Omicron anecdata?

[mlktwins]

Also, just so people know this -- LOL.  I did one BinaxNow test on him.  I left the room and forgot to close and seal the test.  He said it was negative at 15 minutes and I went to double check at 20 minutes.  I realized what I had done and closed and sealed the test and it showed positive right away.  I decided to retest and it showed positive right away again.  So leaving it open didn't change his result.

[Ausmumof3]

On 7/23/2022 at 9:59 PM, cintinative said:

I *think* (not an expert, speculation) that this particular strain is not putting people in the hospital as much, therefore, the community map which is largely based on how taxed the healthcare system is, is not reflecting the true spread which is shown on the transmission map.  Here our cases are going up each week and our positivity is pretty high (despite a lot of unreported cases I am guessing), but the hospitals are not swamped yet.

In Aus our hospitalisations are the highest they’ve ever been. I suspect maybe your lower hospitalisations are due to more immunity from prior infection? 

[cintinative]

21 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

In Aus our hospitalisations are the highest they’ve ever been. I suspect maybe your lower hospitalisations are due to more immunity from prior infection? 

I have no idea. Probably? I thought your overall vaccination rate was higher.

The hospitalizations are ticking up, just not at the rate they did with the last Omicron wave (probably for the reason you are suggesting).

 

[ktgrok]

42 minutes ago, mlktwins said:

And...first man down in my house.  We made it through this whole pandemic, but it finally got one of us.  DS2 - very mild symptoms - very minor runny nose and a cough.  It is hard to tell with him because he has a tic that is a cough.  The nose gave it away though.

I am testing now and going to test DS1.

DS2's summer swim season is over.  Just one more meet (divisionals) and our banquet this coming weekend and we were going to hibernate again 😞.  I just checked the CDC guidelines and did their little tool.  It says this:

When can I leave home?

You can leave your home on July 30, 2022 if your symptoms are improving.

Wear a well-fitting mask around other people and do not travel through August 3, 2022.

I'm so confused - the guidelines just say if symptoms are improving.  It doesn't say anything about still testing positive.

I'm sad because in 10 years (my boys get their 10 year pins this weekend), he has never missed a swim meet.  Not one.  I hate this!  And...while I know things could be a lot worse, I am feeling sorry for us at the moment -- LOL.

They don't say to test because many people can't afford to keep testing, or don't have access, and becuase there was a big push by industry to get people back to work faster. Not because it is best practice. 

36 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

In Aus our hospitalisations are the highest they’ve ever been. I suspect maybe your lower hospitalisations are due to more immunity from prior infection? 

Or because so many people that were at risk already died here 😞

[freesia]

So, just curious, if you test on day 6 and dc tests negative, does he still have to mask or can we assume he’s not contagious?  I have a bunch of tests so I’m wondering if that’s a route to go.  I’d live it if he didn’t have to mask around the house. 

[Ausmumof3]

1 hour ago, freesia said:

So, just curious, if you test on day 6 and dc tests negative, does he still have to mask or can we assume he’s not contagious?  I have a bunch of tests so I’m wondering if that’s a route to go.  I’d live it if he didn’t have to mask around the house. 

I would go two tests two days running as they can be a bit unreliable. Then if symptom free maybe ok?

[Ausmumof3]

1 hour ago, cintinative said:

I have no idea. Probably? I thought your overall vaccination rate was higher.

The hospitalizations are ticking up, just not at the rate they did with the last Omicron wave (probably for the reason you are suggesting).

 

Double vaxed rate is high but most uptake of boosters is low and most peoples second was last year. 

[Ausmumof3]

Dd had a plane trip and away on the weekend with Dh. She’s come home sick. Negative on two RATs so far, but will PCR if she isn’t better tomorrow. Clearly masking/infection control wasn’t perfect if she’s picked up something even if not Covid. Dh was careful for Dh but that’s still less careful than me.

I must admit I’ll be slightly spewing if we are back to iso land so soon after the last round. Even DH is far enough out that he will be a close contact.

Edited July 26, 2022 by Ausmumof3

[math teacher]

My son was tested on Friday, got a positive result yesterday, and today called his PCP and was told they didn't have medication to prescribe. I do not understand this!! Maybe he isn't saying the right words???

 

[mlktwins]

13 minutes ago, math teacher said:

My son was tested on Friday, got a positive result yesterday, and today called his PCP and was told they didn't have medication to prescribe. I do not understand this!! Maybe he isn't saying the right words???

 

I'm so sorry he is sick.  One of my boys tested positive today - he just turned 17.

Question for anyone - What is the recommendation for Covid meds for a usually healthy 17 year old?  Should I call his doctor tomorrow?  We are all doing vitamins, etc.  His symptoms are pretty mild, but I think he may be adding loss of taste to his mild cough and slightly runny nose.   Verdict is still out on that though.

[freesia]

15 minutes ago, math teacher said:

My son was tested on Friday, got a positive result yesterday, and today called his PCP and was told they didn't have medication to prescribe. I do not understand this!! Maybe he isn't saying the right words???

 

I think the medicine usually for people with risk factors or who are older. I am pretty sure availability varies by region. 

[ktgrok]

7 minutes ago, mlktwins said:

I'm so sorry he is sick.  One of my boys tested positive today - he just turned 17.

Question for anyone - What is the recommendation for Covid meds for a usually healthy 17 year old?  Should I call his doctor tomorrow?  We are all doing vitamins, etc.  His symptoms are pretty mild, but I think he may be adding loss of taste to his mild cough and slightly runny nose.   Verdict is still out on that though.

Just treating symptomatically - however you usually treat a cold unless he gets sicker. 

Paxlovid is the only medication really, and it didn't show any benefit to young, vaccinated people. It's for high risk or older people. 

[Arcadia]

31 minutes ago, math teacher said:

My son was tested on Friday, got a positive result yesterday, and today called his PCP and was told they didn't have medication to prescribe. I do not understand this!! Maybe he isn't saying the right words???

 

15 minutes ago, freesia said:

I think the medicine usually for people with risk factors or who are older. I am pretty sure availability varies by region. 

If you are referring to Paxlovid, then it is up to the physicians discretion.

https://www.fda.gov/media/158165/download (7 pages)

 

Edited July 26, 2022 by Arcadia

[maize]

I looked into paxlovid when we had covid but it carries a risk of liver and kidney damage. I have liver issues and dh had kidney issues so it wasn't recommended for either of us.

[KSera]

1 hour ago, Ausmumof3 said:

I would go two tests two days running as they can be a bit unreliable. Then if symptom free maybe ok?

This is what I would do as well. At ten days, I think I would trust a single negative, but prior to ten days, I would want to see two days in a row. 

 

[wathe]

5 hours ago, mlktwins said:

I'm so sorry he is sick.  One of my boys tested positive today - he just turned 17.

Question for anyone - What is the recommendation for Covid meds for a usually healthy 17 year old?  Should I call his doctor tomorrow?  We are all doing vitamins, etc.  His symptoms are pretty mild, but I think he may be adding loss of taste to his mild cough and slightly runny nose.   Verdict is still out on that though.

The recommendation here is supportive care, meaning treat symptoms with tylenol or advil etc, but no specific covid therapeutics.  Paxlovid would certainly not be offered to a healthy 17yo here, and also not anywhere else that I am aware of.  

Link to Ontario Science Table guideline, which is the best one I've seen anywhere with respect to transparency and attempt to balance evidence with real-world needs.

The trial  evidence for Paxlovid supports use for unvaccinated people with risk factors.  Most jurisdictions extend  use criteria to also include vaccinated people who are immune compromised,  and vaccinated people with a combination of risk factors and age, despite lack of evidence for these groups.

The two main trials: EPIC-HR was conducted on unvaccinated people with risk factors, and showed benefit for that population.   EPIC-SR was conducted on vaccinated people, and also on unvaccinated people without  risk factors.  It did not achieve statistical significance, and was halted for futility.

Edited July 26, 2022 by wathe

[mlktwins]

So right now, it is still just DS2 down.  He is quarantined to 3 rooms (big playroom with tv, his room (small and no tv), and a bathroom between the 2.  We are keeping all the doors closed in the house and I have the windows open in the rooms he is in.  If I should test positive, I'm ok to quarantine in 2 of the 3 same rooms as he is right?  There is no reason to keep positive people separated?

I feel like I'm just waiting for a positive result.  This sucks so much!

 

[freesia]

4 hours ago, mlktwins said:

So right now, it is still just DS2 down.  He is quarantined to 3 rooms (big playroom with tv, his room (small and no tv), and a bathroom between the 2.  We are keeping all the doors closed in the house and I have the windows open in the rooms he is in.  If I should test positive, I'm ok to quarantine in 2 of the 3 same rooms as he is right?  There is no reason to keep positive people separated?

I feel like I'm just waiting for a positive result.  This sucks so much!

 

My ds 17 is living a parallel life to yours. I have him in a large family room with bath that could be three rooms ( it’s under 3.). He has a sliding glass door to the outside and I have a fan pulling air through. 
 

I think you’d be fine to quarantine with him if you test positive. I didn’t when dh was such last summer and so far so good on day 5 with ds. We will see though. 

[AmandaVT]

Omicron immunity test - I had (likely) Omicron in May. DH tested positive tonight. I've been wondering how long people are immune now with the new variants, and I think I'm about ready to find out. 😩 He was last seen muttering, "why did you get the good covid?"  (my case in May was almost totally asymptomatic) as I tucked him into bed with a 102.5 fever, chills, and nasty-sounding body aches. He's in the upstairs bedroom; I'll be sleeping in a different room. We only have one bathroom, so I'll make sure we all mask when using the bathroom. I cloroxed the bathroom after he went into the bedroom. 

Anything else I can do at this point aside from hope for the best? DH was out of town with a friend this past weekend, which is where I'm sure he got it. He's still working from home and has been terrified of getting covid - I was a bit surprised when he decided to go on his weekend trip to NY. 

[Arcadia]

20 minutes ago, AmandaVT said:

We only have one bathroom, so I'll make sure we all mask when using the bathroom. I cloroxed the bathroom after he went into the bedroom. 

Turning/switching on the exhaust fan in the bathroom. 

[mommyoffive]

12 hours ago, AmandaVT said:

Omicron immunity test - I had (likely) Omicron in May. DH tested positive tonight. I've been wondering how long people are immune now with the new variants, and I think I'm about ready to find out. 😩 He was last seen muttering, "why did you get the good covid?"  (my case in May was almost totally asymptomatic) as I tucked him into bed with a 102.5 fever, chills, and nasty-sounding body aches. He's in the upstairs bedroom; I'll be sleeping in a different room. We only have one bathroom, so I'll make sure we all mask when using the bathroom. I cloroxed the bathroom after he went into the bedroom. 

Anything else I can do at this point aside from hope for the best? DH was out of town with a friend this past weekend, which is where I'm sure he got it. He's still working from home and has been terrified of getting covid - I was a bit surprised when he decided to go on his weekend trip to NY. 

Oh man.  I am sorry your dh got it just going on that trip.  I hope he has an easy time of it. 

Can you open the house up at all?  Not sure what your temps are there. 

[mommyoffive]

No covid positive notifications this week from the ballet intensive my kids are at.  That is the only time it happened in the last 7 weeks.  Now to get through the shows.  Then on to the next intensive.

Edited July 27, 2022 by mommyoffive

[Kanin]

13 hours ago, AmandaVT said:

Anything else I can do at this point aside from hope for the best? DH was out of town with a friend this past weekend, which is where I'm sure he got it. He's still working from home and has been terrified of getting covid - I was a bit surprised when he decided to go on his weekend trip to NY. 

Aw man. That stinks!!

[AmandaVT]

1 hour ago, mommyoffive said:

Oh man.  I am sorry your dh got it just going on that trip.  I hope he has an easy time of it. 

Can you open the house up at all?  Not sure what your temps are there. 

Thankfully it's beautiful out - 76 and sunny with a light breeze and low humidity. I have all of the windows open and have a fan in our bedroom facing out to pull the germy air out. Our Dr did prescribe Paxlovid and he started that about an hour ago. I warned him about the nasty taste and made sure he has cough drops and cran-grape juice ready for when that hits. 

He's pretty miserable - fever got up to 103 last night and he says it feels like his bones are being stuck with shards of glass. He struggled just to sip the water I gave him - with a straw. Poor guy! He tried to say he was going to come down to the couch and I told him to keep his germs in the bed and I'll bring him whatever he needs, so hopefully he'll stay put! 

42 minutes ago, Kanin said:

Aw man. That stinks!!

It does - thank you! It's really interesting - even though he hears lots of updates from me, people, even careful ones, are not totally thinking Covid is still a THING. DH has been super careful - still working from home, has eaten inside a restaurant like 3 times since 2020, yet he still thought a trip to NYC and an indoor concert?? would be fine. He seemed surprised he got sick and asked me why I didn't object to him going. I told him that I had assumed he was taking a calculated risk, which is where I think we are right now. Decide what you want to spend your risk budget on - have fun when you decide that's something you want to do and be ok with the Covid risk. Seems reasonable to me. 

[Kanin]

2 hours ago, AmandaVT said:

He's pretty miserable - fever got up to 103 last night and he says it feels like his bones are being stuck with shards of glass. He struggled just to sip the water I gave him - with a straw. Poor guy! He tried to say he was going to come down to the couch and I told him to keep his germs in the bed and I'll bring him whatever he needs, so hopefully he'll stay put! 

3 hours ago, Kanin said:

Ugh, that sounds so uncomfortable. Hopefully the Paxlovid starts working soon! 103 fevers (even 100-102 fevers!) make me so nervous. 

It's funny... my DH has been similarly cautious, but just like yours, my DH would probably do something more risky if he really, really wanted to do it. It's kind of like how we're less cautious around people we know well... like we think we're less likely to catch Covid from them for some reason. Seems to be the same with events you really, really want to go to.

[AmandaVT]

2 hours ago, Kanin said:

Ugh, that sounds so uncomfortable. Hopefully the Paxlovid starts working soon! 103 fevers (even 100-102 fevers!) make me so nervous. 

It's funny... my DH has been similarly cautious, but just like yours, my DH would probably do something more risky if he really, really wanted to do it. It's kind of like how we're less cautious around people we know well... like we think we're less likely to catch Covid from them for some reason. Seems to be the same with events you really, really want to go to.

Agreed - my friend and I are texting, and she just wrote, "What? Mr. Won'tgointotheoffice went to NYC for a concert??" 😂  Human behavior is so interesting! 

Fever seems down for now - I had him alternate tylenol and advil for the fever, and the body pain, and the headache, and the sore throat. He's getting all of the symptoms. I think the Paxlovid is kicking in? When I brought him up some lunch, he said his mouth tasted terrible, but he seemed to have more energy than he did this morning. And he took a shower a little bit ago, which always helps! 

[TCB]

This isn’t Omicron anecdata in the traditional sense I guess, but might be of interest.

I have not had Covid yet, have had 2 Pfizer and 1 Moderna booster. We recently flew to the UK and then over to Italy and back, and then back to the US. In the UK there were many people coming down with Covid. I wore a KN95 when going inside anywhere. On the plane I wore an N95 for take off and landing at least, and then a KN95. We did not get Covid. I was amazed. There were very few people masking on any of the flights. My dd and dh had their 3rd shot, both Moderna, a few weeks before we traveled. My dd couldn’t tolerate an N95 but was really good about wearing a KN95. I was convinced there was no way we’d avoid it, even though masking. My dh did mask on the plane but was quite a bit less careful than my dd and I were.  I think masks work better than we think.

I work in healthcare and if we test positive we have to stay off work for 10 days. Someone I work with just came down with it for the 3rd time, I think her last episode was during Delta. There are a number of them getting repeat infections now. Some are not vaccinated and just about none of them are masking outside work.

[mommyoffive]

[mommyoffive]

U.S. reaches deal with Moderna for omicron COVID-19 vaccine | PBS NewsHour

"The Biden administration said Friday it has reached an agreement with Moderna to buy 66 million doses of the company's next generation of COVID-19 vaccine that targets the highly transmissible omicron variant, enough supply this winter for all who want the upgraded booster. The order of the bivalent shot follows the announcement last month that the federal government had secured 105 million doses of a similar vaccine from rival drugmaker Pfizer. Both orders are scheduled for delivery in the fall and winter, assuming regulators sign off on their effectiveness."

[OakParkOwlets]

After all this time COVID finally found us last week. 😞 My husband probably brought it back from work, he was at a site with hundreds of people from all over the state and only one of two in a mask.  Thankfully everyone in our house has all their recommended vaccines, probably contributing to our mild course.  He had fever, night sweats, coughing for about a week, still has a bit of dry cough almost 10 days out.  Our 6yo son got sick next, had a fever and sneezy nose for two days.  Then I got sick, felt woozy, had a fever for an afternoon, sore itchy throat and cough. I am 100% again except that a few days in I lost much of my sense of smell, its starting to come back thankfully, but it was freaky to realize I couldn't smell the chicken poop. Our 10yo daughter probably got it too, but all she did was sneeze a lot for a few days (we only tested husband and myself).  It is really fascinating to me how different each persons disease course is.

[whitestavern]

Biden has rebound case of Covid  

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna40791

Edited July 30, 2022 by whitestavern

[mommyoffive]

[BeachGal]

An epigenetic signature appears to cause MIS-C in some children and probably severe Covid in adults. You might have to create an account to read this but it would be worthwhile.

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/978271?src=WNL_mdpls_220802_mscpedit_peds&uac=428738CV&spon=9&impID=4490045#vp_1

"For example, the genes identified in this signature are molecules that organize the response of T-cells (ZEB2) or the response of natural killer lymphocytes (SH2D1B) or the complex factor of HLA-DRB1 antigens, in addition to other genes with a role demonstrated in inflammation, such as CUL2 and AIM2," she said. "The importance of these genes has been shown for other viral infections and in SARS-CoV-2 infection in adult patients."

 

Edited August 3, 2022 by BeachGal

[mommyoffive]

CDC expected to ease Covid-19 recommendations, including for schools, as soon as this week - CNN

[SHP]

1 hour ago, mommyoffive said:

CDC expected to ease Covid-19 recommendations, including for schools, as soon as this week - CNN

The ignorance and lack of foresight is astounding.

 

[KSera]

2 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

CDC expected to ease Covid-19 recommendations, including for schools, as soon as this week - CNN

I’m trying to hang some hope on the fact that it says the new guidelines are finally going to put more focus on clean air. Everything else sucks, but at least that’s something. It’s difficult because most people just assume that CDC recommendations are solid and no one needs to go beyond them. 

[mommyoffive]

On 8/4/2022 at 10:23 AM, SHP said:

The ignorance and lack of foresight is astounding.

 

Yeah.  It is hard because a lot of places are coming up with their rules based on covid rules.  I am trying to calm down about something I just learned about one of the activities my kids due and the new rules they have come out with based on all the new CDC info.  😞    

And another activity got rid of requiring masks inside even though they are in an area with High community transmission.

Edited August 6, 2022 by mommyoffive

[mommyoffive]

With hundreds still dying of Covid daily, CDC is sticking to current restrictions (msn.com)

[I talk to the trees]

11 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

With hundreds still dying of Covid daily, CDC is sticking to current restrictions (msn.com)

This is so depressing. According to the Johns Hopkins data, my state alone has suffered reported covid deaths equivalent to seven 9/11 incidents. That’s in one state out of 50! I want to be sad or outraged, but I’m emotionally drained. It’s like we, as a country, have collectively decided to shoot ourselves in both feet! 

[mommyoffive]

9 hours ago, I talk to the trees said:

This is so depressing. According to the Johns Hopkins data, my state alone has suffered reported covid deaths equivalent to seven 9/11 incidents. That’s in one state out of 50! I want to be sad or outraged, but I’m emotionally drained. It’s like we, as a country, have collectively decided to shoot ourselves in both feet! 

Wow.   I am saddened that we as a country are ok with this.  Count me as on the emotionally drained train too.  

[mommyoffive]

A plan for the upcoming school year - by Katelyn Jetelina (substack.com)

[mommyoffive]

CDC drops quarantine, distancing recommendations for COVID (msn.com)

[KSera]

52 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

CDC drops quarantine, distancing recommendations for COVID (msn.com)

What could go wrong? 🤷‍♀️ (though honestly, I think dropping those is less problematic than the 5 day quarantine with no test required thing and I think the dropping of all the masking severely compounds the problem).

[cintinative]

57 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

CDC drops quarantine, distancing recommendations for COVID (msn.com)

This doesn't sound like anything that could be based on sound science. It's like they have realized most people have given up and so they just dropped all the precautions.  No masks, no distancing, no testing from exposure, plus the beginning of a new school year and parents sending their kids to school sick? What could go wrong?  Seriously. I agree with KSera.  And I feel terrible for my aunt. It's like she will never be able to go out. 😞 

[mommyoffive]

2 minutes ago, cintinative said:

This doesn't sound like anything that could be based on sound science. It's like they have realized most people have given up and so they just dropped all the precautions.  No masks, no distancing, no testing from exposure, plus the beginning of a new school year and parents sending their kids to school sick? What could go wrong?  Seriously. I agree with KSera.  And I feel terrible for my aunt. It's like she will never be able to go out. 😞 

I agree with you.  I am so sorry for your Aunt and others like her.  Ugh.

[Ausmumof3]

10 minutes ago, KSera said:

What could go wrong? 🤷‍♀️ (though honestly, I think dropping those is less problematic than the 5 day quarantine with no test required thing and I think the dropping of all the masking severely compounds the problem).

We have had no quarantine for close contacts for ages - just mask up when you go out. The advice is to avoid large gatherings etc but not many people do. I thought you guys had the same. 
 

Not that I’d advocate for it, we’re not doing well down here at all with covid. I’m just surprised it’s not already a thing in the US.

[KSera]

17 minutes ago, cintinative said:

This doesn't sound like anything that could be based on sound science. It's like they have realized most people have given up and so they just dropped all the precautions. 

My understanding is they have decided to stop trying to prevent spread and focus on decreasing serious illness (which is hard to do if you don't decrease spread, since currently elderly and immune compromised people remain at risk of serious illness or death). We currently haven't 500 covid deaths a day, which is many times over higher than even the worst flu seasons. I don't know why that's just okay with so many people when there are things we can do 😢. Not so mention, that as people are infected, each round of infections increases the number of people who move into that high risk category due to their previous covid illness.

12 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

We have had no quarantine for close contacts for ages - just mask up when you go out. The advice is to avoid large gatherings etc but not many people do. I thought you guys had the same. 
 

Not that I’d advocate for it, we’re not doing well down here at all with covid. I’m just surprised it’s not already a thing in the US.

I think there was an exception for schools and child care, where kids didn't have to miss those due to being a close contact, but it was otherwise the instruction that unvaccinated close contacts needed to quarantine while vaccinated ones did not, but both had to test at 5 days and mask well for 10.

[mommyoffive]

FDA: Take 3 home tests if exposed to COVID to boost accuracy (msn.com)

[mommyoffive]

Here's the CDC's new advice for protecting yourself against COVID-19 (msn.com)

[Ausmumof3]

1 hour ago, KSera said:

My understanding is they have decided to stop trying to prevent spread and focus on decreasing serious illness (which is hard to do if you don't decrease spread, since currently elderly and immune compromised people remain at risk of serious illness or death). We currently haven't 500 covid deaths a day, which is many times over higher than even the worst flu seasons. I don't know why that's just okay with so many people when there are things we can do 😢. Not so mention, that as people are infected, each round of infections increases the number of people who move into that high risk category due to their previous covid illness.

I think there was an exception for schools and child care, where kids didn't have to miss those due to being a close contact, but it was otherwise the instruction that unvaccinated close contacts needed to quarantine while vaccinated ones did not, but both had to test at 5 days and mask well for 10.

Ah I see - yes ours is the same. Unvaxed contacts quarantine. Tbh I don’t know how much point there is in that given the lack of protection against infection six months out. It might make sense if it was boosted within the last three months or so.