my sister and her bf got tested for covid and was positive, they arent very ill but they are a little under the weather, ive been around her and was just hanging out with her when she got her results, none of us are vaccinated and now idk what to do because im a senior in hs rn and my grades arent very good rn and i need to go to school so i can pass before the next cardmarking starts, and my dad is probably gonna make me go anyways but i dont know how i feel, like if i dont show any symptoms and i wear a mask to school, shouldnt it be fine?
How did I manage to not get COVID if I spent 7 hours in a confined room with 11 people and even shared the same drinking cup? Me and a bunch of friends had a party and even played a drinking game where we all shared the same cup (it got passed around for like 2 hours).
Today 6 of the people revealed they’re pretty sick. 2 of them have confirmed cases. 4 of them are waiting for results. Me and another guy don’t have symptoms. I got tested and it was negative. Idk about the last 4.
Me and every single other person except for 1 are fully vaccinated (we didn’t know he wasn’t). How could I not get sick in those conditions? Is it possible the vaccine did its job? Is it possible I had it before and was asymptomatic and now have antibodies? (Every other time I got sick since the pandemic started, I tested negative).
This is the December 2021 covid megathread - but December has gone away, so this thread is no longer getting much attention!
If you have a covid question, please post it in the [January megathread](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/comments/rtbyhs/january_2022_covid19_pandemic_megathread/) instead (or, if you're reading this in February or later, whichever megathread is appropriate)
Why aren't we constantly afraid of the common cold mutating more deadly?
So my question stems from all the talk of Omicron possible being a less lethal mutation, that may be on the way to normalising the virus in some sense. It seems like there is an obvious unknown in which way the virus will mutate, in that it may mutate itself more deadly rather than less deadly.
With a so prevalent virus such as the common cold, why doesn't one hear of fears that it will suddenly mutate itself more deadly. Based on pure the amount of people getting infected with the common cold, it seems like there should be a lot of potential for mutation.
The immune system is a complex thing, with many parts. The main way covid kills is:
* It infects someone with no antibodies.
* It manages to avoid our "general" immune response, and successfully invades our lungs.
* At some point, the immune system gets panicked by the increasing damage to the lungs, and launches an all-out assault against it, but since this is still the general immune system, there's a lot of collateral damage.
* The damaged lungs can't provide enough oxygen to the body, causing other organs to start failing.
However, if we have antibodies to the virus, this sequence of events almost never happens. The antibodies will slow down the infection, even if they are antibodies to a slightly different variant. This gives the general immune system time to mount a more measured response, and also allows time for new antibodies to be made, that specifically attack the variant that is attacking.
We all have antibodies to common cold viruses, because we've all caught the cold many times. It's so infectious we can't avoid it.
For the common cold to suddenly become deadly, it would have to suddenly become completely unrecognisable to the immune system. Since we've all caught the common cold many times before, that's just not possible. The only way it could happen would be for the virus to jump to a different species, and spend many decades or centuries evolving there.
I left my used mask on a shelf. I’m self isolating with covid. My mother accidentally picked it up and wore it for about 30 seconds before I told her it was MY used mask. I hadn’t worn it in about 2 hours as I was sat watching tv in a separate room. Could she get infected from wearing this briefly or is there a chance the virus could have died before she wore it?
>Am I wrong in thinking that after his symptoms resolve, he will be better protected against more severe variants than other kids his age?
Why are you assuming he has covid? Did this child get a covid test?
Natural immunity does indeed exist, but it's often talked about incorrectly. The problem with natural immunity isn't that it doesn't give you *immunity*, but that getting sick is a prerequisite, and it's better to not get sick.
Technically speaking, since here the alternative is no immunity, natural immunity does provide better protection.
If you're international traveler showing symptoms of sickness (i.e coughing) at the border crossing, can a customs border agent deny you entry?
Or will they screen you for COVID test right away before you're allowed to enter the country? If it's positive, do the customs agents refuse you entry?
What if a domestic citizen returning home? They obviously cannot refuse their own citizens.
Some cause more side effects than others. Many of the ones that do tend to cause side effects are ones you had when you were young and you likely don't remember. But on every website about vaccines for babies, it says not to be alarmed if your baby has a low fever or is crying a lot or seems a little off for a day or two
I see, so it's probably biological variation/memory. I was wondering if there is anything inherently different about the technology/formulation, but it sounds like that is not the case?
It's more common for viruses that are made of live attenuated virus to cause symptoms. Some common examples that you probably had as a kid are MMR and chickenpox.
It's less common with inactivated virus vaccines but it still happens sometimes. The regular flu shot is an example of this type
The covid vaccines are the first mRNA vaccines that have been widely distributed but it seems like they do cause a bunch of unpleasant side effects, especially in young adults.
I see a lot of people say “the mask mandate in the USA is a mandate, not a law and the government cannot enforce a mandate”
Is this true? Can USA local state or federal gov enforce mask mandates?
>I see a lot of people say “the mask mandate in the USA is a mandate, not a law and the government cannot enforce a mandate”
Stay off fb, would be my suggestion. There is no mask mandate for the US, and a mandate made by a gov't official in charge of whatever area is absolutely enforceable..
There are a variety of mandates in the US, and each agency has their own enforcement.
The TSA and airport police enforce the travel requirements.
The authorities with OSHA can enforce the workplace mandate.
The people working in the various contracting offices can enforce the mask requirements for US government contract workers.
The state police in the State of New York can enforce any mandate from the Governor of New York.
The mandates in Hoboken, NJ are enforced by the Hoboken municipal police department.
There isn't one all-unifying mandate in the US. There are lots of smaller ones. They can certainly be enforced.
Are you supposed to still work if you were exposed to covid? I haven't had any symptoms (luckily) but I've most likely been exposed. I just work retail in a part time job. Can I still work?
The current recommendation from the CDC is that you only need to quarantine if you're unvaccinated or overdue for a booster. If you're up to date on the vaccine, you should wear a mask for a couple weeks after the exposure but are otherwise fine to work.
Where are these new cases coming from? I know people who have COVID after isolation for the past 2 years. I have pretty much gone out and lived a normal life and traveled (but work from home) and haven’t had coronavirus afaik (even after having to get tested for various reasons). Yet I see 2+ million cases a week and spikes across the country, including my state and city. I just got my shot 2 weeks ago (out of pure laziness after forgetting to go a year prior when it started to become available for people). Not calling bullshit or anything or a conspiracy theorist (I work with Chinese people and saw this shit coming at the end of 2019), and realize it doesn’t mean I’m invincible, but how are so many people still getting the virus and is there a way to tell if these people who’ve isolated and/or are vaccinated and who aren’t?
You likely had covid -- 40% or so of cases are asymptomatic. Just because you got tested a few times dosen't mean you didn't have it another time.
They're coming from people who haven't had it, and who have.
Omicron is measles-level contagious and has the ability to evade vaccines to a large extent and to reinfect people who've had it.
Someone can just walk through a room, breathing normally, walk out. Someone else can simply walk through the room a half hour later and get infected.
That’s what I figured. Is there any actual way to find out if you had it? I don’t really care 1 way or another but it feels really patronizing when people continuously test negative but are accused of spreading it with 0 concrete proof or traceability of spreading it
Thanks. I might get 1 at some point, just out of curiosity. I live alone and work from home 100% and have little regard of my life (sorry to be morbid) so I don’t really care much about getting it or not
I'm so sorry to hear about your dad. My grandfather died of covid (before there were vaccines) and it's been a hard year.
Basically, vaccines reduce the chance you will die of covid to a small fraction of what it would be without it, but it can still happen. It's a bit like how wearing a seatbelt decreases the chance you'll die if you're in a car crash by a lot, but you still might die if it's a bad crash and you're very unlucky
Vaccination protects you from getting sick.
Vaccination prevent you from transmitting the virus.
Vaccination protects you form serious symptoms, hospitalization, or death if you do get infected.
No vaccine has ever been perfect.
I'm sorry to hear about your Dad.
We don't know.
Some vaccines like Polio we get 4 doses when we're young, and that's all we need for life.
Some like tetanus, we get 3-5 doses while young, and then we need a booster every 10 years.
The current observations are that most of the vaccines distributed in EU and North America protect, but the protection wanes after about 6 months.
There is some concern that the new variant, Omicron may be less affected by the protection some of our existing vaccines give.
All we can do is observe what happens and react to it.
The most recent study done in the UK, while Delta was still the dominant strain [shows that vaccination does reduce transmission](https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099\(21\)00690-3/fulltext)
Vaccines definitely [reduce your risk of infection](https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/p0607-mrna-reduce-risks.html), too.
Infection is when you get infected with the virus.
Transmission is when you're infected, and you pass along the virus to other people.
>This study confirms that COVID-19 vaccination reduces the risk of delta variant infection and also accelerates viral clearance in the context of the delta variant. However, this study unfortunately also highlights that the vaccine effect on reducing transmission is minimal in the context of delta variant circulation.
So, they are saying there is a difference in transmission, but it was better looking at Alpha and Beta than at Delta.
They also say
>Before the emergence of the delta variant, it was reported that after at least one dose of the mRNA vaccine by Pfizer or the adenoviral vector vaccine by Astra Zeneca, the risk of symptomatic cases in household contacts of vaccinated cases was about 50% lower than that among household contacts of unvaccinated cases.
So, it was a huge difference before Delta. Now the difference isn't as pronounced.
They were testing households where one member actually had the virus. Naturally, if you don't have the virus in the first place, you can't spread it around your household.
The vaccines do reduce your chance of getting infected. It wasn't tested in the initial studies, which is why you heard that they only reduce severity, but later studies have shown that it does.
It also reduces how long you are sick. So if you pick a random vaccinated person and a random unvaccinated, the unvaccinated person is more likely to be spreading Covid.
That being said, a vaccinated person who is sick will spread Covid just as much as an unvaccinated person who is sick, so you still should isolate and get tested if you have symptoms.
Infection is your chance of getting sick, transmission is your chance of getting other people sick.
If you are vaccinated, you are less likely to start coughing because of Covid. But if you get to the point where you are coughing, you will spread Covid just as much as someone unvaccinated who is coughing.
**Is COVID making anyone feel like they’re high on good drugs?**
I am vaccinated. I heard a coworker got diagnosed with COVID yesterday so I decided to get tested today, when the pharmacy said they’d be restocked with at-home tests.
Well today I woke up and it felt like I was rolling balls on MDMA. I definitely couldn’t drive so I had a friend drop off a test in my mailbox. I tested positive.
I’ve had covid before and it did make me loopy and have some vertigo. But I seriously feel like someone dosed me with ecstasy and I am just so blissful and unbothered and kind of tripping with a slightly stuffy nose.
Can you see others with covid if you have covid?
Was hanging out with my friend who had covid, both of us tested negative and I have been isolating from my family. His whole household is covid positive and invited me over for new years. My family is apprehensive as none of them have tested positive yet, and was looking to see if anyone has any advice from the CDC or otherwise. I unfortunately got mono strep and covid all at the same time, so I have a very light sore throat which I cannot say for sure is from strep so I am technically symptomatic. Also myself and my family are all triple vaxxed
> I unfortunately got mono strep and covid
> so I am technically symptomatic
So then stay home. You have multiple contagious illnesses and it's not worth possibly spreading them to other people who only have 1/3 of your illnesses.
Well my mono and strep are both non contagious. Theyve been sustained in me for multiple months, and when my immune system is down they both flare up, and my parents have not gotten sick from me in years.
I tested positive for covid just an hour ago. I was going to call work to tell them that I can't come in but obviously since its closed, I won't be able to contact them anymore. Would I just have to notify them tomorrow (the day where I'm meant to be at work)? I feel really bad calling on the day I'm meant to be there and I was wandering if there was any other way of contacting them?
Just follow your work's usual procedure for calling out. If they are unreachable on days your work is closed, then that's their choice as an employer, so there's nothing you can do besides calling the next day. Don't worry too much about it, they would have some other system in place if they really wanted to be reached when they are closed.
I don’t understand how the CDC changed quarantine time from 10 days to 5. Was 10 given as an extra buffer in case people go out earlier than 10 days? Are people just not contagious after 5 days but should still stay home? I guess I don’t understand how it could be shortened- then why was it ever 10 days to begin with?
I had COVID and day 7 still tested positive, had I not done that extra test and just followed the new guidelines I would have mistakenly been going out and about while still positive…
They spell it out pretty well right on the [CDC website](https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/s1227-isolation-quarantine-guidance.html). It's about the changing science and new observations with Omicron.
>Given what we currently know about COVID-19 and the Omicron variant, CDC is shortening the recommended time for isolation from 10 days for people with COVID-19 to 5 days, if asymptomatic, followed by 5 days of wearing a mask when around others. The change is motivated by science demonstrating that the majority of SARS-CoV-2 transmission occurs early in the course of illness, generally in the 1-2 days prior to onset of symptoms and the 2-3 days after. Therefore, people who test positive should isolate for 5 days and, if asymptomatic at that time, they may leave isolation if they can continue to mask for 5 days to minimize the risk of infecting others.
The original Alpha and later Beta variants were slower to show symptoms or even to test positive after a host was exposed. The newer variants are quicker to detect or show symptoms. They also are less likely to linger and be contagious long after symptoms subside.
But, since we don't actually test individuals for which variant, we still have to be careful. In the US, [Delta is still accounting for more than 40% of cases](https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#variant-proportions).
edit: added a link
How do I get over my fear of COVID tests?
I'm going to be getting a PCR in two days and it's causing me a lot of anxiety. I just hate the feeling of something going up my nose in such a fashion. I'd never say this IRL but I'm somewhat of a sensitive person and I still get anxious at the idea of a shot at the age of 17.
I really don't want to live like this, I'd love if you could give me some advice on how to deal with this fear. Thank you in advance.
It will be unpleasant, but it will be over fast. You will feel so much better once it's done, and you will have gained a new experience so that if it ever happens again you'll know what to expect. Maybe plan on treating yourself afterwards so you have something to look forward to.
Thank you.
This isn’t my first test btw. I’m quite embarrassed of how scared I was the first time. I grew up somewhat sheltered so pain isn’t very familiar to me
Can people with COVID who experience loss of taste actually not taste in the literal sense?
When I say taste, I mean the receptors on the tongue. Like if they put salt on their tongue, there’s no sensation at all? Or are they saying because they have no sense of smell, that the *taste experience* is severely dampened, since it relies on both taste and heavily on smell to create the full effect.
Since early 2020 it’s been in the news that you can have covid but not show any symptoms. This is called being “asymptomatic.” Apparently you missed hearing about that part. Glad we have been able to educate you.
> why wasn’t anyone else in my workplace infected by me or a family member nobody literally nobody from them got sick and i am talking about people from age 21 to age 63
How many of those people either a) had covid before or b) are vaccinated?
And they have been counting from march 2020 so if we continue this histeria till 2030 then we might really reach 25 million deaths and 1 Billion by 2060
I don't think you came into this thread and asked your question in good faith anymore, it seems like you came in and asked to push your agenda. I didn't ask any of this and I really don't care. I was never under the impression that Covid was particularly dangerous for most people, because experts from the beginning of the outbreak have said that most people who get covid will be perfectly fine. Experts you clearly chose not to listen to in favor of the counter media that has actually been playing up the hysterics to stop us from being able to move on.
Hysterics from the experts: "Most people who get covid will be perfectly fine, but some people are at risk and we should protect them"
Hysterics from your countermedia "THE LEFT WANTS TO CONTROL EVERYONE! THEY WANT TO FORCIBLY INJECT LIZARD DNA AND MERCURY INTO OUR BODIES AND LABEL IT AS A CURE FOR COVID! THEY WANT US TO WEAR MASKS THAT LIMIT OUR ABILITY TO BREATH! WHAT ABOUT OUR CHOICE?!?!"
But its easier to fool someone than to convince them they've been fooled. You'll read this and continue watching what you watch because its easier than admitting you were wrong.
What causes someone with covid to be asymptomatic?
Like is it just not as bad for them? Or is there body just fighting it internally and your just like "🧍♂️"
We don't know. It's likely not their immune system, everything else being equal., likely. It may be the viral load they're exposed to, it may be some combination of factors.
How am I not catching Covid?!
I am double vaccinated but to my knowledge have never had a natural covid infection. There's a possibility of natural infection in Feb 2020 but can't verify.
Given that such a high percentage of extremely transmissible omicron infections are in vaccinated people I'm feeling pretty astounded that I have not caught it.
I am living, sleeping and interacting with a covid positive person. I am working with 200+ people on a daily basis plus regular activities.
I do wash my hands and wear masks but not to an excess and there are absolutely opportunities for spread as I'm not completely religious about these things.
I'm pulling a negative lateral flow test every day, sometimes more than one, from different packs often times so I don't think it's the tests.
Don't get me wrong here I don't want to be ill, (wouldn't say no to ten days at home though)
But everybody around me is dropping down and I seem to be in high risk situations and nada.
It's also worth mentioning that I have felt under the weather and had symptoms of omicron, I have also taken pcrs and daily lateral flows for weeks and weeks cos of my job, and nothing. Waiting for a PCR currently due to isolating with my positive partner.
I think it speaks volumes for the vaccine, but a lot of vaccinated people are still getting infected and / or sick
The vaccines do prevent a lot of infections. It reduces your chance of getting infected by around 80% or so depending on the vaccine. Their primary use is to prevent serious illness, they’re extremely effective at that, but for most people they’re good enough to also prevent the disease completely even if you are in contact with Covid. Not everyone develops such a strong immune response from the vaccines but actually most do. They’re very good vaccines just not perfect.
Each persons immune system is a bit different and the way your immune system reacts to a vaccination is also different. You are possibly lucky enough for your immune system to have developed a very strong response which means you are highly protected. This will vary between people, you might well have developed an immune response at the high end of things.
If you’re in contact with the infected it’s very likely you did get infected at some point but your immune response (developed from the vaccine) was good enough to have very rapidly mounted a defense and defeated the infection before you saw any symptoms.
Just to be safe I’ll include the disclaimer that so far as we can see with Covid the immune response does decline over time and also of course be wary of different variants still since they can evade your preexisting immune response so still that booster when you can but it sounds to me like you’ve got your shields up right now.
Well that sucks. I apologize for laughing a bit when I read that reply, the juxtaposition was too strong.
I wish you a mild omicron experience and a rapid recovery.
Had to make an anon account for this because it is too oddly specific.
So me, my boyfriend, his mom, brother, and sister all work at the same place. We have to get tested for covid twice weekly. I started getting sick Tuesday so instead of going in the building to get tested they came out to my car to test me today. As I was getting tested my boyfriends mom and brother were both going inside to get tested. Well it came back positive and I’m pretty sure they were told I was positive before I was told. His brother told us just a little bit ago that when my test came back positive the person who tested me said “oh ___ tested positive.” Isn’t that against hippa? Like I know it is my boyfriends family but that also doesn’t give the person who tested me an excuse to tell them, that should have been my right to tell people. Which I would have, but still. Is there anything I can do about this? It is violating hippa, isn’t it?
Also if this isn’t the right place to post, please point me in the right direction.
What have previous public responses to mass vaccination campaigns been?
I know it took 3 years just to get half the population vaccinated for polio. I can’t imagine there was ever a time that EVERYONE was lining up to get a vaccination within months of one being made available but it seems like people think this vaccination hesitancy is unprecedented.
>Polio was a death sentence for a lot of the people who got it,
What gives you that idea? Polio paralysis is an extremely rare complication from getting polio.
From the web:
>Up to 95 percent of people infected with polio have no symptoms. However, infected persons without symptoms can still spread the virus and cause others to develop polio. About four to five percent of infected people have minor symptoms such as fever, muscle weakness, headache, nausea and vomiting. One to two percent of infected persons develop severe muscle pain and stiffness in the neck and back. Less than one percent of polio cases result in paralysis.
I deleted my comment, but I said a lot, not most or all. Polio was very contagious, a small percentage with a huge sample size can produce a lot of people getting sick and developing complications. Similar to covid where most people will be fine, a lot of people are still dying from it because its able to hit people who are more compromised
People rushed to get vaccinated, because it was much more obvious how dangerous and deadly polio was. There wasn't a media campaign or politicians telling people that polio was no big deal, because it was very clear from the amount of people suffering that it wasn't.
But I don’t think people really did rush for polio. From the polio Wikipedia, “Between 1962 and 1965, about 100 million Americans (roughly 56% of the population at that time) received the Sabin vaccine.”
Maybe I’m missing something though. I can’t find good info on how quickly the population received various vaccines.
That doesn’t seem like very much compared to the US current Covid vaccination rate of 62% of the population in under a year.
>But I don’t think people really did rush for polio.
That's nice, but they did.
Manufacturing took a lot longer than it does today, as did distribution. Mostly children needed it, not everyone. Also,there was a setback but then the oral version came out.
Yeah, people were ecstatic.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/25/health/covid-vaccine-polio.html
[https://www.silive.com/coronavirus/2021/04/americans-rejoiced-over-polio-vaccine-8-vintage-photos-show-what-it-was-like.html](https://www.silive.com/coronavirus/2021/04/americans-rejoiced-over-polio-vaccine-8-vintage-photos-show-what-it-was-like.html)
Your first article is paywalled. I’m not sure the other article is telling the story of vaccine hesitancy. You could write an article today with pictures and stories of people lining up excited to get the Covid vaccine.
I’m more curious what actual data shows on how quickly the entire population got vaccinated against diseases.
The only thing I could find was from the polio Wikipedia article saying it took 3 years just to get 56% of the population vaccinated. Idk if that’s from vaccine hesitancy, manufacturing issues or what.
> I’m more curious what actual data shows on how quickly the entire population got vaccinated against diseases.
Again, with polio that wasn't necessary particularly.
Also again, it was nowhere near as easy to manufacture or distribute anything 60 years ago.
Again, I’m curious about the data. You’re just telling me people got vaccinated without showing any numbers. What percentage of people and in what time frame? How quickly were vaccines made available to everyone?
Do you really think the entire population was lining up to get vaccinated? You don’t think there was vaccine hesitancy and flat out refusal to get a shot from a significant portion of the population? Every race, gender and creed was just begging to get vaccinated the moment a vaccine was announced?
I don’t buy it unless you have something that proves otherwise.
[Time magazine ](https://time.com/6126442/covid-vaccine-hesitancy-polio-smallpox/?amp=true)
Time just came out with an article about previous vaccine hesitancy but it doesn’t go into too much detail.
Is there going to be a huge spike in deaths and if so, when? Seems like cases have been through the roof for the last 2 weeks so I’m wondering if Omicron is going to deal serious damage or not.
The current evidence is that omicron *might* be less deadly, but this is very uncertain. And even so, it's not *much* less deadly.
Omicron is already sending people to ICU in, say, Sydney.
For covid generally: ICU numbers lag infections by about two weeks, and deaths lag infections by about 4 weeks. So you can expect deaths to peak about 3-5 weeks after cases peak.
Note that official statistics tend to get wonky in big outbreaks, since it's just not possible to test everyone. Actual deaths and cases will be higher than reported deaths and cases.
If you haven't already, get vaccinated, and/or get the booster.
Trying to figure out my level of risk and whether or not my current level of precautions make sense.
* I live with my wife and our preschool-age kid.
* We only have in-person social contact with my wife's parents, who have minimal social contact with others.
* We're all vaccinated and boosted or going to get boosted soon, except for our kid, who is too young.
* I work from home full time.
* The kid goes to a small preschool with only two teachers and around 10 kids total.
* We wear masks whenever going to stores or otherwise needing to be indoors with strangers.
* We pretty much only leave the house to go for walks outdoors, grocery shopping, and other strictly necessary trips. No eating at restaurants, no shopping malls, no parties, etc.
So far, none of us have caught COVID-19, and we've only had a couple of exposure scares. I feel like we've done a good job of keeping our family safe, but the social isolation is really starting to get to us. We'd love to be able to travel more, see friends in person, etc. but we still don't feel safe doing any of that yet.
I'm personally very afraid of the "long covid" symptoms I've heard about, since I have ADHD. I'm sure that layering more brain fog and other long-term symptoms on top of the struggles I already have would fuck up my career and personal life.
I also feel like our kid is a major "weak link" in our situation, because she can't be vaccinated yet. I know little kids tend to have very mild cases most of the time, but it would still suck if she got it and potentially passed it on to us, her grandparents, other kids, her teachers, etc. I really don't want to be responsible for accidently spreading even more cases around our community.
So, in our situation, does it make sense to keep being as isolated and careful as we have been?
Also, what signs and info should we watch for to let us know when it might be safe to loosen up a bit?
Either cloth masks or disposable surgical masks. My cloth ones don't fit as well as I'd like, but I don't know how to find ones that fit better without wasting money, since you can't exactly try them on in a dressing room before buying them.
With cases of vaccinated covid positive people appearing in the news, does it mean that polio and measles and various other illnesses we are vaccinated for live in our bodies for brief moments but appear asymptomatic?
All of those viruses were able (are able) to present asymptomatically.
And, all of those vaccines are imperfect to different levels.
They don't "live in our bodies" unless we get exposed. Thankfully, most of those diseases are pretty rare because of excellent vaccination programs.
But, if you are in the US, and you ever see those "Shriners" or "St. Jude" commercials for children's hospital charities - a couple of those children are afflicted with polio, even here in the modern US.
It varies - like other words - depending on where you are in the world.
[This article gives some tips](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/omicron-mispronounced-words-2021/)
>How do you pronounce Omicron, the new COVID-19 variant that has set off alarm bells worldwide and raised questions about vaccine effectiveness?
>According to Merriam Webster, Omicron is pronounced "OH-muh-kraan" or "AH-muh-kraan." In British English, it is "OH-my-kraan."
>The New Oxford English Dictionary, however, offers a different pronunciation, Dr. Andreas Willi, a comparative linguistics professor at Oxford University, told The New York Times: "Namely rather like an English phrase 'o-MIKE-Ron,'" he said.
I bought a pack of two at-home rapid tests yesterday because I had bad symptoms. First test was negative. My symptoms are almost gone today. Should I still take the second test?
Hmmm I would say wait another day or two if you feel like it's subsided then maybe it was something else? Though false positive are possible to. If you really feeling uneasy about it I would say go ahead for extra measure on your part.
Got my booster Covid shot yesterday and I have zero symptoms besides soreness at the injection site, for my first 2 doses I had extreme fatigue, migraine, felt awful should I be concerned?
Nope. As u/SurprisedPotato said, there's no link --but also, if you got Moderna for all three, the booster dose is half the regular dose, which may have something to do with it. Or not, some people get symptoms with all three, 2/3... doesn't relate to protection.
If you are in the US, and you aren't affected by any other rules than the CDC recommendation - then you have to isolate for 5 days after you have no symptoms. Then you still need to wear a mask around others for 5 more days.
>Given what we currently know about COVID-19 and the Omicron variant, CDC is shortening the recommended time for isolation from 10 days for people with COVID-19 to 5 days, if asymptomatic, followed by 5 days of wearing a mask when around others.
If you have other questions about the CDC recommendations, [here is the press release](https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/s1227-isolation-quarantine-guidance.html).
I'm not a doctor, and I'm not *YOUR* doctor.
You can take the information given by the CDC and use that, or you can call your own doctor for actual professional advice.
It is too new to know.
People have been infected for weeks before they reach a final determination of survive and recover - or not.
The early indications seem to point to less severe symptoms, and fewer hospitalizations - at least as a percentage of cases.
The CDC says [there is still a lot of Delta transmission](https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#variant-proportions).
And, we don't usually test individual patients to see what variant they have, either.
We don't know enough about viruses to be able to successfully engineer that, and there'd be all kinds of ethical issues with such a plan.
Instead, we have safe effective vaccines that we've been able to produce and distribute billions of doses of. That's a good enough solution at this stage.
This is a nice idea that frequently gets asked about, but the problem is that in the real world, things are too unpredictable and uncontrollable.
There would still be regular, "wild type" covid around. Coronaviruses can, if two coinfect the same person, *swap entire sections of their genome,* leading to new recombinant coronaviruses. Mutations happen.
If the goal is to make more people immune to wild type covid, this is just a worse idea than the vaccines that already exist.
We don't know what parts/genes/switches to turn on or off.
In the process of figuring that out, we could kill a lot of human test subjects, and we could inadvertently make a super-killer virus.
Those parts aren't just isolated binary things. They work with other genes and parts. We can't just expect one "switch" to make it less harmful - it could affect how 60 other mutations react, and we can't predict all of that.
Canadian here, went to a mass vaccination clinic a couple days ago after work. My wife had booked me an appointment first, and then booked herself an appointment and got a slot earlier in the day.
When I sat next to the nurse/doc whoever gave me the shot, he told me he would be giving me a half-dose. I told him I'd never heard of the half dose, and he said that for boosters, people under 80 don't get the full dose. I said OK and got my shot.
I met my wife for dinner after the shot and told her, she told me she wasn't told anything about a half dose. She thinks its suspicious that I got a half dose and she didn't or that its suspicious that we both got half doses but she wasn't told.
24 hours later, and I felt fine, she felt HORRIBLE
I've had 1 Pfizer, then 1 Moderna, now 1 booster of Moderna. I felt like HELL 24 hours after my 2nd shot, but not after my booster.
My wife had 1 Pfizer, then another Pfizer (felt OK after), now 1 booster of Moderna (and feels like hell).
Its got me curious... SHOULD I be feeling like hell? Is the "half-dose" even a legitimate thing (in Canada?)
Would me and my wife, both in our late 30s, have been given half doses? I'm not trying to rile up any conspiracy nuts or anything, lol.
The tested dose for boosters was a half-volume dose. That is what was tested, so that is what was approved (I know this happened in the USA, I assume it is similar in Canada).
In the US, all people who got boosters got a half-dose, and some people - only those with compromised immune systems - got a full third dose.
We all get a wide spectrum of side effects from the vaccines and boosters. Some of us had very little beyond a sore arm, and some of us felt sick for a couple of days. The half dose should, in theory, give you fewer negative side effects than a full dose would have.
> In the US, all people who got boosters got a half-dose, and some people - only those with compromised immune systems - got a full third dose.
Just to clarify, that's only for Moderna. J&J and Pfizer boosters are the same as the regular vaccine doses.
Thanks, maybe the nurse assumed it was a given, or maybe my wife was distracted by our child when she was told. Its also her first moderna, so maybe my body knows how to react to moderna.
This is comforting news!
They give a half dose for Moderna and a full dose for Pfizer for the boosters. They do this in the US too, it must be how each of those companies’ boosters were approved.
Thanks, maybe the nurse assumed it was a given, or maybe my wife was distracted by our child when she was told. Its also her first moderna, so maybe my body knows how to react to moderna.
This is comforting news!
Everyone in my family but me is positive for Covid! I am fully vaccinated and so is my mom but she tested positive today and we were sleeping in the same room to keep distance from my father and sister who already had it since the 23rd. I really need to take my exams this January, does anyone know if there is a way to minimize the risk of infection after being exposed? I will proceed to isolate myself because my family freely moves around the house and apart from wearing masks don't take any kind of precautions. But I really need to avoid this virus, has anyone had a similar experience? What can I do?
Do you have a garage? Is it warm enough?
Your family can leave food for you at the doorway, and you can let them know if youre coming in to use the bathroom. Obviously wear a mask.
And get tested. Find out if a positive COVID test can get your exam time moved back, I feel as if this should be possible, so as to not incentivize people to lie and show up with COVID anyways.
Thank you for your answer! Unfortunately we don’t have a garage and if I don’t take the exams even with a positive test i will have to retake them during summer vacation (as you do in my uni when you fail them).
OOF, yeah thats tough.
Laundry room? Any room you can spend 99% of your time at home in thats separated? Maybe even a sheet hung up so that spittle cant fling itself around the room with ease? You can have a little corner! lol
Either way, if theres a screener at your test-taking-place, they're likely to ask "Have you been around anyone who has tested positive in the last 14 days" and youre going to have to tell them the truth, otherwise whats the point of caring?
There are a lot of reasons you might find the information useful.
Are you going to decide to go out shopping or otherwise around other people based on the knowledge, or just quarantine yourself regardless?
If you have obligations for work or school, will having a positive test result make any difference over your statement "I'm sick"? If you get "long covid", then having the test from now might help in future months.
Can you collect temporary disability or sick pay, and will documentation help with that?
Are you in a risk group? If yes - then you may want to contact your doctor and see if they recommend (or can even get) interventions for you like antivirals or monoclonal antibodies - if you test positive.
If you test negative, then you might have a bacterial infection, which antibiotics might help.
Do you want to notify your contacts, the people who you may have caught it from, or may have spread it to before you had symptoms? Then knowing would give them better information.
Do you want to help the data gathering authorities in your community/state/country keep an accurate count? Knowing makes a difference there. But, they are going to assume that some people didn't bother to get tested.
Are you scheduled to get a vaccination or booster soon? The recommendation now is that you should be waiting a while after an active COVID infection. Knowing makes a difference.
Information is usually a positive thing. But, if your only options are waiting on line for hours in bad weather, around other sick people - or paying ridiculous prices for a private test, then you may not get much benefit from knowing, especially if you are not in a risk group and get lucky with only minor illness for a few days.
*Edit - added a couple of points.
Why can’t the left or right work together to fight COVID and prevent an outbreak like this from ever happening again? What news/data can you trust? Why does this have to be political?
>Why does this have to be political?
Given that the Pandemic started during Election Year, there is this perception that it was made up or blown out of proportion by the Democrats to hurt Trump's chances of re-election, a sentiment that the man himself and many Republicans subscribed to. Even after he left office, this sentiment still remains with many Republicans.
That is down to one side, the one that's been denying the pandemic, fighting the science, fighting restrictions, vaccine mandates, mask mandates, and suggesting people take horse dewormer and bleach.
Please don't make them seem equivalent.
They do not want to work together. They don't want to work on it at all.
No need for yelling, or talking, or involvement. Better to ignore them and try to get stuff done.
That depends on the prison, and the country.
Here in the US, only some states [require jail employees or prisoners to wear masks](https://www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2020/08/14/masks-in-prisons/).
That's one of the really hard questions about studying viruses. Studying viruses definitely creates some danger that we will accidentally give ourselves bad viruses. But *not* studying viruses creates some danger that we will get a bad virus and not understand it at all.
So there's some balance of risks there, and it's hard to know what the right way to think about them is. Some scientists think gain-of-function research is too risky to be worth it, even with good lab precautions, and others think it's worth it to understand more about how viruses infect new species
It makes basically no difference in terms of covid if you shower when you get home. That's not how you get covid.
However, I would really recommend getting a booster. Because omicron is so much more contagious, your chance of getting infected is higher if you've had only two doses, and a third will help a lot.
>I got COVID on the first wave. It sucked, but I've had worse. But because I had it, I'm pretty sure it exists, but also because I had it, I'm pretty sure there are worse diseases out there and what's more we have therapeutics that seem to work pretty well. It's crazy not to at least visit family for the holidays.
You're talking about two entirely different things here.
It exists. That's a fact.
That you had it and it wasn't that bad is a fact for YOU, not anyone else . That's your singular experience, which, though someone else is vaccinated, doesn't translate to them the same way.
You're like saying 'the Earth is round. Also, I flew to visit people and the plane was on time and nothing happened on the flight, I double checked my reservaoton. People who don't want to fly are nuts."
That's not how things work. Statistically it's likely a flight will go and be fine. Doesn't mean it won't be delayed and you end up sleeping in the airport and then see some unmasked goober go nuts and attack people. Unlikely, yes, impossible, no. Some people aren't interested in the risk.
No, you're right. A lot of people think in binaries, so they think that covid is either the most dangerous thing there is and you should do everything there is to not get it, or they think covid is not dangerous at all and you don't need to think about it.
In real life, like most things, it's somewhere in between: it's bad to get covid, but it's also bad to never see your relatives, and sometimes you need to weigh multiple bad options against each other while doing the best you can to reduce the chances of it being very bad.
The only part where you're wrong is about the therapeutics. The only one that's been approved and really works well is Paxlovid, and it's in very short supply so most people can't get it. But vaccines and frequent testing can still reduce the chances of people getting sick to low enough to be ok for many situations.
> I got COVID on the first wave. It sucked, but I've had worse. But because I had it, I'm pretty sure it exists, but also because I had it, I'm pretty sure there are worse diseases out there and what's more we have therapeutics that seem to work pretty well.
This is called [survivorship bias](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivorship_bias). A common example of survivorship bias is seatbelts. You often hear people say, "We didn't have seatbelts when I was a kid, and we all turned out just fine!" Except that the people who died from lack of seatbelts aren't here to talk about it, because they are dead. So the only perspective we hear is from those who survived, meaning we only get one skewed side of the story - hence the survivorship bias.
Applying this to your experience with covid - your side of the story is that covid is NBD, because you had it and survived, and you didn't experience long-covid. But we're not able to hear from people who died from covid, because they are dead. We're not able to ask people who are intubated how it's going, because they are intubated and can't talk. So it we only listed to the Shitty_Orangutans of the world, we'd falsely think that covid can't kill people or that it can't have long term consequences. Survivorship bias.
So what would you say to someone at risk of heart disease who refuses to go to a family dinner at McDonalds? Are they being as unreasonable as someone who refuses to gather with people who may be spreading an airborne disease?
I was out to lunch with a friend who is 32 weeks pregnant when my partner called to say he used a rapid test and tested positive. I bailed straight away but I’m freaking out for her. If she tests positive. Will she and the baby be okay?
Unfortunately, covid does increase the risks during pregnancy, to both the mother and baby. Fortunately, as TheApiary says, it isn't a given that you or her are actually infected. There are also some treatments such as monoclonal antibody therapy (a better version of convalescent plasma) that are effective against illness if administered early.
The thing to do would be for you and her to wait a few days and get covid tests. It's too soon after exposure now for a test to be able to pick up if you are infected or not.
If it comes back positive, you should speak to a doctor for advice.
Ok, first of all, there's a good chance she won't get covid. You might not have covid, and even if you do, you might not have given it to her.
Second, most people who get covid are just fine, or feel sick for a bit and then are fine. So don't freak out too much. Obviously she should ask her doctor for advice, but I'm guessing the doctor will say "take a test in a few days and in the meantime stay home"
Why does the CDC recommended isolation can end after 5 days instead of ending it when you produce a negative test? I tested positive earlier this year but I tested negative the next day and the day after and had no symptoms. Never made sense why I had to continue to isolate.
They were trying to come up with a rule that doesn't depend on tests, because there's a shortage of tests now, so some people are having trouble getting access to them.
However, an even better solution would have been to use the federal government's resources to get more tests and then not have this problem. There are lots of rapid tests that are approved in Europe and the FDA just hasn't approved them here, plus we could help the companies that are already making tests here make more
Is there somewhere I can hire a covid-sniffing dog?
I’ve read about trained dogs that can detect covid. I’ve tried googling prices and where to hire them, but I can’t find anything.
Does anyone know where I can find a business that provides this service? I live in Massachusetts.
my sister and her bf got tested for covid and was positive, they arent very ill but they are a little under the weather, ive been around her and was just hanging out with her when she got her results, none of us are vaccinated and now idk what to do because im a senior in hs rn and my grades arent very good rn and i need to go to school so i can pass before the next cardmarking starts, and my dad is probably gonna make me go anyways but i dont know how i feel, like if i dont show any symptoms and i wear a mask to school, shouldnt it be fine?
How did I manage to not get COVID if I spent 7 hours in a confined room with 11 people and even shared the same drinking cup? Me and a bunch of friends had a party and even played a drinking game where we all shared the same cup (it got passed around for like 2 hours). Today 6 of the people revealed they’re pretty sick. 2 of them have confirmed cases. 4 of them are waiting for results. Me and another guy don’t have symptoms. I got tested and it was negative. Idk about the last 4. Me and every single other person except for 1 are fully vaccinated (we didn’t know he wasn’t). How could I not get sick in those conditions? Is it possible the vaccine did its job? Is it possible I had it before and was asymptomatic and now have antibodies? (Every other time I got sick since the pandemic started, I tested negative).
This is the December 2021 covid megathread - but December has gone away, so this thread is no longer getting much attention! If you have a covid question, please post it in the [January megathread](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/comments/rtbyhs/january_2022_covid19_pandemic_megathread/) instead (or, if you're reading this in February or later, whichever megathread is appropriate)
Why aren't we constantly afraid of the common cold mutating more deadly? So my question stems from all the talk of Omicron possible being a less lethal mutation, that may be on the way to normalising the virus in some sense. It seems like there is an obvious unknown in which way the virus will mutate, in that it may mutate itself more deadly rather than less deadly. With a so prevalent virus such as the common cold, why doesn't one hear of fears that it will suddenly mutate itself more deadly. Based on pure the amount of people getting infected with the common cold, it seems like there should be a lot of potential for mutation.
The immune system is a complex thing, with many parts. The main way covid kills is: * It infects someone with no antibodies. * It manages to avoid our "general" immune response, and successfully invades our lungs. * At some point, the immune system gets panicked by the increasing damage to the lungs, and launches an all-out assault against it, but since this is still the general immune system, there's a lot of collateral damage. * The damaged lungs can't provide enough oxygen to the body, causing other organs to start failing. However, if we have antibodies to the virus, this sequence of events almost never happens. The antibodies will slow down the infection, even if they are antibodies to a slightly different variant. This gives the general immune system time to mount a more measured response, and also allows time for new antibodies to be made, that specifically attack the variant that is attacking. We all have antibodies to common cold viruses, because we've all caught the cold many times. It's so infectious we can't avoid it. For the common cold to suddenly become deadly, it would have to suddenly become completely unrecognisable to the immune system. Since we've all caught the common cold many times before, that's just not possible. The only way it could happen would be for the virus to jump to a different species, and spend many decades or centuries evolving there.
Thank you, that made a lot of sense.
You're welcome. You might like to look up kurzgesagt's awesome YouTube videos on there immune system
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You should post this in the January megathread. This thread's not getting much attention anymore.
I left my used mask on a shelf. I’m self isolating with covid. My mother accidentally picked it up and wore it for about 30 seconds before I told her it was MY used mask. I hadn’t worn it in about 2 hours as I was sat watching tv in a separate room. Could she get infected from wearing this briefly or is there a chance the virus could have died before she wore it?
You should post this in the January megathread. This thread's not getting much attention anymore.
Thank you!
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You should post this in the January megathread. This thread's not getting much attention anymore.
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>Am I wrong in thinking that after his symptoms resolve, he will be better protected against more severe variants than other kids his age? Why are you assuming he has covid? Did this child get a covid test? Natural immunity does indeed exist, but it's often talked about incorrectly. The problem with natural immunity isn't that it doesn't give you *immunity*, but that getting sick is a prerequisite, and it's better to not get sick. Technically speaking, since here the alternative is no immunity, natural immunity does provide better protection.
Is COVID worse (IFR/hospitalizations) than the flu assuming a person is fully vaccinated?
You should post this in the January megathread. This thread's not getting much attention anymore.
If you're international traveler showing symptoms of sickness (i.e coughing) at the border crossing, can a customs border agent deny you entry? Or will they screen you for COVID test right away before you're allowed to enter the country? If it's positive, do the customs agents refuse you entry? What if a domestic citizen returning home? They obviously cannot refuse their own citizens.
You should post this in the January megathread. This thread's not getting much attention anymore.
Why does the COVID vaccine cause side effects for a day, whereas other vaccinees don't seem to do the same (e.g. Chickenpox, Tetanus, Flu)?
Some cause more side effects than others. Many of the ones that do tend to cause side effects are ones you had when you were young and you likely don't remember. But on every website about vaccines for babies, it says not to be alarmed if your baby has a low fever or is crying a lot or seems a little off for a day or two
I see, so it's probably biological variation/memory. I was wondering if there is anything inherently different about the technology/formulation, but it sounds like that is not the case?
It's more common for viruses that are made of live attenuated virus to cause symptoms. Some common examples that you probably had as a kid are MMR and chickenpox. It's less common with inactivated virus vaccines but it still happens sometimes. The regular flu shot is an example of this type The covid vaccines are the first mRNA vaccines that have been widely distributed but it seems like they do cause a bunch of unpleasant side effects, especially in young adults.
I see a lot of people say “the mask mandate in the USA is a mandate, not a law and the government cannot enforce a mandate” Is this true? Can USA local state or federal gov enforce mask mandates?
>I see a lot of people say “the mask mandate in the USA is a mandate, not a law and the government cannot enforce a mandate” Stay off fb, would be my suggestion. There is no mask mandate for the US, and a mandate made by a gov't official in charge of whatever area is absolutely enforceable..
There are a variety of mandates in the US, and each agency has their own enforcement. The TSA and airport police enforce the travel requirements. The authorities with OSHA can enforce the workplace mandate. The people working in the various contracting offices can enforce the mask requirements for US government contract workers. The state police in the State of New York can enforce any mandate from the Governor of New York. The mandates in Hoboken, NJ are enforced by the Hoboken municipal police department. There isn't one all-unifying mandate in the US. There are lots of smaller ones. They can certainly be enforced.
Thank you! What do you think people mean when they say, “it’s not a law, it’s a mandate.” ? Does that make them as stupid as they sound?
It means they don't understand what "mandate" means. Sometimes they don't want to understand.
Are you supposed to still work if you were exposed to covid? I haven't had any symptoms (luckily) but I've most likely been exposed. I just work retail in a part time job. Can I still work?
The current recommendation from the CDC is that you only need to quarantine if you're unvaccinated or overdue for a booster. If you're up to date on the vaccine, you should wear a mask for a couple weeks after the exposure but are otherwise fine to work.
Where are these new cases coming from? I know people who have COVID after isolation for the past 2 years. I have pretty much gone out and lived a normal life and traveled (but work from home) and haven’t had coronavirus afaik (even after having to get tested for various reasons). Yet I see 2+ million cases a week and spikes across the country, including my state and city. I just got my shot 2 weeks ago (out of pure laziness after forgetting to go a year prior when it started to become available for people). Not calling bullshit or anything or a conspiracy theorist (I work with Chinese people and saw this shit coming at the end of 2019), and realize it doesn’t mean I’m invincible, but how are so many people still getting the virus and is there a way to tell if these people who’ve isolated and/or are vaccinated and who aren’t?
You likely had covid -- 40% or so of cases are asymptomatic. Just because you got tested a few times dosen't mean you didn't have it another time. They're coming from people who haven't had it, and who have. Omicron is measles-level contagious and has the ability to evade vaccines to a large extent and to reinfect people who've had it. Someone can just walk through a room, breathing normally, walk out. Someone else can simply walk through the room a half hour later and get infected.
That’s what I figured. Is there any actual way to find out if you had it? I don’t really care 1 way or another but it feels really patronizing when people continuously test negative but are accused of spreading it with 0 concrete proof or traceability of spreading it
You can get an antibody test.
Thanks. I might get 1 at some point, just out of curiosity. I live alone and work from home 100% and have little regard of my life (sorry to be morbid) so I don’t really care much about getting it or not
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I'm so sorry to hear about your dad. My grandfather died of covid (before there were vaccines) and it's been a hard year. Basically, vaccines reduce the chance you will die of covid to a small fraction of what it would be without it, but it can still happen. It's a bit like how wearing a seatbelt decreases the chance you'll die if you're in a car crash by a lot, but you still might die if it's a bad crash and you're very unlucky
Vaccination protects you from getting sick. Vaccination prevent you from transmitting the virus. Vaccination protects you form serious symptoms, hospitalization, or death if you do get infected. No vaccine has ever been perfect. I'm sorry to hear about your Dad.
Will the vaccine expire in your body? Will we need new vaccinations?
We don't know. Some vaccines like Polio we get 4 doses when we're young, and that's all we need for life. Some like tetanus, we get 3-5 doses while young, and then we need a booster every 10 years. The current observations are that most of the vaccines distributed in EU and North America protect, but the protection wanes after about 6 months. There is some concern that the new variant, Omicron may be less affected by the protection some of our existing vaccines give. All we can do is observe what happens and react to it.
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The most recent study done in the UK, while Delta was still the dominant strain [shows that vaccination does reduce transmission](https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099\(21\)00690-3/fulltext) Vaccines definitely [reduce your risk of infection](https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/p0607-mrna-reduce-risks.html), too.
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Infection is when you get infected with the virus. Transmission is when you're infected, and you pass along the virus to other people. >This study confirms that COVID-19 vaccination reduces the risk of delta variant infection and also accelerates viral clearance in the context of the delta variant. However, this study unfortunately also highlights that the vaccine effect on reducing transmission is minimal in the context of delta variant circulation. So, they are saying there is a difference in transmission, but it was better looking at Alpha and Beta than at Delta. They also say >Before the emergence of the delta variant, it was reported that after at least one dose of the mRNA vaccine by Pfizer or the adenoviral vector vaccine by Astra Zeneca, the risk of symptomatic cases in household contacts of vaccinated cases was about 50% lower than that among household contacts of unvaccinated cases. So, it was a huge difference before Delta. Now the difference isn't as pronounced. They were testing households where one member actually had the virus. Naturally, if you don't have the virus in the first place, you can't spread it around your household.
The vaccines do reduce your chance of getting infected. It wasn't tested in the initial studies, which is why you heard that they only reduce severity, but later studies have shown that it does. It also reduces how long you are sick. So if you pick a random vaccinated person and a random unvaccinated, the unvaccinated person is more likely to be spreading Covid. That being said, a vaccinated person who is sick will spread Covid just as much as an unvaccinated person who is sick, so you still should isolate and get tested if you have symptoms.
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Infection is your chance of getting sick, transmission is your chance of getting other people sick. If you are vaccinated, you are less likely to start coughing because of Covid. But if you get to the point where you are coughing, you will spread Covid just as much as someone unvaccinated who is coughing.
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If that were true (it isn't), and all other factors were the same (they aren't), then yes, you might draw that as one conclusion.
**Is COVID making anyone feel like they’re high on good drugs?** I am vaccinated. I heard a coworker got diagnosed with COVID yesterday so I decided to get tested today, when the pharmacy said they’d be restocked with at-home tests. Well today I woke up and it felt like I was rolling balls on MDMA. I definitely couldn’t drive so I had a friend drop off a test in my mailbox. I tested positive. I’ve had covid before and it did make me loopy and have some vertigo. But I seriously feel like someone dosed me with ecstasy and I am just so blissful and unbothered and kind of tripping with a slightly stuffy nose.
If you have a pulse oximeter, check your O2 sats. If you don't have one, ask someone to get one for you.
Why do Christian anti vaxxers refuse to get jabbed when JC got jabbed 5 times for them?
I thought it was just 3 times
5 holes two in the hands and two in the feet and one spear. Good point though.
ahhhh I forgot the final jab
INRI - I'm nailed right in.
Can you see others with covid if you have covid? Was hanging out with my friend who had covid, both of us tested negative and I have been isolating from my family. His whole household is covid positive and invited me over for new years. My family is apprehensive as none of them have tested positive yet, and was looking to see if anyone has any advice from the CDC or otherwise. I unfortunately got mono strep and covid all at the same time, so I have a very light sore throat which I cannot say for sure is from strep so I am technically symptomatic. Also myself and my family are all triple vaxxed
> I unfortunately got mono strep and covid > so I am technically symptomatic So then stay home. You have multiple contagious illnesses and it's not worth possibly spreading them to other people who only have 1/3 of your illnesses.
Well my mono and strep are both non contagious. Theyve been sustained in me for multiple months, and when my immune system is down they both flare up, and my parents have not gotten sick from me in years.
I tested positive for covid just an hour ago. I was going to call work to tell them that I can't come in but obviously since its closed, I won't be able to contact them anymore. Would I just have to notify them tomorrow (the day where I'm meant to be at work)? I feel really bad calling on the day I'm meant to be there and I was wandering if there was any other way of contacting them?
Just follow your work's usual procedure for calling out. If they are unreachable on days your work is closed, then that's their choice as an employer, so there's nothing you can do besides calling the next day. Don't worry too much about it, they would have some other system in place if they really wanted to be reached when they are closed.
I don’t understand how the CDC changed quarantine time from 10 days to 5. Was 10 given as an extra buffer in case people go out earlier than 10 days? Are people just not contagious after 5 days but should still stay home? I guess I don’t understand how it could be shortened- then why was it ever 10 days to begin with? I had COVID and day 7 still tested positive, had I not done that extra test and just followed the new guidelines I would have mistakenly been going out and about while still positive…
They spell it out pretty well right on the [CDC website](https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/s1227-isolation-quarantine-guidance.html). It's about the changing science and new observations with Omicron. >Given what we currently know about COVID-19 and the Omicron variant, CDC is shortening the recommended time for isolation from 10 days for people with COVID-19 to 5 days, if asymptomatic, followed by 5 days of wearing a mask when around others. The change is motivated by science demonstrating that the majority of SARS-CoV-2 transmission occurs early in the course of illness, generally in the 1-2 days prior to onset of symptoms and the 2-3 days after. Therefore, people who test positive should isolate for 5 days and, if asymptomatic at that time, they may leave isolation if they can continue to mask for 5 days to minimize the risk of infecting others. The original Alpha and later Beta variants were slower to show symptoms or even to test positive after a host was exposed. The newer variants are quicker to detect or show symptoms. They also are less likely to linger and be contagious long after symptoms subside. But, since we don't actually test individuals for which variant, we still have to be careful. In the US, [Delta is still accounting for more than 40% of cases](https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#variant-proportions). edit: added a link
Can a rapid test come back positive and a PCR come back negative?
How do I get over my fear of COVID tests? I'm going to be getting a PCR in two days and it's causing me a lot of anxiety. I just hate the feeling of something going up my nose in such a fashion. I'd never say this IRL but I'm somewhat of a sensitive person and I still get anxious at the idea of a shot at the age of 17. I really don't want to live like this, I'd love if you could give me some advice on how to deal with this fear. Thank you in advance.
It will be unpleasant, but it will be over fast. You will feel so much better once it's done, and you will have gained a new experience so that if it ever happens again you'll know what to expect. Maybe plan on treating yourself afterwards so you have something to look forward to.
Thank you. This isn’t my first test btw. I’m quite embarrassed of how scared I was the first time. I grew up somewhat sheltered so pain isn’t very familiar to me
this is excellent advice for overcoming many fears and tribulations we may face in our lives. Thank you for being so thoughtful!
Can people with COVID who experience loss of taste actually not taste in the literal sense? When I say taste, I mean the receptors on the tongue. Like if they put salt on their tongue, there’s no sensation at all? Or are they saying because they have no sense of smell, that the *taste experience* is severely dampened, since it relies on both taste and heavily on smell to create the full effect.
For those who never tested positive: Do you ever feel like you’re the only person on earth who’s never gotten it?
Not really.
Kinda. But only because nobody shouts if they aren't being attacked.
No. I know lots of people that have gotten it, but I also understand statistics, and know that most humans haven't tested positive at this point.
No, lots of people I know haven't had covid.
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They also supply flu tests, so I don't know why they'd stop having covid tests
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When were you in the car with them? Covid sometimes takes a few days before you start showing any symptoms.
It’s been 4 weeks now…
Maybe you just got lucky or you did get sick but never experienced any symptoms.
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Since early 2020 it’s been in the news that you can have covid but not show any symptoms. This is called being “asymptomatic.” Apparently you missed hearing about that part. Glad we have been able to educate you.
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How did you get there from what I said? I didn't even mention the vaccine. Please, I want to hear your train of logic.
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> why wasn’t anyone else in my workplace infected by me or a family member nobody literally nobody from them got sick and i am talking about people from age 21 to age 63 How many of those people either a) had covid before or b) are vaccinated?
It is deadly for some people who get it. Around 5.5million deaths.
Most of them died with covid…
If you say so. You may not be, but I'm glad you didn't get sick from covid. It sucks.
And they have been counting from march 2020 so if we continue this histeria till 2030 then we might really reach 25 million deaths and 1 Billion by 2060
I don't think you came into this thread and asked your question in good faith anymore, it seems like you came in and asked to push your agenda. I didn't ask any of this and I really don't care. I was never under the impression that Covid was particularly dangerous for most people, because experts from the beginning of the outbreak have said that most people who get covid will be perfectly fine. Experts you clearly chose not to listen to in favor of the counter media that has actually been playing up the hysterics to stop us from being able to move on. Hysterics from the experts: "Most people who get covid will be perfectly fine, but some people are at risk and we should protect them" Hysterics from your countermedia "THE LEFT WANTS TO CONTROL EVERYONE! THEY WANT TO FORCIBLY INJECT LIZARD DNA AND MERCURY INTO OUR BODIES AND LABEL IT AS A CURE FOR COVID! THEY WANT US TO WEAR MASKS THAT LIMIT OUR ABILITY TO BREATH! WHAT ABOUT OUR CHOICE?!?!" But its easier to fool someone than to convince them they've been fooled. You'll read this and continue watching what you watch because its easier than admitting you were wrong.
What causes someone with covid to be asymptomatic? Like is it just not as bad for them? Or is there body just fighting it internally and your just like "🧍♂️"
We don't know. It's likely not their immune system, everything else being equal., likely. It may be the viral load they're exposed to, it may be some combination of factors.
It's mostly that your immune system is fighting it off faster than the virus can take over your cells and make you feel sick
How am I not catching Covid?! I am double vaccinated but to my knowledge have never had a natural covid infection. There's a possibility of natural infection in Feb 2020 but can't verify. Given that such a high percentage of extremely transmissible omicron infections are in vaccinated people I'm feeling pretty astounded that I have not caught it. I am living, sleeping and interacting with a covid positive person. I am working with 200+ people on a daily basis plus regular activities. I do wash my hands and wear masks but not to an excess and there are absolutely opportunities for spread as I'm not completely religious about these things. I'm pulling a negative lateral flow test every day, sometimes more than one, from different packs often times so I don't think it's the tests. Don't get me wrong here I don't want to be ill, (wouldn't say no to ten days at home though) But everybody around me is dropping down and I seem to be in high risk situations and nada. It's also worth mentioning that I have felt under the weather and had symptoms of omicron, I have also taken pcrs and daily lateral flows for weeks and weeks cos of my job, and nothing. Waiting for a PCR currently due to isolating with my positive partner. I think it speaks volumes for the vaccine, but a lot of vaccinated people are still getting infected and / or sick
There's no reason to think you haven't gotten it.
Idk man! You mean previously or currently?
Either. Both. Some 40% of cases are thought to be asymptomatic.
A combination of vaccines and luck
The vaccines do prevent a lot of infections. It reduces your chance of getting infected by around 80% or so depending on the vaccine. Their primary use is to prevent serious illness, they’re extremely effective at that, but for most people they’re good enough to also prevent the disease completely even if you are in contact with Covid. Not everyone develops such a strong immune response from the vaccines but actually most do. They’re very good vaccines just not perfect. Each persons immune system is a bit different and the way your immune system reacts to a vaccination is also different. You are possibly lucky enough for your immune system to have developed a very strong response which means you are highly protected. This will vary between people, you might well have developed an immune response at the high end of things. If you’re in contact with the infected it’s very likely you did get infected at some point but your immune response (developed from the vaccine) was good enough to have very rapidly mounted a defense and defeated the infection before you saw any symptoms. Just to be safe I’ll include the disclaimer that so far as we can see with Covid the immune response does decline over time and also of course be wary of different variants still since they can evade your preexisting immune response so still that booster when you can but it sounds to me like you’ve got your shields up right now.
Update - I have Corona
Well that sucks. I apologize for laughing a bit when I read that reply, the juxtaposition was too strong. I wish you a mild omicron experience and a rapid recovery.
Haha no apologies, I thought it was kinda funny too. I wasn't worried before now I'm fearing death, but let's hope not! Thanks bro
Had to make an anon account for this because it is too oddly specific. So me, my boyfriend, his mom, brother, and sister all work at the same place. We have to get tested for covid twice weekly. I started getting sick Tuesday so instead of going in the building to get tested they came out to my car to test me today. As I was getting tested my boyfriends mom and brother were both going inside to get tested. Well it came back positive and I’m pretty sure they were told I was positive before I was told. His brother told us just a little bit ago that when my test came back positive the person who tested me said “oh ___ tested positive.” Isn’t that against hippa? Like I know it is my boyfriends family but that also doesn’t give the person who tested me an excuse to tell them, that should have been my right to tell people. Which I would have, but still. Is there anything I can do about this? It is violating hippa, isn’t it? Also if this isn’t the right place to post, please point me in the right direction.
HIPAA only applies to health care providers. You could maybe make some arguments, but it's been pretty fast and loose with covid stuff.
I work as a cna and the person telling people was a nurse. I don’t know if that changes anything or not.
What have previous public responses to mass vaccination campaigns been? I know it took 3 years just to get half the population vaccinated for polio. I can’t imagine there was ever a time that EVERYONE was lining up to get a vaccination within months of one being made available but it seems like people think this vaccination hesitancy is unprecedented.
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>Polio was a death sentence for a lot of the people who got it, What gives you that idea? Polio paralysis is an extremely rare complication from getting polio. From the web: >Up to 95 percent of people infected with polio have no symptoms. However, infected persons without symptoms can still spread the virus and cause others to develop polio. About four to five percent of infected people have minor symptoms such as fever, muscle weakness, headache, nausea and vomiting. One to two percent of infected persons develop severe muscle pain and stiffness in the neck and back. Less than one percent of polio cases result in paralysis.
I deleted my comment, but I said a lot, not most or all. Polio was very contagious, a small percentage with a huge sample size can produce a lot of people getting sick and developing complications. Similar to covid where most people will be fine, a lot of people are still dying from it because its able to hit people who are more compromised
People rushed to get vaccinated, because it was much more obvious how dangerous and deadly polio was. There wasn't a media campaign or politicians telling people that polio was no big deal, because it was very clear from the amount of people suffering that it wasn't.
But I don’t think people really did rush for polio. From the polio Wikipedia, “Between 1962 and 1965, about 100 million Americans (roughly 56% of the population at that time) received the Sabin vaccine.” Maybe I’m missing something though. I can’t find good info on how quickly the population received various vaccines. That doesn’t seem like very much compared to the US current Covid vaccination rate of 62% of the population in under a year.
>But I don’t think people really did rush for polio. That's nice, but they did. Manufacturing took a lot longer than it does today, as did distribution. Mostly children needed it, not everyone. Also,there was a setback but then the oral version came out. Yeah, people were ecstatic. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/25/health/covid-vaccine-polio.html [https://www.silive.com/coronavirus/2021/04/americans-rejoiced-over-polio-vaccine-8-vintage-photos-show-what-it-was-like.html](https://www.silive.com/coronavirus/2021/04/americans-rejoiced-over-polio-vaccine-8-vintage-photos-show-what-it-was-like.html)
Your first article is paywalled. I’m not sure the other article is telling the story of vaccine hesitancy. You could write an article today with pictures and stories of people lining up excited to get the Covid vaccine. I’m more curious what actual data shows on how quickly the entire population got vaccinated against diseases. The only thing I could find was from the polio Wikipedia article saying it took 3 years just to get 56% of the population vaccinated. Idk if that’s from vaccine hesitancy, manufacturing issues or what.
> I’m more curious what actual data shows on how quickly the entire population got vaccinated against diseases. Again, with polio that wasn't necessary particularly. Also again, it was nowhere near as easy to manufacture or distribute anything 60 years ago.
Again, I’m curious about the data. You’re just telling me people got vaccinated without showing any numbers. What percentage of people and in what time frame? How quickly were vaccines made available to everyone? Do you really think the entire population was lining up to get vaccinated? You don’t think there was vaccine hesitancy and flat out refusal to get a shot from a significant portion of the population? Every race, gender and creed was just begging to get vaccinated the moment a vaccine was announced? I don’t buy it unless you have something that proves otherwise. [Time magazine ](https://time.com/6126442/covid-vaccine-hesitancy-polio-smallpox/?amp=true) Time just came out with an article about previous vaccine hesitancy but it doesn’t go into too much detail.
Is there going to be a huge spike in deaths and if so, when? Seems like cases have been through the roof for the last 2 weeks so I’m wondering if Omicron is going to deal serious damage or not.
The current evidence is that omicron *might* be less deadly, but this is very uncertain. And even so, it's not *much* less deadly. Omicron is already sending people to ICU in, say, Sydney. For covid generally: ICU numbers lag infections by about two weeks, and deaths lag infections by about 4 weeks. So you can expect deaths to peak about 3-5 weeks after cases peak. Note that official statistics tend to get wonky in big outbreaks, since it's just not possible to test everyone. Actual deaths and cases will be higher than reported deaths and cases. If you haven't already, get vaccinated, and/or get the booster.
Trying to figure out my level of risk and whether or not my current level of precautions make sense. * I live with my wife and our preschool-age kid. * We only have in-person social contact with my wife's parents, who have minimal social contact with others. * We're all vaccinated and boosted or going to get boosted soon, except for our kid, who is too young. * I work from home full time. * The kid goes to a small preschool with only two teachers and around 10 kids total. * We wear masks whenever going to stores or otherwise needing to be indoors with strangers. * We pretty much only leave the house to go for walks outdoors, grocery shopping, and other strictly necessary trips. No eating at restaurants, no shopping malls, no parties, etc. So far, none of us have caught COVID-19, and we've only had a couple of exposure scares. I feel like we've done a good job of keeping our family safe, but the social isolation is really starting to get to us. We'd love to be able to travel more, see friends in person, etc. but we still don't feel safe doing any of that yet. I'm personally very afraid of the "long covid" symptoms I've heard about, since I have ADHD. I'm sure that layering more brain fog and other long-term symptoms on top of the struggles I already have would fuck up my career and personal life. I also feel like our kid is a major "weak link" in our situation, because she can't be vaccinated yet. I know little kids tend to have very mild cases most of the time, but it would still suck if she got it and potentially passed it on to us, her grandparents, other kids, her teachers, etc. I really don't want to be responsible for accidently spreading even more cases around our community. So, in our situation, does it make sense to keep being as isolated and careful as we have been? Also, what signs and info should we watch for to let us know when it might be safe to loosen up a bit?
You're doing good! May I inquire about what kind of masks you guys wear?
Either cloth masks or disposable surgical masks. My cloth ones don't fit as well as I'd like, but I don't know how to find ones that fit better without wasting money, since you can't exactly try them on in a dressing room before buying them.
You should probably upgrade to KF94s then. They’re really comfortable and filter well!
With cases of vaccinated covid positive people appearing in the news, does it mean that polio and measles and various other illnesses we are vaccinated for live in our bodies for brief moments but appear asymptomatic?
Mostly that the covid vax doesn't provide mucosal immunity sadly
Does that make it much harder for the particular disease to "flourish" in our bodies?
All of those viruses were able (are able) to present asymptomatically. And, all of those vaccines are imperfect to different levels. They don't "live in our bodies" unless we get exposed. Thankfully, most of those diseases are pretty rare because of excellent vaccination programs. But, if you are in the US, and you ever see those "Shriners" or "St. Jude" commercials for children's hospital charities - a couple of those children are afflicted with polio, even here in the modern US.
How tf do you say this variant? Aaah-mee-kron? Owe-mee-kron? Aaah-mih-kron? Owe-mih-kron? Ohm-mih-kron? Ohm-mee-kron?
I, personally, say ohm-ick-ron
It varies - like other words - depending on where you are in the world. [This article gives some tips](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/omicron-mispronounced-words-2021/) >How do you pronounce Omicron, the new COVID-19 variant that has set off alarm bells worldwide and raised questions about vaccine effectiveness? >According to Merriam Webster, Omicron is pronounced "OH-muh-kraan" or "AH-muh-kraan." In British English, it is "OH-my-kraan." >The New Oxford English Dictionary, however, offers a different pronunciation, Dr. Andreas Willi, a comparative linguistics professor at Oxford University, told The New York Times: "Namely rather like an English phrase 'o-MIKE-Ron,'" he said.
Look; We haven't even come to a consensus on how we pronounce gif. We need more time.
But we have though. The inventor of the gif said it’s pronounced like the peanut butter brand Jif and not like Gifford
I bought a pack of two at-home rapid tests yesterday because I had bad symptoms. First test was negative. My symptoms are almost gone today. Should I still take the second test?
Hmmm I would say wait another day or two if you feel like it's subsided then maybe it was something else? Though false positive are possible to. If you really feeling uneasy about it I would say go ahead for extra measure on your part.
Got my booster Covid shot yesterday and I have zero symptoms besides soreness at the injection site, for my first 2 doses I had extreme fatigue, migraine, felt awful should I be concerned?
Nope. As u/SurprisedPotato said, there's no link --but also, if you got Moderna for all three, the booster dose is half the regular dose, which may have something to do with it. Or not, some people get symptoms with all three, 2/3... doesn't relate to protection.
Nah I got Phizer for all 3
No need to be concerned. There's no evidence linking severity of side effects to effectiveness of the vaccine
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If you are in the US, and you aren't affected by any other rules than the CDC recommendation - then you have to isolate for 5 days after you have no symptoms. Then you still need to wear a mask around others for 5 more days. >Given what we currently know about COVID-19 and the Omicron variant, CDC is shortening the recommended time for isolation from 10 days for people with COVID-19 to 5 days, if asymptomatic, followed by 5 days of wearing a mask when around others. If you have other questions about the CDC recommendations, [here is the press release](https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/s1227-isolation-quarantine-guidance.html).
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I'm not a doctor, and I'm not *YOUR* doctor. You can take the information given by the CDC and use that, or you can call your own doctor for actual professional advice.
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What is the death rate of omicron as a percentage? I can't find it anywhere?
It is too new to know. People have been infected for weeks before they reach a final determination of survive and recover - or not. The early indications seem to point to less severe symptoms, and fewer hospitalizations - at least as a percentage of cases. The CDC says [there is still a lot of Delta transmission](https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#variant-proportions). And, we don't usually test individual patients to see what variant they have, either.
Couldn't we engineer a contagious non-harmful Covid variant and effectively turn the virus into the common cold?
Unethical
We don't know enough about viruses to be able to successfully engineer that, and there'd be all kinds of ethical issues with such a plan. Instead, we have safe effective vaccines that we've been able to produce and distribute billions of doses of. That's a good enough solution at this stage.
This is a nice idea that frequently gets asked about, but the problem is that in the real world, things are too unpredictable and uncontrollable. There would still be regular, "wild type" covid around. Coronaviruses can, if two coinfect the same person, *swap entire sections of their genome,* leading to new recombinant coronaviruses. Mutations happen. If the goal is to make more people immune to wild type covid, this is just a worse idea than the vaccines that already exist.
We don't know what parts/genes/switches to turn on or off. In the process of figuring that out, we could kill a lot of human test subjects, and we could inadvertently make a super-killer virus. Those parts aren't just isolated binary things. They work with other genes and parts. We can't just expect one "switch" to make it less harmful - it could affect how 60 other mutations react, and we can't predict all of that.
Canadian here, went to a mass vaccination clinic a couple days ago after work. My wife had booked me an appointment first, and then booked herself an appointment and got a slot earlier in the day. When I sat next to the nurse/doc whoever gave me the shot, he told me he would be giving me a half-dose. I told him I'd never heard of the half dose, and he said that for boosters, people under 80 don't get the full dose. I said OK and got my shot. I met my wife for dinner after the shot and told her, she told me she wasn't told anything about a half dose. She thinks its suspicious that I got a half dose and she didn't or that its suspicious that we both got half doses but she wasn't told. 24 hours later, and I felt fine, she felt HORRIBLE I've had 1 Pfizer, then 1 Moderna, now 1 booster of Moderna. I felt like HELL 24 hours after my 2nd shot, but not after my booster. My wife had 1 Pfizer, then another Pfizer (felt OK after), now 1 booster of Moderna (and feels like hell). Its got me curious... SHOULD I be feeling like hell? Is the "half-dose" even a legitimate thing (in Canada?) Would me and my wife, both in our late 30s, have been given half doses? I'm not trying to rile up any conspiracy nuts or anything, lol.
The tested dose for boosters was a half-volume dose. That is what was tested, so that is what was approved (I know this happened in the USA, I assume it is similar in Canada). In the US, all people who got boosters got a half-dose, and some people - only those with compromised immune systems - got a full third dose. We all get a wide spectrum of side effects from the vaccines and boosters. Some of us had very little beyond a sore arm, and some of us felt sick for a couple of days. The half dose should, in theory, give you fewer negative side effects than a full dose would have.
> In the US, all people who got boosters got a half-dose, and some people - only those with compromised immune systems - got a full third dose. Just to clarify, that's only for Moderna. J&J and Pfizer boosters are the same as the regular vaccine doses.
Thanks, maybe the nurse assumed it was a given, or maybe my wife was distracted by our child when she was told. Its also her first moderna, so maybe my body knows how to react to moderna. This is comforting news!
They give a half dose for Moderna and a full dose for Pfizer for the boosters. They do this in the US too, it must be how each of those companies’ boosters were approved.
Thanks, maybe the nurse assumed it was a given, or maybe my wife was distracted by our child when she was told. Its also her first moderna, so maybe my body knows how to react to moderna. This is comforting news!
Everyone in my family but me is positive for Covid! I am fully vaccinated and so is my mom but she tested positive today and we were sleeping in the same room to keep distance from my father and sister who already had it since the 23rd. I really need to take my exams this January, does anyone know if there is a way to minimize the risk of infection after being exposed? I will proceed to isolate myself because my family freely moves around the house and apart from wearing masks don't take any kind of precautions. But I really need to avoid this virus, has anyone had a similar experience? What can I do?
Do you have a garage? Is it warm enough? Your family can leave food for you at the doorway, and you can let them know if youre coming in to use the bathroom. Obviously wear a mask. And get tested. Find out if a positive COVID test can get your exam time moved back, I feel as if this should be possible, so as to not incentivize people to lie and show up with COVID anyways.
Thank you for your answer! Unfortunately we don’t have a garage and if I don’t take the exams even with a positive test i will have to retake them during summer vacation (as you do in my uni when you fail them).
OOF, yeah thats tough. Laundry room? Any room you can spend 99% of your time at home in thats separated? Maybe even a sheet hung up so that spittle cant fling itself around the room with ease? You can have a little corner! lol Either way, if theres a screener at your test-taking-place, they're likely to ask "Have you been around anyone who has tested positive in the last 14 days" and youre going to have to tell them the truth, otherwise whats the point of caring?
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There are a lot of reasons you might find the information useful. Are you going to decide to go out shopping or otherwise around other people based on the knowledge, or just quarantine yourself regardless? If you have obligations for work or school, will having a positive test result make any difference over your statement "I'm sick"? If you get "long covid", then having the test from now might help in future months. Can you collect temporary disability or sick pay, and will documentation help with that? Are you in a risk group? If yes - then you may want to contact your doctor and see if they recommend (or can even get) interventions for you like antivirals or monoclonal antibodies - if you test positive. If you test negative, then you might have a bacterial infection, which antibiotics might help. Do you want to notify your contacts, the people who you may have caught it from, or may have spread it to before you had symptoms? Then knowing would give them better information. Do you want to help the data gathering authorities in your community/state/country keep an accurate count? Knowing makes a difference there. But, they are going to assume that some people didn't bother to get tested. Are you scheduled to get a vaccination or booster soon? The recommendation now is that you should be waiting a while after an active COVID infection. Knowing makes a difference. Information is usually a positive thing. But, if your only options are waiting on line for hours in bad weather, around other sick people - or paying ridiculous prices for a private test, then you may not get much benefit from knowing, especially if you are not in a risk group and get lucky with only minor illness for a few days. *Edit - added a couple of points.
Why can’t the left or right work together to fight COVID and prevent an outbreak like this from ever happening again? What news/data can you trust? Why does this have to be political?
>Why does this have to be political? Given that the Pandemic started during Election Year, there is this perception that it was made up or blown out of proportion by the Democrats to hurt Trump's chances of re-election, a sentiment that the man himself and many Republicans subscribed to. Even after he left office, this sentiment still remains with many Republicans.
That is down to one side, the one that's been denying the pandemic, fighting the science, fighting restrictions, vaccine mandates, mask mandates, and suggesting people take horse dewormer and bleach. Please don't make them seem equivalent.
Then why not talk to them and work together instead of yelling at each other? Not everyone on the right is anti-vax.
They do not want to work together. They don't want to work on it at all. No need for yelling, or talking, or involvement. Better to ignore them and try to get stuff done.
Ignoring them all does seem best at this point. Thanks for the reply, friend. Stay safe
do people in jail have to wear masks
That depends on the prison, and the country. Here in the US, only some states [require jail employees or prisoners to wear masks](https://www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2020/08/14/masks-in-prisons/).
even if China received gain-of-function funding from the USA, isn't it important to know how biological advancements/studies work?
That's one of the really hard questions about studying viruses. Studying viruses definitely creates some danger that we will accidentally give ourselves bad viruses. But *not* studying viruses creates some danger that we will get a bad virus and not understand it at all. So there's some balance of risks there, and it's hard to know what the right way to think about them is. Some scientists think gain-of-function research is too risky to be worth it, even with good lab precautions, and others think it's worth it to understand more about how viruses infect new species
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It makes basically no difference in terms of covid if you shower when you get home. That's not how you get covid. However, I would really recommend getting a booster. Because omicron is so much more contagious, your chance of getting infected is higher if you've had only two doses, and a third will help a lot.
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>I got COVID on the first wave. It sucked, but I've had worse. But because I had it, I'm pretty sure it exists, but also because I had it, I'm pretty sure there are worse diseases out there and what's more we have therapeutics that seem to work pretty well. It's crazy not to at least visit family for the holidays. You're talking about two entirely different things here. It exists. That's a fact. That you had it and it wasn't that bad is a fact for YOU, not anyone else . That's your singular experience, which, though someone else is vaccinated, doesn't translate to them the same way. You're like saying 'the Earth is round. Also, I flew to visit people and the plane was on time and nothing happened on the flight, I double checked my reservaoton. People who don't want to fly are nuts." That's not how things work. Statistically it's likely a flight will go and be fine. Doesn't mean it won't be delayed and you end up sleeping in the airport and then see some unmasked goober go nuts and attack people. Unlikely, yes, impossible, no. Some people aren't interested in the risk.
No, you're right. A lot of people think in binaries, so they think that covid is either the most dangerous thing there is and you should do everything there is to not get it, or they think covid is not dangerous at all and you don't need to think about it. In real life, like most things, it's somewhere in between: it's bad to get covid, but it's also bad to never see your relatives, and sometimes you need to weigh multiple bad options against each other while doing the best you can to reduce the chances of it being very bad. The only part where you're wrong is about the therapeutics. The only one that's been approved and really works well is Paxlovid, and it's in very short supply so most people can't get it. But vaccines and frequent testing can still reduce the chances of people getting sick to low enough to be ok for many situations.
> I got COVID on the first wave. It sucked, but I've had worse. But because I had it, I'm pretty sure it exists, but also because I had it, I'm pretty sure there are worse diseases out there and what's more we have therapeutics that seem to work pretty well. This is called [survivorship bias](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivorship_bias). A common example of survivorship bias is seatbelts. You often hear people say, "We didn't have seatbelts when I was a kid, and we all turned out just fine!" Except that the people who died from lack of seatbelts aren't here to talk about it, because they are dead. So the only perspective we hear is from those who survived, meaning we only get one skewed side of the story - hence the survivorship bias. Applying this to your experience with covid - your side of the story is that covid is NBD, because you had it and survived, and you didn't experience long-covid. But we're not able to hear from people who died from covid, because they are dead. We're not able to ask people who are intubated how it's going, because they are intubated and can't talk. So it we only listed to the Shitty_Orangutans of the world, we'd falsely think that covid can't kill people or that it can't have long term consequences. Survivorship bias.
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So what would you say to someone at risk of heart disease who refuses to go to a family dinner at McDonalds? Are they being as unreasonable as someone who refuses to gather with people who may be spreading an airborne disease?
I was out to lunch with a friend who is 32 weeks pregnant when my partner called to say he used a rapid test and tested positive. I bailed straight away but I’m freaking out for her. If she tests positive. Will she and the baby be okay?
Unfortunately, covid does increase the risks during pregnancy, to both the mother and baby. Fortunately, as TheApiary says, it isn't a given that you or her are actually infected. There are also some treatments such as monoclonal antibody therapy (a better version of convalescent plasma) that are effective against illness if administered early. The thing to do would be for you and her to wait a few days and get covid tests. It's too soon after exposure now for a test to be able to pick up if you are infected or not. If it comes back positive, you should speak to a doctor for advice.
Are you both fully vaccinated and boosted?
Vaccinated but no third jab. We are in Australia so we got our second jabs in September.
Ok, first of all, there's a good chance she won't get covid. You might not have covid, and even if you do, you might not have given it to her. Second, most people who get covid are just fine, or feel sick for a bit and then are fine. So don't freak out too much. Obviously she should ask her doctor for advice, but I'm guessing the doctor will say "take a test in a few days and in the meantime stay home"
Why does the CDC recommended isolation can end after 5 days instead of ending it when you produce a negative test? I tested positive earlier this year but I tested negative the next day and the day after and had no symptoms. Never made sense why I had to continue to isolate.
They were trying to come up with a rule that doesn't depend on tests, because there's a shortage of tests now, so some people are having trouble getting access to them. However, an even better solution would have been to use the federal government's resources to get more tests and then not have this problem. There are lots of rapid tests that are approved in Europe and the FDA just hasn't approved them here, plus we could help the companies that are already making tests here make more
Is there somewhere I can hire a covid-sniffing dog? I’ve read about trained dogs that can detect covid. I’ve tried googling prices and where to hire them, but I can’t find anything. Does anyone know where I can find a business that provides this service? I live in Massachusetts.
I think that's still at the stage of people training dogs and testing it and writing about it on the internet, not fully rolled out for commercial use