Who here has not gotten COVID? Who has long COVID?

The entire family is A+.
But just because I evaded it till now, doesn’t mean my personal risk hasn’t been higher the entire time vs. some O.

This definitely moves the needle forward.

Yes, if long COVID is associated with continuing detection of viral spike proteins, suggesting a hidden reservoir of virus, that may also be why some (but not all) who had long COVID from pre-vaccine infections improved after vaccination – perhaps the vaccine stimulated their immune response enough to stamp out the remaining virus.

On the other hand, it is also possible that some long COVID could be due to permanent damage from the acute phase of the disease, particularly if it was a more severe case.

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Just to let you all know that I am feeling GREAT! Just finished a full week of work, got to socialize with some friends and Zoom with others, and even schlep to Trader Joe’s twice, once when they were out of soup dumplings and yesterday when I got to take a good stash home! Hoping (knock wood, salt over the shoulder, etc., etc.) that my good health and good mood continue! Although I had to cancel my trip to Israel that was supposed to begin tonight, my amazing Israeli friends will be with me in Brooklyn (many field trips planned in their rental car) April 27 to May 3, after which they will be off to other adventures, then back here for a few days in June before they go home. It’s all good! 🥰🥰🥰

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So glad to hear that this most recent hospitalization seems to have been able to let you turn the corner, so to speak.

So happy for you and for your incoming friends. :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

Great you are feeling so much better. What do you think did the trick? Bummer about your trip though

I can FEEL your better health in your post and words! I hope your trip can be rescheduled at some time but sounds like you have a great backup plan - and friends!!!

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Yes, masking is not required; the students mask voluntarily. I’m always pleased to see this when I go to the school for activities or in the photos/videos from the various school-affiliated Instagram accounts.

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That is awesome @oldmom4896 !! Is it due to the new drug you are on?

This is HS, right? May I ask what state this is in?

@brantly I never started the Dupixent. Before I went back to work, my Medicare Advantage insurer (Humana) kept calling me about it but I was very hoarse and it was hard to talk on the phone. I definitely have to talk to someone(likely the manufacturer) if I take the medication because the copay is astronomical. I plan to call the pulmonologist when she is in the office on Tuesday and see what she thinks. At the moment I feel like I don’t need it but I saw my PCP on Friday and she said that it’s a very effective medication. For now, I finally put the nebulizer away, and I am almost done tapering the oral Prednisone. I feel great!

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Yep, this is our local public high school in California.

Most high schools in California are majority minority, and minorities in the US tend to be more COVID-19 concerned for various reasons.

To what do you attribute your turn-around?

@brantly, I don’t know. Certainly the massive doses of steroids I got at the hospital must have helped. I hope to gain some insight when I talk to the pulmonologist, hopefully tomorrow.

Unfortunately, long Covid is still pretty mysterious.

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https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/what-does-long-covid-do-to-kids-what-we-ve-learned-after-a-year-of-research/ar-AA19vvyd

Page says the following:

The first and last points suggest that COVID-19 is more risky than just a minor cold in children, although the worst case long COVID outcome (permanent long COVID) appears to be unlikely. But it does mean that 5-10% of kids who get COVID-19 end up having to deal with it for six months to a year.

The page does not mention whether vaccination affects the risk of long COVID in children (beyond any effect it has on avoiding getting COVID-19 in the first place).

Study from last year on the subject:

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Should high risk people get another booster?

Who is defined as “high risk” for this purpose?

The US FDA has been silent on the topic. The UK and Canada have other answers.

Left unsaid in the above linked page is any indication about reformulating vaccines for current variants. The predominant variant in the US is currently XBB.1.5, while the current bivalent boosters are for the ancestral virus and last summer’s BA.5 variant. However, there are other new variants like XBB.1.9 and XBB.1.16 that have potential to take over.

Have been having a wonderful time in Japan, regularly using our Enovid spray and masking in crowds and indoors. So far, none of our 3 tour guides have covid and our formal tour ends today after 7 days. We will have 3 more nights on our own.

I felt poorly one morning—nausea and headache, took allergra (pediatric dose) and was back to 100%. No one on the tour appears to be ill.

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public school teacher in a large urban district. we stayed remote until spring of 2021. daugher and I were very careful early on through spring 2021. She never tested positive but may have had it once. I have tested positive 3 times. January 2021 (I was coaching a high school sport), winter 2022 (coaching again), summer 2022 (teaching summer school) All mild cases, no symptoms of long covid.

Was the sport close contact indoors?