Absolutely agree with all your points! The progress in so many areas has been absolutely remarkable! But it’s the private sector that’s producing all the results often in spite of the government rather than because of it (vaccines excluded).
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IMO, what slowed the approval process is that the FDA folks are not used to dealing with approval of kits for surveillance testing - which is different from diagnostic testing.
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Risk of death seems to go up significantly once vaccination is 6+months old.
Now a study from the Public Health Institute, the Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the University of Texas Health Science Center, published today in the journal Science, has analyzed COVID infection by vaccination status among 780,225 Veterans.
Researchers found that protection against any COVID-19 infection declined for all vaccine types, with overall vaccine protection declining from 87.9% in February to 48.1% by October 2021.
- The decline was greatest for the Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccine, with protection against infection declining from 86.4% in March to 13.1% in September
- Declines for PfizerBioNTech were from 86.9% to 43.3%
- Declines for Moderna were 89.2% to 58%.
The study showed that the risk of death from COVID infection was highest in unvaccinated Veterans, regardless of age and comorbidities. While some breakthrough infections resulted in death, vaccination remained protective against death in those who became infected during the Delta surge.
For those under 65 years old, vaccines overall were 81.7% effective against death.
- Protection against death was greatest for the Pfizer vaccine, at 84.3%.
- Moderna was the next most effective, at 81.5%.
- Janssen was 73% effective.
For those 65 and over, overall vaccine effectiveness against death was 71.6%.
- Moderna was 75.5% effective.
- Pfizer was 70.1% effective.
- Janssen was 52.2% effective.
Same study as referred to in post #3916?
Anyone have thoughts on the following situation?
On Saturday night, 8 of us (all fully vaccinated, plus two who had covid previously) had dinner at a friend’s house. We were all in close proximity for several hours indoors. One guest was a 23 year old woman. She woke up on Sunday feeling sick and tested positive on Monday.
The group:
-Married couple 1, early 50’s, fully vaxxed in May. Pfizer.
-Married couple 2, late 50’s, fully vaxxed in Feb. Pfizer. One of them has moderately serious underlying conditions. They haven’t had boosters yet, were going to get soon.
-Woman, early 60’s, J&J in April, had covid in August.
-Woman, early 60’s, had covid in early March, then J&J in June.
-Me. Mid 50’s, vaxxed since early April. Pfizer.
-23 year old vaxxed with J&J in late May, covid positive.
The 23 year old feels better already. Her symptoms were interesting. Achey legs, and she passed out, twice. She just generally felt sick, but that’s it. She feels better already.
One man in the first married couple says he has a cold. He also believes he may have had Covid in Feb 2020 due to having “covid toe.” No one else feels sick, no one has tested positive yet.
I think the two women who had covid already will be totally fine. I’m concerned about the woman in the second married couple who has underlying conditions, but she is fine so far.
I am frankly amazed that none of us are sick (yet?). So I assume our vaccines are still working.
I wonder if this article might also help explain why. People testing negative for Covid-19 despite exposure may have ‘immune memory’ | Coronavirus | The Guardian
I use saline sinus rinse daily. Is it possible that this is also helpful?
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04347538
It’s a pretty strange feeling, knowing that I was fully exposed and waiting to see what happens. Taking my vitamins, doing my saline sinus rinse, and hoping for the best.
I think it is….sorry I missed it upthread.
A mild case of COVID-19 could resemble a cold. Also “COVID toe” resembles a common condition caused by cold exposure.
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Not convinced that you are in the clear yet. Spouse got a breakthrough infection in September. Contacted from infected nephew on Sunday (he didn’t test positive until the following day). We tested negative every day until the first positive test on the Friday. I didn’t get it, as I didn’t hug the nephew and we slept in separate rooms after we knew about the exposure.
Similarly, S got a breakthrough infection and his roommate moved out immediately (on a Wednesday) but didn’t test positive until the following Monday.
This Atlantic article seems to have a very similar timeline (much longer than expected): I Had Breakthrough COVID. It Was a Logistical Nightmare. - The Atlantic
Ugh. I hope you’re wrong, but it might be too much to expect that none of us will get it.
Someone around April mentioned a similar family gathering, although the likely index case was voluntarily unvaccinated (offered early as a health care worker).
0/3 fully vaccinated got sick
1/4 partially vaccinated got sick, and the one who did was immunocompromised
6/9 unvaccinated got sick
Of course, the risk may be greater now due to Delta.
I think the CDC recommends testing at least 5-7 days after date of exposure.
Fingers crossed you remain unscathed!
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My bil, fully vaccinated got Covid and felt bad enough he went to the hospital to get monoclonal antibodies. Was working outside but next to someone all day when he started feeling bad. That person did not get infected.
My mil fully vaccinated got Covid (but not from her son who she sees often) but didn’t infect her husband. As my mil has the constitution of an ox, her symptoms were very mild and only lasted a day or two. My in laws before vaccines spent the day with their friends who tested positive the next day. But neither of them got Covid then (were tested).
Who knows how this spreads? (I mean I do know how it does) but it seems so random who gets infected after an exposure.
My bil did say that if you start feeling pretty bad, get yourself to the hospital and get the antibodies. They worked really well according to him.
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I think a full week is needed before feeling comfortable that you are in the clear.
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Rats, I liked it better when I was more ignorant, lol.
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If we had low cost quick tests, the exposed people could use them whenever they are about to go where they may expose other people during the next week or so. That would avoid or greatly reduce the chance of unnecessary quarantine or worry, the hassle of going to a PCR test, or causing and avoidable exposure event.
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I bought pretty cheap tests at CVS. $25 for two. But still, they should be even cheaper. My D is in England right now, staying in a block student building. They have bin of tests, free, at the doors. Everyone tests themselves at least twice a week.
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In other words, your daughter could test herself every day if she had a known exposure. But you need to carefully plan when to use your two tests.
Absolutely. It’s ridiculous. If we really wanted to get things under control, these home tests should be free. I’m actually going to get another kit after posting on this thread.
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Yes, we may have come back from England with COVID, but we also brought back 80 free tests.
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Yep. My D comes back end of November and I asked her to bring back some kits.