Same here , just got exposed 5 days ago. Symptoms are very mild. No fever. But I do have coughing at night being the roughest symptoms. / interruption of sleep. Feels like a low grade respiratory infection which I typically get in past winters
I think the problem is that COVID is going to be endemic. It'll never go away. It'll be interesting to see how countries like China finally open up again. Are they going to be in a cycle of complete lock downs forever? Is the game plan to vaccinate the entire population 3 or 4 times before opening up again? They have to have a reckoning eventually, one way or the other.
It's my new favorite thing ever. Sir, I am sorry... but you are just not genetically nimble enough for our team.
Paxlovid is ~90% effective at preventing hospitalization in trials (amazing success if that holds in wide application). While it's a protease inhibitor like ritonavir, IVM, and others, it was specifically designed to target the 3C-like protease, the main protease found in coronaviruses. IOW, it is a targeted treatment compared to non-coronavirus-targeted protease inhibitors already available in the market for cheap. I think when people simply said it's reformulated (fair enough) but without the context of what it does, it can be misleading and that slimmer to truth feed into conspiracy theories (IVM is the same but being 'demonized' for profit reasons). I believe the money we invest in antiviral is smart and effective. The ONLY other effective treatments (but the commonly used one in the US is no longer effective with Omicron) to prevent hospitalization are monoclonal antibodies which are simply not sustainable at their inherent costs. It makes so much sense to replace that in some way and an antiviral pill is one way. Luckily, we now have one that is very effective. I don't think anyone demonized IVM itself (today, the NIH still does recommend for or against the use of IVM). It started with huge hype and promises. Money was thrown at it very early on to study it and we have had numerous studies - and yes, some with combinations of other drugs. Since some localities did go with massive-scale use of IVM (before vax availabilities) - shouldn't hurt, let's try it, we also do have a few studies on the effect of those massive usages. The latest one posted here is another set of data - which to be clear, is not a randomized controlled trial but one that is based on observations and estimation using statistics (so be a bit cautious of the conclusion). With so many promising results that later were found to be wrong, we'll have to wait and see on this too.
From the WSJ... https://www.wsj.com/articles/cloth-face-mask-omicron-11640984082 Also lots of various data (not on masks but on Covids, vaccines, omicron, etc): https://yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com/p/there-is-good-news
Could be - but planes are technically constantly bringing in new air so I'm not sure how that would translate since you're not going to breathing in all the same air for an hour (unlike a regular room).
I only flew last year with an N95. If it's safe enough to wear to treat the patients its safe enough to prevent airplane transmission.
Razer’s new Zephyr Pro mask has the voice amp feature we wanted all along https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/5/22855795/razer-zephyr-pro-mask-voice-amp-feature-price-ces-2022
Paywall, but that chart doesn't look right. Absolutely right that N95 fitted > N95 > surgical mask > cloth mask > nothing. But the times and symmetry look way too simplistic to be right.
Just got my negative COVID test and am clear to fly back to the US. One of the most unusual and enlightening things about this trip is seeing how three different countries are dealing with COVID particularly the recent Omincron wave sweeping the World. In the Netherlands there is an indoor mask mandate in places open to the public (stores, museums, etc.). There is no outdoor mask mandate. I don't know if there is a vaccination mandate either through government or businesses but don't think so. The Netherlands has imposed some of the strictest restrictions though with all non-essential businesses (bars, restaurants) closed until Jan. 14th and essential stores (grocery stores) have to close from 8PM - 5AM. As such the once boisterous streets of Amsterdam are very quiet at night. Singapore has both an outdoor and an indoor mask mandate for public spaces but nearly all Singapore businesses can operate with bars and restaurants being required to close at 10:30PM. Seating separation is also enforced in businesses like restaurants where seats are marked off with redtape or even plastic mesh to space people out. Singapore doesn't have a vaccine mandate but strongly encourages vaccinations through other incentives and penalties. A vaccine mandate is coming later this month though to deal with Omicron. Singapore does have a very sophisticated and pervasive contact tracing system. Everyone is required to use contact tracing app on smartphones called "Trace Together". When entering spaces such as stores, restaurants, shopping malls and even things like the Botanic Gardens you are required to check in and out using either a QR code or Bluetooth. There isn't an overall testing mandate but anyone taking a test outside of the home at a licensed facility those results will be reported to the government. Even in the cases of travelers who are required to take at home test those results have to be reported to the government website and they will send you reminders if you don't. As for results it's hard to compare a large country like the US with two small countries but if we look at per capita the US is at 184 new cases per 100,000 people per day. The Netherlands are at 98.2 new cases per 100,000. Singapore is at 55 per 100,000. Death numbers show an even starker difference with the US leading the World with 832,392 total deaths since the pandemic began. The Netherlands has had 21,041 deaths but has 5% of the US population. Singapore has had 835 deaths and is 2% the size of the US population. Adjusting for population size that means that the US has still had twice as many deaths as the Netherlands and 20 times as many as Singapore.
The case and positivity rate in NYK and NJ are so insane this is the only thing I could think of when reading the charts a minute ago
It's insane how rapidly this thing transmits. I don't know if they've actually figured out an R0 value but the last one I saw was estimated around R0 12-15 which is basically measles. We have to hope this **** doesn't mutate back into something more dangerous. It does seem like cases and hospitalizations maybe topped out in NYC. Wait and see.
That chart does look overly simplistic and I haven't ever seen any research indicating time lengths of exposure and those various conditions stated. If there is a link to them then it would be interesting to read thru. I talk to a doctor up in Quebec on another message board who flatly said anything less effective than a KN95 mask is basically worthless against something with this high of a R0. That would seem to be reflected in that study from Indonesia where they theorize that surgical masks could provide at best 32% decrease in infections with 100% of the people wearing them. A 30ish% decrease with a R0 of 12 basically means nothing. Not related to anything but he does a pretty amazing job dealing with the ridiculous questions he gets on there. It's a MMA message board so every anti vax conspiracy gets brought up in full force over there lol.
I think of mask as similar to condoms. I’ve heard that condoms are at best only a 50% effective stopping pregnancy or STDs. Alone they aren’t really that good especially for anyone with an active sex life including multiple partners. Condoms should be considered as part of a system for preventing pregnancy and STD that includes other measures such as spermicides and vaccination for STDs like hepatitis.
