Anne Whateley posted:

Pertussis aka whooping cough genuinely sucks so bad. Did you know that adults need to get a Tdap booster every 10 years? I had no clue, and then I got whooping cough. Extremely do not recommend, which is why I now constantly post PSAs telling goons to get Tdap boostered. Vaxmaxxing

Skinnymansbeerbelly posted:

I'm starting into microcontrollers, is the SenseAir S8 still "it" for accurate CO2?

Zugzwang posted:

It's also recommended if you are having a kid or will be around small kiddos, because immunity from the pertussis part of the shot decays in a few years.

Psycho Society posted:

lookit this dumby never heard of pertussis

Snowglobe of Doom posted:

A guy I know went to a performance of his favourite Irish singer/songwriter who just happens to be touring and he had the most wonderful time in the world, hanging out with friends and getting pissed with random drunk Irishmen and listening to some of his favourite music and talking the night away. Of course he didn't wear a mask because you can't go drinking if you're wearing a mask .... and then today he announced that he's come down with something and even though he's currently testing negative on RATs he's going to take the rest of the week off because it's almost certainly covid.
At least he's voluntarily isolating, I guess?

Snowglobe of Doom posted:

It's highly unlikely it's the flu, it's currently summer here in Australia and even over these last few years where the flu seasons have been all weird there's still been hardly any flu this time of year. We have had some weird RSV waves about this time of year though, and it could always be just a regular cold but we're also just coming off the back of a rather sizable covid wave so that's the highest probability by a rather large margin

Lacrosse posted:

so it turns out the school district I work for has a covid dashboard that's updated weekly on Mondays but because nobody tests anymore, the stats for my school say 0 staff and 0 students with covid. Just today I overheard a student in the hall shout 'EVERYONE IS SO SICK' but if you don't test it's not covid so nobody cares

mags posted:

some of these people have that 4 year cough

quote:

Update: I don’t have pneumonia or respiratory syncytial virus (whatever that is). No results back for whooping cough yet, however.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2024/02/13/covid-isolation-guidelines-cdc-change/ posted:

CDC plans to drop five-day covid isolation guidelines

Americans who test positive for the coronavirus no longer need to routinely stay home from work and school for five days under new guidance planned by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
(..)
CDC officials acknowledged in internal discussions and in a briefing last week with state health officials how much the covid-19 landscape has changed since the virus emerged four years ago, killing nearly 1.2 million people in the United States and shuttering businesses and schools. The new reality — with most people having developed a level of immunity to the virus because of prior infection or vaccination — warrants a shift to a more practical approach, experts and health officials say.

“Public health has to be realistic,” said Michael T. Osterholm, an infectious-disease expert at the University of Minnesota. “In making recommendations to the public today, we have to try to get the most out of what people are willing to do. … You can be absolutely right in the science and yet accomplish nothing because no one will listen to you.”

The CDC plans to recommend that people who test positive for the coronavirus use clinical symptoms to determine when to end isolation. Under the new approach, people would no longer need to stay home if they have been fever-free for at least 24 hours without the aid of medication and their symptoms are mild and improving, according to three agency officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share internal discussions.

The federal recommendations follow similar moves by Oregon and California. The White House has yet to sign off on the guidance that the agency is expected to release in April for public feedback, officials said. One agency official said the timing could “move around a bit” until the guidance is finalized.

Work on revising isolation guidance has been underway since last August, but was paused in the fall as covid cases rose. CDC director Mandy Cohen sent staff a memo in January that listed “Pan-resp guidance-April” as a bullet point for the agency’s 2024 priorities.

Officials said they recognized the need to give the public more practical guidelines for covid-19, acknowledging that few people are following isolation guidance that hasn’t been updated since December 2021. Back then, health officials cut the recommended isolation period for people with asymptomatic coronavirus from 10 days to five because they worried essential services would be hobbled as the highly transmissible omicron variant sent infections surging. The decision was hailed by business groups and slammed by some union leaders and health experts.

The plan to further loosen isolation guidance when the science around infectiousness has not changed is likely to prompt strong negative reaction from vulnerable groups, including people older than 65, those with weak immune systems and long covid patients, CDC officials and experts said.
(..)
California’s state epidemiologist Erica Pan said the societal disruptions that resulted from strict isolation guidelines also helped spur the change. Workers without sick leave and those who can’t work from home if they or their children test positive and are required to isolate bore a disproportionate burden. Strict isolation requirements can act as a disincentive to test when testing should be encouraged so people at risk for serious illness can get treatment, she said.

Giving people symptom-based guidance, similar to what is already recommended for flu, is a better way to prioritize those most at risk and balance the potential for disruptive impacts on schools and workplaces,
(..)
It’s not clear whether the updated CDC guidance will continue to recommend masking for 10 days.
(..)

Pingui posted:

Pingui posted:

Pingui posted:

quote:

The new reality — with most people having developed a level of immunity to the virus because of prior infection or vaccination

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20240212/COVID-19s-lasting-impact-on-smell-and-brain-health-unveiled.aspx posted:

COVID-19's lasting impact on smell and brain health unveiled
(..)
How does SARS-CoV-2 cause olfactory dysfunction?
SARS-CoV-2 is considered neurotropic, neuroinvasive, and neurovirulent, with some viral variants associated with a greater affinity for the central nervous system (CNS) than others. In particular, the ancestral D614G strain, followed by the Gamma, Delta, and Omicron BA1 variants, have been associated with the greatest neurotropism in descending order.

Despite several studies evaluating the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on olfaction, the precise pathogenesis and molecular mechanisms responsible for this dysfunction remain unclear. Some proposed hypotheses include mechanical obstruction due to congestion and rhinitis, which can compromise airflow and the transportation of odorants for smell perception. However, this hypothesis has been disproven, as several studies have found that olfactory dysfunction often persists for longer durations than respiratory symptoms, with many COVID-19 patients experiencing olfactory dysfunction without the associated nasal congestion needed to support this theory.

Researchers have also hypothesized that SARS-CoV-2 causes direct damage to olfactory neurons, which subsequently leads to olfactory dysfunction. Despite the absence of both the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2) on olfactory neurons, both of which are crucial for viral entry into cells, SARS-CoV-2 may use other pathways such as Basigin (BSG), neuropilin-1 (NRP1), TMPRSS11A, and furin receptors to infect the olfactory system and cause dysfunction.

MRI imaging to elucidate olfactory dysfunction in COVID-19
The reviewed studies included several descriptions of MRI findings in patients with COVID-19, such as volumetric abnormalities and altered signal intensity of OBs, altered depth of OS, abnormalities within the olfactory cortex, as well as irregularities of neuron filia.

Measuring OB volume (OBV) and OS depth is the most common approach to evaluating the olfactory system. To this end, reduced OBV and OS depth in both the right and left side of hospitalized COVID-19 patients has been observed in several studies, thus suggesting that SARS-CoV-2 causes direct damage to olfactory neuronal pathways.

Up to one-third of patients who have recovered from COVID-19 report neurological symptoms, some of which include brain fog, insomnia, headache, depression, anxiety, and mental fatigue. In COVID-19, prolonged olfactory dysfunction has been associated with severe cognitive consequences, which may be attributed to inflammation, altered neurogenesis of the olfactory system, and functional changes within the brain structures.
(..)

https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4418/14/4/359 posted:

Abstract
Olfactory dysfunction (OD) is one of the most common symptoms in COVID-19 patients and can impact patients’ lives significantly. The aim of this review was to investigate the multifaceted impact of COVID-19 on the olfactory system and to provide an overview of magnetic resonance (MRI) findings and neurocognitive disorders in patients with COVID-19-related OD. Extensive searches were conducted across PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar until 5 December 2023. The included articles were 12 observational studies and 1 case report that assess structural changes in olfactory structures, highlighted through MRI, and 10 studies correlating the loss of smell with neurocognitive disorders or mood disorders in COVID-19 patients. MRI findings consistently indicate volumetric abnormalities, altered signal intensity of olfactory bulbs (OBs), and anomalies in the olfactory cortex among COVID-19 patients with persistent OD. The correlation between OD and neurocognitive deficits reveals associations with cognitive impairment, memory deficits, and persistent depressive symptoms. Treatment approaches, including olfactory training and pharmacological interventions, are discussed, emphasizing the need for sustained therapeutic interventions. This review points out several limitations in the current literature while exploring the intricate effects of COVID-19 on OD and its connection to cognitive deficits and mood disorders. The lack of objective olfactory measurements in some studies and potential validity issues in self-reports emphasize the need for cautious interpretation. Our research highlights the critical need for extensive studies with larger samples, proper controls, and objective measurements to deepen our understanding of COVID-19’s long-term effects on neurological and olfactory dysfunctions.

Bruce Hussein Daddy posted:

They want us to believe this to be true so bad lmao

Bruce Hussein Daddy posted:

They want this to be true so bad lmao

Bruce Hussein Daddy posted:

They want this to be true so bad lmao

Gunshow Poophole posted:

I did it. I ordered fifty combo rapid tests from that German healthcare site, gonna split em up with my idiot family who are always getting sick.

Wonder how long they'll take to get here or if they'll be like, Trump n95 masks style intercepted at the border

Pingui posted:

Insanite posted:

I enjoy the complete retreat from public health demanding or even really recommending anything for public good

well, as long as someone acknowledges “vulnerable people” while doing nothing to keep them safe, we’re doin’ okay!!!

quote:

“In making recommendations to the public today, we have to try to get the most out of what people are willing to do. … You can be absolutely right in the science and yet accomplish nothing because no one will listen to you.”

Pittsburgh Fentanyl Cloud posted:

I mean

"people" hear clearly doesn't mean "people," it means capital. Wonder what they're going to do when they revise these guidelines down to nothing at all and business / schools are still massively disrupted multiple times every year due to mass sickness.

tuyop posted:

(..)
what do I get if the people are listening to lies, exactly? is that public health?

Pingui posted:

Normalization.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/13/briefing/covid-boosters-children-cdc.html posted:

Covid Shots for Children
Much of the world has decided that most young children don’t need to receive Covid booster shots. The U.S. is an outlier.
(..)
This situation makes for a case study of the shortcomings in U.S. Covid policy: A strict approach to a nuanced issue has backfired, fostering skepticism of scientific expertise while doing little to improve public health. Dr. Francis Collins, the retired head of the National Institutes of Health, acknowledged the larger problem last year when he said that experts erred during the pandemic by taking a “very narrow view of what the right decision is.”

Monthslong school closures that harmed student learning were one example. Extended mask mandates that many people ignored were another. A continuing C.D.C. recommendation that conflicts with international practice — and that most Americans have dismissed — has become yet another.
(..)
The value of candor
Galea believes that the biggest drawback to the U.S. booster policy may be its effect on the C.D.C.’s credibility. When people who are already skeptical of expert advice, as many Americans are, see the C.D.C. insisting on a vaccine with a marginal benefit, they have more reason to question other C.D.C. guidance — such as the urgent importance of childhood vaccines against measles and diphtheria.

“There is a real cost to our not being honest,” Galea said.

When I’ve asked public health experts off the record what they are doing with their own children, they tend to be honest. Almost all have vaccinated their children, for the sake of both those children and other people. At the same time, some experts told me that they had not boosted their children.

Why? The benefits seem small, for everybody. The costs — like a child’s fear of needles or a missed day of school from side effects — also seem small. With such a close call, reasonable parents will make different decisions, and that’s OK.

Maybe the C.D.C. would have a bigger impact if it conveyed a similarly candid message.

tuyop posted:

I’m confused about the like, strategic goal even.

you can be absolutely right in the science but nobody will listen to you

vs

you can tell people lies and then they will listen to you

what do I get if the people are listening to lies, exactly? is that public health?

yellowD posted:

https://twitter.com/EricTopol/status/1757415581400358994

haha dropping the 5 day quarantine and hospital acquired infection reporting. I am losing my loving mind here. How is any of this real