Omicron anecdata?

[mommyoffive]

WHO: Nearly 15 million deaths associated with COVID-19 (msn.com)

 

Covid Killed One Out of Every 500 People, WHO Report Shows (msn.com)

[kbutton]

5 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

WHO: Nearly 15 million deaths associated with COVID-19 (msn.com)

 

Covid Killed One Out of Every 500 People, WHO Report Shows (msn.com)

Adding to the pile of similar articles: https://www.reuters.com/world/almost-three-times-many-died-result-covid-than-officially-reported-who-2022-05-05/?utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A Trending Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR1mypjSrd1dQjLg8dklAATVDUfHg1tFMWDCGOZp7jJlOgc0YbXeTPvOha8

 

[mommyoffive]

FDA puts strict limits on Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine (msn.com)

[mommyoffive]

Up up up here in WI.

Wisconsin COVID-19 cases top 2,000 for second day (msn.com)

[Lisa]

6 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

Up up up here in WI.

Wisconsin COVID-19 cases top 2,000 for second day (msn.com)

I'm an RN who works in a large hospital in WI. I've worked in the covid units for the past two years. Covid cases have gone up, but the percentage of hospital cases is very minimal. For the past month and now our hospital has had 0-5 covid patients at a time.  

[kbutton]

41 minutes ago, Lisa said:

I'm an RN who works in a large hospital in WI. I've worked in the covid units for the past two years. Covid cases have gone up, but the percentage of hospital cases is very minimal. For the past month and now our hospital has had 0-5 covid patients at a time.  

I am really glad that it's not swamped, but I am not sure how that will hold out. One group I follow on FB is talking about overwhelmed hospitals in Canada--more so that any point in the pandemic.

DH is not seeing a lot at work either, but there is a bit of an uptick recently.

[KSera]

I had to go to a medical appointment today and I am very worried about my exposure there. Our cases are really high. There was no ventilation and the small room was stuffy. The provider works primarily with kids all day and wore only a surgical mask. I was in there with her for an hour. I’m relying on my N95 doing very heavy lifting for that 🤞. 

[Mom_to3]

3 hours ago, Lisa said:

I'm an RN who works in a large hospital in WI. I've worked in the covid units for the past two years. Covid cases have gone up, but the percentage of hospital cases is very minimal. For the past month and now our hospital has had 0-5 covid patients at a time.  

My state's hospitalizations have almost doubled since the minimum a few weeks ago. Also, the infections seem to be moving into the very elderly in my region just now, so that will certainly will make this trend worse. Schools are swamped. Employee cases voluntarily reported to my employer doubled this past week. I wish they'd put mask mandates back already.

[Mom_to3]

14 minutes ago, KSera said:

I had to go to a medical appointment today and I am very worried about my exposure there. Our cases are really high. There was no ventilation and the small room was stuffy. The provider works primarily with kids all day and wore only a surgical mask. I was in there with her for an hour. I’m relying on my N95 doing very heavy lifting for that 🤞. 

Yikes. I am supposed to go to an appointment with a specialist opthalmologist that I am seriously considering postponing again. I have to book so many months in advance that it is impossible to guess wave activity. Tiny closet like rooms with no windows, lots of different providers/techs up close and personal and I doubt my N95 will stay in place during the different tests (they do require surgical masks in the office). The entire affair takes a minimum of 1.5-2 hours. There is nothing urgent going on, but I am worried that they will drop me as a patient...

Oh - I bought a fit test kit for our masks since it looks like we'll be needing them for a long time to come and who knows if we'll ever get updated vaccines.. Out of 5 masks, only 1 actually fit me. For DH, his first trial mask (our go-to) fit. Very insightful. 

[Mom_to3]

4 hours ago, Lisa said:

I'm an RN who works in a large hospital in WI. I've worked in the covid units for the past two years. Covid cases have gone up, but the percentage of hospital cases is very minimal. For the past month and now our hospital has had 0-5 covid patients at a time.  

Thanks for the inside view, btw! 

[mommyoffive]

7 hours ago, Mom_to3 said:

Yikes. I am supposed to go to an appointment with a specialist opthalmologist that I am seriously considering postponing again. I have to book so many months in advance that it is impossible to guess wave activity. Tiny closet like rooms with no windows, lots of different providers/techs up close and personal and I doubt my N95 will stay in place during the different tests (they do require surgical masks in the office). The entire affair takes a minimum of 1.5-2 hours. There is nothing urgent going on, but I am worried that they will drop me as a patient...

Oh - I bought a fit test kit for our masks since it looks like we'll be needing them for a long time to come and who knows if we'll ever get updated vaccines.. Out of 5 masks, only 1 actually fit me. For DH, his first trial mask (our go-to) fit. Very insightful. 

Where did you get the fit test?   That is very interesting that only one mask fit you.   Gosh I am so torn.  Feeling like how can we not get it at this point?  With all the mandates gone.  Cases rising.  I almost feel like just stop trying and get it already.  Of course the other side of me is worried that one of us would end up with long covid.  

I put off a dental apt because cases were going up.  Well now they are even higher and I want to put it off again.  I guess I should have just gone 3 weeks ago.  I hate the constant guessing and trying to figure out when you should go.

[mommyoffive]

7 hours ago, KSera said:

I had to go to a medical appointment today and I am very worried about my exposure there. Our cases are really high. There was no ventilation and the small room was stuffy. The provider works primarily with kids all day and wore only a surgical mask. I was in there with her for an hour. I’m relying on my N95 doing very heavy lifting for that 🤞. 

Fingers crossed.  I hate the stress of waiting after having an interaction where you are not comfortable with what was going on.  I am currently doing that.

[mommyoffive]

Can COVID Lead to Impotence? (yahoo.com)

 

Covid's toll in U.S. reaches 1 million deaths, a once unfathomable number (nbcnews.com)

[Mom_to3]

I initially ordered a fit test from Amazon, but it was used (clearly a returned product) so I returned it (warning Amazon not to resell!) (there is no way I am spraying an opened liquid into my face!). I ordered from Grainger because free shipping was fast for my location, but you can also get them from https://www.envirosafetyproducts.com/ or https://industrialsafety.com/

among others. We chose the bitter version, as it apparently works for more people than the sweet version (the first step of the fit test is to see if you can test the substance). You should also easily be able to buy the items separately to save some money and create your own fit test (like create your own hood:) ).

 

[Catwoman]

14 hours ago, KSera said:

I had to go to a medical appointment today and I am very worried about my exposure there. Our cases are really high. There was no ventilation and the small room was stuffy. The provider works primarily with kids all day and wore only a surgical mask. I was in there with her for an hour. I’m relying on my N95 doing very heavy lifting for that 🤞. 

Next time, stick a can of disinfectant in your bag and spray the examining room the first second you’re alone in there.

I may or may not have done exactly that yesterday when my DH had to meet with his spinal surgeon 😉 

Edited May 6, 2022 by Catwoman

[Catwoman]

21 minutes ago, Mom_to3 said:

I initially ordered a fit test from Amazon, but it was used (clearly a returned product) so I returned it (warning Amazon not to resell!) (there is no way I am spraying an opened liquid into my face!). I ordered from Grainger because free shipping was fast for my location, but you can also get them from https://www.envirosafetyproducts.com/ or https://industrialsafety.com/

among others. We chose the bitter version, as it apparently works for more people than the sweet version (the first step of the fit test is to see if you can test the substance). You should also easily be able to buy the items separately to save some money and create your own fit test (like create your own hood:) ).

 

I didn’t even know you could get those! Thanks for the info!

[Catwoman]

1 hour ago, mommyoffive said:

Can COVID Lead to Impotence? (yahoo.com)

If this information was publicized more heavily, I’ll bet we would see a lot more men wearing masks!

[Catwoman]

6 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

Fingers crossed.  I hate the stress of waiting after having an interaction where you are not comfortable with what was going on.  I am currently doing that.

Same here. I felt very safe where we were because everyone was masked (and the surgeon was wearing an N95) and they seemed  to be taking a lot of precautions, but if dh or I get so much is a sniffle between now and the next 10 days or so, I will probably be a nervous wreck. 

[Laura Corin]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-61349196

Infections dropping fast in the UK.

[KSera]

14 hours ago, Mom_to3 said:

Yikes. I am supposed to go to an appointment with a specialist opthalmologist that I am seriously considering postponing again. I have to book so many months in advance that it is impossible to guess wave activity. Tiny closet like rooms with no windows, lots of different providers/techs up close and personal and I doubt my N95 will stay in place during the different tests (they do require surgical masks in the office). The entire affair takes a minimum of 1.5-2 hours. There is nothing urgent going on, but I am worried that they will drop me as a patient...

Oh - I bought a fit test kit for our masks since it looks like we'll be needing them for a long time to come and who knows if we'll ever get updated vaccines.. Out of 5 masks, only 1 actually fit me. For DH, his first trial mask (our go-to) fit. Very insightful. 

I've considered a fit test kit as well. Would give some confidence if I knew that the mask I feel fits me well really does. I feel like I wish my face was just a tad bigger in it. I like the fit on my kid with a bigger face better. I have a kid still too young to be vaccinated, so am still trying really hard not to have it come into our house before that happens. We have another medical appointment next week though. My finger is hovering over the cancel button, because it's non urgent, but way over due because we keep putting it off due to high case counts. Once again I scheduled it when cases were dropping way down, but by the time it got here, they're back up again.

7 minutes ago, Laura Corin said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-61349196

Infections dropping fast in the UK.

That is super good news, though the numbers are still stunning--to have 1 in 25 people currently ill with covid is really something.

[Laura Corin]

13 minutes ago, KSera said:

 

That is super good news, though the numbers are still stunning--to have 1 in 25 people currently ill with covid is really something.

Absolutely,  although 1 in 25 was the previous week - the latest is 1 in 33. So the news is how steep the decline is.

On the other hand, this is random testing, so not comparable to symptomatic testing in other locations.  

[mommyoffive]

Indoor masking recommended again in Northeast counties (msn.com)

 

Worries About Covid Strain on Health Care Grow in the U.S. (msn.com)

 

New study finds omicron no less severe than earlier variants, and not just more transmissible (msn.com)

[kbutton]

On 5/6/2022 at 9:43 AM, mommyoffive said:

That is very interesting that only one mask fit you.

It's not that uncommon. My DH is hard to fit and has had a couple of co-workers in the same boat. It was a big problem at the beginning of the pandemic when they were short of PPE. 

[Spryte]

How’s masking on international flights these days? Any recent experiences?

DH will be heading to Germany this week, then back to the states briefly before Germany, Sweden and a quick tour through Switzerland. Long trips, public transportation, multiple cities in each. (Blech!)

He’s only just realized that we don’t have any masks that fit well — I think he needs a larger size. Any recs on good masks that come in large or XL sizes? Fast shipping a bonus!

[HomeAgain]

DS23's workspace just went back to mandatory masking.  He's been keeping an eye on the data and knew it was probably coming.

I can't imagine it's a popular requirement, but I'm glad about it.

[Not_a_Number]

5 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

Indoor masking recommended again in Northeast counties (msn.com)

 

Worries About Covid Strain on Health Care Grow in the U.S. (msn.com)

 

New study finds omicron no less severe than earlier variants, and not just more transmissible (msn.com)

Hmmm, I wonder how exactly they've adjusted for confounders... my personal anecdata suggests that Omicron is less severe. That is, the people I know who've had Omicron seemed to have less severe cases. It's true that everyone was vaccinated, so maybe that's why, but I'm pretty skeptical about this. 

As for us, we've pretty much given up on trying not to get COVID. Almost everyone we know around here has gotten it, so we're outliers, and I can no longer put our lives on hold. (Especially having seen what it has done to cities I love -- so many empty storefronts...) Plus, my personal life has been in too much turmoil to be able to deal with more isolation :-/. (I owe you guys an update. Hopefully soon.) 

The one thing I'm trying to figure out is whether to get a second booster. I got my booster way back in September, so I'm sure it's wearing off somewhat... on the other hand, people I know who've had Omicron had an easier time of it than I did with the shot. (2 weeks of headache is a lot.) So I don't know if it'd be worthwhile insurance against unlikely events or not, basically. 

[Longtime Lurker]

21 minutes ago, Not_a_Number said:

Hmmm, I wonder how exactly they've adjusted for confounders... my personal anecdata suggests that Omicron is less severe. That is, the people I know who've had Omicron seemed to have less severe cases. It's true that everyone was vaccinated, so maybe that's why, but I'm pretty skeptical about this. 

As for us, we've pretty much given up on trying not to get COVID. Almost everyone we know around here has gotten it, so we're outliers, and I can no longer put our lives on hold. (Especially having seen what it has done to cities I love -- so many empty storefronts...) Plus, my personal life has been in too much turmoil to be able to deal with more isolation :-/. (I owe you guys an update. Hopefully soon.) 

The one thing I'm trying to figure out is whether to get a second booster. I got my booster way back in September, so I'm sure it's wearing off somewhat... on the other hand, people I know who've had Omicron had an easier time of it than I did with the shot. (2 weeks of headache is a lot.) So I don't know if it'd be worthwhile insurance against unlikely events or not, basically. 

So good to hear from you!

[Mrs Tiggywinkle]

1 hour ago, Not_a_Number said:

Hmmm, I wonder how exactly they've adjusted for confounders... my personal anecdata suggests that Omicron is less severe. That is, the people I know who've had Omicron seemed to have less severe cases. It's true that everyone was vaccinated, so maybe that's why, but I'm pretty skeptical about this. 

As for us, we've pretty much given up on trying not to get COVID. Almost everyone we know around here has gotten it, so we're outliers, and I can no longer put our lives on hold. (Especially having seen what it has done to cities I love -- so many empty storefronts...) Plus, my personal life has been in too much turmoil to be able to deal with more isolation :-/. (I owe you guys an update. Hopefully soon.) 

The one thing I'm trying to figure out is whether to get a second booster. I got my booster way back in September, so I'm sure it's wearing off somewhat... on the other hand, people I know who've had Omicron had an easier time of it than I did with the shot. (2 weeks of headache is a lot.) So I don't know if it'd be worthwhile insurance against unlikely events or not, basically. 

I’ll be honest—pretty much everyone I know got the booster decemberish and had a much harder time with that than they did when we all caught Covid here in January/February.  I have a lot of coworkers really unsure about continuing to get boosters unless one that is effective against prevention.

[Not_a_Number]

Just now, Mrs Tiggywinkle said:

I’ll be honest—pretty much everyone I know got the booster decemberish and had a much harder time with that than they did when we all caught Covid here in January/February.  I have a lot of coworkers really unsure about continuing to get boosters unless one that is effective against prevention.

Yeah. That was my experience around here as well. I get 2 weeks worth of headache with the boosters, which I already know from having gotten one. Maybe more than 2, I'm not even sure. And most people who had Omicron here had a cold for 3 days. 

[Not_a_Number]

1 minute ago, Mrs Tiggywinkle said:

I’ll be honest—pretty much everyone I know got the booster decemberish and had a much harder time with that than they did when we all caught Covid here in January/February.  I have a lot of coworkers really unsure about continuing to get boosters unless one that is effective against prevention.

I might have DH get the booster, though... he's older and he's only out for a day or two. Might be worth it. 

[Mrs Tiggywinkle]

1 minute ago, Not_a_Number said:

I might have DH get the booster, though... he's older and he's only out for a day or two. Might be worth it. 

My DH never had a single side effect from the vaccine or booster.  And despite Covid sweeping our home twice and not even attempting to isolate, he’s never had symptoms or a positive test. Meanwhile, all three vaccines sent me to bed for several days.  

[Frances]

3 minutes ago, Mrs Tiggywinkle said:

I’ll be honest—pretty much everyone I know got the booster decemberish and had a much harder time with that than they did when we all caught Covid here in January/February.  I have a lot of coworkers really unsure about continuing to get boosters unless one that is effective against prevention.

Neither my husband nor I had anything except a sore arm after the second booster, unlike the first three shots. I felt terrible for about 18 hours each time previously. We’re finally getting ready travel to see my mom after canceled trips during the Omicron and Delta peaks, so we wanted to be protected as possible. She also had virtually no reaction to her second booster. These were all either Pfizer or Moderna.

[Terabith]

How are people under 50 who are not severely immune compromised able to get boosters?  I'm not sure if it would make sense for me to get one, but I'd like to know what my options are.

[Not_a_Number]

1 minute ago, Terabith said:

How are people under 50 who are not severely immune compromised able to get boosters?  I'm not sure if it would make sense for me to get one, but I'd like to know what my options are.

Honestly, I don't know, because I don't have a record of my booster anyway. I don't remember what I did -- maybe just got a third shot at a different pharmacy?? 

[Arcadia]

17 minutes ago, Terabith said:

How are people under 50 who are not severely immune compromised able to get boosters?  I'm not sure if it would make sense for me to get one, but I'd like to know what my options are.

Anyone who is 5 months out from their 2nd dose is eligible for the 1st booster. Are you referring to the 2nd booster?

[Terabith]

2 minutes ago, Arcadia said:

Anyone who is 5 months out from their 2nd dose is eligible for the 1st booster. Are you referring to the 2nd booster?

Yeah.  Sorry.  I knew most of the folks here who were talking about potential boosters had already had one.  I should have been more clear.

[Arcadia]

15 minutes ago, Terabith said:

Yeah.  Sorry.  I knew most of the folks here who were talking about potential boosters had already had one.  I should have been more clear.

I think it was mentioned in this thread that some pharmacies like CVS may be less stringent in checking eligibility for boosters. I am eligible due to asthma and having had cancer. 

[mommyoffive]

4 hours ago, Not_a_Number said:

Hmmm, I wonder how exactly they've adjusted for confounders... my personal anecdata suggests that Omicron is less severe. That is, the people I know who've had Omicron seemed to have less severe cases. It's true that everyone was vaccinated, so maybe that's why, but I'm pretty skeptical about this. 

As for us, we've pretty much given up on trying not to get COVID. Almost everyone we know around here has gotten it, so we're outliers, and I can no longer put our lives on hold. (Especially having seen what it has done to cities I love -- so many empty storefronts...) Plus, my personal life has been in too much turmoil to be able to deal with more isolation :-/. (I owe you guys an update. Hopefully soon.) 

The one thing I'm trying to figure out is whether to get a second booster. I got my booster way back in September, so I'm sure it's wearing off somewhat... on the other hand, people I know who've had Omicron had an easier time of it than I did with the shot. (2 weeks of headache is a lot.) So I don't know if it'd be worthwhile insurance against unlikely events or not, basically. 

I am so happy you are back!

Yeah I had a bad reaction to the booster plus a flu shot so I am really feeling wimpy about getting another booster.  I had a headache for a week.

[TCB]

17 hours ago, Mrs Tiggywinkle said:

I’ll be honest—pretty much everyone I know got the booster decemberish and had a much harder time with that than they did when we all caught Covid here in January/February.  I have a lot of coworkers really unsure about continuing to get boosters unless one that is effective against prevention.

Have they considered the possibility that they had an easier time with Omicron because they had the booster? 

[mommyoffive]

Does anyone have any experience with these masks??  I haven't heard of FLTR95s?

FLTR95 Sealing Face Mask, 100 Black Masks | Costco

[KSera]

On 5/7/2022 at 11:08 AM, Spryte said:

He’s only just realized that we don’t have any masks that fit well — I think he needs a larger size. Any recs on good masks that come in large or XL sizes? Fast shipping a bonus!

I'm too late for your flight, but BOTN and Airwasher both make good XL KF94 masks.

On 5/7/2022 at 1:26 PM, Not_a_Number said:

Hmmm, I wonder how exactly they've adjusted for confounders... my personal anecdata suggests that Omicron is less severe. That is, the people I know who've had Omicron seemed to have less severe cases. It's true that everyone was vaccinated, so maybe that's why, but I'm pretty skeptical about this.

Doesn't it make sense that people who are vaccinated are going to have less severe cases on average? I thought what they were seeing was that among unvaccinated people, omicron was not less severe. There are just a lot more vaccinated people now.

Good to see you back!

On 5/7/2022 at 2:38 PM, Mrs Tiggywinkle said:

I’ll be honest—pretty much everyone I know got the booster decemberish and had a much harder time with that than they did when we all caught Covid here in January/February.

And my anecdata goes the opposite way: I don't know anyone who had a hard time with the booster, and I know plenty of people who have had a miserable time with covid. Which I think just goes to show that anecdata isn't super helpful.

 

[YaelAldrich]

42 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

Does anyone have any experience with these masks??  I haven't heard of FLTR95s?

FLTR95 Sealing Face Mask, 100 Black Masks | Costco

I read sometime recently almost everyone hated the fit on these masks. Maybe that's why they are on sale?

[kaci]

52 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

Does anyone have any experience with these masks??  I haven't heard of FLTR95s?

FLTR95 Sealing Face Mask, 100 Black Masks | Costco

We used these quite a bit until I could regularly source affordable N95s. I find them comfortable. FWIW we haven't caught Covid and DH (high risk, immunocompromised) wore these to work (healthcare, clinic setting) for the better part of a year.

[cintinative]

1 hour ago, kaci said:

We used these quite a bit until I could regularly source affordable N95s. I find them comfortable. FWIW we haven't caught Covid and DH (high risk, immunocompromised) wore these to work (healthcare, clinic setting) for the better part of a year.

Have you bought them recently?  I am noticing in the comments that people are saying they are different than the ones they sold two years ago. People are saying the original ones were actually K95s and the current ones are not?

[Arcadia]

Just went to collect my monthly prescription and my pharmacy is giving out free masks again. They have a bin at the counter with a sign/notice to take up to 3 per person. First time I see staples on a mask though. 

[kaci]

22 minutes ago, cintinative said:

Have you bought them recently?  I am noticing in the comments that people are saying they are different than the ones they sold two years ago. People are saying the original ones were actually K95s and the current ones are not?

According to Costco the last time I purchased them was 5/10/21. So it's entirely possible the newest ones are much worse but we went through hundreds of them from mid 2020 through last summer as our main masks and still wear them when I feel like prioritizing comfort over  N95 is an acceptable risk. I don't think any version (and I did notice small differences in fit from order to order) was officially KN95, but they do say they meet/exceed the same testing specifications.

Found this on the FLTR website. 

[KSera]

1 hour ago, Arcadia said:

Just went to collect my monthly prescription and my pharmacy is giving out free masks again. They have a bin at the counter with a sign/notice to take up to 3 per person. First time I see staples on a mask though. 

These are great masks that fit a lot of people well. The staples are outside the area that seals to your face. They smell weird when you first open them so I like to keep several open out of their packages at a time so they are aired out before I need to wear one. 

[kbutton]

2 hours ago, Arcadia said:

Just went to collect my monthly prescription and my pharmacy is giving out free masks again. They have a bin at the counter with a sign/notice to take up to 3 per person. First time I see staples on a mask though. 

DH's work has supplied these for quite some time. 

I need to see if any pharmacies here are still giving out masks. People here are not taking them, so they let those of us who are interested take quite a few. DS's get really dirty at school (vocational environment), so it's saved us a ton to check around. 

[Longtime Lurker]

6 hours ago, KSera said:

And my anecdata goes the opposite way: I don't know anyone who had a hard time with the booster, and I know plenty of people who have had a miserable time with covid. Which I think just goes to show that anecdata isn't super helpful.

 

This has been my experience as well, FWIW.

[mommyoffive]