Omicron anecdata?

[kokotg]

DS who's in Budapest for the semester woke up with a slightly sore throat and a stuffy nose earlier in the week, tested negative twice on rapid tests, but just tested positive on a 3rd rapid test (first one where he swabbed his throat; the other two were saliva tests that his program gave him). He almost didn't test again because he says he feels completely fine now, but apparently I talked him into it. Vaxxed and boosted (in November); local numbers are very high right now in Budapest--they got their omicron wave a little later than the US did and might or might not be peaking right about now. Also his program put everyone on a train together and took them on a wine tasting excursion last weekend, and, shockingly, now there are a bunch of positives. Anyway, unless symptoms come back, it looks like it was around 24 hours of a mild sore throat and a little bit of a stuffy nose for him; he described it as like "the most mild cold I've ever had." 

[mommyoffive]

1 hour ago, kokotg said:

DS who's in Budapest for the semester woke up with a slightly sore throat and a stuffy nose earlier in the week, tested negative twice on rapid tests, but just tested positive on a 3rd rapid test (first one where he swabbed his throat; the other two were saliva tests that his program gave him). He almost didn't test again because he says he feels completely fine now, but apparently I talked him into it. Vaxxed and boosted (in November); local numbers are very high right now in Budapest--they got their omicron wave a little later than the US did and might or might not be peaking right about now. Also his program put everyone on a train together and took them on a wine tasting excursion last weekend, and, shockingly, now there are a bunch of positives. Anyway, unless symptoms come back, it looks like it was around 24 hours of a mild sore throat and a little bit of a stuffy nose for him; he described it as like "the most mild cold I've ever had." 

Hoping his symptoms don't come back.  

[mommyoffive]

Go red go!!

[mommyoffive]

The U.S. has reached 900,000 deaths from COVID-19 : NPR

[mommyoffive]

You Can Now See How Much COVID-19 Virus Is In Your Community’s Wastewater (msn.com)

[Melissa in Australia]

20 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

Mixed feelings, honestly.  She feels that she has lived long enough at 97, and is distressed by the indignities of her failing bodily systems.

Hugs

similar situation with mil. She had Covid so mildly.

Her nursing home is in lockdown so she couldn’t see any family for her 100th. My sil dropped off a few things at reception including a bottle of brandy. Mil smuggled it into a friends room down the hall, another oldie snuck in as well and they had a jolly time. One of the staff found them then went to the kitchen and brought them a tray of treats. So she had a fabulous time after all.

[Acadie]

16 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

Go red go!!

Once again it's interesting to me to see Ohio trending down within days of NY, and before several other states on the east coast. More support for my theory that Cleveland is so tied in with NYC we're basically a satellite petri dish 😂

Within Ohio, the downward trend in both cases and hospitalizations is most pronounced in the Cleveland area, where Omicron first surged. The rest of the state is behind on the curve but trending overall in the same direction.  

[mommyoffive]

Effectiveness of Face Mask or Respirator Use in Indoor Public Settings for Prevention of SARS-CoV-2 Infection — California, February–December 2021 | MMWR (cdc.gov)

[mommyoffive]

Pfizer's Covid pill has been heralded as a game-changer. The U.S. is bungling the rollout. (msn.com)

 

 

Long-term symptoms caused by omicron variant 'are life-destroying,' says expert (msn.com)

[mommyoffive]

Covid vaccine: CDC advisers weigh delaying second shot to eight weeks (nbcnews.com)

[mommyoffive]

The red wave is growing!!!   By red wave I am not meaning anything political, just the trend of states turning red from the east growing and hopefully sweeping the rest of the country.  Red is a lower risk level than maroon, so I am very happy to see states turn red, that was why I was excited.  Sorry for any misunderstanding.    Also, this map is from Covidactnow.org and it shows the risk level of covid state to state.  Maroon being the highest.

I can't wait for my state to turn red.  We have dropped in cases so much.  Come on red. 

 

Edited February 5, 2022 by mommyoffive

[mommyoffive]

Omicron-specific booster may not be needed, U.S. monkey study finds | Reuters

[Kanin]

9 hours ago, Melissa in Australia said:

Her nursing home is in lockdown so she couldn’t see any family for her 100th. My sil dropped off a few things at reception including a bottle of brandy. Mil smuggled it into a friends room down the hall, another oldie snuck in as well and they had a jolly time. One of the staff found them then went to the kitchen and brought them a tray of treats. So she had a fabulous time after all.

Awww!!!! 

[Catwoman]

8 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

Effectiveness of Face Mask or Respirator Use in Indoor Public Settings for Prevention of SARS-CoV-2 Infection — California, February–December 2021 | MMWR (cdc.gov)

An important thing to point out about this study is that they were looking for real-world statistics, so there was no accounting for whether or not the masks were properly fitted.

In other words, if people were wearing N95 masks, but the masks had gaps, it would make sense that some of those people would have contracted Covid despite wearing the N95, while if those same people had been wearing properly fitted N95s, that 83% effectiveness number would most likely be even higher. The same thing goes for all of the other types of masks -- as an example, how many people do we see out and about who are wearing surgical masks, but not squeezing the top of the mask around their noses? Technically, they are wearing surgical masks, but they aren't getting anywhere near the best possible protection from them because they are wearing the masks incorrectly.

 

[iamonlyone]

On 2/2/2022 at 10:37 PM, iamonlyone said:

Anecdata: We are all fully vaxed and boosted, and our children live away from home in different states. Within the last 10 days:

Dd27 Covid positive, felt awful with all the symptoms—fever for about 3 days. At day 5 (today) she is required to return to her professional ballet company rehearsal and her preschool teaching job if she got a negative rapid test. (Yesterday she wasn't able to complete an easy yoga workout, so I don't know how that went!)

Dd22 sick for about 10 days, but only extreme congestion and fatigue. Loss of smell only on days 7-9.

Dh maybe Covid? What do you all think? He had all symptoms except GI and loss of taste/smell. He missed a week of work and is still not 100%. It seemed  to him like a very different illness than he has ever had, and he was exposed in a couple settings. However, he had a negative rapid home test on the first day of strong symptoms (day 2), a negative PCR on day 2, and a negative drive-through rapid on day 5. How could he get all those negatives if he had Covid? Is that possible?

I'm glad that the tests say he didn't have it, but I'm also not looking forward to doing all the isolation (he stayed in our master bedroom/bathroom) and ventilation measures again if either one of us does test positive at some point!

Update: Dd27 is still testing positive. She is at day 9 and struggling some. Her oximeter reading drops to 85 when she stands (normal when seated). She says it's challenging taking a shower and difficult to prepare meals. A nurse told her to go to the doctor tomorrow if she is still getting the low readings so they can check for pneumonia. I am so sad that she is struggling so hard, in spite of doing all she could with vaccinations and masking, etc. I wish we could help her, but she lives 1,700 miles away. Prayers and good thoughts are much appreciated!

[Corraleno]

38 minutes ago, iamonlyone said:

Update: Dd27 is still testing positive. She is at day 9 and struggling some. Her oximeter reading drops to 85 when she stands (normal when seated). She says it's challenging taking a shower and difficult to prepare meals. A nurse told her to go to the doctor tomorrow if she is still getting the low readings so they can check for pneumonia. I am so sad that she is struggling so hard, in spite of doing all she could with vaccinations and masking, etc. I wish we could help her, but she lives 1,700 miles away. Prayers and good thoughts are much appreciated!

I'm so sorry she's still struggling, it's so hard when they're so far away. (((hugs)))

[Spryte]

40 minutes ago, iamonlyone said:

Update: Dd27 is still testing positive. She is at day 9 and struggling some. Her oximeter reading drops to 85 when she stands (normal when seated). She says it's challenging taking a shower and difficult to prepare meals. A nurse told her to go to the doctor tomorrow if she is still getting the low readings so they can check for pneumonia. I am so sad that she is struggling so hard, in spite of doing all she could with vaccinations and masking, etc. I wish we could help her, but she lives 1,700 miles away. Prayers and good thoughts are much appreciated!

I hope she is much improved tomorrow!

[Catwoman]

41 minutes ago, iamonlyone said:

Update: Dd27 is still testing positive. She is at day 9 and struggling some. Her oximeter reading drops to 85 when she stands (normal when seated). She says it's challenging taking a shower and difficult to prepare meals. A nurse told her to go to the doctor tomorrow if she is still getting the low readings so they can check for pneumonia. I am so sad that she is struggling so hard, in spite of doing all she could with vaccinations and masking, etc. I wish we could help her, but she lives 1,700 miles away. Prayers and good thoughts are much appreciated!

Praying for your dd to make a full recovery very soon!!!

[MEmama]

5 hours ago, iamonlyone said:

Update: Dd27 is still testing positive. She is at day 9 and struggling some. Her oximeter reading drops to 85 when she stands (normal when seated). She says it's challenging taking a shower and difficult to prepare meals. A nurse told her to go to the doctor tomorrow if she is still getting the low readings so they can check for pneumonia. I am so sad that she is struggling so hard, in spite of doing all she could with vaccinations and masking, etc. I wish we could help her, but she lives 1,700 miles away. Prayers and good thoughts are much appreciated!

I hope she turns the corner soon!

Having our kids—even the adult variety— far away is so hard! 😞 

[Kassia]

I hope she feels better soon.  It's so hard when they are far away - we worry so much and want to be there.  Please keep updating.  

[kokotg]

On 2/4/2022 at 3:41 PM, kokotg said:

DS who's in Budapest for the semester woke up with a slightly sore throat and a stuffy nose earlier in the week, tested negative twice on rapid tests, but just tested positive on a 3rd rapid test (first one where he swabbed his throat; the other two were saliva tests that his program gave him). He almost didn't test again because he says he feels completely fine now, but apparently I talked him into it. Vaxxed and boosted (in November); local numbers are very high right now in Budapest--they got their omicron wave a little later than the US did and might or might not be peaking right about now. Also his program put everyone on a train together and took them on a wine tasting excursion last weekend, and, shockingly, now there are a bunch of positives. Anyway, unless symptoms come back, it looks like it was around 24 hours of a mild sore throat and a little bit of a stuffy nose for him; he described it as like "the most mild cold I've ever had." 

He had a PCR test the day after the positive rapid test. It came back negative, but one of his roommates (who had a negative rapid test the same day as his positive) was positive, so now DS and the other negative roommate are in a hotel while the positive roommate quarantines for 7 days. It all seems a little silly; everyone in the program (small; it's only 35 kids total) has been exposed to everyone else multiple times and a bunch of them have tested positive; it seems to me like it would make more sense to tell all of them to stay home and do a week of classes online. 

[KSera]

43 minutes ago, kokotg said:

He had a PCR test the day after the positive rapid test. It came back negative, but one of his roommates (who had a negative rapid test the same day as his positive) was positive, so now DS and the other negative roommate are in a hotel while the positive roommate quarantines for 7 days. It all seems a little silly; everyone in the program (small; it's only 35 kids total) has been exposed to everyone else multiple times and a bunch of them have tested positive; it seems to me like it would make more sense to tell all of them to stay home and do a week of classes online. 

I was thinking your ds would be quarantining with the positive roommate. Since he had a positive rapid plus Covid symptoms at the same time his roommate is positive, I’m surprised they aren’t treating his as positive. A false negative is much more likely than a false positive (those are very rare). In any case, hopefully they’re all feeling normal again soon. 

[kokotg]

25 minutes ago, KSera said:

I was thinking your ds would be quarantining with the positive roommate. Since he had a positive rapid plus Covid symptoms at the same time his roommate is positive, I’m surprised they aren’t treating his as positive. A false negative is much more likely than a false positive (those are very rare). In any case, hopefully they’re all feeling normal again soon. 

Yes, I don't quite understand the program's strategy (maybe it was "let's get this out of the way before classes start"?) He took another rapid test today, and that was negative, too, so I'm guessing it was a case of him having a very mild case and clearing it quickly. Or the tests they're using, including the PCRs, are suspect. The only positive was on a test he brought from home. He's supposed to go to classes tomorrow, but at that point it will be 6 days since his first symptoms, and he's had 2 negative tests since the one positive. I feel bad for the asymptomatic roommate who's having to quarantine alone, though. 

[iamonlyone]

12 hours ago, Kassia said:

I hope she feels better soon.  It's so hard when they are far away - we worry so much and want to be there.  Please keep updating.  

Some good news! Blood ox is staying up today, and she is not losing her breath when she moves around.

I'm sorry she is the one of us who is getting slammed, as she is the elite athlete. She works 30 hours a week at the preschool and rehearses 20-30 hours a week with her ballet company. I think it is going to be a very difficult few weeks (hoping for just that time frame!) for her when she is able to go back. I hope I am wrong!

[Kassia]

That is a wonderful update - what a relief.  I hope she can find the time she needs to rest and recover.  Sounds like a very demanding schedule between her job and rehearsals.  ❤️

[mommyoffive]

Those COVID tests the government sent you might not work. Cold weather could be to blame. (msn.com)

[cintinative]

9 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

Those COVID tests the government sent you might not work. Cold weather could be to blame. (msn.com)

We still haven't received ours.

[whitestavern]

11 minutes ago, cintinative said:

We still haven't received ours.

We haven’t either. Ordered the first day site was up. 

[I talk to the trees]

45 minutes ago, whitestavern said:

We haven’t either. Ordered the first day site was up. 

Also ordered within the first hour the site was up. Still haven’t received ours.

[TexasProud]

20 minutes ago, I talk to the trees said:

Also ordered within the first hour the site was up. Still haven’t received ours.

Wow, I didn't order until 5 days after it opened, and I have mine.

[ikslo]

I received mine a few days ago. Ordered first day.

[mommyoffive]

1 hour ago, cintinative said:

We still haven't received ours.

Me either and I ordered the first day.

[mommyoffive]

Riding the waves: A framework for the future of SARS-CoV-2 (substack.com)

 

Edited February 7, 2022 by mommyoffive

[Insertcreativenamehere]

I ordered the first day and got mine about a week ago. 

[Innisfree]

1 hour ago, whitestavern said:

We haven’t either. Ordered the first day site was up. 

Same here.

[Kassia]

That's strange about the tests.  We received ours very quickly and so did my adult kids who ordered them in different states.  

Edited February 7, 2022 by Kassia

[mommyoffive]

The future of the pandemic is looking clearer as we learn more about infection : Goats and Soda : NPR

If you're under age 50 and healthy, then a bout of COVID-19 offers good protection against severe disease if you were to be infected again in a future surge, says epidemiologist Laith Abu-Raddad, at Weill-Cornell Medical-Qatar. "That's really important because eventually, every one of us will get infected," he says. "But if reinfections prove to be more mild, in general, it will allow us to live with this pandemic in a much easier way."

 

And here's the "really good news," Abu-Raddad says: This protection against severe disease persists, perhaps for years. "We've been following this same group of people for over a year and a half now, we don't see much waning. If it's there, it's too small to discern."

But the good news doesn't necessarily hold true for everyone. This long-term protection is seen in healthy people under age 50, Abu-Raddad points out. It's likely less potent and possibly more short-lived for people who are older or who have underlying health conditions, he says. More data is needed to know how the protection varies with age.

[Spryte]

We have our tests.

For those of you who haven’t received them, did you receive order confirmations and tracking info? Those emails might have useful info.

Unfortunately, ours arrived on a day that was well below freezing and sat in our mailbox till after dark — probably a good 6 or 7 hours. I’m sure they froze. Not sure how effective they will be. 

[cintinative]

6 minutes ago, Spryte said:

We have our tests.

For those of you who haven’t received them, did you receive order confirmations and tracking info? Those emails might have useful info.

Unfortunately, ours arrived on a day that was well below freezing and sat in our mailbox till after dark — probably a good 6 or 7 hours. I’m sure they froze. Not sure how effective they will be. 

We got an order confirmation but not tracking information. If we had tracking I would be checking the mailbox regularly but it is hard because we have no idea when they will come.

[cintinative]

33 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

The future of the pandemic is looking clearer as we learn more about infection : Goats and Soda : NPR

If you're under age 50 and healthy, then a bout of COVID-19 offers good protection against severe disease if you were to be infected again in a future surge, says epidemiologist Laith Abu-Raddad, at Weill-Cornell Medical-Qatar. "That's really important because eventually, every one of us will get infected," he says. "But if reinfections prove to be more mild, in general, it will allow us to live with this pandemic in a much easier way."

 

And here's the "really good news," Abu-Raddad says: This protection against severe disease persists, perhaps for years. "We've been following this same group of people for over a year and a half now, we don't see much waning. If it's there, it's too small to discern."

But the good news doesn't necessarily hold true for everyone. This long-term protection is seen in healthy people under age 50, Abu-Raddad points out. It's likely less potent and possibly more short-lived for people who are older or who have underlying health conditions, he says. More data is needed to know how the protection varies with age.

I think the key words here are "severe disease." Remember @Mrs Tiggywinkle has had COVID three times, and at least one of those was contracted when she was fully masked but in the presence of a person with COVID in an ambulance.  She was still sick for a week or so I think that third time.  

Plus every time you get COVID there is a chance you will pick up some kind of long-COVID symptom.

I think the author's point is that it reduces the chance of hospitalization and death but those are not the only outcomes of concern.  And I worry that people don't understand what the words "severe disease" mean. 

[mommyoffive]

6 minutes ago, cintinative said:

We got an order confirmation but not tracking information. If we had tracking I would be checking the mailbox regularly but it is hard because we have no idea when they will come.

Same

[Catwoman]

3 hours ago, cintinative said:

We still haven't received ours.

 

3 hours ago, whitestavern said:

We haven’t either. Ordered the first day site was up. 

 

2 hours ago, I talk to the trees said:

Also ordered within the first hour the site was up. Still haven’t received ours.

 

1 hour ago, mommyoffive said:

Me either and I ordered the first day.

 

1 hour ago, Innisfree said:

Same here.

Add me to the list of people who ordered on the first day, but still haven’t received anything yet.

We we’re joking that some guy at our post office is probably making a bundle by selling test kits on eBay…. 😉 

[mommyoffive]

ORANGE!!!

I was not expecting that!  Yay!!

Edited February 7, 2022 by mommyoffive

[Spryte]

18 minutes ago, cintinative said:

We got an order confirmation but not tracking information. If we had tracking I would be checking the mailbox regularly but it is hard because we have no idea when they will come.

Ok, so I just went back and looked through old emails for any communications we received about the tests. We received the initial confirmation email, that says tracking info will be sent when the tests ship. I vaguely recalled receiving teaching info, but I can’t find any such email—and I think we just receive so many packages that I’ve mixed it up. I’ll ask DH later, but I think we likely didn’t receive a tracking email. I had a vague idea the tests would come when our weather was crummy only because people here had started receiving their boxes. 

[Spryte]

3 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

ORANGE!!!

I was not expecting that!  Yay!!

Wow!

[mommyoffive]

N.J., Delaware to Lift Mask Rules; Ottawa Crisis: Virus Update (msn.com)

[KSera]

On reinfections, the new data from the UK, now that they’ve gone back and included infections more than 90 days apart as reinfections is not encouraging for omicron. From reading the report this graph comes from, it sounds to me like the careful phrasing of “possible” reinfections has to do with sequencing the cases to confirm that they are different from the infection that happened more than 90 days earlier.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1052357/Weekly_Flu_and_COVID-19_report_w5.pdf

[cintinative]

13 minutes ago, KSera said:

 

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1052357/Weekly_Flu_and_COVID-19_report_w5.pdf

Can you explain this: "It is important to consider reinfections in the context of first infections and there is a 90-day delay before people with a first infection can become eligible for reinfection."  why is that? I thought you could have Delta and then get Omicron right after? Or am I wrong?

[Faith-manor]

1 hour ago, mommyoffive said:

ORANGE!!!

I was not expecting that!  Yay!!

Go Maryland!

[Pam in CT]

GO MARYLAND!!

2 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

ORANGE!!!

I was not expecting that!  Yay!!

Danielle & others -- were you hit hard in the earliest waves of Omicron and rolled through it before us, or did you manage through it better, or something else? 

(Asking on behalf of the NYC metropolitan area)

Hoping ORANGE is the new national trend...