Bivalent Booster and exposure to Covid?

[Ginevra]

I had intended to get the bivalent Covid booster this week. I got the flu shot end of October; I prioritized flu due to the recommendations. (Didn’t want to get them simultaneously.)

Dh is Covid positive as of today. 😣🤨 I had to change some very significant things on my schedule, including doctor’s appointments and interviewing stuff for my security clearance. (I am furious about that.) 

What I’m wondering is: am I rolling the dice on bad side-effects if I go get the booster now? Should I first wait and see if I become symptomatic? What is the best strategy here?

 

[Indigo Blue]

Sorry, Quill, I don’t have any good advice, but I was wondering….is this the first time Covid has been in your family? I can’t remember if you posted awhile back  about having it already. 

[freesia]

I wasn’t allowed to get the booster for two weeks after my exposure. 

[Guest]

11 minutes ago, Indigo Blue said:

Sorry, Quill, I don’t have any good advice, but I was wondering….is this the first time Covid has been in your family? I can’t remember if you posted awhile back  about having it already. 

*I* have never had it (AFAIK) and youngest sonhasn’t. Dh had it early on, pre-vaccine, but not any time since. My YAs have both had it during the Omicron surge, though they were vaxed. 
 

When dh had it the first time, he quarantined in the basement and I did not interact with him except masked. And I washed everything immediately when I brought trays up from there. I suppose we can do the same thing again, but it is possible I already have it. I guess I won’t know that for another day or two. 

Edited November 14, 2022 by Quill

[prairiewindmomma]

I would send Dh to the basement. I isolated when I got COVID a few weeks ago and no one else got it even though I had been around everyone else in the household extensively. 
 

I would wait on the booster. I got the booster 10 days before they got COVID and still had a rough go of things. While I may have had partial immunity from my vaccine, it clearly wasn’t fully preventative. I think I had omicron variant because my initial symptom was a sore throat.

[desertflower]

I would quarantine him and wait.  It is to my understanding the booster is not effective immediately.  At least the first one wasn't.  I hope he feels better and everything works out.

[BronzeTurtle]

If you're not symptomatic and not testing positive why would you need to cancel your appointments? Are people still quarantining themselves for sick family members? I guess this board would likely not be representative of IRL because I thought that was not really a thing anymore. Like people with sick kids still have one parent going to work as long as they are well, etc.

I don't know if you should be furious at someone for getting sick. 😕 I institute a lot of extra handwashing and gargling in my house when a sickness comes in and I get being anxious about it and frustrated at the inconvenience but if my spouse got mad at me or the kids for coming down with something I would be really baffled and probably sore about it.

Edited November 15, 2022 by BronzeTurtle

[Harriet Vane]

7 hours ago, BronzeTurtle said:

If you're not symptomatic and not testing positive why would you need to cancel your appointments? Are people still quarantining themselves for sick family members? I guess this board would likely not be representative of IRL because I thought that was not really a thing anymore. Like people with sick kids still have one parent going to work as long as they are well, etc.

I don't know if you should be furious at someone for getting sick. 😕 I institute a lot of extra handwashing and gargling in my house when a sickness comes in and I get being anxious about it and frustrated at the inconvenience but if my spouse got mad at me or the kids for coming down with something I would be really baffled and probably sore about it.

I am pretty sure you're supposed to mask and test with a close contact exposure. 

[KSera]

1 hour ago, Harriet Vane said:

I am pretty sure you're supposed to mask and test with a close contact exposure. 

Yep. Even the lax CDC guidelines call for masking for ten days with a test on day 5 post exposure. 
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/if-you-were-exposed.html

[EmilyGF]

8 hours ago, Harriet Vane said:

I am pretty sure you're supposed to mask and test with a close contact exposure. 

But that's different than needing to cancel appointments. My kids (go to a major, liberal high school district) just mask after close contact. Except when they swim in PE, when they are allowed to take the masks off, and in the cafeteria, when they are allowed to eat lunch with other kids (and now you know why I feel a little critical of masking requirements).

ETA: My impression is that COVID vaccines were limited to a certain time after infection early on due to limited vaccines. Now you don't need to wait.

Emily

Edited November 16, 2022 by EmilyGF

[KSera]

3 hours ago, EmilyGF said:

My impression is that COVID vaccines were limited to a certain time after infection early on due to limited vaccines. Now you don't need to wait.

The immune response may not be as good if given close to recovering from infection. Waiting 2-3 months appears to allow a stronger response. 

[Guest]

22 hours ago, BronzeTurtle said:

If you're not symptomatic and not testing positive why would you need to cancel your appointments? Are people still quarantining themselves for sick family members? I guess this board would likely not be representative of IRL because I thought that was not really a thing anymore. Like people with sick kids still have one parent going to work as long as they are well, etc.

I don't know if you should be furious at someone for getting sick. 😕 I institute a lot of extra handwashing and gargling in my house when a sickness comes in and I get being anxious about it and frustrated at the inconvenience but if my spouse got mad at me or the kids for coming down with something I would be really baffled and probably sore about it.

It is the protocol for these appointments. The security clearance appointments sent three emails outlining the protocol and that was one element: close contact with a Covid positive person within ten days of the appointment. 
 

It was the protocol for the medical appointment too, as they require screening questions and one of them is close contact within past ten days. 
 

When I say “furious”, I mean at the situation, not the sick person. Well, mostly. He has not done everything possible to avoid illness though and I am (justifiably, I think) upset by that. 

[Guest]

6 hours ago, EmilyGF said:

But that's different than needing to cancel appointments. My kids (go to a major, liberal high school district) just mask after close contact. Except when they swim in PE, when they are allowed to take the masks off, and in the cafeteria, when they are allowed to eat lunch with other kids (and now you know why I feel a little critical of masking requirements).

ETA: My impression is that COVID vaccines were limited to a certain time after infection early on due to limited vaccines. Now you don't need to wait.

Emily

I had to cancel the appointments. It is a security clearance in a federal Gov building. One of the protocols is “ANY close contact with a Covid positive person in the past ten days.” 

[Halftime Hope]

25 minutes ago, Quill said:

It is the protocol for these appointments. The security clearance appointments sent three emails outlining the protocol and that was one element: close contact with a Covid positive person within ten days of the appointment. 
 

It was the protocol for the medical appointment too, as they require screening questions and one of them is close contact within past ten days. 
 

When I say “furious”, I mean at the situation, not the sick person. Well, mostly. He has not done everything possible to avoid illness though and I am (justifiably, I think) upset by that. 

The immune system takes a transient hit with vaccination, so it doesn't seem like this is a great time to be vaccinated if you've just been exposed.  This is a great time to do oral and nasal hygiene, so you're decreasing viral load. 🙂 We do DIY povidone iodine nasal irrigation as needed (when exposed to large groups) and gargling with a mouthwash containing cetylpyridinium chloride.  For a known exposure in the household, I'd be all over it with air filtration and the above 3-4x daily, plus the usual stacks of vitamins and minerals. 

All the best to you and yours! 

 

 

[Guest]

21 minutes ago, Halftime Hope said:

The immune system takes a transient hit with vaccination, so it doesn't seem like this is a great time to be vaccinated if you've just been exposed.  This is a great time to do oral and nasal hygiene, so you're decreasing viral load. 🙂 We do DIY povidone iodine nasal irrigation as needed (when exposed to large groups) and gargling with a mouthwash containing cetylpyridinium chloride.  For a known exposure in the household, I'd be all over it with air filtration and the above 3-4x daily, plus the usual stacks of vitamins and minerals. 

All the best to you and yours! 

 

 

Thank you! I did not think of nasal irrigation but that is a good idea. I do have an air filtration unit I got before thanksgiving last year. For all I know, it worked, because my middle kid got Covid right after TGing, but nobody else got it from him. 

[Harriet Vane]

30 minutes ago, Halftime Hope said:

The immune system takes a transient hit with vaccination, so it doesn't seem like this is a great time to be vaccinated if you've just been exposed.  This is a great time to do oral and nasal hygiene, so you're decreasing viral load. 🙂 We do DIY povidone iodine nasal irrigation as needed (when exposed to large groups) and gargling with a mouthwash containing cetylpyridinium chloride.  For a known exposure in the household, I'd be all over it with air filtration and the above 3-4x daily, plus the usual stacks of vitamins and minerals. 

All the best to you and yours! 

 

 

Which specific product contains cetylpyridinium chloride? I had read it's in mouthwash but have not taken the time to determine which one. 

Also, if you're interested, I have used this iodine nasal irrigation for many years. Originally my mother-in-law found it and I thought it was weird. I asked my doctor about it, though, because she swore it helped her sinus headaches, and I was curious about the effect on allergies. My doctor affirmed that the mixture itself is fine/safe, and it simply sanitizes and reduces swelling. I tried it out when pregnant and suffering with huge allergies and not able to take as much medicine as needed, and I was so thankful that it helped me breathe. After that, I've used it whenever I have a cold or sinus infection or if my allergies are worse than usual. 

Facial & Sinus Bath Iodine Solution | Healthwise (forresthealth.com)

 

When my son struggled with a colonized bacterial infection, his doctor recommended the NeilMed sinus rinse because it flows all the way through both nostrils (like a netipot). I find the linked Healthwise product easier to use (dissolve in large bowl of warm water with table salt and immerse--gentle and totally painless), but I think either is a good option.

I'm curious to know more about your diy povidone nasal irrigation if you'd care to share. 

Thanks.

[Halftime Hope]

3 hours ago, Harriet Vane said:

Which specific product contains cetylpyridinium chloride? I had read it's in mouthwash but have not taken the time to determine which one. 

Also, if you're interested, I have used this iodine nasal irrigation for many years. Originally my mother-in-law found it and I thought it was weird. I asked my doctor about it, though, because she swore it helped her sinus headaches, and I was curious about the effect on allergies. My doctor affirmed that the mixture itself is fine/safe, and it simply sanitizes and reduces swelling. I tried it out when pregnant and suffering with huge allergies and not able to take as much medicine as needed, and I was so thankful that it helped me breathe. After that, I've used it whenever I have a cold or sinus infection or if my allergies are worse than usual. 

Facial & Sinus Bath Iodine Solution | Healthwise (forresthealth.com)

 

When my son struggled with a colonized bacterial infection, his doctor recommended the NeilMed sinus rinse because it flows all the way through both nostrils (like a netipot). I find the linked Healthwise product easier to use (dissolve in large bowl of warm water with table salt and immerse--gentle and totally painless), but I think either is a good option.

I'm curious to know more about your diy povidone nasal irrigation if you'd care to share. 

Thanks.

There are several Crest mouthwashes and other brands...it's just a matter of reading the labels on the back or typing it into Amazon as a search term to find out the possibilities. I have two different Crest items, one with and one without alcohol. You can't beat the one with alcohol for temporary numbing of a slight sore throat before heading to bed. 🙂

I make my own povidone iodine solution, and depending on what is going on, I may put it very, very dilutely into a neti pot (1/4 teaspoon in a whole cup of normal saline) or use it as a 1% nasal spray before and after an event where I may have an exposure.  For that I make normal saline (1/4tsp of refined salt for neti pots in 1 up of distilled water) and then dilute the PI to 1% from the usual 10% that is sold in stores. In other words, 1 part PI + 9 parts of saline. I put it in an amber glass nasal spray bottle purchased off Amazon. 3-4 sprays snuffed well up into the nose, enough that it may make me slightly cough while inhaling it. (Rarely happens.) I find that I need to use the solution and then throw it away within about 48 hours, because it degrades, and holy cow does it sting if it's not fresh!

Anyway, I mostly use saline, but I use PI when I feel there's a reason to. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 17, 2022 by Halftime Hope

[Halftime Hope]

3 hours ago, Harriet Vane said:

Which specific product contains cetylpyridinium chloride? I had read it's in mouthwash but have not taken the time to determine which one. 

Also, if you're interested, I have used this iodine nasal irrigation for many years. Originally my mother-in-law found it and I thought it was weird. I asked my doctor about it, though, because she swore it helped her sinus headaches, and I was curious about the effect on allergies. My doctor affirmed that the mixture itself is fine/safe, and it simply sanitizes and reduces swelling. I tried it out when pregnant and suffering with huge allergies and not able to take as much medicine as needed, and I was so thankful that it helped me breathe. After that, I've used it whenever I have a cold or sinus infection or if my allergies are worse than usual. 

Facial & Sinus Bath Iodine Solution | Healthwise (forresthealth.com)

 

When my son struggled with a colonized bacterial infection, his doctor recommended the NeilMed sinus rinse because it flows all the way through both nostrils (like a netipot). I find the linked Healthwise product easier to use (dissolve in large bowl of warm water with table salt and immerse--gentle and totally painless), but I think either is a good option.

I'm curious to know more about your diy povidone nasal irrigation if you'd care to share. 

Thanks.

I also mean to ask you how you use this product?  Thanks!

[Harriet Vane]

3 hours ago, Halftime Hope said:

I also mean to ask you how you use this product?  Thanks!

I dissolve two dropperfuls into a large bowl of lukewarm water along with some table salt. Immerse face and blow OUT to clear nostril of air. Remain still--water will gently invade nostrils. Hold position for just 15 seconds, then pull out of water and blow your nose. Repeat. 

It can also be used as a gargle. 

[Guest]

Well now ds17 has tested positive. So I’ll be scarce around the germ laboratory for a while, lol

[mommyoffive]

Hoping you don't get sick Quill and that your ds and dh are not very ill.  I am sorry this all happened and screwed up the appointments.