A new COVID vaccine is due next month, but health experts and analysts say it is likely to be coolly received even as hospitalizations from "Eris", a variant of the Omicron form of the coronavirus, rise around the country.
It’s pretty depressing how we went from eagerly hoping and praying for a vaccine to come to now having to somehow convince people to take it when there’s a surge in cases.
Honestly, I don't particularly care unless it's causing healthcare collapse - at which point people are more likely to vaccinate anyhow.
I personally vaccinate because apparently I love catching Covid. If the vaccine gives me mild symptoms over a short period, sign me up every winter.
This thing has gone from contagious, to super contagious, to super mega ultra contagious, to who knows what next.
People get sick all the time and we're never going to "beat" Covid unless a perfect, permanent vaccine comes out and everyone else dies.
This is an unrealistic and unachievable endgame, so who cares if people want to live without Covid vaccines (again, unless it's causing healthcare collapse).
This is an unrealistic and unachievable endgame, so who cares if people want to live without Covid vaccines (again, unless it’s causing healthcare collapse).
Hrm, I would say one benefit not to be underestimated is that vaccination ought to be entirely normalized. The more and the more readily it is done, the more it normalizes the process.
Just checked the German recommendations and, yep, I'm still at what the STIKO recommends with three shots (2x comirnaty, 1x spikevax). They're only recommending additional shots for at-risk groups, same as flu shots. And apparently my state leads the statistic with 70% at that level or higher, about 80% with two shots, that all doesn't count immunisation due to catching it. And we were wearing masks because wat mutt dat mutt.
In any case the pandemic has been over for quite some time what are you folks talking about?
I agree. The uptake on the boosters wasn’t where it needed to be either and without mass immunization it’ll never be as impactful as it should be society wide.
The depressing thing for me is that in my country access to COVID vaccines is now limited - you can only get a booster if you're part of the "clinically vulnerable" group. And whilst I kinda get it that the logic is the same as the flu vaccine that it's about reducing hospitalisations, at least with flu we have the option to get the vaccine privately... Which we don't with COVID.
We should be investing in researching longer lasting vaccines. The current mRNA vaccines only give their full protection for about 4 months. Moderna and Pfizer are making insane money by peddling boosters. Here's a great piece from OPB about the topic.
NEW YORK, Aug 14 (Reuters) - A new COVID vaccine is due out next month, but health experts and analysts say it is likely to be coolly received even as hospitalizations from "Eris", a variant of the Omicron form of the coronavirus, rise around the country.
Healthcare providers and pharmacies such as CVS Health (CVS.N) will start next month to offer the shot, updated to fight the Omicron version of the virus that has been dominant since last year.
They will be fighting declining concern about the virus, as well as fatigue and skepticism about the merits of this vaccine, Kaiser Family Foundation Director of Survey Methodology Ashley Kirzinger said.
As with the flu, Pfizer (PFE.N)/BioNTech SE (22UAy.DE), Moderna (MRNA.O) and Novavax (NVAX.O), have created versions of the COVID vaccine to try to match the variant they believe will be circulating this fall.
Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious diseases specialist at Vanderbilt University and a liaison to the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization practices, said it is possible that the ACIP could make a weaker recommendation for younger, healthier people.
Dr. David Boulware, an infectious diseases specialist at the University of Minnesota, said that according to research he has published, people who are boosted have less severe symptoms for a shorter duration.
I feel like maybe the world shouldn't have collectively just stopped caring about COVID and pretending it didn't exist as long COVID and the immunocompromised suffered, huh?
How does one get the new version of the vaccine without insurance? I'm currently unemployed and it's been more than a year since my last shot. I want to get the vaccine but I can't pay thousands...
I'm probably exaggerating but without insurance, I have to call up each place and each place has a different price. Thats at least hoe it worked with the tests recently. Some were over 100 just for the tests...f'ed up honestly.
Why? Why do care? What does anyone care if they want to get vaccinated or not? Don’t get it if you don’t want to. Don’t wear a mask if you don’t want to either.
I just cannot understand this holier than thou attitude about vaccines and masks in 2023.
well I would agree to you if those people would just have to deal with the consequences for themselves.
But since these people are actively spreading such a disease with their ignorance, we actually have to care if they wear a mask or are less virulent due to a vaccine shot...
The whole reason Covid is such a big thing is due to the forced medical tyranny. Under the guise of this plague. We see all our freedoms being eroded away. Forced to get jabbed to work. Forced to get jabbed to go to school. Forced to mark to travel. This is the reason why this is so polarizing. If only they didn’t force this stuff. We would never have to worry about or fight anything. The sheep can sit in a bubble for all we care. As long as they are not forcing the others to get on their loopy train too. But the reality is they are and it’s their way or no way. Which is why we have to fight and go the other way.
Did you also not care two years ago? I know it’s the current year and all, but it’s rather convenient if you only developed this attitude after the time it mattered to have it.
Imagine saying this in 2021. You’d be called an anti-vaxxer for sure, if not also a racist and a grandma killer. It’s worth thinking about what has actually changed since then.
And I don’t care what other people decide to do for their own health, for the record. I think everyone is free to do as they wish, and I always have. I just wish the same courtesy was extended to me and mine when this was an unpopular opinion to have, but of course that’s too much to expect from people who believe they know what’s best for everyone else.
That said, if you actually take another booster, you deserve to be made fun of. I would never advocate that these people should be fired, or run out of society, or put in a camp, or summarily executed, but pardon me for thinking some light ridicule is warranted.
Religious idiots used to claim that vaccines were an evil product of science. Now, apparently, other idiots think the vaccine is an evil product of religion.
Idk after 3 vaccines I'll hold off until there's an actual spike in cases instead of just a mild rise in cases. I got covid after my first 2 and it did suck a lot (worse than vaccines but better than it would've been without vaccines), but my 3rd vaccine hit me hard for like 2 days I felt like shit and honestly I just don't feel like I need to do that as of now, I feel like my memory B cells probably have stuck around considering how frequently I was exposed to the virus/proteins.
Personal choice, anyone who wants to get vaccinated I completely encourage it, I would just rather not get another one at this time, I don't get a flu shot every year for pretty much the same reason and considering the r⁰ value of covid I doubt any amount of vaccination efforts/campaigns will ever eradicate it, especially with all the anti vaxx nutjobs out there.
I had some funky heart rate issues after the second vaccine. I couldn't exercise for a few months because it would go bonkers with palpitations and arrhythmia. Tests came back negative for myocarditis but I never had such issues before.
Now I hear that studies exist claiming almost 1 in 35 vaccinated have some kind of heart injury, and though I take it with a grain of salt until there is more data, I might be sitting this one out. I recently got COVID-19 and while it sucked for a couple days, I came through it just fine.
"Heart injury" being enough inflammation to mildly elevate inflammatory markers on day three after vaccination, which went back to normal quickly in all participants studied. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37470105/
I get that anecdotes are not evidence. But each person has their own physical makeup and experience and I'm only sharing mine. It did not go back to normal for me quickly, it took months.
I'm happy that it worked great for others. I am an advocate for vaccines and my children have all their vaccinations. But I will not be getting this vaccine for myself.