It's not that simple because COVID affects people differently. As for "it seems like its been long enough for everyone to get on the same page with some form of treatment"....um yea it's call getting vaccinated and we as the American people can't even get on the same page with that. Why wait and be reactive when you can be proactive and prevent from actually getting COVID?
I am betting my bottom dollar. Holding PFE longggggg. But if I just get Covid, how long am I in the clear after that? 3rd booster, do I need a 4th eventually? Sigh. These disease sucks.
it's been well over a year and half and the main discussions about all this are the same as if this was day 1 of this shitshow
A lot of ignorance and a lot more stupidity. Ignorance by way of not believing in the amount of work, science and research to get a usable vaccine out on the market in just a timely manner. Stupidity by way of making the "Should I get the vaccine or not?" choice into a more individualistic and selfish decision.
The hasn't yet been peer-reviewed study found Pfizer was still 97% effective at preventing severe disease for at least 6M, but protection against ANY symptomatic illness fell from 96 to 84% after 6M. We all know that antibodies wane over time, so I'm not sure why this is that surprising (if it is at all surprising). But given the effectiveness against severe illness is still very strong, it said that the body can create antibodies and stop the virus, just a bit later compared to antibodies that were already created and waiting on the sideline (but has waned over time). I can understand booster shots for those with a weak immune system. If indeed our immune system doesn't "forget" covid and the rest of us can avoid severe illness for the long term but may have some symptoms, I'm ok with that. I prefer that over a yearly booster shot.
A good lecture on the immune response and why boosters are likely not needed unless you are elderly or immunocompromised. Even then they will only do so much. If you don’t want to listen to all the technical explanations then just start at 20 minutes. You might be a little lost but it overall makes sense from there. He also put forth the possibility of monoclonal antibodies being more effective and less risky for people in those groups. They would have shorter duration but not the side effects of the vaccines and would be used for targeted protection.
A friend of ours that is frontline got her antibodies tested the other day and they were apparently basically non-existent. She had J&J in early February I believe. Will we ultimately just have to learn to live with getting sick from COVID? I mean we will, but how sick do we have to get in the meantime, and is 18-24 months really that long to have normal life of clubbing distrupted? I don't know, Im more cautious than most. I have a child with a rare neurological issue that doesn't really effect her at all, but for some with the issue effects them greatly... and Im super hesitant to even risk pushing her more towards that end of the spectrum with any kind of long-covid impact... so im trying to be super cautious until she can get vaccinated... /shrug?
Keep in mind that having antibodies is not the goal here. The vaccine teaches your bodies how to produce antibodies (or at least, Pfizer and Moderna do - not sure on J&J). The originally produced antibodies will go away, as they do for other potential illnesses. The real key - which we don't really have a way to measure - is whether the body can ramp up production quickly if you get infected. I assume that's where there's indication that vaccinated people still catch it, but the symptoms aren't bad if your body can start fighting it almost immediately? So once your initial antibodies dissipate, you're more susceptible to getting Covid, but as long your cells still know how to produce and fight it, it should remain effective against more severe disease ... hopefully?
You can get a booster (Pfizer and Moderna) here: http://www.josephgathe.com/ Planning on going today after work, as I'll be traveling abroad in two weeks.
fwiw: All vaccines teach our body to produce antibodies; ie teach our body to activate an antibody immune response to a virus ... traditionally by introducing a weakened/dead virus — J&J uses this traditional method. I think what you mean is the messenger RNA vaccines produce this antibody immune response by teaching our cells to create a specific spike protein ... or just a piece of the virus.
pretty damn sad that things like a measly $100 or tickets etc are the reason someone just happens to suddenly take a vaccine.
I don't think money will be an effective motivator for people who have turned down getting a free vaccine. But good luck Lina.
Petty thinking on my part, I supposed, but what about the people who took the time to get vaccinated early on? It's a bit unfair that we don't see any monies or any other form of compensation / reward.
Unvaccinated covid patients are bumping off other emergent patients by saying they have chest pain or sob. People in pain like kidney stones and deep wound cuts have to wait longer. And theres too many people using it as a testing site for work or school returns.
