Can we talk COVID and how it affected you financially, emotionally, physically, etc?

[Snydley]

The COVID vaccine (boost) starts to have some effect after about one week, and it really kicks in weeks 2-4- this is based off of studies where the vaccinated people didn't have immunity to the virus. Now, everything is different, with most infected with omicron- and data I am seeing indicates that antibodies will last a long time after a vaccine if someone was infected first. I'm hopefully protection (even from infection itself, which we know this vaccine can do) will last longer than ever: 6months --> 1+ years, for most people after this bivalent booster shot.

Flu is different. The vaccine isn't as effective at stopping flu as COVID vaccines are at stopping SARS-CoV-2. I've always been kinda meh on getting one, but it will most certainly reduce how sick you feel if you get infected so totally worth it. I got my COVID booster 3 weeks ago and I'll probably get the flu shot soon.

[myrdale]

Flu is different. The vaccine isn't as effective at stopping flu as COVID vaccines are at stopping SARS-CoV-2. I've always been kinda meh on getting one, but it will most certainly reduce how sick you feel if you get infected so totally worth it. I got my COVID booster 3 weeks ago and I'll probably get the flu shot soon.

I typically don't get sick. The one year I didn't get the flu vaccine thought I did get the flu (about 4 years ago). And it hit me fast. Felt fine at 8 AM when I got to work and over about three hours I went down hill FAST. By noon I was at the doctors office. The anti-viral meds they gave me were amazing though. I was still out for three days plus the weekend, but the very next day I was back to 90% or better.

[Snydley]

I have had the flu twice as an adult and it knocked me pretty flat as well for a couple days. Zero energy.

[QuarterMillionMan]

While on the topic of vaxes, I'm planning to go this weekend to get the monkey pox vax in Los Angeles where walk ups are taken and no appt needed.

[rennigade]

While on the topic of vaxes, I'm planning to go this weekend to get the monkey pox vax in Los Angeles where walk ups are taken and no appt needed.

Im not sure what your sexual preference is but CDC released data on the monkey pox. 99% of cases in the US are males, 94% of cases report male to male sexual or intimate contact. This is affecting a certain percentage of people in the US although the media will not come out and say who its affecting and how its being spread.

[ua_guy]

Monkeypox is kind of a taboo subject because one of the easier ways to get it is through sex. The criteria for receiving it in our county is beyond stupid. So if I want it, I'm going to have to lie. In order to be eligible, I'd basically have to be having 10 sexual encounters with other random males in a month's time. So I asked what if I was a part-time **** and only garnered 8 random sexual encounters in a month. Nope, not eligible. Mpox is only for clear winners.

It should be available to anyone who believes they're at risk for any medically relevant reason.

[QuarterMillionMan]

I believe that I am at high risk of getting monkey pox. I'm strictly hetero and not gay but I encounter about 4 different females a month. I'm hoping the clinics don't ask me too many questions but if needed I would resort to lying and say 10 different females a month in order to get the vax.

[ua_guy]

Im not sure what your sexual preference is but CDC released data on the monkey pox. 99% of cases in the US are males, 94% of cases report male to male sexual or intimate contact. This is affecting a certain percentage of people in the US although the media will not come out and say who its affecting and how its being spread.

No I think the media has reported on the most affected population just fine, except if you're watching F/ox news, they don't talk about gays on there so your perception might be skewed.

[james.hendrickson]

Mod note: Guys, SA is a family friendly forums, can we we please try and keep that in mind with this convo.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

bivalent booster here and i felt fine for the first time. My DH still felt sick after his vaccine but I'm not sure if it's real since he's a bit of a hypochondriac

[QuarterMillionMan]

Getting the MKYPOX might be easier than I thought. Rather than walk in, I set up an appt for today at 5:10 pm in Los Angeles. The questionnaire didn't ask anything about how many encounters that I've had in the past month. It only asked my basic demographics and the only controversial question was sexual preference which I selected bisexual. It had gay and hetero among others but I didn't want to disqualify myself by choosing hetero so I went with bisexual. Now the only thing is my work which ends today at 4 pm and often goes beyond 4 pm where I might have to cancel my appt and reschedule for Sunday but I also work Sunday so I'm hoping to get it today. I'll keep everyone posted what happens whether I get it today or Sunday or in the future.

[Like2Plan]

Disneysteve, I know this forum does not have much international participation, but there are TB vaccines in some countries. My Chinese friend who works in medical research (in the US) tests positive for TB due to the kind of TB vaccine when was given as a child. She has no TB disease, but has TB antibodies.

This is a topic that I am very curious about. (At one time, tuberculosis was the one the leading causes of death in the US). The disease hasn't been totally conquered in the US, but it is much lower than a lot of other countries (and I guess why they do vaccinate for it in other countries, but according to this reference it has not had an impact on the global epidemiology).

"The classic means of protecting persons exposed to infectious diseases is vaccination. Because of its proven efficacy in protecting infants and young children from meningeal and miliary TB (66), vaccination against TB with Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guerín (BCG) is used worldwide (although not in the United States). This protective effect against the disseminated forms of TB in infants and children is likely based on the ability of BCG to prevent progression of the primary infection when administered at that stage of life (67). Epidemiologic evidence suggests that BCG immunization does not protect against the development of infection with M. tuberculosis upon exposure (68), and use of BCG has not had an impact on the global epidemiology of TB."

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5412a1.htm

I think I read somewhere that the BCG vaccine was developed back in 1921 (but as you mentioned--never used in the US on a widespread basis).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BCG_vaccine

Early on in the COVID pandemic they did do some research on whether folks who received the BCG vaccine had a better outcome after getting COVID (I'm not sure of what the final conclusions were to the study, though).

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-54465733

[ua_guy]

bivalent booster here and i felt fine for the first time. My DH still felt sick after his vaccine but I'm not sure if it's real since he's a bit of a hypochondriac

I'm 14 hours post- bivalent booster (Moderna) and am not feeling 100%, but not awful, either, just...my body can tell something is up. It was the first booster that left me feeling lifeless for about a day and a half, similar to what I get sometimes from the flu vax.

If this helps me from getting Omicron (again) or if it lessens symptoms of a re-infection, totally worth it for me.

[Like2Plan]

I'm 14 hours post- bivalent booster (Moderna) and am not feeling 100%, but not awful, either, just...my body can tell something is up. It was the first booster that left me feeling lifeless for about a day and a half, similar to what I get sometimes from the flu vax.

If this helps me from getting Omicron (again) or if it lessens symptoms of a re-infection, totally worth it for me.

Sorry you are feeling poorly after the vaccination. Just curious, did you only have Moderna for all your COVID shots?

[ua_guy]

Sorry you are feeling poorly after the vaccination. Just curious, did you only have Moderna for all your COVID shots?

Yes, all Moderna. The choice was mostly agnostic for me - it what was available during my first vax series, same with the first booster. I actually signed up for Pfizer yesterday because I thought that's all they had, and then they asked me which one I wanted and I said "I'll stick with what I have". The pharmacist interpreted that as staying with Moderna versus what I had signed up for, Pfizer, and before she poked me she said, "Just confirming, you did want Moderna?" And I said oh heck, it doesn't matter. That's the long story, yes, all my 5G is Moderna