COVID-19 - On the Ground

[MICHHAWK]

her husband being the china sympathizer that he is, doesn't even care. in fact he is happy about it. he can go his next friends of china meeting and brag.

[Sparko]

Not as solid sock work today Mich. Mailing it in.

[Shirley]

Flying today with a 4-hour layover in St. Louis - yuk!

Absolutely hate to, but wearing an N-95 today for the first time in a long time. Haven't had Covid yet that I know of, but the rates of infection and hospitalization while still relatively low are increasing pretty fast, and as much as I don't want Covid I also don't want long-Covid which is real, even after mild infections.

[JKLivin]

Flying today with a 4-hour layover in St. Louis - yuk!

Absolutely hate to, but wearing an N-95 today for the first time in a long time. Haven't had Covid yet that I know of, but the rates of infection and hospitalization while still relatively low are increasing pretty fast, and as much as I don't want Covid I also don't want long-Covid which is real, even after mild infections.

My condolences. I used to enjoy travel in general and flying specifically. Since COVID, flying is a nightmare and I avoid it if at all possible. The shortages in air traffic controllers, pilots, and other personnel make an on-time, incident-free flight an exception rather than the rule, and airlines refuse to dial back the number of flights to align with their staffing. I am seriously considering driving the 11 hours to KC for my older son's wedding this Spring rather than deal with airlines.

[Shirley]

I feel the same about flying these days, sadly, although it seems to be a lot better than a year or so ago. I always used to look for the shortest layover to change planes possible, but with all the delays and problems that's too risky now because you'll miss your connection. The four-hour layover is mainly a result of my mother having another stroke and me having to make plans to fly in only a few days.

The trip to KC is ~ 21 hours by car, and unlike not too many years ago when I might drive straight through, it's nearly two full days of driving both here and back, and not worth giving up almost 4 days in addition to the time I'm in KC.

[jhawks99]

I feel the same about flying these days, sadly, although it seems to be a lot better than a year or so ago. I always used to look for the shortest layover to change planes possible, but with all the delays and problems that's too risky now because you'll miss your connection. The four-hour layover is mainly a result of my mother having another stroke and me having to make plans to fly in only a few days.

The trip to KC is ~ 21 hours by car, and unlike not too many years ago when I might drive straight through, it's nearly two full days of driving both here and back, and not worth giving up almost 4 days in addition to the time I'm in KC.

Best wishes for your Mom.

[Shirley]

I feel the same about flying these days, sadly, although it seems to be a lot better than a year or so ago. I always used to look for the shortest layover to change planes possible, but with all the delays and problems that's too risky now because you'll miss your connection. The four-hour layover is mainly a result of my mother having another stroke and me having to make plans to fly in only a few days.

The trip to KC is ~ 21 hours by car, and unlike not too many years ago when I might drive straight through, it's nearly two full days of driving both here and back, and not worth giving up almost 4 days in addition to the time I'm in KC.

Best wishes for your Mom.

Thanks, 99.

[Shirley]

Good news:

The new highly mutated COVID variant BA.2.86 does not have a heightened ability to evade the protection of COVID vaccines or immunity from prior infection, new laboratory tests show.

The BA.2.86 variant grabbed the attention of public health officials in recent weeks due to its quick spread across the globe and a large number of mutations. Having so many mutations increased the chance that it would behave differently than previous versions of the virus, possibly making it more dangerous.

Now, experiments conducted by two teams of U.S. scientists show that antibodies from COVID vaccinations or prior infections can recognize and fight off the BA.2.86 version of the virus, CNN reported, noting that the protection may be "perhaps even better" than antibody responses to other currently circulating strains of the virus.

The new studies showed that people infected within the past 6 months with an XBB-version of the virus had the strongest immune responses to BA.2.86...

[Shirley]

More good news:

Moderna’s latest Covid booster appears to work against the BA.2.86 omicron subvariant, the drugmaker said in a release Wednesday.

The updated booster generated a strong antibody response against BA.2.86, according to Moderna. The variant has not yet gained widespread prevalence in the United States but has raised alarm among experts and health officials because of its high number of mutations.

The data provided by Moderna, based on blood samples, has not yet undergone review from outside scientists. However, Moderna is the first Covid vaccine maker to release data on the effectiveness of the updated booster against the new variant.

In a statement to NBC News Wednesday, drugmaker Pfizer said a recent preclinical study showed that its updated booster also generated a strong antibody response against a number of omicron variants, including BA.2.86.

Covid cases and hospitalizations are on the rise in the U.S. as several new variants spread.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has indicated that BA.2.86, dubbed “Pirola” by some on social media, may be more capable of causing infection in people who have had Covid or were vaccinated, although the agency added there is no evidence to date that it can cause more severe illness.

However, data published this week from lab studies suggest that BA.2.86 may be less contagious and less immune invasive than previously feared.

The current increases in cases and hospitalizations in the U.S. are most likely being driven by infections with XBB lineage viruses, not the BA.2.86 variant, according to the CDC...

[TDub]

Flying today with a 4-hour layover in St. Louis - yuk!

Absolutely hate to, but wearing an N-95 today for the first time in a long time. Haven't had Covid yet that I know of, but the rates of infection and hospitalization while still relatively low are increasing pretty fast, and as much as I don't want Covid I also don't want long-Covid which is real, even after mild infections.

My condolences. I used to enjoy travel in general and flying specifically. Since COVID, flying is a nightmare and I avoid it if at all possible. The shortages in air traffic controllers, pilots, and other personnel make an on-time, incident-free flight an exception rather than the rule, and airlines refuse to dial back the number of flights to align with their staffing. I am seriously considering driving the 11 hours to KC for my older son's wedding this Spring rather than deal with airlines.

flying has always sucked. goddman shoved in a death trap tube like cattle with no ability to control anything.
But it really went to shit after 9/11.


if I never fly again it will be too soon.

[Shirley]

Federal government to start providing free coronavirus tests once again

Just as a summer covid wave shows signs of receding, the Biden administration announced Wednesday that it is reviving a program to mail free rapid coronavirus tests to Americans.

Starting Sept. 25, people can request four free tests per household through covidtests.gov. Officials say the tests are able to detect the latest variants and are intended to be used through the end of the year.

The return of the free testing program comes after Americans navigated the latest uptick in covid cases with free testing no longer widely available. The largest insurance companies stopped reimbursing the costs of retail at-home testing once the requirement to do so ended with the public health emergency in May. The Biden administration stopped mailing free tests in June.

[...]

[TDub]

my sister her husband niece and nephew all had covid again last month, now both my parents have it again. All quadruple boosted and up to date.

They did just travel internationally though so, lots of opportunities for contraction.

[defixione]

A half dozen of my friends here in Lawrence have Covid, half are fully vaccinated. Fortunately for me, I'm quasi bed ridden from surgery so I'm not being as social as I usually am.

[JKLivin]

So the motivation to get another round of the Clot Shot is what, then? Asking for a rube friend.

[RainbowsandUnicorns]

So the motivation to get another round of the Clot Shot is what, then? Asking for a rube friend.

It's up to you to decide what to believe and what is best for you but I feel it's 100% wrong of you to ridicule people who believe there are benefits based on things such as this.....

https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/disc ... 20Medicine.

[JKLivin]

So the motivation to get another round of the Clot Shot is what, then? Asking for a rube friend.

It's up to you to decide what to believe and what is best for you but I feel it's 100% wrong of you to ridicule people who believe there are benefits based on things such as this.....

https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/disc ... 20Medicine.

Wasn’t trying to ridicule. I just fail to see a compelling reason for me to risk my health again if I’m probably going to get it anyway.

[RainbowsandUnicorns]

So the motivation to get another round of the Clot Shot is what, then? Asking for a rube friend.

It's up to you to decide what to believe and what is best for you but I feel it's 100% wrong of you to ridicule people who believe there are benefits based on things such as this.....

https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/disc ... 20Medicine.

Wasn’t trying to ridicule. I just fail to see a compelling reason for me to risk my health again if I’m probably going to get it anyway.

As I said, It's up to you to decide what to believe and what is best for you. I'm 50/50.
If I am to believe and trust the article in the link I provided, I'm glad for my mother's sake (and mine) she was boosted.

[mjl2]

The vaccine for this strain just started getting released, right?

[Shirley]

The vaccine for this strain just started getting released, right?

Yes.

[Overlander]

So the motivation to get another round of the Clot Shot is what, then? Asking for a rube friend.

It's up to you to decide what to believe and what is best for you but I feel it's 100% wrong of you to ridicule people who believe there are benefits based on things such as this.....

https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/disc ... 20Medicine.

Wasn’t trying to ridicule. I just fail to see a compelling reason for me to risk my health again if I’m probably going to get it anyway.

And this, folks, is exactly why we will be fighting Covid for the rest of our lives.



And, probably, our grand children