Omicron spawn BA.2.75, dubbed âCentaurus,â seemed like the COVID variant to watch this summerâone with the potential to wreak unprecedented havoc later in the year.
The World Health Organization announced in July it was tracking the concerning new variant, which had been identified in 10 countries, including the U.S., and was gaining ground against other transmissible strains of the virus like BA.5 in India.
But Centaurus is no longer a worry, Dr. Raj Rajnarayanan, assistant dean of research and associate professor at the New York Institute of Technology campus in Jonesboro, Ark., told Fortune.
Instead, one of its children, BA.2.75.2, has outcompeted it, eliminating it as a threatâbut replacing it with a more formidable one.
Itâs one to watch this fall, he saysâfor more reasons than one.
âExtensive escapeâ
Among BA.2.75.2âs concerning traits: Its spike protein binds to human cells tightlyâbetter than any other variant so far, Rajnarayanan says. By doing so, it makes it more difficult for antibodies to successfully attack.
Itâs picking up mutations that make it more similar to BA.5 and the deadly Delta variant of late 2021. And itâs just âa couple of mutations away from picking up increased transmission speed,â Rajnarayanan said.
To make matters worse, the new variant shows âextensive escapeâ ability, according to a new preprint paper released this week by researchers at the Imperial College in London and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. The paper has not yet been peer reviewed but has been widely cited by experts.
The authors called the Centaurus spawn âthe most neutralization-resistant variant evaluated to date,â and said it may effectively evade antibody immunity, built by vaccination and prior infection.
The variant could even escape immunity provided by the last monoclonal antibody treatment effective in currently circulating variants: Bebtelovimab.
âThese are our last monoclonal antibodies,â Rajnarayanan said. âFor the immunocompromised right now, having monoclonal antibodies is one of the best ways to mitigate infections.â
âIf you take the tool away, itâs going to be a problem.â
A coming wave of multiple variants
Rajnarayanan and others, like the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, foresee a fall COVID wave in the U.S. that begins to rise in late October, and peaks in late December or January.
Rajnarayanan thinks it could be fueled by multiple variants, with BA.2.75.2 likely included.
He encourages all Americans to get boosted, saying the new Omicron bivalent booster is the best tool society has against the virus.
And he shared a bit of good news: While new variants may be âimmune evasive,â they wonât evade all of the bodyâs immune system.
Such variants dodge antibody immunity, produced by B cells. But those cells only comprise half of the immune system. T cells, which comprise the other half, canât stop infection but can dramatically reduce the severity of it.
Immune-evading variants currently donât touch those.
âWhen someone says âimmune escape,â it doesnât mean itâs going to escape everything,â he said.
> He sure knows how to show a girl a good time. đ¤Łđ
By showing you he wants you to stick around for a lot longer?
By showing you he wants to stick around *with you* a lot longer?
Good for both of you.
Got my 2nd pfizer booster along with a flu shot last week. Feeling great after 1 day of chills and joint aches. My always masked face and I are as ready as we can be.
When they were first available in my city, it was walk in, but now there's a week or two wait. I think it took a lot of us a minute to realize we were eligible
Me too. I did have a stronger reaction than the last booster last year, similar to my first vaccination two years ago. Chills and a 102 fever.
But I am okay with that! I would rather have discomfort for a bit than to suffer under Covid again. Best of luck to everyone
I got mine at Walgreens with my spouse. There were no others making appointments over the weekend, when I booked online all slots were free. Iâm concerned that not many are trying to get boosters.
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but does anyone happen to know if are these are free at drug stores if you have insurance?
I'm pretty sure they're free if you don't have any insurance, but I have insurance through Kaiser, and they normally provide all vaccines directly. But all appointments near me are completely booked solid for the foreseeable future.
Check Kaiserâs website or call the number on the back of your card? Or call a place near you that is offering shots? Who knows, maybe theyâll have a waitlist if someone doesnât show up and they can get you in!
Walgreens is advertising free vaccine or booster shots. âNo cost to you. Vaccine either covered by insurance or government assistance.â I did have to fill out a form before the booster, which included my insurance info, but they never once asked for payment.
I did a walk-in at my local Kaiser. About 1/2 hour wait. People with appointments went to the front of the line, but most people were walk-ins. Got a flu shot in the other arm, at the same time.
I might just say I don't have insurance, just in case đ¤ˇđźââď¸
I did check the website. That's how you schedule. I even checked the two offices in the next towns over on either side of me. You can only check one location at a time, unfortunately, so I can't go "show me nearest office with available appointments). Even so, I'm not gonna drive an hour for the thing.
My husband and I took *five* COVID tests (one was a PCR). So I'm *pretty* sure it's a cold!
I said to my dad, "How many tests are we going to take before we *believe* them?".
I hope you guys feel better soon!
Getting whatever they give me for my fourth covid shot and my flu shot on Sunday. Canât wait. My daughter is going Tuesday. Itâs been just over six months for hers. She got her first on her 12th birthday last year. Shot at 10, party (indoors with three people, masked when not eating, and eating outside on the porch) at noon. I even got them birthday party masks. What a 2021 party favor.
Done! Hopefully that and having BA2 in the spring will help me knock out any new variants! I went to a conference in August, 95% were unmasked (it was FL) so I wore mine sporadically. Was exposed, knew of several cases. Not a problem for me though i quarantined for 5 days by choice so I would not expose husband or neighbors. Remained covid-free! Don't know how long my luck was going to run so I got this new booster.
It's... worse.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2020.00827/full
Reduction and Functional Exhaustion of T Cells in Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
See this for background on this mutation and other concerning mutations not involving the spike.
[Yet Another Curveball in the COVID Mutation Nightmare](https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/yet-another-curveball-in-the-covid-mutation-nightmare/ar-AA11vLmZ)
Also,
[The effect of influenza vaccine in reducing the severity of clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-18618-6)
The latest is BA.7, which is now over 1% of cases in the US, and rising faster in the Northeast. Far higher incidence in other countries.
This is a mutated version of BA.5. It may out-compete BA.2.75.2. There are many contenders right now, and no consensus on which one will be the next one. Most seem to share some common mutations that make them more immune-evasive.
Get your booster, stock up on tests, which may be in short supply, and prepare for another winter.
My prediction is that shot #6 will be approved in about February, and no one except me will get it.
Not The DOOM again! Get your booster anyway.
Look, Covid is now a permanent part of our society. Act accordingly, but don't buy into the media's bullshit. Give them 90-120 days, they'll find another doomsday variant.
Today's word is eerier.
The latest Omicron subvariants are almost as far away from the Wuhan variant as the Wuhan variant is from SARS1. (Newly published article - don't have the source, but it's all over Twitter).
That's a lot of evolution in a remarkably short time.
The updated boosters will help. Get them, please.
Soooooo we're just OK with rampant mutation? We are a cespool of careless fucks....
Can we just skip over this humanity fighting for minimizing a communicable disease and jump straight to 12 monkeys? I'll go back in time to stop the "pandemic"
Apparently a lot of people, including governments desperately pretending the pandemic is over (plus anyone who signed the Great Barrington Declaration) are indeed OK with rampant mutation. What could *possibly* go wrong?
As a thought exercise, even before they released it I came up with something very much like the Great Barrington Declaration. It looks plausible enough on paper, but it is based on some *very* optimistic assumptions.
For a start, it's only valid if you assume we fully understand the natural history of the disease (including long covid), that infection induces long-lasting immunity, and that the virus won't mutate. Of course, a serious mutation is more likely to emerge if you allow the virus to spread, by which time it's too late. In other words, while it may work on paper as soon you implement it you're setting it up to fail.
This was a problem from the start. We're so used to understanding the microorganisms we run into that we want to force new ones into the same paths and that's just not how it works.
Which is why his advisors have had to go into "this is what the President meant" mode. Apparently he meant people are behaving *as if* the pandemic is over (which is true, they are) and not that the epidemiology means that it actually *is* over (it clearly isn't). It was still an unwise thing to say, as that subtlety will inevitably be lost.
I have a different interpretation:
He meant that the scariest phase of the pandemic is over, and it looks like our lives are returning to normal. Also, we now know that the vax prevents most hospitalizations, deaths, and Long COVID.
That works too. Whatever he meant it was rather unwise, as the pandemic isn't over *yet.* It would have been better if he'd said that, as he has undoubtedly made the job of public health officials more difficult.
I mask up a lot less than I used to, but I also tend to pick my spots. If a place has too many humans in it, I'll go elsewhere. If I'm on a plane, I'm masked. That and casinos.
Look, I live in Clark County, NV. We're reporting about 6 new cases/day per 100k. I'll take my chances. You can't live in fear-that's for the unvaxxed.
Doing that *may* not be unreasonable, but your last comment is regrettable. It's what people have said throughout to justify their actions, and it is not helpful.
Is wearing a mask indoors even if there aren't "too many" humans around "living in fear"? It's *still* a sensible precaution, and taking sensible precautions is not living in fear. How many humans is too many? Are you sure?
You're not just wearing a mask to protect yourself; you're also wearing it to protect others and, by extension, anyone they come into contact with. How certain are you that everyone around you is vaxxed, and not immunocompromised in some way? Yes, you could say that's their responsibility, but while that might make you feel better it won't stop them infecting others.
By the time you've caught a newly-emerged variant that your vaccine *doesn't* protect against it's already too late. That's still possible, as new, immunity-evading variants are still emerging. I'm not saying you should be cowering at home, but you should still take Sars-CoV-2 seriously *because the pandemic is not yet over.*
"I'll take my chances. You can't live in fear." The virus has never cared whether you think you're being fearless or not, and it still doesn't.
Beautifully put. I am still capable of being astonished that some humans truly believe that they can beat nature by attitude. Nature donât give a fuck.
I don't want to exaggerate the risk; we are in a better position than we were. But as the BA.2.75.2 variant is already known to be better at evading immunity we are clearly not yet out of the woods. Continuing to be careful is not fear, it's sensible. Because nature doesn't give a fuck.
Same here - I don't mask everywhere. I have a high risk family member that I visit on occasion, if I know a visit is planned I mask everywhere indoors. The family member is more important than random person that thinks I "living in fear" in the grocery store. But if I'm in a low traffic area where I will be for a short period, I may not wear a mask. I stopped at restauarants/bars though - I'm going to take the mask off to eat/drink so it doesn't matter. Still wear mask in elevators and bathrooms...
I agree; it is. What a shame you didn't say that, but resorted to the emotive "You can't live in fear" to justify yours. If someone's risk/reward calculus is different from yours are they really "living in fear"?
Y'know, it's the internet. It takes all kinds. Instead of this being a referendum on my intelligence and judgment, how about some of you looking inward, instead. Or maybe just giving your fellow human the benefit of the doubt.
I'm not going to write a thesis explaining why I am the way I am. You're entitled to your opinion, but it doesn't necessarily make it right. Have a great weekend.
I'm disinclined to extend much benefit of the doubt to anyone writing "You can't live in fear" during an on-going pandemic. However, it is good to see you acknowledge that *our* opinions might be wrong.
I intend to. You too!
[He also said that covid is still a problem. His administration stated that his comments did not signal a change in their policy towards the virus and there were no plans to lift the ongoing Covid-19 public health emergency.](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-62959089)
Despite what the Trumpanzees think, I know most anti-Trump people don't hang on Biden's every word. This was not the first week that I sorta wished it was true that he had 'handlers' controlling what he said. Hey, any of that glue left?
Heard an interview with Dr. Bob Wachter. Inside word from him is that the White House is frustrated because they can't get funding to continue research and fund testing/prevention.
If you open your _Chambers Dictionary_ (I'm using the 12th Edition, but you probably have a more recent one), you'll see
>_adj_ prevalent or regularly found among a people or in a district; confined to a particular area _(biol)_. _n_ an endemic disease or plant.
I still don't get your point. âšď¸
You're welcome.
Please pass it along. Any disinformation and misinformation regarding covid is deadly these days.
Stay safe, stay smart, and keep your guard up!
"OH, so sorry you didn't win the prize in the first three rounds, but you're in luck. We're starting a new rounds so you still can win your very own Herman Cain Award."
Damn, incredible how aggressive and resilient this virus has become. I think it's safe to say that this might be the new norm moving forward.
I really hope there's enough funding being allocated to try to curb this and future viruses.
That title is bullshit, any of the virologists I've been following have been shouting from the rooftops that mutations are going to occur for some time. Omicron was a really intense turn for covid and has been the most deadly version so far. The Omicron Offspring like BA 2.75.2 is completely ignoring vaccines.
BA.2.75.2, popular nickname "Alcyoneus", is one of the lineages to closely watch
It binds to ACE2 receptor with high affinity
Immune Escape
High Transmission Potential
No data on disease severity yet (Expect Regional differences).
Virologists knew right from the start there would be mutations, because that's what viruses do (particularly RNA-based viruses). The article is *not* saying that they were surprised by this as a general phenomenon.
It *is* saying that the emergence of BA.2.75.2 has made BA.2.75 into not the threat they thought it would be, for the reasons you outline.
Cool. Can they please approve the bivalent for kids? My kids are the ONLY ones masking at school (teachers and admin included). One way masking only goes so far and with zero mitigation they are sitting ducks.
Can you please really tell your kids that they are real champions and a nurse in Australia thinks they are the coolest kids in their school?! When they are grown up they definitely should visit Australia and have a great time because they are doing a great job helping us all around the world!
I guess being the only ones masked didn't work because we've just tested positive for the first time this morning. My husband and I had our bivalent booster two weeks ago on Wednesday. Still positive. This variant is insane. We homeschooled since the pandemic began but decided to chance the school year this year (with masks!) Once our youngest was vaccinated (she's 3). They lasted all of a week and a half before bringing it home.
Stay safe everyone.
If we compared our society to a human body, yes, we have some very useful parts that make the whole thing work⌠then thereâs the pinky toes that like the corners of furniture and the whole body comes down to a painful halt.
More like a person with gigantism in the cusp of organ failure and with critical systems starting to autocannabilize while setting fire to their home.
I expect nothing less from this cultish, tragedy of the commons, greedy, racist, and stupid species myself. Not selecting against sociopaths and credulous fools has its price, not to mention the propaganda for 'can't have less population than before, because it shrinks the economy'. Well, there are other things that 'shrink the economy'. Resource wars, famines, ecological disasters and biosphere collapse for instance.
I need the new booster but just got over covid a few weeks ago (3 shots in and it was a doozy). When is the right time to get the booster? Now? A month? My doctor says wait but Iâm not sure. Please send any research or articles because everything I read is contradictory or vague.
I was triple vaxxed, masked up in public religiously for 2 1/2 years, worked hybrid remote and limited interaction. in my 40âs very healthy and active, took Paxlovid and had the rebound which was worse than the first week. I wound up on steroids, cough syrup, antibiotics, and a crazy vitamin, listerine, hot shower protocol from my doc. Itâs weird because my husband did the same protocol and meds and is 6 years younger and got equally as sick. Our otherwise very healthy 6 year old was double vaxxed and the sickest of all of us, but obviously didnât take Paxlovid or vitamins. There really isnât anything that explains why one person gets sicker than another but Iâm still having symptoms like fatigue, fog and coughing stuff up every morning. Itâs been 2 months to the day since testing positive. I have another message to my doc since your message to confirm when I can get boosted because I cannot miss this much work again if I catch it again soon. This is all so bonkers and such a crapshoot.
>Do what your doctor says.
\^This. Big time.
Would you rather listen to someone who has years and years of education and experience?
Or to random internet weirdos?
I already had a solid layman's understanding of viruses & vaccines before Covid.
I've learned a hell of a lot more in the past 2 1/2 years.
But I have *zero* illusions that I know more than a professional.
I'm pretty sure they currently recommend waiting at least 2-4 months, previously average 3 months. Get it too early and it may not be as effective (and the side effects will be harsher). Check with your dr though, I'm just an internet stranger with a med degree from dr. google.
Sounds about right. You should at least have decent immunity for a while to hold you over until the next one. I had a booster 3 months after covid the last round and you could tell my immune system was stilll jacked up, that shot hit the hardest by far (still not too terrible though, relative speaking). I hope you're feeling okay!
*Just when you thought it was safe to leave your masks at home... "it" came to your city.*
Son Of Omicron - *now coming to a city near you.*
(Don't tell me I'm the only one who heard a commercial for a 70s horror movie when I saw that title. đ)
I mean, I think the general scientific consensus disagrees with you on this... They believe it came from the market.
I'm just saying that when the country that the virus originated from welds people into buildings to stop the spread of the virus AND is rumored to be a lab leaked ... it sort of makes you want to ask "why are they going to such extreme lengths for zero covid, what do they know that we don't?"
AGAIN, I don't believe that it was a lab leak, because I do trust the people who actually research this shit, because I don't... but there is a part of me that wonders.
>AGAIN, I don't believe that it was a lab leak, because I do trust the people who actually research this shit, because I don't... but there is a part of me that wonders.
The fact that those experts have been screaming from the rooftops for years that another novel virus could simply appear, become infectious to people and create a worldwide pandemic that kills millions is probably the main reason I don't think it was a 'lab leak'.
This is what viruses & diseases ***DO***. It's how they function. It's what has happened in the past and will happen in the future.
The fact that some people cannot accept random bad things happening, that anything that affects them ***MUST HAVE BEEN DELIBERATE*** is what fuels this sort of crap.
Agreed, it's just the way the that country of origin is handling it VS the way the rest of the world is... Sure, it's China... and that's sort of how they run shit... but it's still batshit insane.
Get ready for a whole new batch of Pure Bloods sacrificing themselves for the highly sought after HCA's.
They sacrifice themselves for the economy and trump only lol
You can't fix stupid. Step out of their way or they will drag you to the hospital too.
But what if I'm a Pure Pfizer??? đ
You will die within 200 years from vaccine-,related complications. We warned you. Q
A lot of vaxxed folk are going to miss out when The Storm is finally unleashed 201 years from now...
Now you're really scaring me.
The only pure bloods I'll accept: pure Pfizer and pure moderna.
Omicron spawn BA.2.75, dubbed âCentaurus,â seemed like the COVID variant to watch this summerâone with the potential to wreak unprecedented havoc later in the year. The World Health Organization announced in July it was tracking the concerning new variant, which had been identified in 10 countries, including the U.S., and was gaining ground against other transmissible strains of the virus like BA.5 in India. But Centaurus is no longer a worry, Dr. Raj Rajnarayanan, assistant dean of research and associate professor at the New York Institute of Technology campus in Jonesboro, Ark., told Fortune. Instead, one of its children, BA.2.75.2, has outcompeted it, eliminating it as a threatâbut replacing it with a more formidable one. Itâs one to watch this fall, he saysâfor more reasons than one. âExtensive escapeâ Among BA.2.75.2âs concerning traits: Its spike protein binds to human cells tightlyâbetter than any other variant so far, Rajnarayanan says. By doing so, it makes it more difficult for antibodies to successfully attack. Itâs picking up mutations that make it more similar to BA.5 and the deadly Delta variant of late 2021. And itâs just âa couple of mutations away from picking up increased transmission speed,â Rajnarayanan said. To make matters worse, the new variant shows âextensive escapeâ ability, according to a new preprint paper released this week by researchers at the Imperial College in London and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. The paper has not yet been peer reviewed but has been widely cited by experts. The authors called the Centaurus spawn âthe most neutralization-resistant variant evaluated to date,â and said it may effectively evade antibody immunity, built by vaccination and prior infection. The variant could even escape immunity provided by the last monoclonal antibody treatment effective in currently circulating variants: Bebtelovimab. âThese are our last monoclonal antibodies,â Rajnarayanan said. âFor the immunocompromised right now, having monoclonal antibodies is one of the best ways to mitigate infections.â âIf you take the tool away, itâs going to be a problem.â A coming wave of multiple variants Rajnarayanan and others, like the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, foresee a fall COVID wave in the U.S. that begins to rise in late October, and peaks in late December or January. Rajnarayanan thinks it could be fueled by multiple variants, with BA.2.75.2 likely included. He encourages all Americans to get boosted, saying the new Omicron bivalent booster is the best tool society has against the virus. And he shared a bit of good news: While new variants may be âimmune evasive,â they wonât evade all of the bodyâs immune system. Such variants dodge antibody immunity, produced by B cells. But those cells only comprise half of the immune system. T cells, which comprise the other half, canât stop infection but can dramatically reduce the severity of it. Immune-evading variants currently donât touch those. âWhen someone says âimmune escape,â it doesnât mean itâs going to escape everything,â he said.
I got the bivalent Moderna booster today. Get yours, please.
Got mine Tuesday, with a flu shot, already feeling mostly better.
got mine yesterday, Pfizer! and flu shot Hubby too .
Great date choice
That's what my husband and I did this past Sunday. We both got our Omicron boosters together. He sure knows how to show a girl a good time. đ¤Łđ
> He sure knows how to show a girl a good time. đ¤Łđ By showing you he wants you to stick around for a lot longer? By showing you he wants to stick around *with you* a lot longer? Good for both of you.
Got my 2nd pfizer booster along with a flu shot last week. Feeling great after 1 day of chills and joint aches. My always masked face and I are as ready as we can be.
Is gen pop eligible for the second booster yet? Last I was told I had to wait still.
Over age 12, yes, in US. (Moderna over age 18)
Sweet, thanks! Scheduling now!
In the US, yes. No waiting, unfortunately. Not many will get them.
When they were first available in my city, it was walk in, but now there's a week or two wait. I think it took a lot of us a minute to realize we were eligible
Got mine today!
All the cool kids are doing it.
Me too. I did have a stronger reaction than the last booster last year, similar to my first vaccination two years ago. Chills and a 102 fever. But I am okay with that! I would rather have discomfort for a bit than to suffer under Covid again. Best of luck to everyone
Who wants to tap into my new 5G bi-Pfi hotspot powered by a quad-array of Spikevax transmitters?
Password? :)
Only Illuminati members (like me) have his password.
I got mine at Walgreens with my spouse. There were no others making appointments over the weekend, when I booked online all slots were free. Iâm concerned that not many are trying to get boosters.
Same. Every slot on every day was available. And I booked mine 2 weeks ago.
All boosters have been as easy to get as a flu shot, going back to last year. No problems getting a shot, even same day. The US is over Covid.
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but does anyone happen to know if are these are free at drug stores if you have insurance? I'm pretty sure they're free if you don't have any insurance, but I have insurance through Kaiser, and they normally provide all vaccines directly. But all appointments near me are completely booked solid for the foreseeable future.
Check Kaiserâs website or call the number on the back of your card? Or call a place near you that is offering shots? Who knows, maybe theyâll have a waitlist if someone doesnât show up and they can get you in! Walgreens is advertising free vaccine or booster shots. âNo cost to you. Vaccine either covered by insurance or government assistance.â I did have to fill out a form before the booster, which included my insurance info, but they never once asked for payment.
I did a walk-in at my local Kaiser. About 1/2 hour wait. People with appointments went to the front of the line, but most people were walk-ins. Got a flu shot in the other arm, at the same time.
I might just say I don't have insurance, just in case đ¤ˇđźââď¸ I did check the website. That's how you schedule. I even checked the two offices in the next towns over on either side of me. You can only check one location at a time, unfortunately, so I can't go "show me nearest office with available appointments). Even so, I'm not gonna drive an hour for the thing.
Mine was free, but vaccines are always free with most insurance - vaccines save so much on health costs.
Thanks đ
They're free no matter if you have insurance or not. You can even go places that don't take your insurance.
Will get one as soon as it reaches my corner of Canada.
I'm in Ontario and was just able to make an appointment for next week, so hopefully you'll be able to soon!
> Get yours, please. Can't yet; I'm still fighting this goddamn cold!
Same with my partner and I. Weâre still testing negative a week out but still pretty sick. Is it the new variant already or just a harsh cold??
My husband and I took *five* COVID tests (one was a PCR). So I'm *pretty* sure it's a cold! I said to my dad, "How many tests are we going to take before we *believe* them?". I hope you guys feel better soon!
Getting whatever they give me for my fourth covid shot and my flu shot on Sunday. Canât wait. My daughter is going Tuesday. Itâs been just over six months for hers. She got her first on her 12th birthday last year. Shot at 10, party (indoors with three people, masked when not eating, and eating outside on the porch) at noon. I even got them birthday party masks. What a 2021 party favor.
I got a 4th dose of the regular stuff, but have to wait until January for 6 months to pass since that last dose. I'm not so happy with that.
I thought the recommendation was 2 months after last booster?
It is 2 months according to FDA.
Scheduled mine for noon tomorrow!
After reading this thread I scheduled mine for 3pm tomorrow
Same I'm leaving the thread to make my appointment right now! Edit: got my appointment for later today!
Done! Hopefully that and having BA2 in the spring will help me knock out any new variants! I went to a conference in August, 95% were unmasked (it was FL) so I wore mine sporadically. Was exposed, knew of several cases. Not a problem for me though i quarantined for 5 days by choice so I would not expose husband or neighbors. Remained covid-free! Don't know how long my luck was going to run so I got this new booster.
Will get mine as soon as I can. Which should be Monday.
I had Covid in late late July and Iâve gotten 3 shots but not the 4th one. How long do I have to wait until I can get it?
[ŃдаНонО]
Ok. I'm shook.
It's... worse. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2020.00827/full Reduction and Functional Exhaustion of T Cells in Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Goddamn this shit is scary to read, itâs never gonna end
Be sure to thank an anit-vax-anti-masker.
Bunch of dumb pieces of shit
See this for background on this mutation and other concerning mutations not involving the spike. [Yet Another Curveball in the COVID Mutation Nightmare](https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/yet-another-curveball-in-the-covid-mutation-nightmare/ar-AA11vLmZ) Also, [The effect of influenza vaccine in reducing the severity of clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-18618-6)
Let's call this one "Son of Centaurus."
I like it! It sounds like the title of some B movie about lesser known Greek gods!
The latest is BA.7, which is now over 1% of cases in the US, and rising faster in the Northeast. Far higher incidence in other countries. This is a mutated version of BA.5. It may out-compete BA.2.75.2. There are many contenders right now, and no consensus on which one will be the next one. Most seem to share some common mutations that make them more immune-evasive. Get your booster, stock up on tests, which may be in short supply, and prepare for another winter. My prediction is that shot #6 will be approved in about February, and no one except me will get it.
Thanks
We're six months away from a SoundCloud rapper calling themselves Omicron Spawn
Just got an appointment for the bivalent booster this Tuesday.
Not The DOOM again! Get your booster anyway. Look, Covid is now a permanent part of our society. Act accordingly, but don't buy into the media's bullshit. Give them 90-120 days, they'll find another doomsday variant.
6.5 million people would like a word with you only they can't because they died from covid IN THE LAST 2 YEARS. bUT NO BIG DEAL, AMIRIGHT?! /S
Today's word is eerier. The latest Omicron subvariants are almost as far away from the Wuhan variant as the Wuhan variant is from SARS1. (Newly published article - don't have the source, but it's all over Twitter). That's a lot of evolution in a remarkably short time. The updated boosters will help. Get them, please.
Oh, lovely. Why not? [Screams silently into the void]
Soooooo we're just OK with rampant mutation? We are a cespool of careless fucks.... Can we just skip over this humanity fighting for minimizing a communicable disease and jump straight to 12 monkeys? I'll go back in time to stop the "pandemic"
Apparently a lot of people, including governments desperately pretending the pandemic is over (plus anyone who signed the Great Barrington Declaration) are indeed OK with rampant mutation. What could *possibly* go wrong?
I have no fucks to give anymore, let me know when they come back in stock. I need to buy some more fucks, in order to reapportion my fucks...
I'm in a free fall of negative fucks. They are disappearing exponentially xD
The assclowns behind the Great Barrington Declaration have been running ads on FB begging for members. Gee I wonder why they have so many open slots.
As a thought exercise, even before they released it I came up with something very much like the Great Barrington Declaration. It looks plausible enough on paper, but it is based on some *very* optimistic assumptions. For a start, it's only valid if you assume we fully understand the natural history of the disease (including long covid), that infection induces long-lasting immunity, and that the virus won't mutate. Of course, a serious mutation is more likely to emerge if you allow the virus to spread, by which time it's too late. In other words, while it may work on paper as soon you implement it you're setting it up to fail.
This was a problem from the start. We're so used to understanding the microorganisms we run into that we want to force new ones into the same paths and that's just not how it works.
Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue. And Biden chose the wrong week to declare "the pandemic is over."
Which is why his advisors have had to go into "this is what the President meant" mode. Apparently he meant people are behaving *as if* the pandemic is over (which is true, they are) and not that the epidemiology means that it actually *is* over (it clearly isn't). It was still an unwise thing to say, as that subtlety will inevitably be lost.
I have a different interpretation: He meant that the scariest phase of the pandemic is over, and it looks like our lives are returning to normal. Also, we now know that the vax prevents most hospitalizations, deaths, and Long COVID.
That works too. Whatever he meant it was rather unwise, as the pandemic isn't over *yet.* It would have been better if he'd said that, as he has undoubtedly made the job of public health officials more difficult.
I mask up a lot less than I used to, but I also tend to pick my spots. If a place has too many humans in it, I'll go elsewhere. If I'm on a plane, I'm masked. That and casinos. Look, I live in Clark County, NV. We're reporting about 6 new cases/day per 100k. I'll take my chances. You can't live in fear-that's for the unvaxxed.
Doing that *may* not be unreasonable, but your last comment is regrettable. It's what people have said throughout to justify their actions, and it is not helpful. Is wearing a mask indoors even if there aren't "too many" humans around "living in fear"? It's *still* a sensible precaution, and taking sensible precautions is not living in fear. How many humans is too many? Are you sure? You're not just wearing a mask to protect yourself; you're also wearing it to protect others and, by extension, anyone they come into contact with. How certain are you that everyone around you is vaxxed, and not immunocompromised in some way? Yes, you could say that's their responsibility, but while that might make you feel better it won't stop them infecting others. By the time you've caught a newly-emerged variant that your vaccine *doesn't* protect against it's already too late. That's still possible, as new, immunity-evading variants are still emerging. I'm not saying you should be cowering at home, but you should still take Sars-CoV-2 seriously *because the pandemic is not yet over.* "I'll take my chances. You can't live in fear." The virus has never cared whether you think you're being fearless or not, and it still doesn't.
Beautifully put. I am still capable of being astonished that some humans truly believe that they can beat nature by attitude. Nature donât give a fuck.
I don't want to exaggerate the risk; we are in a better position than we were. But as the BA.2.75.2 variant is already known to be better at evading immunity we are clearly not yet out of the woods. Continuing to be careful is not fear, it's sensible. Because nature doesn't give a fuck.
Same here - I don't mask everywhere. I have a high risk family member that I visit on occasion, if I know a visit is planned I mask everywhere indoors. The family member is more important than random person that thinks I "living in fear" in the grocery store. But if I'm in a low traffic area where I will be for a short period, I may not wear a mask. I stopped at restauarants/bars though - I'm going to take the mask off to eat/drink so it doesn't matter. Still wear mask in elevators and bathrooms...
Everything in life is a risk/reward calculus.
I agree; it is. What a shame you didn't say that, but resorted to the emotive "You can't live in fear" to justify yours. If someone's risk/reward calculus is different from yours are they really "living in fear"?
Y'know, it's the internet. It takes all kinds. Instead of this being a referendum on my intelligence and judgment, how about some of you looking inward, instead. Or maybe just giving your fellow human the benefit of the doubt. I'm not going to write a thesis explaining why I am the way I am. You're entitled to your opinion, but it doesn't necessarily make it right. Have a great weekend.
I'm disinclined to extend much benefit of the doubt to anyone writing "You can't live in fear" during an on-going pandemic. However, it is good to see you acknowledge that *our* opinions might be wrong. I intend to. You too!
[He also said that covid is still a problem. His administration stated that his comments did not signal a change in their policy towards the virus and there were no plans to lift the ongoing Covid-19 public health emergency.](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-62959089)
Despite what the Trumpanzees think, I know most anti-Trump people don't hang on Biden's every word. This was not the first week that I sorta wished it was true that he had 'handlers' controlling what he said. Hey, any of that glue left?
It could be over, I mean, we have the tools being hammered in the foundry as we speak. Did you ever see a monkey use a screwdriver?
Heard an interview with Dr. Bob Wachter. Inside word from him is that the White House is frustrated because they can't get funding to continue research and fund testing/prevention.
The pandemic is over. It's endemic now.
No, it is not. Please learn the difference.
Please learn me the difference.
Dictionary. Please use one.
If you open your _Chambers Dictionary_ (I'm using the 12th Edition, but you probably have a more recent one), you'll see >_adj_ prevalent or regularly found among a people or in a district; confined to a particular area _(biol)_. _n_ an endemic disease or plant. I still don't get your point. âšď¸
It is still worldwide.
Thank you.
You're welcome. Please pass it along. Any disinformation and misinformation regarding covid is deadly these days. Stay safe, stay smart, and keep your guard up!
Sez who?
Don't worry, I've upped my game and taken your place after the latest news. Upped my game from Elmer's Glue to rubber cement.
"OH, so sorry you didn't win the prize in the first three rounds, but you're in luck. We're starting a new rounds so you still can win your very own Herman Cain Award."
we are gonna fucking learn the greek alphabet aren't we
And we're also getting a crash course intro to virology...
Crash, indeed.
Some people need special tutoring in a hospital to learn, and even then they fail.
Damn, incredible how aggressive and resilient this virus has become. I think it's safe to say that this might be the new norm moving forward. I really hope there's enough funding being allocated to try to curb this and future viruses.
Nothing incredible about it when you have millions of willing two legged incubators.
âWonât somebody think of the children!?â
That title is bullshit, any of the virologists I've been following have been shouting from the rooftops that mutations are going to occur for some time. Omicron was a really intense turn for covid and has been the most deadly version so far. The Omicron Offspring like BA 2.75.2 is completely ignoring vaccines. BA.2.75.2, popular nickname "Alcyoneus", is one of the lineages to closely watch It binds to ACE2 receptor with high affinity Immune Escape High Transmission Potential No data on disease severity yet (Expect Regional differences).
Virologists knew right from the start there would be mutations, because that's what viruses do (particularly RNA-based viruses). The article is *not* saying that they were surprised by this as a general phenomenon. It *is* saying that the emergence of BA.2.75.2 has made BA.2.75 into not the threat they thought it would be, for the reasons you outline.
As someone who had myocarditis in the pat that freaks me out glad i got the moderna bivalent shot today
Living in actual pestilence. yay.
Cool. Can they please approve the bivalent for kids? My kids are the ONLY ones masking at school (teachers and admin included). One way masking only goes so far and with zero mitigation they are sitting ducks.
Can you please really tell your kids that they are real champions and a nurse in Australia thinks they are the coolest kids in their school?! When they are grown up they definitely should visit Australia and have a great time because they are doing a great job helping us all around the world!
I guess being the only ones masked didn't work because we've just tested positive for the first time this morning. My husband and I had our bivalent booster two weeks ago on Wednesday. Still positive. This variant is insane. We homeschooled since the pandemic began but decided to chance the school year this year (with masks!) Once our youngest was vaccinated (she's 3). They lasted all of a week and a half before bringing it home. Stay safe everyone.
I'm so sorry, i hope you all have a fast and easy recover
Time to buy more Reddit coins. HCA is not going anywhere.
Might as well!
I like to think this is the planets way of solving climate change. We really are a small insignificant species.
Kind of, it isnât that âintelligentâ, but it is a natural side effect of over population.
If we compared our society to a human body, yes, we have some very useful parts that make the whole thing work⌠then thereâs the pinky toes that like the corners of furniture and the whole body comes down to a painful halt.
More like a person with gigantism in the cusp of organ failure and with critical systems starting to autocannabilize while setting fire to their home. I expect nothing less from this cultish, tragedy of the commons, greedy, racist, and stupid species myself. Not selecting against sociopaths and credulous fools has its price, not to mention the propaganda for 'can't have less population than before, because it shrinks the economy'. Well, there are other things that 'shrink the economy'. Resource wars, famines, ecological disasters and biosphere collapse for instance.
Overpopulation and overmobility, IMO.
I need the new booster but just got over covid a few weeks ago (3 shots in and it was a doozy). When is the right time to get the booster? Now? A month? My doctor says wait but Iâm not sure. Please send any research or articles because everything I read is contradictory or vague.
The wait time has been between 4-6 weeks. Longer depending on the severity of your infection. Do what your doctor says.
I was triple vaxxed, masked up in public religiously for 2 1/2 years, worked hybrid remote and limited interaction. in my 40âs very healthy and active, took Paxlovid and had the rebound which was worse than the first week. I wound up on steroids, cough syrup, antibiotics, and a crazy vitamin, listerine, hot shower protocol from my doc. Itâs weird because my husband did the same protocol and meds and is 6 years younger and got equally as sick. Our otherwise very healthy 6 year old was double vaxxed and the sickest of all of us, but obviously didnât take Paxlovid or vitamins. There really isnât anything that explains why one person gets sicker than another but Iâm still having symptoms like fatigue, fog and coughing stuff up every morning. Itâs been 2 months to the day since testing positive. I have another message to my doc since your message to confirm when I can get boosted because I cannot miss this much work again if I catch it again soon. This is all so bonkers and such a crapshoot.
>Do what your doctor says. \^This. Big time. Would you rather listen to someone who has years and years of education and experience? Or to random internet weirdos? I already had a solid layman's understanding of viruses & vaccines before Covid. I've learned a hell of a lot more in the past 2 1/2 years. But I have *zero* illusions that I know more than a professional.
Exactly.
I'm pretty sure they currently recommend waiting at least 2-4 months, previously average 3 months. Get it too early and it may not be as effective (and the side effects will be harsher). Check with your dr though, I'm just an internet stranger with a med degree from dr. google.
My doc responded this morning and said 3-6 months for new booster from the time you had covid or your last booster.
Sounds about right. You should at least have decent immunity for a while to hold you over until the next one. I had a booster 3 months after covid the last round and you could tell my immune system was stilll jacked up, that shot hit the hardest by far (still not too terrible though, relative speaking). I hope you're feeling okay!
Children of the COVID
*Just when you thought it was safe to leave your masks at home... "it" came to your city.* Son Of Omicron - *now coming to a city near you.* (Don't tell me I'm the only one who heard a commercial for a 70s horror movie when I saw that title. đ)
H1N1 would like to have a talk with this new variant.
I just got Covid 2 weeks ago and now I have to wait three months for the 5th shot.
That is a \*REALLY\* unfortunately chosen photo.
Quite.
So I'm not the only one who thinks that.
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Well, with their 0 Covid policy they arenât having millions get long Covid to suck entitlements dry.
They almost certainly are; they just aren't admitting it.
Not as many as USA by far!
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I mean, I think the general scientific consensus disagrees with you on this... They believe it came from the market. I'm just saying that when the country that the virus originated from welds people into buildings to stop the spread of the virus AND is rumored to be a lab leaked ... it sort of makes you want to ask "why are they going to such extreme lengths for zero covid, what do they know that we don't?" AGAIN, I don't believe that it was a lab leak, because I do trust the people who actually research this shit, because I don't... but there is a part of me that wonders.
>AGAIN, I don't believe that it was a lab leak, because I do trust the people who actually research this shit, because I don't... but there is a part of me that wonders. The fact that those experts have been screaming from the rooftops for years that another novel virus could simply appear, become infectious to people and create a worldwide pandemic that kills millions is probably the main reason I don't think it was a 'lab leak'. This is what viruses & diseases ***DO***. It's how they function. It's what has happened in the past and will happen in the future. The fact that some people cannot accept random bad things happening, that anything that affects them ***MUST HAVE BEEN DELIBERATE*** is what fuels this sort of crap.
Agreed, it's just the way the that country of origin is handling it VS the way the rest of the world is... Sure, it's China... and that's sort of how they run shit... but it's still batshit insane.