Covid 19 variants

[Hards Alumni]

Didn't have time to post it yesterday, but the Public Transportation mandate got extended another two weeks.

[JWags85]

Didn't have time to post it yesterday, but the Public Transportation mandate got extended another two weeks.

Completely unsurprising but thankful it only 2 weeks as opposed to a month.  Thats a start

[pbiflyer]

US infection rate trending back up. Up 10% over last week.
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/weekly-trends/#weekly_table

[The Sultan]

But we knew its going to trend up.  And back down again.  The question is is this sub-variant going to make people sick enough to be hospitalized.

[Hards Alumni]

Completely unsurprising but thankful it only 2 weeks as opposed to a month.  Thats a start

I had an employee come in today and say, "I think they're just trying to get past Easter".  To which I replied, that excuse can be made once a month... Memorial day, 4th of July... etc.

Hope it ends soon.  Once it gets warm outside (somehow not a problem here in Wisconsin currently), masks on public transportation are even more uncomfortable.  I'm still also of the opinion that if we're fine with no masks inside restaurants and bars, then we shouldn't have to wear them inside vehicles that can have open windows.

But whatever, hopefully only two more weeks.

[4everwarriors]

Pointless nonsense, hey?

[tower912]

Kind of you to finally admit it about your posts.

[4everwarriors]

Is Lent over already, hey?

[Johnny B]

im just getting over covid. Wasnt awful. Weird headaches

[MUfan12]

im just getting over covid. Wasnt awful. Weird headaches

Had it a couple weeks ago. Painful cough, zapped me of my energy for three days.

Definitely not the sickest I've been, but the most draining. Slept a ton.

[Warriors4ever]

Friend just had it last week and those were her symptoms as well, though her fatigue has lasted longer than three days.

[Skatastrophy]

My wife just tested negative finally after a 1+ week long illness. Congestion, cough waking her up at night, shortness of breath, loss of sense of smell and taste, fatigue. The "pretty sick" part lasted 4 days, the cough and congestion is lingering still. She went for a run yesterday and it was slow but she's feeling a ton better.

I never tested positive. What a weird illness.

[BM1090]

I had it a few weeks ago. To my knowledge it was the first time that I've had it. First three days were draining. Felt like a bad cold but had zero energy. Days 3-4 felt like a head cold. Back to normal on day 5.

The worst part was the first day I started having symptoms I went for a five mile run and a few hours afterwards my heart rate spiked to 140 resting and stayed there for a few hours. I assume it was my body recognizing the virus from the vaccination and my immune system kicking into overdrive, but that was a brutal few hours.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

National Geographic

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/why-omicron-subvariants-bq1-bq11-are-poised-to-take-over-in-the-us



Why Omicron subvariants BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 are poised to take over in the U.S.
They now account for a tenth of the nation's COVID-19 cases. Here's why these strains are so good at evading immunity—and how the vaccines will protect against them.

BYAMY MCKEEVER
PUBLISHED OCTOBER 18, 2022
• 5 MIN READ

As the United States braces for another wave of COVID-19, a surge in new Omicron subvariants has raised concern among scientists. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released data last week showing that BQ.1 and its sibling BQ.1.1 now account for more than 10 percent of the country's cases, while BF.7 accounts for another 5 percent.

"Within a few weeks, things could look upside down," says John Swartzberg, an infectious disease and vaccinology expert at the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health. If the subvariants continue to spread at the same quick rate, either one or all three of them could overtake BA.5 as the nation's most prevalent SARS-CoV-2 strain. (Globally, the horse race also includes worrisome contenders such as the Omicron subvariant XBB.)

What exactly are these variants and how are they different from those we've seen before? Here's a rundown of what you need to know.

What are BQ.1, BQ.1.1, and BF.7?
The three Omicron subvariants that are currently surging in the U.S. are descendants of BA.5, which still accounts for about two-thirds of all cases in the nation. As National Geographic has previously reported, all Omicron sublineages are variants of concern because they share similar characteristics: They spread more easily than earlier variants and can dodge previous immunity. (What comes after Omicron? These new variants are emerging.)

Stuart Ray, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins University, says that BQ.1, BQ.1.1, and BF.7 are particularly troubling because of some traits they have in common. These subvariants have each developed mutations in the same critical areas of the coronavirus's protein spike receptor, changes that allow the virus to slip past the immune system's antibodies.

Ray says this is an example of what's called convergent evolution, which is when different organisms adapt in the same ways. "These changes in that region of spikes are happening in multiple separate lineages, suggesting that they really provide a big advantage," he says. "Even though they're evolving independently, they're arriving at the same answers to the same questions."


Are the new subvariants more severe?
Although it's likely that these subvariants will be better at evading immunity, there's little evidence to indicate they cause more severe disease than previous variants.

Scientists are concerned that these variants might also be able to evade the drugs that are used to treat people who are immunocompromised or otherwise susceptible to severe forms of COVID-19. White House chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci told CBS News that BQ.1.1. "seems to elude important monoclonal antibodies" used in treatments like Evusheld, which is designed to target the same position of the spike protein receptor that has mutated in the new subvariants. More data is needed to say for certain, however.

Ray points out that it's hard to compare the severity of the subvariants emerging now to earlier strains because the levels of immunity are now different within the population. It's entirely possible, for example, that these subvariants would have wreaked far greater damage if they had emerged before the COVID-19 vaccines were rolled out.

"If people don't keep their immunity up through vaccination, then we may see increasing levels of severity," he says. Even with mild illness, he adds, there's also reason to be concerned about repeat infections, which are associated with cardiovascular, brain, and post-COVID complications. "Vaccination is the way to maintain that immunity, and our best bet right now is the bivalent vaccine." (Here's how multiple COVID-19 infections can harm the body.)

Do vaccines protect against the subvariants?
There's no human data yet to confirm how well the bivalent vaccine—a new formulation of the original shots that specifically targets Omicron BA.4 and BA.5—will work against the subvariants. So why are experts so optimistic? White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Ashish Jha explained in a media briefing last week that all three subvariants descend from BA.5 variant. (Six questions about the Omicron-targeting boosters, answered.)


"That means our updated bivalent vaccines should provide a much higher degree of protection than the original prototype vaccine would have," he said. "Obviously, we're going to do the studies to figure out how much protection, but I'm confident that our vaccines will continue to work very well, certainly protecting against serious illness."

Philip Chan, an associate professor of medicine at Brown University, agrees that the new bivalent booster will be particularly helpful. But he adds that most experts still believe the original vaccines will continue to provide protection against severe disease and hospitalization—just as they have against variants that emerged throughout the pandemic.

What happens next?
Most experts say these new subvariants are yet another reminder of the importance of tools like vaccination and masking—and, in fact, those will be more important than ever if it turns out that monoclonal antibodies are not effective against the latest versions of the coronavirus.

"What these new mutations are telling us is that this virus is not done with us yet," Swartzberg says. Although nobody can predict what this virus is going to do, he thinks it's a safe bet that the U.S. will see a new surge in cases in the next six to eight weeks.

"I certainly do think that this quiet time we're in right now is not going to last beyond Thanksgiving," he says. "We should be doing everything we can to keep ourselves, and our families, and our community safe."

[tower912]

What about ivermectin?


The virus is nowhere near done with us.   Many are done with the virus.

[Skatastrophy]

I've read that while these variants can dodge antibodies, they are still vulnerable to the attacks mounted in response to T cell's memories. So thankfully the vaccination should continue to hold up.

[pbiflyer]

What about ivermectin?


The virus is nowhere near done with us.   Many are done with the virus.

I'm on day 8 of testing positive and feeling like crap. Cough and congestion and sick and tired of quarantine.

[tower912]

You have my deepest sympathy and empathy.

Hoe many times have you had it and do you know which variant this is?

[pbiflyer]

This is my first. And I am fully vaxxed and boosted. No idea the variant. Only quick tests done.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

I'm on day 8 of testing positive and feeling like crap. Cough and congestion and sick and tired of quarantine.

In mid-June my wife got Covid and she is vaxed and boosted.  She came home from the last day of teaching for the school year with a fever.  She was knocked out for 4 weeks and took almost all summer to get back to full strength.
I left for Europe for work the next day and came down with it and only had a bad sore throat for 3 days and no other symptons.  Thankfully it did not affect my trip.  I'm vaxed and boosted too.

It affects everyone differently. 

[pbiflyer]

My Covid health just took a severe turn for the worse. No, my status hadn't changed, but Mrs. pbiflyer tested positive today, shelving long held plans for tonight. I fear I may not survive the night. 

[Hards Alumni]

Tested positive for the first time on Thursday night.  Only took a test because the wife tested positive.

I had a bad day a week ago where I had problems regulating body temp, and had extreme pain in my ankles and feet.

Slept 18 hours and have been fine since.

I was scheduled to get my booster today, but that has been postponed... obviously.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

My Covid health just took a severe turn for the worse. No, my status hadn't changed, but Mrs. pbiflyer tested positive today, shelving long held plans for tonight. I fear I may not survive the night. 

Sorry to hear about the cancellation of your annual roll in the hay, hey?

[real chili 83]

In mid-June my wife got Covid and she is vaxed and boosted.  She came home from the last day of teaching for the school year with a fever.  She was knocked out for 4 weeks and took almost all summer to get back to full strength.
I left for Europe for work the next day and came down with it and only had a bad sore throat for 3 days and no other symptons.  Thankfully it did not affect my trip.  I'm vaxed and boosted too.

It affects everyone differently.

Agree with this. Had it for a second time in September.  Mild cold symptoms.

Got on Paxlovid....damn, that is good stuff. Several longer lasting benefits from Paxlovid beyond mitigating Covid for me.

[Billy Hoyle]

Agree with this. Had it for a second time in September.  Mild cold symptoms.

Got on Paxlovid....damn, that is good stuff. Several longer lasting benefits from Paxlovid beyond mitigating Covid for me.

Got it in July (an inevitability when one goes to Vegas). Three days with a scratchy throat and phlegm, a day of muscle fatigue in my legs (walked a lot of Vegas), and a fever of 100 for a day. I tested positive a week later but wasn't having symptoms. The most frustrating part was when I started lifting again, having to drop down in weight for about 10 days before getting back to my previous workout weight and Peloton ride outputs were lower for about two weeks.

My wife didn't have a fever but had nasal congestion. Neither of us took anything for it. It certainly helps that both of us are physically fit, not obese, and had our initial shots, putting us in the lowest risk category.