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You are here: Home / Healthcare / COVID-19 / COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: September 13, 2023

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: September 13, 2023

by Anne Laurie|  September 13, 20237:32 am| 59 Comments

This post is in: COVID-19, Foreign Affairs

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Gonna hang a KN95 mask on my front door to ward off Republicans.

— Rex Huppke (@RexHuppke) September 8, 2023

Clinicians: CDC recommends that everyone ages 6 months and up get the updated #COVID19 #vaccine to protect against serious illness. It will be available later this week. The new vaccine targets the most common circulating variants.

Full details: https://t.co/jqvxmjrlxI pic.twitter.com/I7eohAAWJ4

— CDC (@CDCgov) September 12, 2023

Just about everyone should get the new #Covid #boosters, @CDCgov says https://t.co/zTS9oIzAzR "Most Americans can still get a COVID-19 vaccine for free. For people with health insurance, most plans will cover COVID-19 vaccine at no cost to you."

— Maggie Fox (@maggiemfox) September 12, 2023

Also a quick note from today's ACIP slides that the application under review at FDA would allow Novavax boosters even after mRNA priming/prior boosters.
FDA approval is now the last step before Novavax becomes broadly accessible.https://t.co/0J0gaYYNBs pic.twitter.com/8wlYVYhr9P

— Daniel Park (@Daniel_E_Park) September 12, 2023

COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: September 13, 2023 14

Among people who are still paying attention to Covid-19, there’s been a recent surge — not just in viral activity but in the concern once again being paid to Covid…

“I see so many people say: ‘Remember, Covid’s not over,’” Jennifer Nuzzo, an epidemiologist and director of Brown University’s Pandemic Center, told STAT.

“Covid’s never going to be over. You need to set expectations accordingly. It is never going to be over.”

Covid is now like influenza, RSV, rhinoviruses, and a large number of other pathogens that will at some point or points in a year increase in transmission activity and then decline, ceding the stage to something else that can make people cough, sneeze, run a fever, feel lousy, and sometimes require medical care and can on occasion lead to death. To be sure, Covid currently is the worst member of that gang, still killing more people a year than influenza, which previously wore the worst actor badge.

But when we’re looking at Covid, it’s important to remember that we are in a markedly different phase in our experience with SARS-2 than we were even a year ago, experts insist. Yes, the number of new hospital admissions is rising, and the number of deaths may follow. But they are far below the figures of previous years. In the last week of August 2021, there were nearly 86,000 new hospital admissions. Last year at the same time, the number was 37,000. This year it was 17,400…

Epidemiologist Bill Hanage noted that already this year, there have been roughly 100,000 Covid deaths in the United States — and there are 3.5 months left in the year. If half that number of people were to die during a flu season, it would be deemed a disastrous flu year.

“And yet, by comparison with what’s happened in the past, [Covid] is so much better,” said Hanage, who is associate director of the Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics at Harvard’s T. H. Chan School of Public Health. “And I think we need to hold in our heads the fact that those things are both true.’’…

Coming to grips with what life is going to be like with Covid as a part of the respiratory diseases mix could help us make better, more sustainable decisions about what we are and are not willing to do to try to mitigate its damage, the experts said. And toning down reactions to blips or upticks in cases could help avoid further Covid burnout that could prove counterproductive down the road, they suggested.

“My worry is if every time we see a new variant or an uptick in cases, making it overblown and freaking out about it, then nothing happens, then when the real thing comes and it is time to really bring back that pandemic playbook … people will not hear the warning bells,” Lessler said.

Hanage agreed. “It may be the case that at some point we might want to dust off that [pandemic control] advice. But saying it at the moment is just going to devalue that currency,” he said.

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This week, more than 250,000 new COVID cases were reported in the U.S., the highest since February

— BNO News (@BNOFeed) September 11, 2023

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Forecast out to mid October:

Prediction is difficult at the moment with a lot of factors at play, so this is a range for now. Peaks are always hard to predict.

Lower model run peaks this week. FLip is growing, but not fast enough to peak later than late Sept. pic.twitter.com/6idiApRyyP

— JWeiland (@JPWeiland) September 11, 2023

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UK heads towards winter wave levels of Covid in September.

🚨 According to the ZOE Covid tracker, there are now over 100,000 symptomatic cases being recorded every day in the UK.

H/t @gwladwr pic.twitter.com/gbWEmRWnZ4

— CoronaHeadsUp (@CoronaHeadsUp) September 8, 2023

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In case anyone is interested in recent work on immunity resulting from breakthrough infections in vaccinated people – so called 'hybrid' immunity – here's a recent paper pic.twitter.com/O5m5XS53Tk

— Bill Hanage (@BillHanage) September 12, 2023

#Covid can trigger antibodies linked w/ auto-immune disorders, causing blood clots & other complications, new research shows. Natural production of auto-antibodies—those aimed against your own tissues—increases w/ age. SARSCoV2 exacerbates that production https://t.co/X62l2wpGnN

— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) September 12, 2023

Here's an update on the reported samples of the new BA.2.86.* "Pirola" variant, vs the overall sample counts.

Denmark and now the UK have reported the most samples so far, with the highest frequency reported from South Africa. pic.twitter.com/ZX6wHjy0oZ

— Mike Honey (@Mike_Honey_) September 11, 2023

#SARSCoV2 can infect sensory neurons, explaining why some people lost the senses of taste & smell. "There's clearly a clinical effect of SARSCoV2 infection on sensory neurons, such as on smell and taste," said Dr. Rudolf Jaenisch whose lab led the study https://t.co/6SLITPdX8g

— delthia ricks ?? (@DelthiaRicks) September 7, 2023

Giving a booster dose of mRNA #Covid vaccine prompts a strong T cell response in immunocompromised people, according to Swedish research. That means people w/ an impaired immune system can achieve a relatively robust response against #SARSCoV2 if exposed https://t.co/Rw0weE3EjF pic.twitter.com/aKj60kwPv2

— delthia ricks ?? (@DelthiaRicks) September 8, 2023

It’s encouraging to see more coverage about COVID’s long-term effects on the heart being featured prominently. Not enough people know about this due to disinformation & gaslighting. We need to spread the word so everyone can take steps to protect themselves & their communities. https://t.co/CW9ckW7n7F

— Dr. Lucky Tran (@luckytran) September 12, 2023

“The majority of these occurred in people 65 and older . But heart-related deaths also increased dramatically in younger adults. In fact, a study found that the sharpest rise in deaths from heart attack during that period occurred in 25- to 44-year-olds.”

— David Wallace-Wells (@dwallacewells) September 7, 2023

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Florida: 43 of 67 counties reported 'moderate' levels of new weekly hospital admissions for COVID-19

'Moderate' levels are between 10 and 19.9 new hospital admissions per 100,000.https://t.co/V3dpKi5Tab

— CoronaHeadsUp (@CoronaHeadsUp) September 12, 2023

Next up: banning non-lead paint https://t.co/JO9Lvc67aM

— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) September 10, 2023

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JD Vance makes his case against mask mandates by claiming that kids "need us not to be chicken little about every single respiratory pandemic." pic.twitter.com/CJRT6H1Oqy

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 7, 2023

In one action-packed speech/tweets, Rand Paul manages to name-check four shitty, anti-vaccine cranks. pic.twitter.com/68hIpSdL9E

— Clean Observer (@Hammbear2024) September 12, 2023

Literally no body benefits from like vaccine development being crippled to pander to Facebook influencers. There’s basically no constituency that gains, just morons who think they do.

— William B. Fuckley (@opinonhaver) September 8, 2023

Just slightly more disturbing than the crying toddler were the hundreds of thousands of Americans who died alone in ICUs after saying goodbye to their family and friends over FaceTime. https://t.co/0zgAOo3TNQ

— Jonathan Reiner (@JReinerMD) September 12, 2023

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Reader Interactions

59Comments

  1. 1.

    Baud

    September 13, 2023 at 7:44 am

    I don’t care if they don’t want the booster.  I just hope voters keep them out of power next year so I can continue to get those sweet, sweet boosters.

  2. 2.

    Princess

    September 13, 2023 at 7:44 am

    What makes Huckabee so disgusting is that you know she’s vaccinated within an inch of her life as she persuades her more vulnerable supporters that vaccination is dangerous.

    Also: anecdotally I’m seeing a lot of my friends and acquaintances who have never had Covid before falling to it in the last several weeks. So if you’ve decided that you might possibly be immune, maybe that’s not true.

  3. 3.

    sab

    September 13, 2023 at 7:45 am

    My 2nd grade grand-daughter has a cold, and asked for a mask as she headed off to school. She wants to protect her classmates.

    One of my college roommates died in a nursing home during Covid. Her husband, children  and sisters weren’t allowed to visit.

  4. 4.

    eclare

    September 13, 2023 at 7:49 am

    @sab:

    That is so sad about your college roommate.

  5. 5.

    MattF

    September 13, 2023 at 7:52 am

    Is the triple-play (COVID, RSV, flu) fully approved?

  6. 6.

    Baud

    September 13, 2023 at 7:53 am

    @MattF:

    Oh man, that would be awesome. Think of the download speeds.

  7. 7.

    New Deal democrat

    September 13, 2023 at 7:56 am

    The latest update from Biobot (pending revisions, which are unfortunately becoming a bigger issue) indicates a leveling off of wastewater particles at nearly quadruple the number in early June. This is nevertheless a moderate level compared with the average in the last 24 months.

    This level would translate into 25,000 weekly hospital admissions and 2,000 weekly deaths by the end of this month, once reported. The CDC’s latest update shows admissions having increased to 19,000 one week ago and deaths having increased to 672 during the week of August 12.

    There were only 15,000 deaths from Covid in the 4 months beginning April 1, about 85% among the elderly. The CDC’s tracking site has some improvements, among other things indicating that at its nadir in June, COVID only accounted for 1% of all deaths, and has risen to 2% since. The peak was winter 2020-21, where it accounted for 30% of all deaths.

  8. 8.

    Scout211

    September 13, 2023 at 8:02 am

    Moderna announced the third phase results of their mRNA flu shot.

    CNNModerna said Wednesday that its experimental mRNA-based seasonal flu vaccine generated a stronger immune response against four strains of the flu virus than a currently marketed vaccine in a Phase 3 study, paving the way for the company to discuss a path to approval with regulators.

    The experimental shot, dubbed mRNA-1010, was compared with a currently approved seasonal flu vaccine from GSK called Fluarix. The results are from an interim analysis and were disclosed in a company news release Wednesday morning.

    Moderna is racing Pfizer to bring mRNA technology to seasonal flu vaccines in a bid to improve how well they can target circulating strains. The companies also have plans to combine Covid-19 mRNA shots with those for flu and RSV in the years ahead if studies show that they’re safe and effective.

  9. 9.

    Kay

    September 13, 2023 at 8:02 am

    “One of the most disturbing images of the Covid-19 pandemic was when a teacher .. forced a mask on a crying toddler ..

    Toddlers cry when you make them do anything they don’t want to do. This “disturbing imagine’ is played out millions of times all over the country, for all kinds of reasons.
    My grandaughter had her princess tiara taken away at daycare because she wasn’t “using her best manners” – reportedly, according to the crying toddler, Miss Karen “took it right out of my hands”.

    America weeps as big government crushes her spirit, not to mention her budding fashion sense.

  10. 10.

    eversor

    September 13, 2023 at 8:03 am

    @Princess:

    I think you have this backwards.   She’s not persuading her voters she’s following them.

    When COVID and the shot first hit the conservative fury over it didn’t start with the GOP or even Fox.  It started in the churches.  You could see this online easily enough.  Before the GOP or Fox said shit there were Christians railing that they weren’t going to take medical advice from people who believed men could marry men, there were more than two genders, that biblical gender roles did not exist, and were going to stop them from going to church.   This went on for a good bit and grew before Fox and the GOP realized their Christians were up in arms with it and jumped on the bandwagon.

    Goldwaters predication became true.  The GOP and all it’s media and lobbying groups are being lead around by it’s Christian base.

  11. 11.

    sab

    September 13, 2023 at 8:05 am

    @eclare: It was beyond sad. She had early Alzheimers. She was the kindest, friendliest, most people oriented person I have ever met. And she had the family she deserved, lovely people. I knew her since we were 14. The idea that she died without any of her family with her is so sad.

  12. 12.

    Baud

    September 13, 2023 at 8:06 am

    @Kay:

    Her name would be Karen.

  13. 13.

    Scout211

    September 13, 2023 at 8:06 am

    @MattF:Is the triple-play (COVID, RSV, flu) fully approved?

    Nope. See my comment at #8.  It’s still in development.

  14. 14.

    Anne Laurie

    September 13, 2023 at 8:10 am

    @MattF: Is the triple-play (COVID, RSV, flu) fully approved?

    Yes, but from what I’m reading, it’s a bit early for your flu shot — assuming this year’s wave peaks in December / January, as it usually does.

    Also, the RSV vaxx apparently really kicks; it’s been suggested people who have the resources schedule that separately from the other two, or at least schedule the trifecta so they can take a sick day or two afterwards.

    (Because the Walgreens where we’ve gotten previous boosters have been quite aggressive about the flu shot, I’m planning to do the covid / flu combo as soon as we can — in the next week or so, hopefully, which would be six months since we both got the ‘rona.

    We have about as little contact with young kids or people who deal with young kids as is possible, so I’m assuming we can put off the RSV shot for a few more weeks… )

  15. 15.

    NeenerNeener

    September 13, 2023 at 8:11 am

    NYS stopped reporting cases on 9/1/23 so I have no idea how dangerous it is right now to wander around Monroe County without a mask. I forgot to put a mask on when I went for fasting blood work last week. Friday night I started to develop a minor, intermittent sore throat, which isn’t going away. My COVID home test kits were showing negative results so I went for a PCR yesterday just to be sure, which also showed negative. So no COVID, but something else is wrong and I’ll have to call my PCP soon because this is annoying as all hell.

  16. 16.

    Kay

    September 13, 2023 at 8:12 am

    @Baud:

    It sounds like they all actually love Karen, which is why it stung so much I bet.

  17. 17.

    Baud

    September 13, 2023 at 8:13 am

    @Kay:

    “They loved Big Mother.”

    Orwellian.

  18. 18.

    Scout211

    September 13, 2023 at 8:13 am

    FYI:  the vaccines.gov site has updated their eligibility recommendations but there now is a banner announcement that the actual sites that administer the vaccines will be updated soon.

    This in response to a discussion from last night in one of the threads.  It’s still a bit too early to make appointments for the new, updated booster.

  19. 19.

    Kay

    September 13, 2023 at 8:14 am

    We’re going to Italy in early October so I’m a little worried about travel restrictions, but we’ll roll with it.

    My youngest is in Spain but I haven’t asked about covid and he hasn’t mentioned it.

  20. 20.

    Kay

    September 13, 2023 at 8:17 am

    @Baud:

    One of the rewards for good behavior is sitting alongside Karen at snack- two tiny people get the honor, daily.

    I can’t imagine being liked that much. No wonder she’s gotten a little authoritarian. Power mad.

  21. 21.

    Lapassionara

    September 13, 2023 at 8:18 am

    Many thanks, AL.

  22. 22.

    Baud

    September 13, 2023 at 8:19 am

    @Kay:

    Biden should do that.

  23. 23.

    Yarrow

    September 13, 2023 at 8:19 am

    Has anyone seen any good data on how long immunity lasts after a Covid infection? The CDC says if you’ve had Covid recently, you “may” consider waiting up to three months from date of first symptoms to get the vaccine. I know I’ve seen something elsewhere that suggests immunity may last six months but I can’t remember where. Would appreciate any input.

    I don’t want to get the vaccine if I’ve still got immunity from the infection. That seems like a waste of good immunity and since obviously the vaccine only lasts six months I want it to go as far into next year as possible.

  24. 24.

    eversor

    September 13, 2023 at 8:20 am

    @Anne Laurie:

    Fuck it!  Do what I did and all those and then shingles at the same time.  Then miss about a week of work while you reconsider your life decisions.

    The Walgreens and CVS here are really aggresive about this but I manage shots/meds online.  They will text your ass to come back in for more shots.

  25. 25.

    ant

    September 13, 2023 at 8:20 am

    Different rules for different classes of people.

    EVERYTHING Republicans do and say boils down to this, including vaccines.

    They were fine with the covid vaccine, right up until it became available to everybody equally, including homeless and foreign visitors. THAT was the point when things changed.

  26. 26.

    NorthLeft

    September 13, 2023 at 8:32 am

    As expected, the folks who went on and on about just wanting to have the freedom to do what they want, are quickly shifting to “mandating” what others are allowed to do.

    What’s that saying about how the law is used to protect but not bind some people, and how the law binds but does not protect the other people.

  27. 27.

    Soprano2

    September 13, 2023 at 8:42 am

    @New Deal democrat: The MO sewershed project has changed their Web site, and they have changed the lab concentration method. This change shows a higher concentration of Covid than the previous method; they show both on the graph. Even with the old method the graph went up. They also changed it to show you what area is covered by the graph you’re looking at, and now they have a “community watershed” that groups the sites being monitored in your area. It’s an improvement, which tells me they’re going to keep doing it for the foreseeable future. They could do this for flu, also.

  28. 28.

    Soprano2

    September 13, 2023 at 8:48 am

    @eversor: You’re a glutton for punishment. Both shingles shots kicked my ass. Definitely worth doing (I’ve known several people who got shingles, it’s 1,000x worse than the vaccine). If RSV is that bad then I’ll separate them, but hubby and I definitely need to get that RSV vaccine. I’ve been told that if he gets really sick with anything it could speed the progression of the dementia a lot, so I want to prevent that if at all possible.

  29. 29.

    sab

    September 13, 2023 at 8:49 am

    @Kay: Gotta laugh. You are so cold. That toddler was crying! (for the fifteenth time that day.)  I hate to see toddlers cry, but it’s hard to escape because they do cry a lot.

  30. 30.

    hrprogressive

    September 13, 2023 at 8:51 am

    The problem I have with well-respected folks like Nuzzo or Hanage above trying to get people to accept this as “normal” is that we still don’t have a clear idea of the medium to long term risks of catching the damn thing, even once.

    Okay, it will never be “over” in the way smallpox is “over”. That’s a shitty proposition, because to me, again, humanity basically gave up trying, way too quickly.

    But with the specters of Long COVID, cognitive disorders, and as Topol pointed out the risk to the heart – I still have done my damnedest to not catch it even one time, because I would prefer not to be a sub 40-year old heart attack or other cardiac failure death. See again, pro wrassler Bray Wyatt.

    Maybe I’m not panicked that I might choke to death on a ventilator the way I was in 2020. After 4 shots and pending #5, I do think that outcome is a lot less likely – maybe not “zero”, but not the crapshoot it was 3 years ago.

    But 2019 and prior, I never worried that a flu or cold or other illness I caught could irreparably damage me or kill me…yes, I am not naive, obviously those possibilities “always existed”, but with COVID19 – unless or until we get to things like stronger therapies, better understandings, and transmission blocking vaccines (better than we have now) – what I’m hearing is our “nEw NoRmAL” is having to contend with a virus where, no matter your level of vaccination, you are likely playing Russian Roulette with your health and/or your life.

    That is unacceptable, and should be to a lot more people.

    But my opinion is very clearly in the minority.

  31. 31.

    Soprano2

    September 13, 2023 at 8:52 am

    I listened to a “This American Life” podcast about the “Florida experiment”, which was about people who moved to Florida during Covid because they liked what DeSantis was doing there. One segment was about a “medical clinic” that some of the anti-vaxxers are opening to treat people like them who don’t want to get the vaccine. They’re planning to hire doctors who were fired from other places for refusing to take the vaccine, or for refusing to quit prescribing ivermectin for Covid. They’re doing this because their attempt to take over the local hospital board and force them to do these things failed. I say good, let them go to their quack clinic and get quack treatments; leaves more medical care for people who want actual medical care, and that way they leave the hospital alone. I feel sorry for the kids who will be subjected to this quack care, though.

    (Edited to fix mistakes)

  32. 32.

    sab

    September 13, 2023 at 8:59 am

    @hrprogressive: Agreed. I had a “cardiac event” in my late 50s that nearly killed me. Husband found me collapsed on the kitchen floor. Turns out I had a congenital heart defect that got much worse as I got older. A later cardiac ablation fixed it for now.

    The whole thing was an inconvenience to me but really freaked my husband out. And my heart hasn’t been as good since so I tire easily. Not productive at all any more. One day of hard work and I have to rest the next day. I certainly don’t want anything that causes a repeat, and Covid would.

  33. 33.

    Ohio Mom

    September 13, 2023 at 9:21 am

    @Anne Laurie: Oh crap, I am getting the RSV at noon and had high hopes for getting a lot done the last part of this week.

    Oh well. Adulthood has always been one thing after another that I don’t want to do.

  34. 34.

    Yarrow

    September 13, 2023 at 9:26 am

    @hrprogressive:  As far as I can tell, long term effects vary by person, just as how bad a case people get can vary. Even at the beginning of the pandemic, some older and less well people seemed to be okay if they got Covid, while some fit, healthy, younger people ended up in the hospital. I wish people took it more seriously too but they don’t. It’s frustrating.

  35. 35.

    Scout211

    September 13, 2023 at 9:33 am

    @Ohio Mom: I had strong reactions to the COVID originals and milder reactions after the boosters.  The Shingles shots wiped me out for a couple of days, both of them.

    The RSV only gave me a sore arm for about a week. Zero flu-like symptoms.   However, I did get the RSV several weeks ago to ensure it was at least 2 weeks from the COVID booster/flu shot I will schedule in the next week. I didn’t want to have three shots at the same time, suspecting that may be just too much for me.

  36. 36.

    MazeDancer

    September 13, 2023 at 9:34 am

    So happy to hear about immuno-compromised people building good immunity. Good to know getting sick for days is worth it.

    Signed up for the new booster! Yay! First available morning appointment was next Wednesday. Must be some demand.

    Good website for sign-ups from the gov, too: vaccines.gov

    Thanks as always, Anne Laurie.

  37. 37.

    eversor

    September 13, 2023 at 9:35 am

    @Soprano2:

    It’s the sailor in me.  In my first (three days?) of Navy bootcamp they lined us up and you went through a line of corpsmen/women who just shot the fuck full of who knows what.  At the end you had to drop your pants and get this ice cold frozen shot in your ass cheek that was known as “the golf ball” because it hurt like fuck and good luck sitting after.  Then of course you have to get more shots whenever you travel, and then your medical records get lost and you repeat the silly stunt.

    Thus my view on shots is “don’t tell me, give me them all, and I’ll call out for a few days, let’s this over with”.  Shit I had to get anrthax and yellow fever (those are FUN!).

    My brother caught shingles (cancer survivor and his immune system is nuked) and that was no good.  So I figured if it’s free jab me you assholes.

  38. 38.

    UncleEbeneezer

    September 13, 2023 at 9:38 am

    @Kay: Thank you!!  How sad is it that our media thinks “Toddler frightened of something” is some sort of profound and useful headline?  It just shows that assholes can weaponize anything under the guise of “for the children” and our media will eagerly go along with it.  See also: CRT, LGBTQ inclusion etc.  Our media (and a lot of our populace) really suck.

  39. 39.

    UncleEbeneezer

    September 13, 2023 at 9:42 am

    Counterpoint: I’ve had toddler and other young students get upset at me for telling them they can take their masks OFF!  I tell them we are outside and very spread out (on a tennis court) but they want to keep masks on.  Whatevs…not a big deal.  Certainly not worthy of a news headline.  If anything it pleases me to know that their families took Covid and public health, seriously.  They can move on when they’re ready.

  40. 40.

    Yarrow

    September 13, 2023 at 9:45 am

    @eversor:

    Do what I did and all those and then shingles at the same time.

    I thought it was specifically recommended NOT to do that with the shingles vaccine. They recommend a month between that one and any other vaccine. Maybe I’m misremembering.

  41. 41.

    eversor

    September 13, 2023 at 9:59 am

    @Yarrow:

    It’s not but there’s a magical trick.  See we have a Walgreens and a CVS within under a block from each other.  So as jabs are generally free you can walk from one to the other.  That’s not even counting the odd public ones around here.

  42. 42.

    Scout211

    September 13, 2023 at 10:05 am

    @Yarrow: I thought it was specifically recommended NOT to do that with the shingles vaccine. They recommend a month between that one and any other vaccine. Maybe I’m misremembering.

    The CDC says it’s okay.

    Q: Can I give Shingrix with other adult vaccines?
    A: Yes, Shingrix is an inactive vaccine so you can administer it with other inactive or live vaccines. If you administer Shingrix and another vaccine to someone on the same day, give them at different sites (e.g., different arms)

    ETA:  it’s not clear how many they are talking about, though. My guess is that more than one extra would not be recommended.  Not sure.

  43. 43.

    Glidwrith

    September 13, 2023 at 10:22 am

    @Yarrow: The immunity conferred by infection is not the same and doesn’t last as long compared to a vaccine. Get the shot.

  44. 44.

    Another Scott

    September 13, 2023 at 10:26 am

    When I’m benevolent despot, rapid test kits will have QR codes that people can use to report positive results.  The days of public health services only accepting positive results from PCR tests will be gone!!

    It’s crazy that public health services have almost no idea how much virus is now circulating in the community, after all we’ve been through.

    I’d make wastewater virus monitoring quasi-mandatory, also too.  (Yeah, too many places are on septic systems, but more high-quality data is better.)

    Thanks, AL.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  45. 45.

    eversor

    September 13, 2023 at 10:28 am

    @Another Scott:

    We do monitor waste water.  Check how much coke and opiates are in them!

  46. 46.

    Another Scott

    September 13, 2023 at 10:31 am

    @eversor: Not everywhere.  Every wastewater treatment plant should be on it.

    https://biobot.io/data/

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  47. 47.

    lowtechcyclist

    September 13, 2023 at 10:45 am

    @eversor:

    I think you have this backwards.   She’s not persuading her voters she’s following them.

    Maybe, but she’s also confirming and strengthening their beliefs.  And probably persuading some people who wouldn’t believe their cousin Ernie, but would believe it if an authority figure backs him up.  So it’s not like what she’s doing is meaningless.

    When COVID and the shot first hit the conservative fury over it didn’t start with the GOP or even Fox.  It started in the churches.

    It’s like we’ve got our own Dennis the Peasant, only fixated on religion rather than class. ;-)

  48. 48.

    eversor

    September 13, 2023 at 11:59 am

    @lowtechcyclist:

    The catch is it is all religion, to specific it’s always Christianity, all the damn time.   Take Orban or Putin.  Back when gay marriage passed Christians went into full fucking revolt.  And if you monitor that evil hate ideology you saw it.  They started praising Putin.  We laughed it off.  Then they dragged their party over the line to full Putin support.  When Orban hit it was Dreher and other Christian thinkers who were first onboard and screaming his praises.  They dragged FOX over the line (Dreher personally got Tucker there) and then the GOP follows.

    So it’s Christians, all the fucking way on all of these issues.  Shit how did Bush get elected twice and Trump elected?  Give you a hint, follow the Bibles!

    The only thing that gives me hope about the future is how fast the younger generations are not only leaving religion but turning actively hostile to Christianity.  Not just slightly hostile.  But won’t date, wouldn’t hire, won’t socialize with, do not tolerate, worse than the KKK level hostile to it.  This is coming!  And then we will have change.  Till then.  Nothing else matters!

  49. 49.

    moonbat

    September 13, 2023 at 12:01 pm

    Thanks for the update again, AL.

    I scheduled my flu/covid booster for next Thursday.

  50. 50.

    Eolirin

    September 13, 2023 at 12:23 pm

    @eversor: You keep eliding white conservative evangelicals with all other Christians. Catholics are not particularly pro-Putin, and neither are black protestants. Lutherans definitely aren’t.

    And the worst anti vaxxers right now are certain kinds of orthodox jews; the anti vaxxers went hard after that group well before the pandemic and it caused a ton of damage. We lost the house in part because of this.

    Reform jews, on the other hand, are extremely liberal and pro vax.

    None of these groups are monoliths.

  51. 51.

    Burnspbesq

    September 13, 2023 at 12:28 pm

    @MattF:

    You can get all three in a single appointment. CVS is on the case, and I assume others are too.

  52. 52.

    Hob

    September 13, 2023 at 12:53 pm

    @Eolirin: ​
      Everyone who hasn’t already pied eversor for this stuff has tried making logical arguments like yours; he doesn’t care.

  53. 53.

    Hob

    September 13, 2023 at 12:55 pm

    I’m a little tired so it took me two or three tries to understand the first sentence of the second quote— my brain kept stopping at “CDC recommends that everyone ages 6 months“, and replying “Dude, I’m already working on that… what’s the rush, it’ll probably only take me 3-4 months to get there anyway.”

  54. 54.

    laura

    September 13, 2023 at 1:09 pm

    Covid is all over the Sacrame to are- hospitalizations up 48% over prior week, my elderly neighbor had it a d took 2 weeks to test negative, my friend who I went to see Beyonce got it (we agree it was likely in the Amtrak club car- the only thing we did differently), it took over a week to test negative and with paxlovid, spouse and I went to an an anniversary party Friday night and left early, but not before greeting a friend and asking about his partner- she’s home with Covid and yet, he showed up like an idiot. We’re back in masks at the store and other places. So far, we’ve continued to test negative.

  55. 55.

    Mel

    September 13, 2023 at 2:34 pm

    @sab: I’m so sorry.

  56. 56.

    Mel

    September 13, 2023 at 2:42 pm

    @sab: It’s heartbreaking.

    I’ve lost a great aunt, two friends, and nearly lost my brother to Covid.

    I don’t think that people grasp the magnitude of the loss, nor the impact that Covid related family destruction, PTSD, and grief will have on this generation and the next. Not to mention the effects of Long Covid.

  57. 57.

    Scout211

    September 13, 2023 at 2:51 pm

    FYI, CVS has their appointments for the new booster up and are making appointments starting this Saturday.

  58. 58.

    RaflW

    September 13, 2023 at 6:54 pm

    @Yarrow: Last fall the recommendation was to wait at least two months after infection (or, possibly, after symptom end?) before getting a Covid booster. I think I waited 9 weeks because of some pending travel, but kind of wished I’d waited the full 3 months.

    Either way, I didn’t get re-infected when my partner got the ‘rona about a month after my last jab. Now hoping to get a boost before we leave for New Zealand in 3.5 weeks.

  59. 59.

    Yarrow

    September 13, 2023 at 10:17 pm

    @Glidwrith:  Can you please provide a link or source for this claim. Thanks. It’s my experience that the vaccine only lasts about six months and I’m trying to maximize my immunity by not getting it prior to my immunity from Covid wears off.

    I wish I could get a Covid vaccine every six months but they won’t let me. I tried to get one last spring and was told I didn’t qualify. It’s not that I don’t want to get the vaccine. I will get it. I just don’t want to get it before my immunity from infection wears off.

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