Snowglobe of Doom posted:

NGL, I think those commemorative coins are hilarious and I'm legit a bit jealous. If they weren't so costly I would have got one myself
(..)

quote:

Coin is crafted beautifully, delivery was quick and what a rich symbol for the hope of the nation.

CODChimera posted:

whatever happened with monkey pox?

ibid posted:

dragged from the previous thread, they're suggesting a fever be the deciding factor for whether kids go to school or stay home, when Eris isn't giving people fevers.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/ten-symptoms-new-rising-covid-30643261

https://nitter.net/Yash25571056/status/1688356021964820481

NeonPunk posted:

Need to update your framing a bit. You don't wear your mask to protect others anymore. You wear a mask to protect yourself now

willroc7 posted:

Thanks for the reply. What's the current consensus on mixing and matching mRNA brands? Guessing there isn't any info for kids, but anything for adults?

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/clinical-considerations/faq.html posted:

Are mRNA COVID-19 vaccines from different manufacturers (Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech) interchangeable?
Use of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines interchangeably from different manufacturers (Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech) varies by recipient age, vaccination history, and vaccine product:

• Ages 6 months–4 years: Children who are unvaccinated or previously received 1 or more doses of a monovalent mRNA vaccine are authorized to receive only bivalent mRNA vaccine dose(s) from the same vaccine manufacturer.
  
• Age 5 years: Children who are unvaccinated or previously received 1 or more doses of:
  
  • Monovalent Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine are authorized to receive either bivalent Moderna or bivalent Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
    
  • Monovalent Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 are authorized to receive only bivalent Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine.
• Ages 6 years and older: People who are unvaccinated or previously received 1 or more doses of any monovalent COVID-19 vaccine are authorized to receive either bivalent Moderna or bivalent Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
  

For additional information, see Interchangeability of COVID-19 vaccines. The COVID-19 vaccination schedules for People who are not moderately or severely immunocompromised and People who are moderately or severely immunocompromised should be consulted for age-specific information; see also Appendix C for recommended actions following interchangeability-related errors or deviations in administration of COVID-19 vaccines.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-40103-x posted:

Class switch towards spike protein-specific IgG4 antibodies after SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination depends on prior infection history

Abstract
Vaccinations against SARS-CoV-2 reduce the risk of developing serious COVID-19 disease. Monitoring spike-specific IgG subclass levels after vaccinations may provide additional information on SARS-CoV-2 specific humoral immune response. Here, we examined the presence and levels of spike-specific IgG antibody subclasses in health-care coworkers vaccinated with vector- (Sputnik, AstraZeneca) or mRNA-based (Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna) vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 and in unvaccinated COVID-19 patients. We found that vector-based vaccines elicited lower total spike-specific IgG levels than mRNA vaccines. The pattern of spike-specific IgG subclasses in individuals infected before mRNA vaccinations resembled that of vector-vaccinated subjects or unvaccinated COVID-19 patients. However, the pattern of mRNA-vaccinated individuals without SARS-CoV-2 preinfection showed a markedly different pattern. In addition to IgG1 and IgG3 subclasses presented in all groups, a switch towards distal IgG subclasses (spike-specific IgG4 and IgG2) appeared almost exclusively in individuals who received only mRNA vaccines or were infected after mRNA vaccinations. In these subjects, the magnitude of the spike-specific IgG4 response was comparable to that of the spike-specific IgG1 response. These data suggest that the priming of the immune system either by natural SARS-CoV-2 infection or by vector- or mRNA-based vaccinations has an important impact on the characteristics of the developed specific humoral immunity.

Blockade posted:

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1690353139004674048

dew worm posted:

this is what happened to me. I was only able to get pax later on, after practically begging my doctor. hopefully it still does something to help me clear the virus.

Louisgod posted:

isn't a new one coming out in a couple months? I'd wait until it's out unless it's going to be gatekeeped.

fartman posted:

I think you’ll find people these days are more accepting of public coughing compared to a few years ago. 3 years ago one of my coworkers coughed due to smoking too much weed on break and they sent him home pending a negative pcr test, but I had something back in the spring and was coughing away at my desk and nobody so much as batted an eye!

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/covid-virus-masks-new-strain-b2394216.html posted:

New Covid wave has begun and masks should be worn again, scientists warn
Spread of new variant could cause extreme pressure on NHS and cause more damaging long-term health problems, Sage expert says

Experts have warned it is “reasonably certain” the UK is in another wave of Covid-19 – and suggested people should wear face masks again.

Hospital admissions for coronavirus have risen in recent weeks, just as the effectiveness of vaccines is wearing off, a new variant has emerged and ministers have decided Covid boosters will not be offered to nearly 12 million Britons this winter.

“Without ramping up surveillance, and in the face of waning immunity, we are travelling into winter more vulnerable and with blinkers on,” warned Christina Pagel, a member of the independent Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies that advises on the virus.
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Prof Pagel predicted the new wave could cause extreme pressure on the health service, with a repeat of last winter’s “unprecedented” NHS crisis of Covid, flu and respiratory virus that came all around the same time.

“Any increase in hospital burden is bad news, given record waiting lists for diagnosis and treatment and persistently high waits in hospitals for admission,” she wrote in the British Medical Journal.
(..)
Dr Trisha Greenhalgh, a University of Oxford healthcare expert and also Sage member, wrote on social media: “My various science WhatsApp groups are buzzing… I understand little of the detail but it looks like it’s once again time to MASK UP.”

Asked whether people should wear them again, she added: “In high-risk situations I personally would wear one, yes. More to the point, I’m currently AVOIDING such situations eg not going to cinema.”
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Around 7 July, cases were thought to have fallen to their lowest since the summer of 2020. However, since the start of last month, daily hospital admissions have risen, and on 4 August were more than double the figure four weeks earlier.

On that date, the 1,802 patients admitted in the previous seven days represented a rise of 366 on the week before – a 26 per cent increase.

In all, 1,844 Covid patients were in hospital, in an increase thought to be driven partly by more social mixing indoors during wet weather.

CGI Stardust posted:

it's worth distinguishing between SAGE and Independent SAGE - the former is the official government advisory body, the latter is a group of concerned scientists, health professionals, and researchers who've been keeping track of goings-on; there's only a little overlap (2 of 19 in Indie SAGE are in SAGE). SAGE hasn't published anything in 2023 afaict, whereas Indie SAGE has been doing weekly video round-ups.

lol, just lol, if you think members of an official UK government advisory board would be recommending masking, or any action at all other than sitting back and breathing nature's vaccine deep

Al! posted:

youd be doing society a favor if you masqued of the red death burning man imo

Al! posted:

i do. debate me

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/16/new-covid-boosters-are-on-the-way-will-they-be-covered-by-insurance.html posted:

The next Covid booster is on the horizon: Will the vaccine be covered by insurance?
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Will insurance cover the newest Covid booster?
The straightforward answer is that having the cost of your booster covered depends on what your insurance company decides, says Dr. Sorana Segal-Maurer, director of infectious diseases at NewYork-Presbyterian Queens.

If you get your vaccines at your local pharmacy, consider asking a pharmacist at the location if your insurance covers Covid boosters, she adds. They’ll likely have your insurance plan on file and can advise you, Segal-Maurer says.

For others, it boils down to the decision of their employer, says Patel. She hopes that employers will see the value in their employees getting coverage for their Covid vaccines.

“I would recommend it to people who make those decisions for their employees. This can only help. If you’re able to help protect your employees, you’ll actually pay it back in spades of more people being able to come to work,” Patel says.

“I think it’s a win-win situation if employers are able to cover this and if insurances cover the booster.”

If you don’t have insurance or your provider isn’t covering the cost of your vaccine, booster shots should also be available for free through local public health authorities, Patel adds.
(..)

Pyrolocutus posted:

Well this is ominous.
(..)

CGI Stardust posted:

the name means Indie SAGE can get quoted in our fractionally-less-lovely newspapers as if they're official and important, occasionally sneaking an "uh-oh, masking time" out into the public consciousness, where it gets promptly ignored

they do the best they can, bless em, but there's only so much Cassandra: The Organisation can do in a nation run by people who collect wooden horses

Indoor Dying posted:

My pharmacist told me they haven't heard anything about a new covid booster

Pittsburgh Fentanyl Cloud posted:

High co2 fucks with your cognitive functions and the aranet4 taught me that I was hitting 1900+ ppm in the winter with the door closed while working.

Pittsburgh Fentanyl Cloud posted:

No you aren’t

https://www.wral.com/coronavirus/some-hospitals-nearing-capacity-but-covid-not-the-cause-sources-tell-wral/21003639/ posted:

Some hospitals nearing capacity, but COVID not the cause, sources tell WRAL
For the sixth straight week, hospital admissions for COVID patients increased. However, they're nowhere near our peak.

Odddzy posted:

Got covid for the first time this week, frankly, it's tough but I expected far worse. Nothing worth wearing hazmat suits to go and buy groceries tbh.

Platystemon posted:

I tipped off my bike last week and landed prone in some tall grass.

My helmet didn’t even tough the ground. This is bullshit. Why did I wear it all these years?

Pitcher Witcher posted:

Are these new boosters going to cost money?

Pingui posted:

mawarannahr posted:

it's being reported that EG.5 can be associated with a productive cough: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/covid-cases-eris-symptoms-variant-b2391394.html
could not find a direct link to the Zoe study so would appreciate if someone can find.

https://joinzoe.com/learn/covid-new-top-10-covid-symptoms posted:

Updated 13th December 2022
What are the most common COVID symptoms?

brugroffil posted:

Hi thread what's the latest on new boosters?

e: mainly wondering if there's any firm timing yet, I know they're not going to be free etc

https://journalstar.com/news/local/...e66008a988.html posted:

Nebraska removes wastewater data as COVID cases start to rise

State officials have removed tracking data for COVID-19 in wastewater just as cases have started to rise.
(..)
A spokesman for the state Health Department said the state’s wastewater data was taken down due to President Joe Biden’s ending of the national emergency and public health emergency declarations for COVID-19 in May.

“Data continues to be tracked for that program and is available upon request,” the spokesman wrote in an email Monday.

Laura Strimple, a spokeswoman for Gov. Jim Pillen, wrote in an email Tuesday that the state wastewater page was removed Aug. 4 in consultation with the Governor’s Office. She also cited the end of the federal public health emergency in response to questions about why the page was taken down. Since then, she wrote in an email, Nebraska has successfully phased out many of the measures put into place during the emergency.
(..)
Dr. Bob Rauner, president of Partnership for a Healthy Lincoln, said he’s disappointed the state has stopped providing the wastewater data and has asked for a reason why but didn’t get a response from anyone at the Department of Health and Human Services.

“It’s important data for the medical community because it’s the most accurate community gauge of a possible COVID surge,” Rauner said.

He questioned the timing of the removal, pointing out that cases and hospitalizations are on the rise.
(..)
The last statewide wastewater report before the data was removed indicated that concentrations of the virus had increased relatively sharply overall, based on preliminary data through July 19. Seven stations reported increasing levels over the previous 15 days, three counted decreasing concentrations and the rest were stable or had no recent data to report.
(..)
“How much school start will raise the spread of COVID would be best monitored with wastewater, which we now can no longer see,” he said. “So we won’t have much indication until 2-3 weeks after that fact when we see the effect on hospitalizations.”

Dr. James Lawler, associate director of the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Global Center for Health Security, agreed that wastewater testing is a good tool for high-risk members of the community and their families to rely on to gauge their own actions in order to reduce their risk of infection.

He pointed out that state government officials have promoted the idea that Nebraskans should be free to make their own decisions about managing COVID risk.

“The state should allow people access to the data they need to make those decisions,” Lawler said.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/17/well/live/covid-reinfection.html posted:

How Bad Is a Second (or Third or Fourth) Case of Covid?
Reinfections are becoming more common. Experts are still unsure about how damaging they can be.

Doctors and scientists who study Covid-19 agree that for most people, getting infected for a second — or third or fourth — time is basically inevitable. The longer the virus sticks around, the more common repeat infections have and will become, especially in light of the summer uptick and a new dominant variant.

There is no risk-free Covid infection. But researchers are trying to untangle just how damaging repeated infections might be — whether symptoms tend to become more or less severe from one bout to the next, and whether one’s risk of developing long Covid increases after multiple illnesses.

The severity of repeat infections
For many people who get Covid multiple times, subsequent infections will be as mild as or milder than their first, emerging data shows, likely because of partial immunity from previous infections, vaccination and the fact that the latest circulating variants generally cause less severe symptoms. There are a few exceptions — notably, among some people who are immunocompromised, older or had particularly severe previous infections. People who had a severe first infection are more likely to end up hospitalized or to require medical attention for a reinfection, said Emily Hadley, a research data scientist at RTI International who studies long Covid.

Reinfection and long Covid
The chances you will get long Covid from a reinfection are fairly unpredictable — several experts interviewed for this story used the metaphor of Russian roulette. The milder your symptoms, the less likely you are to get long Covid, said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco. But every time you get infected, no matter the severity, there is always a chance that you can develop longer-term symptoms.
(..)
Reinfection can worsen symptoms in people who already have long Covid, said Dr. Chin-Hong. Other people with long Covid may not see a change in their symptoms.

OK, so now what?
It’s easy to feel a sense of fatalism about reinfection, said Dr. Davey Smith, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California, San Diego. But he stressed that you can reduce your risk with common-sense measures like eating dinner outside while the weather’s warm and not hanging out with friends when they’re feeling sick.
(..)
Dr. Chin-Hong said that he walks around with a mask in his pocket, but wouldn’t pull out of a trip or avoid hugging a friend he ran into out of concerns about the virus. “I just do the best that I can,” he said. “But I’m not fearful.”

Poppers posted:

Droplet vs airborne is a real distinction in medical practice lol but in reality covid positive cases have been treated as airborne for the entirety of the pandemic

Poppers posted:

Covid positive as in a hospital where people get placed in negative pressure if possible and all staff wears respirators. Doctors can’t exactly control the state response if they aren’t the CEO of Delta Airlines

Pablo Nergigante posted:

NeonPunk posted:

it is a bad idea to smooch someone that is currently covid positive on the face and mouth.

It’s a good idea actually

mawarannahr posted:

interesting idea, but that's not the framing

quote:

In the UK, where Eris has also made ground, the Zoe Health Study has indicated its symptoms are similar to those of Omicron [which are: *points to last Omicron data*]

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3231447/chinas-rising-covid-cases-and-new-variant-spark-concerns-about-third-wave posted:

China’s rising Covid cases and new variant spark concerns about ‘third wave’

• The country’s coronavirus infections rebound, mirroring global trend, while immunity-evading EG.5 variant gains dominance
  
• Despite a surge in cases, the new strain does not appear to bring increase in severe illness or death

https://investors.modernatx.com/new...ts/default.aspx posted:

MODERNA CLINICAL TRIAL DATA CONFIRM ITS UPDATED COVID-19 VACCINE GENERATES ROBUST IMMUNE RESPONSE IN HUMANS AGAINST WIDELY CIRCULATING VARIANTS

• Updated COVID-19 vaccine effectively targets EG.5, a dominant variant of concern, as well as the rapidly spreading FL 1.5.1 variant
  
• Updated vaccine expected to be available, pending approval, in coming weeks for fall vaccination season

CAMBRIDGE, MA / ACCESSWIRE / August 17, 2023 / Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) today announced that preliminary clinical trial data confirm its updated COVID-19 vaccine for the fall 2023 vaccination season showed a significant boost in neutralizing antibodies against EG.5 and FL.1.5.1 variants. These results suggest that Moderna's updated COVID-19 vaccine may effectively target the expected circulating variants of COVID-19 during the upcoming vaccination season.
(..)

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/pfizers-updated-covid-shot-effective-against-eris-variant-mice-study-2023-08-17/ posted:

Pfizer's updated COVID shot effective against 'Eris' variant in mice study

Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) said on Thursday its updated COVID-19 shot, which is being tested against emerging variants, showed neutralizing activity against the "Eris" subvariant in a study conducted on mice.
(..)

Steve Yun posted:

seventh biggest wave and climbing
(..)

tangy yet delightful posted:

(..)
Can you share a link to this, or is it on a closed system like bluesky or whatever?

icantfindaname posted:

Is carageenan spray supposed to sting? I was using an off brand for a while and it would sting, now I got the flo travel name brand and it doesn't. Am I doing it wrong, either before or now?

https://slides.com/jbloom/new_2nd_gen_ba2_variant posted:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0925443923001849 posted:

Functional characterisation of the ACE2 orthologues in Drosophila provides insights into the neuromuscular complications of COVID-19

Highlights
• A large percentage of patients with COVID-19 have neuromuscular manifestations.
• Loss of Drosophila ACE2 orthologues Ance or Ance3 impaired motoric ability.
• Ance or Ance3 knockdown induced unique and overlapping transcriptional changes.
• Genes with a synaptic function were particularly vulnerable to splicing alterations.
• Findings favour ACE2 interference as a cause of COVID-19 neuromuscular disturbances.

Abstract
SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19), gains cellular entry via interaction with the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor of host cells. Although SARS-CoV-2 mainly targets the respiratory system, the neuromuscular system also appears to be affected in a large percentage of patients with acute or chronic COVID-19. The cause of the well-described neuromuscular manifestations resulting from SARS-CoV-2 infection remains unresolved. These may result from the neuromuscular-invasive capacity of the virus leading to direct injury. Alternatively, they may be the consequence of ACE2 inactivation either due to viral infection, ACE2 autoantibodies or both. Here, we made use of the Drosophila model to investigate whether ACE2 downregulation is sufficient to induce neuromuscular phenotypes. We show that moderate gene silencing of ACE2 orthologues Ance or Ance3 diminished survival on exposure to thermal stress only upon induction of neuromuscular fatigue driven by increased physical activity. A strong knockdown of Ance or Ance3 directed to muscle reduced or abolished adult viability and caused obvious motoric deficits including reduced locomotion and impaired flight capacity. Selective knockdown of Ance and Ance3 in neurons caused wing defects and an age-dependent decline in motor behaviour, respectively, in adult flies. Interestingly, RNA sequencing allowed us to discover several differentially spliced genes that are required for synaptic function downstream of Ance or Ance3 depletion. Our findings are therefore supportive of the notion that loss of a RAS-independent function for ACE2 contributes to the neuromuscular manifestations associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

https://scitechdaily.com/unmasking-the-long-covid-mystery-new-study-reveals-cause-of-muscle-weakness/#google_vignette posted:

Unmasking the Long COVID Mystery: New Study Reveals Cause of Muscle Weakness
(..)
Around one in three individuals who recover from COVID-19 continue to experience life-disrupting symptoms, such as persistent fatigue, shortness of breath, ‘brain fog’ (a term used to describe concentration difficulties), and muscle weakness. The origin of long COVID, despite its increasing global impact on daily life, has remained a mystery.

SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus responsible for COVID-19, latches onto the ACE2 (angiotensin-converting enzyme 2) receptor, which acts as the doorway through which the virus infects cells. In a pioneering study, researchers at the University of Malta exploited fruit flies to curb down the levels of the ACE2 receptor. In the absence of the virus, this was enough to induce fatigue and diminished mobility.

“Our research clearly shows that depletion of ACE2 is central to the neuromuscular complications experienced by a significant percentage of COVID-19 patients,” said Professor Ruben Cauchi, who heads the Motor Neuron Disease Laboratory at the University of Malta.
(..)
When analyzing molecular defects in organisms with downregulated ACE2 levels, the Maltese scientists discovered a breakdown in communication between nerves and muscles. Several key molecules required for nerves to send messages to muscles were found compromised.

Various paths are thought to coalesce to bring down ACE2 levels or dampen its function in humans following a coronavirus infection. “In addition to being hijacked by the virus, the ACE2 receptor on the cell’s surface can also be targeted by autoantibodies, with the immune system attacking the body as it does in Multiple Sclerosis,” added Dr. Paul Herrera, who performed the intricate experiments that were crucial to the study. There have also been reports of virus persistence long after the initial infection.
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