Just imagine how much better it might’ve been if Trump actually took a lead in the interest of public health and didn’t demonize lockdowns and vaccines. Then again, he’d have more supporters alive today so maybe it wasn’t all bad.
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We have a winner!
When you’re done with that you should parody “The Magado”!
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With the loathsome Donald as my muse, the possibilities are endless.
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I’ll be interested in seeing comparative studies that track changes in the human genome due to the virus… like the changes inherited by the survivors of the Bubonic Plague.
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Several points:
I got the Moderna vaccine as soon as I was permitted. I worked the entire pandemic at Target, exposing myself to those that were inconsiderate several days a week. I’ve yet to get it and I hope to stay that way.
Dear Hubby, as I’ve recounted, works in the Blood Manufacturing lab at the Red Cross in St. Paul. Their donations were quite high during that time, as many donors tried to discover their COVID status through the processing. Apparently, even the lab could figure out who had been infected and who hadn’t.
Lastly, one of our close friends has had long COVID for over two years now. She got it twice and was hospitalized once. In her early 70s now, her hubby refuses to leave her side for any extended period of time, as she is never going to get better than where she is now. Of all the people I know and have worked with, she is the only long-COVID I know. It’s brutal.
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The thing that truly scares me is an article I saw that said something like 50% of people 65 and older that got COVID showed some cognitive decline within a year even if they weren’t seriously ill. That is a huge number. It keeps me vigilant.
ETA @becca656 The person in my personal circle that got the worst case of COVID is a 42 year old yoga instructor - she ended up in the hospital twice. Others had COVID with varying amounts of symptoms, but most of my extended social circle remains COVID-free. 
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I have a friend who has had long Covid for about 2 years as well. She also is fully vaxxed and boosted and got it a second time while traveling with me and another fried to NYC. We all got it and none of us landed in the hospital. I think the vaccines and boosters saved us. I had a very mild case -dry hack, sore throat and unbelievable fatigue. The fatigue was overwhelming. I was infectious when I got home and my husband never got it. My friend with long Covid is part of a study - maybe Mayo- she lives in Phoenix which has a Mayo clinic. Anyway, her symptoms have been improving. Interestingly, a dietician is involved. So, while not overweight she is eating healthier.
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Our you also allergic to the spike protein adjuvant from Novavax (FDA update June 6, 2023; Novavax fact sheet update Mar 28, 2023) which is dissimilar to the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines?
Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine, Adjuvanted contains the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and Matrix-M adjuvant. The spike protein in this vaccine is produced in insect cells; the Matrix M-adjuvant contains saponin extracts from the bark of the Soapbark tree that is native to Chile.
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I don’t know the answer to your question. My hunch is that I am allergic to the fat molecule (PEG) that Pfizer and Moderna use to deliver the mRNA molecules. I had a J&J booster, while that was still an option, without any issues (they use a polysorbate as the vehicle). I don’t think the spike protein or mRNA component of the vaccines is the problem, but I don’t know that for sure. It’s a challenge because the only real way to figure out where exactly the issue lies is by risking anaphylaxis - if COVID gets more deadly again, I may have to do that but it would be in the hospital. For now, I just have to wait for alternatives to Moderna and Pfizer to be approved.
ETA The Novavax vaccine was approved as a primary course or as a first booster. It was not approved for use as a second booster. Since I now have to get these things in a medical setting, preferably a hospital, it is unlikely that I could duck the restrictions.
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Randy Rainbow already has a song for it: “He is the very model of of a modern stable genius.” Best line: “Although his brain is smaller than his tiny, little pen-i-us, He is the very model of a modern stable gen-i-us.”
I grew up on Gilbert & Sullivan. My speech was very garbled as a child. I was taken out of class once a week for one-on-one speech lessons. My father thought that I would speak more clearly if I would learn and “sing” along with the patter songs from G&S. I loved “singing” them. My father thought his plan was working but my “singing” drove my mother crazy.
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And here you are speaking most clearly! Bravo!!! And, the things that drive our mothers crazy when we are small become the unforgettable stories they love to repeat when we are grown, remembering how precious those times are.
PEG is an approved universal synthetic solvent found in a crazy amount of products from topicals, medicines, and packaged foods. A small % of folks are allergic, but there is growing evidence of some usually insignificant antibody response (measureable but not acute) to PEG. We attached PEG to small molecule drugs to enhance absorption and half-life, in addition to emulsification. If Pfizer and Moderna incorporate PEG, I would be surprised if they changed the formulation, as that would require a huge new set of efficacy and safety studies.
Novavax apparently does not contain PEG. It contains sugars and other synthetic solvents/emulsifiers (e.g., Triton), and as you point out, is EUA for only up to 1st booster. Since you had J&J booster, and mad Covid is on on the wane, you are correct: your only option is to wait for further options. Thanks for the update on Novavax.
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I’ve read that Novavax is working on an updated vaxx/booster that may be ready in the Fall. That would allow me to get updated protection (my last booster was in Nov. 2021.)
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I was one of the ones without it in Dec. 2022 (that is, not contracted COVID, but vaccinated and boosted).
Unfortunately my better half and I both contracted COVID while on vacation in Feb. 2023. Nearly 3 years of avoiding it, and then…bam.
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I got the cocktail of vaccines/boosters. Moderna for the initial ones and then Pfizer/Moderna for the boosters. I also had Covid post vaccines but a very mild case - symptoms akin to a bad allergy day.
Your theory (blood donors are less likely to have been vaccinated/infected) sounds plausible.
But I was wondering if the data is biased in the opposite direction. That is, that people who give blood are more likely to have been vaccinated that the general population. (Because they are more health conscious, or more concerned about the health of others, or whatever other reason one could think of.)
It’s easy to imagine it going either way. The author says nothing about this possible confounding factor, so I am wondering if it was considered.
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The Red Cross was asking for donors saying that the supply was very low. My husband has donated three times in the past few years. We are vaccinated and boosted; neither of us have gotten it yet. My neighbor has also given blood often. He’s also been vaccinated and boosted and has not had Covid, despite traveling to France and Spain last year and this year. But our families and neighbors have all had it at least once. Just lucky?
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Can you provide a link supporting that? Thanks.
I’ve never had Covid after being exposed countless times since the pandemic began. Teaching public school for two years exposed me to everything, plus my parents had it, my daughter and my sister. I’m 5x vaxxed. My wife hasn’t had it either. I’m extremely thankful.
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I came here to say just that. Circles within circles…
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