Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #110

[Cool Cats]

For the Uninsured, COVID Care Has Entered a New Stage of Crisis

WASHINGTON — When Mandy Alderman caught the coronavirus in June for a second time, she hoped her usual primary care physician could prescribe a monoclonal antibody treatment or Paxlovid, the antiviral pill that has been shown to reduce the severity of an infection. But without health insurance...

www.yahoo.com

WASHINGTON — When Mandy Alderman caught the coronavirus in June for a second time, she hoped her usual primary care physician could prescribe a monoclonal antibody treatment or Paxlovid, the antiviral pill that has been shown to reduce the severity of an infection. But without health insurance, she could not afford a visit.

Alderman, 44, a former medical assistant in Lawrenceville, Georgia, found a doctor willing to prescribe a cocktail of other drugs, but not the proven COVID-19 medications she wanted. She took what she could get. She had to lean on her aunt for the $85 it cost to retrieve the drugs from a Publix grocery store pharmacy near her home.

“I felt like I was irrelevant,” Alderman said, recounting the ordeal. “I felt like I didn’t matter.”

Difficulty getting care for COVID-19 has become an increasingly common problem for poor, uninsured Americans. After paying about $25 billion to health care providers over the course of the pandemic to reimburse them for vaccinating, testing and treating people without insurance, the federal government is running low on funds for COVID care for the nearly 30 million Americans who are uninsured.

 

[HongKongPhooey]

For the Uninsured, COVID Care Has Entered a New Stage of Crisis

WASHINGTON — When Mandy Alderman caught the coronavirus in June for a second time, she hoped her usual primary care physician could prescribe a monoclonal antibody treatment or Paxlovid, the antiviral pill that has been shown to reduce the severity of an infection. But without health insurance...

www.yahoo.com

WASHINGTON — When Mandy Alderman caught the coronavirus in June for a second time, she hoped her usual primary care physician could prescribe a monoclonal antibody treatment or Paxlovid, the antiviral pill that has been shown to reduce the severity of an infection. But without health insurance, she could not afford a visit.

Alderman, 44, a former medical assistant in Lawrenceville, Georgia, found a doctor willing to prescribe a cocktail of other drugs, but not the proven COVID-19 medications she wanted. She took what she could get. She had to lean on her aunt for the $85 it cost to retrieve the drugs from a Publix grocery store pharmacy near her home.

“I felt like I was irrelevant,” Alderman said, recounting the ordeal. “I felt like I didn’t matter.”

Difficulty getting care for COVID-19 has become an increasingly common problem for poor, uninsured Americans. After paying about $25 billion to health care providers over the course of the pandemic to reimburse them for vaccinating, testing and treating people without insurance, the federal government is running low on funds for COVID care for the nearly 30 million Americans who are uninsured.

Again, we don’t get Paxlovid over here unless v specific criteria are met (e.g. not just cancer, but only certain type of cancers etc.)

The benefit is that it’s free to those who according to our health ministers need it the most. The downside is, that for instance I would have liked my parents to have had access to it in July (although thankfully they made a full recovery very quickly).

 

[Sundog]

I had been prescribed Paxlovid earlier this by my doctor when I had some covid-like symptoms and it was at the end of the week and so my doctor prescribed Paxlovid in case I tested positive for covid over the weekend. I didn't test positive, but had picked up the Paxlovid, just in case. The Paxlovid medications say on the box that they expire in November 2022, but today the pharmacist told me that Pfizer has extended the effectiveness date to May 2023, saying that Pfizer has now had more time to test Paxlovid's "use by date." I have to go back and check the extensions on the Binax and other self-tests that were mailed to us by the federal government to see if any of them are still usable.

The public libraries in our county are giving away self-tests again (provided by the State), so hope to pick up one or two before they are all gone. If there are any left. But also hoping that the kits sent by the government may still be good.

 

[Sundog]

Have you both also received a pneumonia vaccine? Prevnar 13, a 2-dose regimen, is recommended for adults 65+. There is also a newer version, Prevnar 20, one dose, that is recommended for those under 65 with health complications like diabetes, heart issues, hypertension, asthma, COPD, etc. DH and I both got the Prevnar 13 vax when we turned 65 and both had the subsequent dose a year later.

We need to get our pneumonia vaccines, we keep putting it off. I wonder if we should antipate many side effects from this vaccine? And I assume it is a two-dose regime, with each being a year apart?

 

[ifindedout]

Omicron boosters are weaker against BQ.1.1 subvariant that is rising in U.S., study finds

The boosters did not trigger a robust response against BQ.1.1. People with a prior history of infection who received the booster had a stronger response

www.cnbc.com

"Scientists at the University of Texas Medical Branch, in a study published online Tuesday in Nature Medicine, found that the booster shots performed well against the BA.5 subvariant they were designed to target.

But the boosters did not trigger a robust response when faced with BQ.1.1, the scientists found. Antibodies were about four times lower against BQ.1.1 compared to BA.5. These neutralizing antibodies prevent the virus that causes Covid-19 from invading human cells."

 

[Lilibet]

Hi Lillibet: my hair stylist was exposed to Covid (drats)- this was on Friday- I told him to go get a PCR test- if he did that, it would be on day 3 after the exposure. If the test is negative, should I feel comfortable he is negative or should I wait another week to get my hair done (which looks dreadful, but not worth getting Covid to get it done too soon)

I’m not sure how soon the PCR tests are positive after exposure but with no symptoms @ilovewings. I’m really cautious, so I guess I’d wait. But I’d Google the particulars if I were you.

 

[HongKongPhooey]

"Scientists at the University of Texas Medical Branch, in a study published online Tuesday in Nature Medicine, found that the booster shots performed well against the BA.5 subvariant they were designed to target.

But the boosters did not trigger a robust response when faced with BQ.1.1, the scientists found. Antibodies were about four times lower against BQ.1.1 compared to BA.5. These neutralizing antibodies prevent the virus that causes Covid-19 from invading human cells."

This is annoying, as I wake up here with a post-vaccine sore arm and having had (presumably) BA5 in July so (presumably) natural antibodies to that already

 

[Lilibet]

This is annoying, as I wake up here with a post-vaccine sore arm and having had (presumably) BA5 in July so (presumably) natural antibodies to that already

I figure we’re always going to be trying to play catch-up with vaccines and we can’t count on being as protected as we’d like to be. I say that as someone who is vaxxed with three boosters. It’s very frustrating, but all I can do is avoid crowds, wear a mask, wash my hands and hope for the best.

All my friends who have gotten covid recently for the first time are fully vaxxed and boosted. Some traveled and some didn’t and aren’t sure how they got it. On the other hand, my dh and I had to fly to L.A. last December and stay in a hotel for a medical appointment, and do a similar trip by car to Sacramento a couple of weeks later…all while omicron was getting started and shortly after our second booster. We didn’t catch it, but we certainly could have, and I have no idea why we didn’t. And we did another medical trip by car for four days a month ago (a month after getting our flu shots and bivalent booster) and didn’t get sick. There seems to be no rhyme or reason. Maybe just doing medical trips and not vacations is the key LOL. But it’s a jungle out there!

 

[HongKongPhooey]

I figure we’re always going to be trying to play catch-up with vaccines and we can’t count on being as protected as we’d like to be. I say that as someone who is vaxxed with three boosters. It’s very frustrating, but all I can do is avoid crowds, wear a mask, wash my hands and hope for the best.

All my friends who have gotten covid recently for the first time are fully vaxxed and boosted. Some traveled and some didn’t and aren’t sure how they got it. On the other hand, my dh and I had to fly to L.A. last December and stay in a hotel for a medical appointment, and do a similar trip by car to Sacramento a couple of weeks later…all while omicron was getting started and shortly after our second booster. We didn’t catch it, but we certainly could have, and I have no idea why we didn’t. And we did another medical trip by car for four days a month ago (a month after getting our flu shots and bivalent booster) and didn’t get sick. There seems to be no rhyme or reason. Maybe just doing medical trips and not vacations is the key LOL. But it’s a jungle out there!

Having another half who commutes to London by train, I’ve had a strange kind of outlook - a balance of resigned to us being exposed daily, with taking care whilst out and about. Because I don’t think one thing cancels out the other, so we may as well minimise some risk where we can. It has been nice to get out more though, plenty of places aren’t full of busy crowds which I would avoid.

Yesterday we were asked to wear a face covering. I had to dig them out! No one wears them here anymore, not even us.

 

[Teche]

Welp, my 98-y.o. father in the nursing home (in Los Angeles) tested positive for Covid today.

If you read my prior post, they were in ‘outbreak mode‘ there, as it started spreading quickly. They informed me he does not have fever, but does have a cough. He will be given Paxlovid, so that is good. Sigh. He has never had Covid up til now. He is up to date on all his vaccinations and boosters, so I hope he gets through this, and without complications. He has dementia, so he may not understand what’s happening to him.

I believe that vaccinations and boosters will help to keep him safe. He’s lived to this beautiful age and it shows that he has what it takes to beat Covid. Keeping him in my prayers.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

We need to get our pneumonia vaccines, we keep putting it off. I wonder if we should antipate many side effects from this vaccine? And I assume it is a two-dose regime, with each being a year apart?

I don't recall any side effects from either dose of Prevnar 13. The doses are administered a year apart. I don't know much about the new Prevnar 20 that is a single dose. It seems to be geared toward younger people with compromised immune systems or serious health conditions. Prevnar 13 is specifically for old adults.

 

[tabitha111]

@slowpoke if it's any consolation, my father who is 91, had Covid recently. He is NOT boosted (only had the original vaccine because he is stubborn like that) he is a Gastric Cancer survivor (does not have his stomach) and did NOT go on Paxlovid - and he survived Covid with barely any problems. Yes, he was lucky this time.
Otherwise, its really not comforting to know here at the Retirement Home we have a caregiver running around with a "cold for a week" unmasked, helping elderly folks. I swear they just do not care here!!

 

[ilovewings]

I’m not sure how soon the PCR tests are positive after exposure but with no symptoms @ilovewings. I’m really cautious, so I guess I’d wait. But I’d Google the particulars if I were you.

Thanks for your response: my stylist is getting tested via PCR. He already had one PCR and it was negative, but he is going to get tested after 5 days again just to be sure. He has no symptoms but I decided to put off my hair appt until next week. I expect he does not have Covid but better safe than sorry!!!!

 

[CSIDreamer]

Whats the latest guidelines?

I just had a coworker tell me she thinks she was exposed 8 days ago. Started getting symptomatic Thursday. Tested positive Saturday. And will test in the morning before we work together. She said if she's negative we're good to go.

I was vaccinated 3/2021 and had a bad reaction (heart) so no boosters.

Why in the world am I going blank trying to find guidelines?

Coworker let me know yesterday she was still positive. Her mother was hospitalized with Covid Saturday and has just passed away. I am just heartbroken for her as she wasn't allowed to suit up and be with her mother

 

[WichitaFalls]

Coworker let me know yesterday she was still positive. Her mother was hospitalized with Covid Saturday and has just passed away. I am just heartbroken for her as she wasn't allowed to suit up and be with her mother

I'm so sorry to hear of your coworker's Mom. May she rest in peace.
Stay well yourself. Have you thought through a plan for treatment if you test positive? Fingers crossed for you that you stay well and strong.

 

[CSIDreamer]

I'm so sorry to hear of your coworker's Mom. May she rest in peace.
Stay well yourself. Have you thought through a plan for treatment if you test positive? Fingers crossed for you that you stay well and strong.

Thank you.

I honestly haven't given it any thought. I would probably just go with whatever the current treatment plan is.

 

[anneg]

‘True but inaccurate:’ Here’s why more people who die of COVID-19 are vaccinated

“It’s a true but inaccurate statement,” said Dr. David Weber, an infectious disease specialist at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.

www.cbs17.com

(BBM)
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Yes, vaccinated people now account for the majority of COVID-19 deaths these days. But that fact is also easy to read the wrong way.

“It’s a true but inaccurate statement,” said Dr. David Weber, an infectious disease specialist at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.

The Washington Post reported last week that 58 percent of COVID deaths in August were in people who were vaccinated or boosted. That’s a big jump in less than a year: In September 2021, vaccinated people made up just 23 percent of deaths....

Opponents of the vaccines have latched onto those claims on social media as proof that the shots are ineffective. But Weber says that’s not the case at all.

“It would be like saying most deaths in car crashes come with people wearing seat belts,” Weber said. “That’s because almost everyone wears seat belts. The correct statement is, how many lives do seat belts save? And that would be the correct statement for the vaccines.”

More than 80 percent of people in the U.S. have received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says, and nearly 70 percent have completed the primary series, and would meet the definition of being fully vaccinated.

So from a numbers perspective, it makes sense that vaccinated people account for more deaths... “It’s a combination of reasons that it appears that more of the people dying are vaccinated than not vaccinated,” Weber said.

The people who face the highest risk of death from COVID are the oldest among us. They also have the highest vaccination rates. “The people who are elderly and immunocompromised are going to be the majority of the people impacted by the disease and getting at risk for severe disease,” said Dr. Pia MacDonald, an epidemiologist at RTI International. “And so it’s following that trend.”

[...]

The age-adjusted per capita death rate in North Carolina for unvaccinated people is 1.58 for every 100,000 people, compared to 0.25 for the vaccinated and 0.17 for the boosted.

In other words, unvaccinated people in the state were more than nine times more likely to die of COVID than boosted people were, NCDHHS data show....

 

[MimosaMornings]

Coworker let me know yesterday she was still positive. Her mother was hospitalized with Covid Saturday and has just passed away. I am just heartbroken for her as she wasn't allowed to suit up and be with her mother

Oh my gosh, her mother passed after only being in the hospital 3 days? That’s so sad she couldn’t be with her. Hopefully you didn’t get it too.

 

[MimosaMornings]

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Another COVID Surge — The Atlantic

Once again, our pandemic numbers are creeping in the wrong direction.

apple.news

 

[MimosaMornings]

Star Wars Actor Gary Friedkin Dead at 70 from COVID Complications: 'He Was a Gift to All Who Knew Him' — People

The late actor's family "encourages everyone to get vaccinated and boosted to protect their family and community"

apple.news

RIP