Anyone who claims a "religious exemption" for covid vaccines on the grounds that they were tested on (not manufactured with) fetal cell lines, must also refuse all monoclonal antibody treatments for the same reason. They also cannot take acetaminophen, albuterol, aspirin, ibuprofen, Pepto Bismol, Tums, Lipitor, Senokot, Motrin, Maalox, Ex-Lax, Benadryl, Sudafed, Preparation H, Claritin, Prilosec, or Zoloft, and must avoid the MMR, chickenpox, and shingles vaccine. They should also not purchase any products from Nestle or any of Nestle's subsidiaries, since they contract with a company called Senomyx that develops flavor enhancers that are tested using the same HEK293 cell line used to test the Pfizer & Moderna vaccines. Pepsi and Campbell's have previously developed products with Senomyx using HEK293, although they currently use a different cell line, but it's probably best to avoid all Pepsi and Campbell products as well, to be sure to not consume anything that might have been tested on fetal cells in the past. Number of people in the US who claim a religious exemption from covid vaccination and actually avoid all of the items listed above: 0

Yes, although the resulting zorses and zonkeys are sterile. http://www.rarityacres.com/zonkey.php

So happy for you, and for the sweet little guy who will now have a stable and loving home. What a long, stressful process this has been!

Fox News host calls it a scam (of course):

They make a low-sugar version (G2) in a tub, but I've only seen the powdered sugar-free version (Gatorade Zero) in single-serving packets, which will fill a 20 oz water bottle. It's a bit more expensive per serving than the big 5 lb tub of regular gatorade, but still cheaper than buying bottles. And you can also get individual servings of powdered Propel sugar-free electrolyte drink. The Propel and Gatorade Zero powders work out to about 28-29 cents per 20 oz serving. You can get the low-sugar G2 powder from Amazon in a pack of 3 tubs that make 18 gallons in total for $25, so a little more than the regular gatorade (9 gallons for $10). G2 (3 tubs that make 6 gallons each) https://smile.amazon.com/Gatorade-Thirst-Quencher-Powder-Fruit/dp/B01H74NO7M/ref=sr_1_22?dchild=1&keywords=Gatorade+Zero+pouch&qid=1633067138&s=grocery&sr=1-22 Gatorade Zero (50 packets) https://smile.amazon.com/Gatorade-Powder-Flavor-Variety-Count/dp/B082G3WBK4/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=Gatorade%2BZero%2Bpouch&qid=1633067138&s=grocery&sr=1-3&th=1 Propel Sugar Free (50 packets) https://smile.amazon.com/Propel-Packets-Four-Flavor-Electrolytes-Vitamins/dp/B0789FRV55/ref=pd_bxgy_2/146-6282120-4053547?pd_rd_w=2h9Jz&pf_rd_p=c64372fa-c41c-422e-990d-9e034f73989b&pf_rd_r=B363KA01BJPETVRE754X&pd_rd_r=0c95188f-9c28-44b6-a9ba-74a00ab6f971&pd_rd_wg=Is7XH&pd_rd_i=B0789FRV55&psc=1

Interesting Science article on a new Chinese vaccine that is similar to Novavax, except they grow their spike proteins in hamster ovary cells instead of moth larva ovary cells and they use a different adjuvant ("combining an aluminum salt with DNA nucleotides") vs Novavax's tree-bark-derived saponin adjuvant. It seems to be significantly more effective than Sinopharm and Sinovac (which are old fashioned attenuated virus vaccines), especially against Delta. And since China has already vaccinated 70% of their population, they expect to be able to ship 400+ million doses of "Clover" to COVAX, which has struggled to get enough vaccine due to bottlenecks in supply. The shortage has been partly due to India's export ban, which has just been lifted, so hopefully the new availability of vaccines from China and India will help ease the global supply issues. So here is the main data on the Clover vaccine: "Clover’s trial enrolled 30,000 people on four continents. Among participants who had not had COVID-19 before, the study recorded 52 cases in people receiving the vaccine versus 155 in the placebo group—an efficacy of 67.2%. Efficacy increased to 83.7% when looking only at moderate to severe disease, and to 100% against hospitalization and death. Overall efficacy against the Delta variant was 78.7%, even though the spike in the vaccine was based on a virus circulating early in the pandemic, not on Delta. On the low end, protection against a variant known as Mu was only 58.6%. In an unusual feature of the trial, 49% of participants had SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, a sign of prior infection, at its start. An analysis of that group showed the vaccine had 64.2% efficacy in preventing another bout of COVID-19." https://www.science.org/content/article/new-chinese-vaccine-could-bolster-global-arsenal

Seconding cjzimmer's rec of powdered gatorade. DS is a varsity athlete and keeps tubs of this on hand, it's SO much cheaper than buying bottles (the powder makes 9 gallons for $10), plus it greatly reduces plastic waste. https://smile.amazon.com/Gatorade-Thirst-Quencher-Powder-Glacier/dp/B0776HZ26P/ref=pd_bxgy_1/146-6282120-4053547?pd_rd_w=Nucaw&pf_rd_p=c64372fa-c41c-422e-990d-9e034f73989b&pf_rd_r=YJDFH0GFSCC3RQDS1NBD&pd_rd_r=22e18e39-0494-45d1-a02c-87062fff4cd7&pd_rd_wg=f8bN3&pd_rd_i=B0776HZ26P&psc=1

This graphic from the Oxford study linked by KSera sums up the data very well. Top row shows the probability of transmitting the virus from people who have been vaccinated with Pfizer (blue) and AZ (red); bottom row shows the reduction in probability of testing positive if exposed. Alpha is on the left, Delta on the right, and the shaded area = 95% confidence interval. You can see that the protection against transmitting the virus basically disappears for AZ around 12 weeks after the second shot, and it's greatly reduced for Pfizer. Protection against catching it if exposed also diminishes over time but remains higher than the protection against transmission.

According to this, 90% of Democrats are vaccinated: https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/poll-finding/kff-covid-19-vaccine-monitor-september-2021/?campaign_id=9&emc=edit_nn_20210928&instance_id=41490&nl=the-morning&regi_id=115228995&segment_id=70082&te=1&user_id=1a4509383bb63d42f1b7bbd21f59db8b

Why on earth would citizenship need to be part of a vaccine database??? I provided my name, DOB, and current address, there were zero questions about citizenship. Comparing electronic vaccine records (that already exist in many states) to Hitler registering Jews, and claiming that vaccine records would somehow let Trump know "where every illegal alien lives" is just nonsensical.

Oregon has had medical marijuana since 1998 and recreational sales since 2015. We have the highest (per capita) number of dispensaries in the US, but they are heavily regulated and at least the ones in my area seem to be very clean and professional and no different from any other shop. Marijuana taxes add well over $100 million/year to the state budget (most of which goes to schools or mental health services). In CA the tax brings in over a billion, and I think in WA it's around half a billion. Eventually it will be legal everywhere and dispensaries will be no different from liquor stores: upscale stores in upscale areas, run down stores in run down areas, average stores in average areas.

I don't understand the relevance of this. I've lived in the UK and France, and my experience is nothing like your daughter's — no registering with the state, no declaring who you live with, no unusual paperwork to get a driver's license. I don't remember having to provide any more proof of residency in the UK than I do in the US (e.g. a bank statement or utility bill with my name and current address). If I moved it would be up to me to inform my healthcare provider of my change of address, just like in the US. If your argument is that the only way to have universal healthcare, or even just a vaccine database, is to have the sort of system you describe for Austria, that is simply not true. My kids got their childhood vaccines in the UK, and when we moved to the US, I brought their immunization records with me. Their US pediatricians entered the UK data in their records and added their US vaccines, and when we moved to our current state, we had our records transferred. I got my covid vaccines at a Kroger pharmacy and they showed up in my personal portal (MyChart) within days, without my having to show my vaccine card to my doctor. DD got hers at a mass vax clinic and DS got his on campus; they showed up in their MyHealth portals. There's no reason that MyChart and MyHealth couldn't link with an app or something to generate a QR code. The fact that Texas doesn't handle medical records that way doesn't mean it can't be done, or that it can't be accomplished without some huge sacrifice of freedom and privacy.

I saw that video, lol. She said if God wanted us to cover our faces, He would have made us that way. According to that argument, she should have attended the school board meeting naked.

It really depends on what "side effects" you're most concerned about. J&J has a higher risk of blood clots and thrombocytopenia than the mRNA vaccines, and I don't think the minor, short-term issues (headache, feeling flu-y for a day or two) are much lower for J&J than Pfizer. And the protection from one shot of J&J is lower than the mRNA vaccines, so IMO there is less "bang for your buck" there. But if the choice is one shot of J&J or nothing, I'd definitely get the J&J.

Are you asking about first & second shots or boosters? It's "one of those individual things" in the sense that everyone responds differently, but at a population level Moderna seems to have more side effects and a higher risk of myocarditis — but it also seems to last longer than Pfizer. Both of those things may be the result of Moderna using a much higher dose (100 µg vs 30 µg for Pfizer). We don't have data yet on Moderna's booster, but Pfizer's booster seems to have a similar level of side effects as the original shots (the booster is the same dose). Moderna's booster is half the strength of the original shot (50 µg). If someone is willing to get 2 shots but doesn't plan on getting a booster, I'd opt for Moderna. For a young male who is mostly concerned about myocarditis, I'd likely opt for Pfizer. But there are some things you can do to minimize side effects no matter which vaccine you choose: drink a TON of water the day before, day of, and day after the shot; move the arm as much as possible; take tylenol 4 hours after the shot (but not before). From what I've read, and what the pharmacist told me when I got my shot, hydration can make a big difference — you want to drink as much water as you can handle.

Pfizer submitted their application for 5-11 year olds today: https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/pfizer-seeks-fda-clearance-covid-19-vaccine-younger-children-2021-09-28/

What's the downside to the MA? If you can get an MA for the same cost as a 4-course certificate from Harvard Extension, I would definitely go for the MA.

I think what has been happening is that a whole lot of people who were vocally anti-vax and bought into all the lies about fake numbers, it's just a flu, ivermectin cures it, etc., have been shocked to discover that they are not in the "99% survival" group as they expected. And their friends and family have to either admit they made a terrible mistake and urge others to get vaxxed, or double-down on the claims that covid is NBD and insist it was the Deep State/Big Pharma/greedy hospitals that killed their willfully-unvaxxed loved ones. And sadly a lot of people seem to have chosen Option B. So people put off getting help, or even getting tested, they self-treat at home with ivermectin and vitamins, and by the time they end up in the hospital their chances of survival are significantly diminished. (From what I've been reading lately, the chances of coming off a vent alive are in the 5-12% range). They die, their families post it was the drugs and treatments the hospital "forced" on them that really killed them, their anti-vaxx friends repost/retweet it, and it just becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

There definitely seems to be a trend where people who get sick are putting off going to the hospital as long as possible, with the result that once they get there they're much sicker than would have been the case 6 months ago. There has been a huge uptick in social media posts telling people to avoid the hospital and refuse remdesivir, because hospital are purposely killing people (the theory is that they give you remdesivir to damage your kidneys and then put you on a vent so they can collect $30K/day from the government, instead of giving you ivermectin and sending you home cured in a few days). So ERs are seeing people show up with critically low 02 sats, who've been sick for a couple of weeks or more but have stayed home taking Vitamin C and ivermectin, and they go straight to ICU and are often on a vent within 24 hours. Not surprisingly, there has also been an uptick in ivermectin poisonings — Oregon had 25 cases in the last 6 weeks, of which 5 were hospitalized, with 2 in the ICU. New Mexico has had 2 deaths, 1 of whom was only 38 years old.

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/pfizer-begins-study-covid-19-antiviral-drug-2021-09-27/ Sept 27 (Reuters) - Pfizer Inc said on Monday it has started a mid-to-late-stage study testing its investigational oral antiviral drug for the prevention of COVID-19 infection among those who have been exposed to the virus. The company and its rivals, including U.S.-based Merck & Co Inc and Swiss pharmaceutical Roche Holding AG, have been racing to develop the first antiviral pill for COVID-19. Pfizer said it would study the drug, PF-07321332, in up to 2,660 healthy adult participants aged 18 and older who live in the same household as an individual with a confirmed symptomatic COVID-19 infection. The trial would test PF-07321332 with a low dose of ritonavir, an older medication widely used in combination treatments for HIV infection. Merck and partner Ridgeback Biotherapeutics said earlier this month they had begun enrolling patients in a late-stage trial of their experimental drug molnupiravir for prevention of COVID-19 infection. Pfizer had also said earlier this month it started a mid-to-late-stage trial of PF-07321332 for the treatment of COVID-19 in non-hospitalized, symptomatic adult patients.

Why would someone join a homeschool board to resurrect an 8 yr old thread on pants sizes???

No, in this study they were actually testing for dose-dependent antibody responses vs waning immunity. They infected the animals 4 weeks after the second dose, when IgA antibodies were still strong. What they found was that higher vaccine doses resulted in higher antibody titers, and higher antibody titers were needed to prevent viral replication in the upper airway (as sampled via nasal swabs) compared to the lower airway (as sampled via bronceoaveolar lavage). Antibody levels produced by a dose as low as 1 µg (this is in macaques) were sufficient to protect against severe lung disease but not upper respiratory disease. Antibody levels produced in response to doses of 30 and 100 µg, on the other hand, were protective against both upper and lower respiratory disease. They found IgA and IgG in both upper and lower respiratory tracts, although IgG antibodies were significantly higher in both areas. So that may partly explain why Moderna's protection against symptomatic disease lasts longer than Pfizer's, since their dose is more than 3x higher than Pfizer's and likely produces higher antibody levels to begin with. It's quite possible that the waning of IgA after 3-4 months also contributes to the drop in protection, but according to this study, even when IgA antibodies are strong, it still takes a higher level of antibodies to halt viral replication in the upper versus lower airway.

Paper published in Science on primate experiments with Moderna explains why protection against severe disease lasts longer that protection against infection: you need higher levels of antibodies to fight off upper respiratory infection, but lower levels are still effective against lower respiratory infection and severe lung disease. "mRNA-1273 vaccine–induced antibody responses are a mechanistic correlate of protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection in NHPs [non-human primates]. Protection in the lower respiratory tract was achieved at lower serum antibody concentrations than in the upper respiratory tract. These data explain in part the consistent finding that vaccine efficacy against severe lower tract disease is greater than that against mild upper tract disease. These findings have potential implications for how additional boosting may sustain protection against severe disease in the lower respiratory tract and limit mild infection and transmission by enhancing the immunity required in the upper respiratory tract." https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abj0299

CDC says data from 1,000 schools in AZ (Maricopa & Pima counties) shows that schools without mask mandates are 3.5x more likely to have outbreaks compared to schools that started with a mandate in place. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7039e1.htm?s_cid=mm7039e1_w CDC also found that "increases in pediatric COVID-19 case rates during the start of the 2021–22 school year were smaller in U.S. counties with school mask requirements than in those without school mask requirements." Findings are preliminary and they plan to do a more detailed analysis: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7039e3.htm?s_cid=mm7039e3_w

If you're talking about Pfizer, the booster and the "3rd shot" are exactly the same (30 µg). With Moderna, a 3rd shot is the full 100 µg dose, but the booster is 50 µg.