Omicron anecdata?

[mommyoffive]

Do Rapid Covid Tests Still Work? - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

 

"Other research suggests that the accuracy of rapid tests improves a few days into an infection. A large study released as a preprint paper last year showed that rapid tests were only 60 percent accurate on the first day of a person’s infection if they had symptoms. If the person was asymptomatic, the accuracy dropped to just 12 percent. However, doing a second test 48 hours later improved rapid test accuracy to 92 percent for people with symptoms and 51 percent for asymptomatic infections. A third test after another 48 hours improved accuracy to 75 percent for people without symptoms. Because of this, the FDA now recommends so-called serial testing: If you think you’ve been infected with the coronavirus but test negative, test again in 48 hours, after the virus has had more time to replicate. If you’re still negative, take one more test in another two days. (Unfortunately, for the sake of accuracy, this will mean spending more money on tests.) The FDA made this announcement in November 2022, and manufacturers are required to change rapid test packaging to reflect the new guidelines."

[Harriet Vane]

Exposed to definite covid this morning. 

Someone who absolutely knows how careful I am about covid came to my house, expecting to spend several hours here. To be fair, this person masked, wanting to be cautious for my sake, and I appreciate that she thought it through at least that much. She's pretty young and covid has been a completely different animal for people in her cohort.

I am cautious because I believe the science and also because I cannot take steroids, which is a huge part of treating severe cases of covid. I am being especially cautious right now because I am hoping to visit an elderly friend in a few days who just recovered from pneumonia after having lung surgery to remove a cancerous patch.

My visitor told me about the cough and sniffles but attributed it to her usual allergies and dry air vortex. I asked my young visitor to take a covid test and lo and behold, she totally has covid. She had taken off her mask to take the test and then blew her nose and chatted while slowly putting it on because she really didn't think she has covid. But she does. 

Folks, I love this person dearly. She felt badly that she came today at all and we just kind of laughed it off and bundled her out to go home. I opened the doors and windows and am running air scrubbers. She was only here about twenty minutes and for most of that she was masked. Unfortunately I was not masked--I usually don't if just one or two people are coming over. I simply crack the windows open and run the air purifiers.

So it's a small exposure? I hope??? But a definite exposure. Ugh.

But for crying out loud. Don't come to my house with a cough and a sniffle. 

[Kassia]

@Harriet Vaneoh, that's awful.  Fingers crossed that you stay healthy.  I'm sorry!  

[KSera]

2 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

 

"Other research suggests that the accuracy of rapid tests improves a few days into an infection. A large study released as a preprint paper last year showed that rapid tests were only 60 percent accurate on the first day of a person’s infection if they had symptoms. If the person was asymptomatic, the accuracy dropped to just 12 percent. However, doing a second test 48 hours later improved rapid test accuracy to 92 percent for people with symptoms and 51 percent for asymptomatic infections. A third test after another 48 hours improved accuracy to 75 percent for people without symptoms. Because of this, the FDA now recommends so-called serial testing: If you think you’ve been infected with the coronavirus but test negative, test again in 48 hours, after the virus has had more time to replicate. If you’re still negative, take one more test in another two days. (Unfortunately, for the sake of accuracy, this will mean spending more money on tests.) The FDA made this announcement in November 2022, and manufacturers are required to change rapid test packaging to reflect the new guidelines."

I feel like this has been known since omicron started, but few people are actually doing it. I always wonder how many of the people who say “I was sick, but I know it wasn’t Covid because I tested negative” actually did serial testing and how many tested once at the beginning and then assumed themselves Covid free after a single negative test. (The fact that tests aren’t as easy or cheap/free to get as they used to be for many people makes this more likely.)

@Harriet VaneIm so sorry! I don’t understand why people think that it’s appropriate to go visit with people with a cough and runny nose. I hope your ventilation routine will have been sufficient to keep you healthy. In your situation I would do some Xclear nasal spray just in case it could help. I have no idea if it actually helps or not, but on the couple occasions I’ve been worried, it at least made me feel like I was doing something to reduce the chances of the virus replicating in my nose and making me sick, which gave me something I could do while waiting to see if I had caught anything. 

Edited February 1, 2023 by KSera
Typo

[mommyoffive]

@Harriet VaneUgh I  am so sorry.  You would think by now people would be smart enough to test before going over sick to someone's house they know take it seriously.   I am hoping you don't get sick.  And like KSera, I do Xclear and all the vitamins if I have anything that sparks my worries.   Glad she was  masked.  

[Harriet Vane]

5 minutes ago, KSera said:

I feel like this has been known since omicron started, but few people are actually doing it. I always wonder how many of the people who say “I was sick, but I know it wasn’t Covid because I tested negative” actually did serial testing and how many tested once at the beginning and then assumed themselves Covid free after a single negative test. (The fact that tests aren’t as easy or cheap/free to get as they used to be for many people makes this more likely.)

@Harriet VaneIm so sorry! I don’t understand why people think that it’s appropriate to go visit with people with a cough and runny nose. I hope your ventilation routine will have been sufficient to keep you healthy. In your situation I would do some Xclear nasal spray just in case it could help. I have no idea if it actually helps or not, but on the couple occasions I’ve been worried, it at least made me feel like I was doing something to reduce the chances of the virus replicating in my nose and making me sick, which gave me something I could do while waiting to see if I had caught anything. 

I gargled with the mouthwash with that magic ingredient and I used a povidone iodine nasal spray. I hope it helps. Who knows. Trying our best and hoping that my vaccine and such a short exposure will be sufficient.

I always assume when I go out that someone out there has covid, but I'm always masked when I go out. This was in my home. 

[kbutton]

56 minutes ago, Harriet Vane said:

I gargled with the mouthwash with that magic ingredient and I used a povidone iodine nasal spray. I hope it helps. Who knows. Trying our best and hoping that my vaccine and such a short exposure will be sufficient.

I always assume when I go out that someone out there has covid, but I'm always masked when I go out. This was in my home. 

I am so sorry!

We mask in our home when people come over, and when it's reasonable outside, we just tell them it's an outdoor visit. I just don't trust people. When people realize I'm masking in my own house, they will usually offer to put a mask on, and I will fetch one. Anyway, just trying to make you feel better about what happened because it's really, really hard to do this. It's had a deep effect on our social life (though it was immediately trashed in 2020 as soon as masks were suggested at all).

I am sorry she assumed allergies. I would do the same, TBH, but that's because we're always, always masked. 

[kbutton]

22 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

The COVID Public Health Emergency Is Ending. These Benefits Will Also End (msn.com)

When the declaration lapses, responsibility for COVID-19 vaccines, testing and treatment will technically shift to individuals and their health insurance companies.

The retail price of Pfizer's two-dose COVID vaccine is expected to quadruple from the current government rate, from $30 per shot to between $110 and $130. 

 

Are flu shots subsized by the government, or have pharmacies, stores, etc. realized that offering them at very small cost is a public good/good for their bottom line? I am hoping that Covid shots will be like flu shots where they are very low cost or free in many places even without insurance.

[KSera]

8 minutes ago, kbutton said:

We mask in our home when people come over, and when it's reasonable outside, we just tell them it's an outdoor visit. I just don't trust people. When people realize I'm masking in my own house, they will usually offer to put a mask on, and I will fetch one. Anyway, just trying to make you feel better about what happened because it's really, really hard to do this. It's had a deep effect on our social life

We’re living the same life. It’s hard. Getting together with others doing the same makes it easier, so I wish you lived near! 

[mommyoffive]

How will life change once the COVID-19 emergency ends? (msn.com)

[Mrs Tiggywinkle Again]

11 hours ago, wathe said:

Adding that both RTC's above were pharma funded and pharma run.

We really need for EPIC-SR to be published.  But, I strongly suspect that it really does show that the drug was ineffective.  Which would not be good for Pfizer.  So quite it's self-serving for them to not publish it.

Infuriating indeed.

Having read the press releases last summer about EPIC-SR, I agree with you—I think Paxlovid is ineffective at this point.  It may have had efficacy in the Covid naive population, but that population no longer exists.

i had a patient recently with Covid who cried the whole way to the hospital about how she got every vaccine, every booster, and was on her third day of Paxlovid, and was still feeling so miserable. It was flu like symptoms with nothing serious(and all she was going to get was some anti emetics and fluids and discharged, but she really believed the ER was going to fix her), but she certainly felt terrible.  She wasn’t the first patient to want to know why she should bother getting boosters if, at this point, she’s going to feel miserable anyway(and we still have a lot of Covid but none of it is serious or deadly).  I suspect that’s going to be the collective decision, and that concerns me. All it takes is one immune resistant mutation with significant features and we’re back to really sick people. I’m all about trying to reduce the chances of that happening.

I still have hope that they’ll come up with a great antiviral or vaccine that will just wipe out Covid, but I also think the momentum has moved on.

Edited February 1, 2023 by Mrs Tiggywinkle Again

[Jean in Newcastle]

31 minutes ago, Mrs Tiggywinkle Again said:

Having read the press releases last summer about EPIC-SR, I agree with you—I think Paxlovid is ineffective at this point.  It may have had efficacy in the Covid naive population, but that population no longer exists.

i had a patient recently with Covid who cried the whole way to the hospital about how she got every vaccine, every booster, and was on her third day of Paxlovid, and was still feeling so miserable. It was flu like symptoms with nothing serious(and all she was going to get was some anti emetics and fluids and discharged, but she really believed the ER was going to fix her), but she certainly felt terrible.  She wasn’t the first patient to want to know why she should bother getting boosters if, at this point, she’s going to feel miserable anyway(and we still have a lot of Covid but none of it is serious or deadly).  I suspect that’s going to be the collective decision, and that concerns me. All it takes is one immune resistant mutation with significant features and we’re back to really sick people. I’m all about trying to reduce the chances of that happening.

I still have hope that they’ll come up with a great antiviral or vaccine that will just wipe out Covid, but I also think the momentum has moved on.

I wonder if that patient masks?  I’m curious simply because as far as I know (I have had an antibody test and a number of Covid tests) I have never gotten Covid. But I always mask. 

[Acadie]

13 hours ago, wathe said:

*excluding immune-compromise

Thank you so much for this explanation of the data on Pax (or lack thereof). 

Any observations on patients with immune compromise receiving Paxlovid?

Dd has Long Covid, gets frequent respiratory infections, and her doctor recommends Pax for patients with LC who get reinfected. Thankfully dd hasn't had another bout yet but just wondering if you have any thoughts on Pax for people with immune compromise or LC based on what you're seeing clinically. 

[Ausmumof3]

https://slate.com/technology/2023/01/immunity-covid-research-airborne-aids-debunk.html?via=rss
 

Article on covid and immune dysregulation. The overall aim seems to be to downplay it a bit but it does provide an overview of the current research and some perspective on some of it.

[wathe]

8 hours ago, Acadie said:

Thank you so much for this explanation of the data on Pax (or lack thereof). 

Any observations on patients with immune compromise receiving Paxlovid?

Dd has Long Covid, gets frequent respiratory infections, and her doctor recommends Pax for patients with LC who get reinfected. Thankfully dd hasn't had another bout yet but just wondering if you have any thoughts on Pax for people with immune compromise or LC based on what you're seeing clinically. 

I think it's reasonable to extrapolate EPIC-HR to immune-compromised people.  But, that's just an extrapolation based on a plausible mechanism; there is no actual  hard evidence for pax in IC people.

There is no evidence that I am aware of to support use of paxlovid for long covid, or any evidence to specially recommend its use for re-infections. I work at an acute covid clinic though; I don't treat long covid.  I am very much not a long-covid expert.  (And really, neither is anyone, I don't think, at this early stage -- though obviously some are more knowledgeable than others).  LC is still very poorly understood and there is no standard treatment as far as I know; treatment protocols are all pretty much still experimental, I think.

[KSera]

9 hours ago, wathe said:

There is no evidence that I am aware of to support use of paxlovid for long covid, or any evidence to specially recommend its use for re-infections. I work at an acute covid clinic though; I don't treat long covid.  I am very much not a long-covid expert.  (And really, neither is anyone, I don't think, at this early stage -- though obviously some are more knowledgeable than others).  LC is still very poorly understood and there is no standard treatment as far as I know; treatment protocols are all pretty much still experimental, I think.

I’ve seen study results indicating Paxlovid decreases the chance of long Covid, but haven’t read the study to see how they came to that conclusion. It’s the one reason I would consider it though, but I don’t know if the effect is strong enough to warrant taking it. 

[wathe]

25 minutes ago, KSera said:

I’ve seen study results indicating Paxlovid decreases the chance of long Covid, but haven’t read the study to see how they came to that conclusion. It’s the one reason I would consider it though, but I don’t know if the effect is strong enough to warrant taking it. 

Observational studies.

I would rephrase: that there are some study result that show Paxlovid is associated with a lower rate of long covid - because it's all observational data, with all the same confounders that I listed in my recent previous post about paxlovid for acute covid.  The people who seek paxlovid very well may be people who were going to do better anyway.  Must interpret with caution.

[mommyoffive]

Smart people can you give me your thoughts on this study?

A major new study shows that masks don't stop the spread of COVID. Will the mandaters apologize? (msn.com)

[mommyoffive]

Oops, a Study Says the New COVID Pill Is Actually Mutating the Virus (msn.com)

 

Are we still in a COVID-19 emergency? (substack.com)

[Jean in Newcastle]

48 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

Smart people can you give me your thoughts on this study?

A major new study shows that masks don't stop the spread of COVID. Will the mandaters apologize? (msn.com)

Put out by a conservative magazine with a clear bias. 

A quote directly from the conclusion section of the study:  "relatively low adherence with the interventions during the studies hampers drawing firm conclusions.

There is uncertainty about the effects of face masks. The low to moderate certainty of evidence means our confidence in the effect estimate is limited, and that the true effect may be different from the observed estimate of the effect"

[wathe]

1 hour ago, mommyoffive said:

Smart people can you give me your thoughts on this study?

A major new study shows that masks don't stop the spread of COVID. Will the mandaters apologize? (msn.com)

Key sentence from the Cochrane Review that the article is talking about, "The high risk of bias in the trials, variation in outcome measurement, and relatively low adherence with the interventions during the studies hampers drawing firm conclusions"

  I haven't looked at the individual studies.  I strongly suspect  that when I do I will likely find that this is a case of GIGO (garbage in, garbage out).

Physical intervention studies are methodogically different than drug trials.  RCT's aren't necessarily gold standard when we are talking physics or epidemiology (rather than physiology).  There is  very good non-trial evidence that suggests that community masking is actually very effective in decreasing the spread of COVID - like this very elegant study published in NEJM in November 2022

 

Edited: I was mistaken about pre-2016.  Many of the studies reviewed are more current

Edited February 2, 2023 by wathe

[KSera]

8 minutes ago, wathe said:

Key sentence from the Cochrane Review that the article is talking about, "The high risk of bias in the trials, variation in outcome measurement, and relatively low adherence with the interventions during the studies hampers drawing firm conclusions"

The masking studies reviewed were done pre-2016 for influenza.  I haven't looked at the individual studies.  I strongly suspect  that when I do I will likely find that this is a case of GIGO (garbage in, garbage out).

Physical intervention studies are methodogically different than drug trials.  RCT's aren't necessarily gold standard when we are talking physics or epidemiology (rather than physiology).  There is  very good non-trial evidence that suggests that community masking is actually very effective in decreasing the spread of COVID - like this very elegant study published in NEJM in November 2022

Yeah, I started reading it and honestly wasn’t in the mood to finish. There have been a number of very good studies done in the last couple years. I’ve noticed it generally appears that the more well done the study was, the greater the effect they’re seeing from masking. Like, the Bangladesh RCT that gets talked about a lot and did find a significant effect from mask wearing still had very low adherence with only something like a third of the people provided masks actually wearing them, but it was still enough to see an effect. Whereas the hospital where one unit was wearing N95s and another was not and the nurse Covid rate was very discrepant between the two units and then they changed guidelines so that the one that wasn’t all started wearing N95s and there was a massive effect  in that case. 
 

Anyway, these kind of things reported with big headlines are super frustrating to me and I don’t think I have the energy for it today. Unfortunately, just by sharing the headline, there will be a lot of people who see the headline and start spreading that around as truth.

Edited February 2, 2023 by KSera

[wathe]

Yes, the Bangladesh study is one of the ones included in the Cochrane review that the article @mommyoffive posted is referring to.    Scroll down to Table 1 for a list of the studies included and their main features.  Many were HCW trials, looking at mask use while at work, some were trials of masking in home for sick contacts, and some seem to be trials of handing out masks rather than actual mask-wearing.  One had a duration of masking for only 5 days.

Epidemiological studies like the NEJM Boston schools one I linked above, are a much more robust type of evidence for this sort of intervention.

Edited February 2, 2023 by wathe

[kbutton]

1 hour ago, mommyoffive said:

Smart people can you give me your thoughts on this study?

A major new study shows that masks don't stop the spread of COVID. Will the mandaters apologize? (msn.com)

Smoke is coming out of my ears.

Masking kept my husband covid-free for a little over 2.5 years. We masked all the time and around everyone. Coworkers who masked only at work? Dropped like flies.

[KSera]

1 minute ago, kbutton said:

Smoke is coming out of my ears.

Masking kept my husband covid-free for a little over 2.5 years. We masked all the time and around everyone. Coworkers who masked only at work? Dropped like flies.

At this point, the only people I know who still haven’t had Covid are full-time maskers in public. I realize no conclusions about masks can be drawn from that, since that’s going to be a self selected group who is likely doing other things as well, but these are all people who are out and about in public, they’re just always wearing a good mask when doing so. It’s hard for me to imagine that a good portion of those would not had Covid by now had they not been masking, though. 

[kbutton]

4 minutes ago, KSera said:

At this point, the only people I know who still haven’t had Covid are full-time maskers in public. I realize no conclusions about masks can be drawn from that, since that’s going to be a self selected group who is likely doing other things as well, but these are all people who are out and about in public, they’re just always wearing a good mask when doing so. It’s hard for me to imagine that a good portion of those would not had Covid by now had they not been masking, though. 

Yep! We were in that crowd until late October. We really think that either my older son's mask was not fitting well (we'd had some conversations, but it's hard to know how a mask will fit before it arrives, right?), or he was in a room alone but unmasked too soon after someone else was in it. He normally ate outside at work, but he hate alone in the breakroom once.

Ironically, my younger son cannot find a mask that fits well (pleasantly dysmorphic facial features), and he has to take it off at school to eat, but he hasn't brought it home yet (going to school since September).

[Spryte]

2 hours ago, KSera said:

At this point, the only people I know who still haven’t had Covid are full-time maskers in public. I realize no conclusions about masks can be drawn from that, since that’s going to be a self selected group who is likely doing other things as well, but these are all people who are out and about in public, they’re just always wearing a good mask when doing so. It’s hard for me to imagine that a good portion of those would not had Covid by now had they not been masking, though. 

Waving. We always mask in public, and we are out and about a lot. We eat outside, wash our hands, and are vaccinated. We have not had Covid, that we know.

[wathe]

2 hours ago, KSera said:

At this point, the only people I know who still haven’t had Covid are full-time maskers in public. I realize no conclusions about masks can be drawn from that, since that’s going to be a self selected group who is likely doing other things as well, but these are all people who are out and about in public, they’re just always wearing a good mask when doing so. It’s hard for me to imagine that a good portion of those would not had Covid by now had they not been masking, though. 

Yes.  Individual masking clearly works.  My family and I have still haven't had acute covid (yet trying to hold out as long as we can, understanding that it's inevitable eventually).

Two way masking works even better.  And more masking is better:  twice as many people masking, in theory, should be better than twice as good wrt to transmission because masking works in both directions, and as masked and unmasked populations mix, the masked are also protecting the unmasked too.  I saw a math simulation on this, I wish I could remember where.

[KSera]

18 minutes ago, wathe said:

Two way masking works even better.  And more masking is better:  twice as many people masking, in theory, should be better than twice as good wrt to transmission because masking works in both directions, and as masked and unmasked populations mix, the masked are also protecting the unmasked too.  I saw a math simulation on this, I wish I could remember where.

Yes. Two way masking is more than twice as good. I think it's something like if one person masking decreases transmission risk to 1/5 the chance, then two way masking would be 1/5 * 1/5 = 1/25 the chance. (Numbers made up there, but I should look for that chart. I have a good one somewhere.)

[KSera]

2 hours ago, kbutton said:

Ironically, my younger son cannot find a mask that fits well (pleasantly dysmorphic facial features),

Have you seen the ReadiMask? https://readimask.com/

I think it would be too expensive as a regular wear mask, because it's hard to reuse, but could be good for high risk situations (though I realize school is probably his highest risk, and that would be too many masks).

There are also a number of masks with flexible silicone seals, if you haven't tried any of those. You've probably done all that though, in which case, ignore me and carry on 😁.

 

 

 

[kbutton]

12 minutes ago, KSera said:

Have you seen the ReadiMask? https://readimask.com/

I think it would be too expensive as a regular wear mask, because it's hard to reuse, but could be good for high risk situations (though I realize school is probably his highest risk, and that would be too many masks).

There are also a number of masks with flexible silicone seals, if you haven't tried any of those. You've probably done all that though, in which case, ignore me and carry on 😁.

I have not seen this! It might be worth getting some for odd situations. And yes, school is the greatest risk, but his high school is very small, and they encourage staying home and testing when sick (even though there are some crazies there). I haven't heard of any outbreaks at all this year, but kids do mention testing from time to time.

I haven't looked at flexible silicone--I have kind of assumed that they would slide around. I used to use a half-face respirator mask (3M) for my outdoor allergies (came largely out of nowhere after my first kid was born--not an issue now), and it would get wet inside and just skid all over my face. I think it's seals were silicone.

I will have to google a bit and see what comes up.

ETA: He also has to have earloops, but not the tight one. His head shape is such that head straps just fall down--his head tapers a great deal. The ear loops have to be super soft and not super tight because his ears have zero stiffness at all. Mine are similar, but his are dramatically less stiff. Connective tissue disorders cause the oddest problems!

Edited February 2, 2023 by kbutton

[KSera]

1 minute ago, kbutton said:

I have not seen this! It might be worth getting some for odd situations. And yes, school is the greatest risk, but his high school is very small, and they encourage staying home and testing when sick (even though there are some crazies there). I haven't heard of any outbreaks at all this year, but kids do mention testing from time to time.

I haven't looked at flexible silicone--I have kind of assumed that they would slide around. I used to use a half-face respirator mask (3M) for my outdoor allergies (came largely out of nowhere after my first kid was born--not an issue now), and it would get wet inside and just skid all over my face. I think it's seals were silicone.

I will have to google a bit and see what comes up.

Some of the reusable respirator ones are FloMask, Envomask, or the Breathe mask from Canada

[mommyoffive]

A Malignant Flu May Soon Evolve to Infect and Kill Humans, Report Says (msn.com)

 

Bird flu outbreak is spilling over into mammals. What does that mean for humans? (msn.com)

[Corraleno]

Welp, I managed to dodge it for three years, but my luck has finally run out. DD tested positive on Thursday, and since I'd spent the previous two days in close contact with her (including an hour in the car with the windows up), I figured it was just a matter of time. I tested positive this morning and am taking All The Things (Sambucol, X-Clear, NAC, nigella oil, zinc, etc.) and just trying to rest. DD is pretty sick, so I'm just waiting to see how bad it will get for me.  

[Spryte]

13 minutes ago, Corraleno said:

Welp, I managed to dodge it for three years, but my luck has finally run out. DD tested positive on Thursday, and since I'd spent the previous two days in close contact with her (including an hour in the car with the windows up), I figured it was just a matter of time. I tested positive this morning and am taking All The Things (Sambucol, X-Clear, NAC, nigella oil, zinc, etc.) and just trying to rest. DD is pretty sick, so I'm just waiting to see how bad it will get for me.  

Hoping you both feel better quickly!

[mommyoffive]

1 hour ago, Corraleno said:

Welp, I managed to dodge it for three years, but my luck has finally run out. DD tested positive on Thursday, and since I'd spent the previous two days in close contact with her (including an hour in the car with the windows up), I figured it was just a matter of time. I tested positive this morning and am taking All The Things (Sambucol, X-Clear, NAC, nigella oil, zinc, etc.) and just trying to rest. DD is pretty sick, so I'm just waiting to see how bad it will get for me.  

Oh man I am so sorry.  I hope you both feel better soon.  

[cintinative]

@Corraleno ugh so sorry. I hope it is as mild as possible!

[cintinative]

@Harriet Vane how are you feeling? Any symptoms?

[Kassia]

@CorralenoI'm sorry and hope you both feel better very soon.

@Harriet Vanehope you are healthy! 

[KSera]

4 hours ago, Corraleno said:

Welp, I managed to dodge it for three years, but my luck has finally run out. DD tested positive on Thursday, and since I'd spent the previous two days in close contact with her (including an hour in the car with the windows up), I figured it was just a matter of time. I tested positive this morning and am taking All The Things (Sambucol, X-Clear, NAC, nigella oil, zinc, etc.) and just trying to rest. DD is pretty sick, so I'm just waiting to see how bad it will get for me.  

I’m really sorry! I hope yours stays mild and your daughter feels better soon! It feels like a matter of time for all of us who have lasted this long 😞. 

[BeachGal]

5 hours ago, Corraleno said:

Welp, I managed to dodge it for three years, but my luck has finally run out. DD tested positive on Thursday, and since I'd spent the previous two days in close contact with her (including an hour in the car with the windows up), I figured it was just a matter of time. I tested positive this morning and am taking All The Things (Sambucol, X-Clear, NAC, nigella oil, zinc, etc.) and just trying to rest. DD is pretty sick, so I'm just waiting to see how bad it will get for me.  

Oh no! You managed to escape it for quite a few years. I hope it’s short and mild.

Did you see this Medcram video from about a month ago?

https://youtu.be/ZdiUnmpOgqE

Dr. Seheult discusses an RCT using near infrared light as an adjunct treatment and the effect it had on biomarkers, outcome and hospital stay. He recommends increasing melatonin by finding a way to get more near-infrared light exposure as well as sleeping in a dark room. Melatonin mops up the bad reactive oxygen species caused by Covid.

Around the 15-16” mark, Seheult discusses how the small clots are forming.

Around the 26” mark is a good summary of how NIR light exposure causes mitochondria to produce magnitudes more melatonin than the pineal gland.

Anyway, I hope you and your daughter feel much better very soon.

 

In case anyone is wondering how to get more NIR light in winter months where it’s dark and cold, you can buy NIR light devices. Hooga, a Wisconsin company, makes a sturdy one that is easy to use and priced around $270 (might have a coupon online to get it for less). The linked model has both red and NIR light. Place it close to or directly on skin on chest area and then on the back for about 10 minutes, doing one session in the morning and one in the evening. Don’t get too bogged down by the techy stuff. The expert on these, Michael Hamblin, says a wide range of red and near infrared light works fairly well. He began his research decades ago using red garage lights. NIR light also tamps down the inflammation after the initial infection. Medcram did a video on that also.

[Harriet Vane]

2 hours ago, cintinative said:

@Harriet Vane how are you feeling? Any symptoms?

No symptoms, thankfully. We took rapid tests this afternoon and they were negative. Fingers crossed. Thanks for asking.

[Harriet Vane]

@CorralenoI’m so sorry you and your dd are sick! Praying for swift passsge through this and healing.

[Corraleno]

1 hour ago, BeachGal said:

Oh no! You managed to escape it for quite a few years. I hope it’s short and mild.

Did you see this Medcram video from about a month ago?

https://youtu.be/ZdiUnmpOgqE

Dr. Seheult discusses an RCT using near infrared light as an adjunct treatment and the effect it had on biomarkers, outcome and hospital stay. He recommends increasing melatonin by finding a way to get more near-infrared light exposure as well as sleeping in a dark room. Melatonin mops up the bad reactive oxygen species caused by Covid.

Around the 15-16” mark, Seheult discusses how the small clots are forming.

Around the 26” mark is a good summary of how NIR light exposure causes mitochondria to produce magnitudes more melatonin than the pineal gland.

Anyway, I hope you and your daughter feel much better very soon.

 

In case anyone is wondering how to get more NIR light in winter months where it’s dark and cold, you can buy NIR light devices. Hooga, a Wisconsin company, makes a sturdy one that is easy to use and priced around $270 (might have a coupon online to get it for less). The linked model has both red and NIR light. Place it close to or directly on skin on chest area and then on the back for about 10 minutes, doing one session in the morning and one in the evening. Don’t get too bogged down by the techy stuff. The expert on these, Michael Hamblin, says a wide range of red and near infrared light works fairly well. He began his research decades ago using red garage lights. NIR light also tamps down the inflammation after the initial infection. Medcram did a video on that also.

I've been following your posts on NIR light and I watched the MedCram video (love Dr. Seheult!). I do have a red light/NIR device —  many thanks for your previous posts on that!

I've also upped my melatonin intake, and I gave some NAC and melatonin to DD (who doesn't normally take melatonin). She said her throat is still extremely sore (can't swallow), but the headache and fever aren't as bad as yesterday, so I hope she's on an upward trajectory.

[wathe]

18 hours ago, BeachGal said:

Oh no! You managed to escape it for quite a few years. I hope it’s short and mild.

Did you see this Medcram video from about a month ago?

https://youtu.be/ZdiUnmpOgqE

Dr. Seheult discusses an RCT using near infrared light as an adjunct treatment and the effect it had on biomarkers, outcome and hospital stay. He recommends increasing melatonin by finding a way to get more near-infrared light exposure as well as sleeping in a dark room. Melatonin mops up the bad reactive oxygen species caused by Covid.

Around the 15-16” mark, Seheult discusses how the small clots are forming.

Around the 26” mark is a good summary of how NIR light exposure causes mitochondria to produce magnitudes more melatonin than the pineal gland.

Anyway, I hope you and your daughter feel much better very soon.

 

In case anyone is wondering how to get more NIR light in winter months where it’s dark and cold, you can buy NIR light devices. Hooga, a Wisconsin company, makes a sturdy one that is easy to use and priced around $270 (might have a coupon online to get it for less). The linked model has both red and NIR light. Place it close to or directly on skin on chest area and then on the back for about 10 minutes, doing one session in the morning and one in the evening. Don’t get too bogged down by the techy stuff. The expert on these, Michael Hamblin, says a wide range of red and near infrared light works fairly well. He began his research decades ago using red garage lights. NIR light also tamps down the inflammation after the initial infection. Medcram did a video on that also.

 

16 hours ago, Corraleno said:

I've been following your posts on NIR light and I watched the MedCram video (love Dr. Seheult!). I do have a red light/NIR device —  many thanks for your previous posts on that!

I've also upped my melatonin intake, and I gave some NAC and melatonin to DD (who doesn't normally take melatonin). She said her throat is still extremely sore (can't swallow), but the headache and fever aren't as bad as yesterday, so I hope she's on an upward trajectory.

Do either of you have a link to the trial itself?  I can't find the reference (and I'd rather not sit through a video - not my fave medium).

[BeachGal]

1 hour ago, wathe said:

 

Do either of you have a link to the trial itself?  I can't find the reference (and I'd rather not sit through a video - not my fave medium).

 

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1011134422002342

Seheult discusses other pertinent studies relating to results found in the primary trial. To access all of those, click on the title just below the video. A sidebar should pop up on the right. Near the top of that under “Description,” click on “…more” and those links should appear.

I find watching videos to be tedious but will watch some of Seheult’s because he will often use other studies to flesh out the results and ideas in the main study.

[BeachGal]

18 hours ago, Corraleno said:

I've been following your posts on NIR light and I watched the MedCram video (love Dr. Seheult!). I do have a red light/NIR device —  many thanks for your previous posts on that!

I've also upped my melatonin intake, and I gave some NAC and melatonin to DD (who doesn't normally take melatonin). She said her throat is still extremely sore (can't swallow), but the headache and fever aren't as bad as yesterday, so I hope she's on an upward trajectory.

How are you and your daughter feeling today?

[Corraleno]

1 hour ago, BeachGal said:

How are you and your daughter feeling today?

DD had a really severe sore throat, which is thankfully much better, so she's been able to eat a little today after several days of not being able to swallow. She's still coughing, has a low-grade fever, and feels really tired. I think this is day 6 or 7 for her, but I think she's turned the corner.

My symptoms are really odd — I have the upper respiratory symptoms of a very mild cold (just a slightly stuffy/runny nose, no coughing, no sore throat), but the whole-body symptoms of the flu (fever, headache, body ache, joint pain, dizziness). I don't like to interfere with fevers (if anything I'll "boost" them with a hot shower, thermos of hot tea, and a pile of blankets), so I'm hoping once the fever burns itself out, I'll feel better. This is day 3 for me.

Thanks for asking!

Edited February 6, 2023 by Corraleno

[mommyoffive]

Long Covid Weekly #31: IVIG, Vascular Dysfunction & more (substack.com)

[mommyoffive]

People's CDC COVID-19 Weather Report - People's CDC (substack.com)

The Weather: Transmission levels stay stubbornly high, with 93.3% living in areas with substantial or higher transmission, though fewer at the very highest level. Rates are higher generally in the South, parts of the Midwest, and the East Coast, with lower levels in the West.

 

Wastewater Monitoring: National wastewater levels appear to be leveling off, though they are still at very high levels.

Indeed, regionally wastewater levels show a clear leveling off. While this is better than another surge, we are still looking at high, steady rates of disease.

Hospitalizations: There is some better news: hospitalizations for confirmed COVID cases continue to decline. However, levels are still far above the lowest points, in July 2021 & April 2022. Hospital rates are much higher in seniors compared to other ages.

 

Deaths: The week of February 1, at least 3,452 people died of COVID nationally.15,000 people have already died of COVID in 2023.

As much as some would like to blame these deaths on other causes, it is clear that COVID deaths are NOT being overcounted.

Sadly, a report this week found that COVID is the leading infectious/respiratory cause of death in children (almost double the rate of flu deaths) and the 8th leading cause of death in children overall. Better layers of protection can prevent these deaths.

Long COVID: Some individuals with Long COVID develop postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), described in this review. Many symptoms are possible as the cardiovascular system is unable to respond normally.

 

Symptoms “preferentially affect young & middle-aged women, possibly suggesting a genetic predisposition and/or a mechanistic role for sex hormones.” There are tests you can request from a medical provider. Research continues to find more tests & treatment.

Vaccines: As variants continue to evolve, scientists are working to create vaccines that can recognize multiple – or even any – form of COVID, which would be a huge breakthrough. 

Take Action: This weekend’s Grammy awards featured layers of protection for attendees, similar to Davos last month. Guests must present negative lab-administered PCR tests, and the venues have MERV-15 air filters. 

COVID protections should be for everyone — not just the famous, and the rich.

 

Many groups, including AFL-CIO, are standing strong against moves to end the Public Health Emergency by both the Republicans and the Biden administration, which will increase health risks and health disparities for everyone.

 

 

Ending the Emergency will have drastic consequences. This decision is clearly not based on hospitalizations or deaths, as we see steady, high levels.

Some consequences of ending the Public Health Emergency include folks losing access to Medicaid & telehealth, while testing and vaccines will be less affordable.