a text message from the CDC yesterday.

Too late for me. I had my booster more than 6 weeks ago (it was meh as far as symptoms).

 

[DrGriz]

I seem to have escaped my trip to Vegas without COVID. Spent plenty of time indoors in casinos (with an N95 of course).

I even ate inside (judiciously) a couple times.

Basically wore an N95 inside at all times except in the hotel room and in the aforementioned restaurants.

All is well. It was good to be back, definitely the time to visit. Forgot it was such a short drive from San Diego.

N95s Rock it.

 

[Slipstream]

FWIW. The CDC has opened V-Safe for COVID again. Just received a text message from the CDC yesterday.

Yes, I received on as well, a few days after my vaccination a couple weeks ago.
I was almost going to reply as I had persistent shoulder pain in my deltoid several days after the shot. I thought I was getting SIRVA, but realized it was just strain from shoveling snow/chipping ice outside that caused it. All good after a couple days.

 

[scottf200]

Does this one have staying power...

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

Does this one have staying power...

Good news! Hopefully stays that way for a while.

 

[jeffreyscott]

Good news! Hopefully stays that way for a while.

Hope for the best!

 

[Slipstream]

Early Estimates of Updated 2023–2024 (Monovalent XBB.1.5) ...

This report describes vaccine effectiveness for the updated COVID-19 vaccine in preventing symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection.

www.cdc.gov