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COVID-19 vaccine discussion


Texas Jeff

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3 hours ago, JohnLocke said:

I gotta go with intentionally obtuse. Nobody is actually this obtuse.  The first part of my story is literally a cautionary tale about getting vaccinated, comparing the outcome of my son who was vaccinated vs. his friend who was not.  Yes, get the vaccine. It may save your life. I have.   We can two things at once though.  We may yet have a strain where vaccines are useless, or worse, counter productive. There is a thing called antibody dependent enhancement.  We should be preparing for that, and yeah, maybe even helping some of those who "deserve" what they get because they are unvaccinated.

We have not been aggressive in pursuing at home treatments to keep you out of the hospital.  Let me give you one example. This is from the NIH website: https://www.covid19treatmentguidelines.nih.gov/therapies/immunomodulators/corticosteroids/

Recommendation

There is insufficient evidence for the Panel to recommend either for or against the use of inhaled budesonide for the treatment of COVID-19.

This is based on 2 studies which show encouraging results: https://www.covid19treatmentguidelines.nih.gov/tables/table-4b/

Cliff notes: Evidence that budensonide may help keep you out of the hospital and/or from dying but study limitations preclude a firm conclusion.

 

Now, here's my complaint.  The CDC and NIH have literally tens of thousands of employees. Do they actually have something more important to do then figure out whether a low cost readily available drug can help keep covid patients out of the hospital?   We are 18 months into this, and they can't/won't figure this out. Why? WTF? Is it really not a priority?

 

 

Your indignation at picking on one trial - with massive caveats - is interesting. In case you didn't read the study, patients who were in Oxfordshire UK and had mild enough symptoms to be at home were prescribed inhaled steroids. The study outcome was simply if they sought out urgent care. The data is encouraging for sure, and fits in with the finding that people with COPD (who use budesonide, among other things) appear to be under represented in patients with severe COVID. But the study was cut short by the national lockdown, which prevented the trial from recruiting outside the local region, and as such the study didn't reach the sample size needed for a power analysis. They tried to bootstrap some in silico predictions using a virtual trial with the same study design, but I think that's hard to hang your hat on to. There are a lot of caveats with the study, and even for the approved usage of dexamethasone, a very big steroid gun, the data is mixed and the potential side effects for those with mild cases makes it not so clear cut. 

You are of course ignoring all the other agents with emergency use authorization to keep patients alive, like dexamethasone, tocilizumab, remdesivir, the monocolonal antibody therapies (casirivimab, imdevimab, bamlanivimad, etesviumab, sotrovimab). Also all the other thousands of ongoing clinical trials around the world, some of whom like these at the NIH are looking to repurpose drugs to treat COVID. 

But you go rage against the CDC and the NIH. Sorry, in this case I guess the University of Oxford and the UK's National Health Research Authority. 

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Maybe you weren't highlighting that one trial. For the second trial cited, it is thankfully a much larger trial of ~2500 people. There does appear to be a benefit in recovery, but like the other study, the benefit isn't massive in my opinion. For instance, 715/787 (91%)  in the steroid group were not admitted to a hospital, while the number was 701/799 (88%) in the control group. Of those admitted, 7% needed supplemental oxygen in the control group, while 5% needed it in the steroid group. Oddly, a lower percentage in the control group needed mechanical ventilation compared to the steroid group (1 vs 2%, respectively), but I think the numbers are too low to mean much there. 

So, this stuff is being looked at, but I'm sure the complexity of the clinical situation with age, comorbitities, and now delta, makes it challenging. There's not an easy answer, searching clinicaltrials.gov you can find a study for pretty much anything you can think of, but the reason there isn't an answer for you is not because the CDC and NIH are twiddling their thumbs. 

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1 hour ago, dcbc said:

Well, since (1) there appears to be no measures in place to limit the spread of this stuff that isn't being assailed by our state government, (2) my wife is immune compromised from past chemo, (3) I have kids in crowded public schools wearing masks when few others are, (4) there appear to be plenty of shots available since some nimrods would rather rely on horse paste and other junk science than on a vaccine, and (5) I'm just shy of seven months since my second shot, I made an appointment online at CVS for my third shot, walked in with my card, and was out of there in five minutes with a sore arm and no questions asked.  There was no line jumping because there was no line.

Did you give them your original vaccine card so they could write the 3rd dose below the other 2 doses? Did they say anything about the fact that you were already vaccinated?

I'm interested in doing this. Seems like an official recommendation could be given at any time, but then I wonder if it will be chaos all over again trying to get an appointment.

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Wife has RA so she went to Target and got her 3rd shot today.  She said the pharmacy tech didn't ask her anything about underlying conditions.  She also got an email from the hospital she works at. They are going to pay every employee that gets/has had the vaccine $250. Currently about 30% of the employees are vaccinated.

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3 minutes ago, rpspeed said:

Wife has RA so she went to Target and got her 3rd shot today.  She said the pharmacy tech didn't ask her anything about underlying conditions.  She also got an email from the hospital she works at. They are going to pay every employee that gets/has had the vaccine $250. Currently about 30% of the employees are vaccinated.

My immune compromised relative had the same experience at CVS, no questions about underlying conditions.

Had Pfizer the first two, Moderna for this one. 1.5 days of very tired and now back to normal. 

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JFC. 
My sis who lives in FL. doesn’t get vacced. She has been asmatic since a kid. 
Her husband has been vaccinated only because worked required it. 
She has been taking care of mom who is losing all faculties and now needs to be in nursing home. Going next week to help in move. Sent sis text saying “God created scientist who created vaccines”. This goddamn religion bs just makes me want to beat people with a bat. 
 

Gregg Abbott I hope you die of COVID. Though I am sure you got vaccinated and will have all medical help to keep you safe you piece of goddamn shit. 

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12 minutes ago, gmr548 said:


Um, really hope you got that backwards or only 30 percent have voluntarily identified or something. Otherwise, yikes.

She told me that a few weeks ago, it may be a little higher now but 30% is still higher than the general population in the areaspacer.pngspacer.png

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1 hour ago, wild_turkey said:

Did you give them your original vaccine card so they could write the 3rd dose below the other 2 doses? Did they say anything about the fact that you were already vaccinated?

I'm interested in doing this. Seems like an official recommendation could be given at any time, but then I wonder if it will be chaos all over again trying to get an appointment.

Yes.  I signed up for an appointment online and gave them the date of my second shot (01/18/21).  The only fib point was that I'm not myself immune compromised (My wife is and I figure if I can lessen my exposure, I lessen hers as well).  That part was a yes or no single question.  No specifics requested. 

But at the CVS pharmacy area, I just clicked the link they texted me to check in.  Once at the desk, it was a no questions asked about my qualifications for the third shot since I was more than 6 months since my second shot.

Q:  Name

A:  DCBC

Q:  Second shot?

A:  No.  Third.

Q:  Do you have your card?

A:  Yes.  Here you go. 

Me: Upon getting the shot.  Do I need to stick around for 20 minutes. 

A:  If you didn't have issues the last two times, just stick around for 5 minutes and you're good to go.

Edited by dcbc
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46 minutes ago, rpspeed said:

Wife has RA so she went to Target and got her 3rd shot today.  She said the pharmacy tech didn't ask her anything about underlying conditions.  She also got an email from the hospital she works at. They are going to pay every employee that gets/has had the vaccine $250. Currently about 30% of the employees are vaccinated.

Is this Christus?

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21 hours ago, JohnLocke said:

This is all incredibly frustrating.  I don't know what to believe. There doesn't seem to much science in the booster shots. It's just spitballing at this point.... My son (late 20's, vaccinated) got covid from an unvaccinated friend about the same age.  My son barely knew he had it, very mild symptoms, and he was vaccinated in December.  

i mean...

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I feel like most anti-vaxxers/covid-hoaxers are a combination of that Cecily Strong character and her one as "Girl you wished you hadn't talked to at a party."  

They think they're so fucking interesting and well-versed when they're the clowns we laugh at behind the backs of at a party.  They think they're laughing at us behind our backs, but that would require them to have a basic knowledge of English.  "like" yeah...for "like" reals...you fucking idiots. 

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6 hours ago, dcbc said:

Well, since (1) there appears to be no measures in place to limit the spread of this stuff that isn't being assailed by our state government, (2) my wife is immune compromised from past chemo, (3) I have kids in crowded public schools wearing masks when few others are, (4) there appear to be plenty of shots available since some nimrods would rather rely on horse paste and other junk science than on a vaccine, and (5) I'm just shy of seven months since my second shot, I made an appointment online at CVS for my third shot, walked in with my card, and was out of there in five minutes with a sore arm and no questions asked.  There was no line jumping because there was no line.  There appears to be plenty for those who are willing, and these antivaxers and antimaskers are compromising my family's immunity at this point.  My wife is getting hers tomorrow since she is coming up on the seven month mark as well. 

Take care of yourselves and your loved ones.  So far, my arm only is slightly sore.  I'm sure I'll have a similar response as I did to the second shot.

It’s kind of my understanding what with hipaa laws and all that they can’t refuse to give you a booster shot because they can’t even ask why you are getting it. It’s approved already for immunocompromised. Am I missing something? I was fully vaxxed as of April and unless something changes I’ll be getting my 3rd in October.

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4 hours ago, dcbc said:

Yes.  I signed up for an appointment online and gave them the date of my second shot (01/18/21).  The only fib point was that I'm not myself immune compromised (My wife is and I figure if I can lessen my exposure, I lessen hers as well).  That part was a yes or no single question.  No specifics requested. 

But at the CVS pharmacy area, I just clicked the link they texted me to check in.  Once at the desk, it was a no questions asked about my qualifications for the third shot since I was more than 6 months since my second shot.

Q:  Name

A:  DCBC

Q:  Second shot?

A:  No.  Third.

Q:  Do you have your card?

A:  Yes.  Here you go. 

Me: Upon getting the shot.  Do I need to stick around for 20 minutes. 

A:  If you didn't have issues the last two times, just stick around for 5 minutes and you're good to go.

So I got my original 2 shots at an HEB in Corpus. They did not ask for my drivers license or any other form of ID. I did have to fill out a form with my SSN number, and since I put 123456789 I’m assuming they think I’ve been vaccinated about 1 million times.

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6 hours ago, justhookit said:

It’s kind of my understanding what with hipaa laws and all that they can’t refuse to give you a booster shot because they can’t even ask why you are getting it. It’s approved already for immunocompromised. Am I missing something? I was fully vaxxed as of April and unless something changes I’ll be getting my 3rd in October.

I don’t if it’s a hipaa issue or is it just more practical that they don’t have the time or will to police who is and isn’t immunocompromised. 

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6 hours ago, justhookit said:

It’s kind of my understanding what with hipaa laws and all that they can’t refuse to give you a booster shot because they can’t even ask why you are getting it. It’s approved already for immunocompromised. Am I missing something? I was fully vaxxed as of April and unless something changes I’ll be getting my 3rd in October.

Like I said, with CVS, there is a question you answer on the online scheduling form about whether you are immune compromised.  If it was a matter of booster availability, I would have relied on my wife's getting it and left the remaining doses for those who needed them.  But since that's not the case, I answered affirmatively as someone who is married to someone who is immune compromised.  Rational on my part?  Sure.  Honest answer to the question asked?  No.

They may not refuse you if you walk in unscheduled and try to get the shot.  But I'm reasonably sure that the website won't confirm your appointment unless you answer that question in the affirmative.  YMMV

Edited by dcbc
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It’s kind of my understanding what with hipaa laws and all that they can’t refuse to give you a booster shot because they can’t even ask why you are getting it. It’s approved already for immunocompromised. Am I missing something? I was fully vaxxed as of April and unless something changes I’ll be getting my 3rd in October.

HIPAA prohibits exactly one thing. It bars your medical provider from divulging your health information to third parties.

Anyone can ask about your health history and anyone can make decisions about your participation in their private business/activities based on that data, at least up to items covered by ADA.
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16 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

I don’t if it’s a hipaa issue or is it just more practical that they don’t have the time or will to police who is and isn’t immunocompromised. 

They can’t legally do that. That’s my point. Whether they want to police it or not doesn’t matter. At least that’s my understanding. It might not be hipaa. Anyway, this all appears to be a mute (moo) point with the new guidance coming out. I asked our head pharmacist here in town at CVS, and he said he would not for example, check if  I was previously vaxxed at HEB. He said technically they could but in the real world that just isn’t going to happen. They are much more concerned with people just getting the shots.

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On 8/16/2021 at 11:42 PM, JohnLocke said:

This is all incredibly frustrating.  I don't know what to believe. There doesn't seem to much science in the booster shots. It's just spitballing at this point.  We are basically 6 months in and the virus is mutating around the vaccines, and the answer is more of the same. I'm skeptical we can vaccinate our way out of this in the long term. Vaccines are working for now, but what we really need are treatments that work. You can see that the day may come where the vaccines don't work at all.  Hell, we need to use the treatments that we have that work.  My son (late 20's, vaccinated) got covid from an unvaccinated friend about the same age.  My son barely knew he had it, very mild symptoms, and he was vaccinated in December.  His friend is sick as a dog, runs 101 to 103 fever for 12 days, coughing, chills, the works.  I'm thinking he needs to be in the hospital, but no breathing problems, so they tell him to stay at home.  I'm asking about steroids and bloodthinners cuz I know when you are that sick with this shit, you are at high risk for a cytokin storm, and your blood turns to molasses.  Nope, just ibuprofin. Not even aspirin.  Sure enough, 2 days later he is in the hospital with a pulmonary embolism and a blood clot in his leg.  WTF?  I knew it was coming, why the hell doesn't the AMA?  (Kid is recovering nicely, thank goodness, but damn!)  I don't understand why there is so little focus on effective home treatments to keep you out of the hospital.

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They can’t legally do that. That’s my point. Whether they want to police it or not doesn’t matter. At least that’s my understanding. It might not be hipaa. Anyway, this all appears to be a mute (moo) point with the new guidance coming out. I asked our head pharmacist here in town at CVS, and he said he would not for example, check if  I was previously vaxxed at HEB. He said technically they could but in the real world that just isn’t going to happen. They are much more concerned with people just getting the shots.

They can legally do that. Your understanding is incorrect. They obviously may choose not to for practical reasons.
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39 minutes ago, TXSooner518 said:


They can legally do that. Your understanding is incorrect. They obviously may choose not to for practical reasons.

Mea culpa. I thought they couldn’t even ask. They certainly did not ask me anything when I got my first shot and I got it about a month before I was “eligible”.

but you can just lie, right? I mean at this point we are just splitting hairs.Nobody is going to make you prove it. so I have to show them my scar from having my colon removed? It’s not like I’ve got a card for that. Or for the blood clot I had a few years back. 

I know you are not one of the stupid, but fuck anyone that would deny a shot to someone that wants it.

 

Edited by justhookit
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23 minutes ago, justhookit said:

Mea culpa. I thought they couldn’t even ask. They certainly did not ask me anything when I got my first shot and I got it about a month before I was “eligible”.

but you can just lie, right? I mean at this point we are just splitting hairs.Nobody is going to make you prove it. so I have to show them my scar from having my colon removed? It’s not like I’ve got a card for that. Or for the blood clot I had a few years back. 

I know you are not one of the stupid, but fuck anyone that would deny a shot to someone that wants it.

 

Vaccine places seem to be more concerned about finding arms to put shots into, not finding reasons to prevent it.  But only to a point.

Example: bring in your 11-year + 10 month old kid into CVS for a COVID shot. If you say (lie) that your kid is 12, the kid can get the shot. The pharmacist isn't going to push back unless the kid looks way under 12.  But if you tell the pharmacist that your kid is 2 months shy of 12, they will tell you to come back in 2 months. Give the pharmacist reasonable cover, and they're not going to care. They're 25 prescription orders behind and want to get you moving through the process.

disclaimer, never a bad idea to ask a doctor is the shot isn't right for your kid.

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14 hours ago, rpspeed said:

Wife has RA so she went to Target and got her 3rd shot today.  She said the pharmacy tech didn't ask her anything about underlying conditions.  She also got an email from the hospital she works at. They are going to pay every employee that gets/has had the vaccine $250. Currently about 30% of the employees are vaccinated.

Thought I read somewhere were 50% of nurses in America were vaccinated compared to nearly 90% of physicians.  Maybe @trauma babe can confirm. 

 

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https://www.kvue.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/vaccine/us-health-officials-call-for-booster-shots-against-covid-19/507-dc702492-a5c5-494e-9cf8-1f804468cb26

 

CDC: COVID-19 booster shots recommended for all after 8 months

The plan calls for an extra dose eight months after people get their second shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.
WASHINGTON —  U.S. health officials Wednesday recommended all Americans get COVID-19 booster shots to shore up their protection amid the surging delta variant and evidence that the vaccines' effectiveness is falling.

The plan, as outlined by the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other top authorities, calls for an extra dose eight months after people get their second shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. The doses could begin the week of Sept. 20.

 

Health officials said people who received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine will also probably need extra shots. But they said they are awaiting more data and have yet to work out a plan.

The plan is still awaiting a Food and Drug Administration evaluation of the safety and effectiveness of a third dose, the officials said.

In a statement, health officials said it is “very clear” that the vaccines' protection against infection wanes over time, and now, with the highly contagious delta variant spreading rapidly, “we are starting to see evidence of reduced protection against mild and moderate disease.”

“Based on our latest assessment, the current protection against severe disease, hospitalization and death could diminish in the months ahead,” they said.

How do I get a COVID booster shot?

Currently, only Americans at high risk from COVID-19 because of severely weakened immune systems are allowed to get a third vaccination in hopes of better protection. This includes transplant recipients and other similarly immune-compromised patients who can get a third dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.

Technically, the people who are able to get a third vaccination right now are not getting a "booster." That's because boosters are for people whose immunity wanes over time and these high-risk groups didn’t get enough protection to begin with.

Are booster shots available now?

Not yet. The CDC plan calls for an extra dose eight months after people get their second shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. The doses could begin the week of Sept. 20.

Will Johnson and Johnson have a booster shot?

Probably. 

Health officials said people who received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine will also probably need extra shots. But they said they are awaiting more data and have yet to work out the details.

 

What's the criteria for COVID booster?

Once the CDC and FDA approve the plan, booster shots will be recommended for all Americans, eight months after their second shot of Pfizer or Moderna. 

Right now, the third vaccinations that are being given are only for those with severely weakened immune systems and again, those are technically not boosters.

Edited by CooterBrown
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29 minutes ago, CooterBrown said:

https://www.kvue.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/vaccine/us-health-officials-call-for-booster-shots-against-covid-19/507-dc702492-a5c5-494e-9cf8-1f804468cb26

 

CDC: COVID-19 booster shots recommended for all after 8 months

The plan calls for an extra dose eight months after people get their second shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.
WASHINGTON —  U.S. health officials Wednesday recommended all Americans get COVID-19 booster shots to shore up their protection amid the surging delta variant and evidence that the vaccines' effectiveness is falling.

The plan, as outlined by the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other top authorities, calls for an extra dose eight months after people get their second shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. The doses could begin the week of Sept. 20.

 

Health officials said people who received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine will also probably need extra shots. But they said they are awaiting more data and have yet to work out a plan.

The plan is still awaiting a Food and Drug Administration evaluation of the safety and effectiveness of a third dose, the officials said.

In a statement, health officials said it is “very clear” that the vaccines' protection against infection wanes over time, and now, with the highly contagious delta variant spreading rapidly, “we are starting to see evidence of reduced protection against mild and moderate disease.”

“Based on our latest assessment, the current protection against severe disease, hospitalization and death could diminish in the months ahead,” they said.

How do I get a COVID booster shot?

Currently, only Americans at high risk from COVID-19 because of severely weakened immune systems are allowed to get a third vaccination in hopes of better protection. This includes transplant recipients and other similarly immune-compromised patients who can get a third dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.

Technically, the people who are able to get a third vaccination right now are not getting a "booster." That's because boosters are for people whose immunity wanes over time and these high-risk groups didn’t get enough protection to begin with.

Are booster shots available now?

Not yet. The CDC plan calls for an extra dose eight months after people get their second shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. The doses could begin the week of Sept. 20.

Will Johnson and Johnson have a booster shot?

Probably. 

Health officials said people who received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine will also probably need extra shots. But they said they are awaiting more data and have yet to work out the details.

 

What's the criteria for COVID booster?

Once the CDC and FDA approve the plan, booster shots will be recommended for all Americans, eight months after their second shot of Pfizer or Moderna. 

Right now, the third vaccinations that are being given are only for those with severely weakened immune systems and again, those are technically not boosters.

No mention of what us poor J&Jers should do...

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6 minutes ago, JesusSweatDuck said:

No mention of what us poor J&Jers should do...

Get 2 shots of Moderna on the same schedule as the unvaccinated.  It's inferior to the mRNA vaccines and Moderna is proving to be significantly better against Delta than JNJ and Pfizer.

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3 hours ago, CooterBrown said:


HIPAA prohibits exactly one thing. It bars your medical provider from divulging your health information to third parties.

Anyone can ask about your health history and anyone can make decisions about your participation in their private business/activities based on that data, at least up to items covered by ADA.

It also bars employers and others from doing the same.  But it does not prohibit anyone from asking you about your health information, and you are always free to authorize a person or entity covered by HIPAA to release the information.

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31 minutes ago, kevwun said:

It's inferior to the mRNA vaccines and Moderna is proving to be significantly better against Delta than JNJ and Pfizer.

What if JNJ or Pfizer end up being better against lambda?     And apparently Novavax is even better than all of them

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