Coronavirus Sars-CoV-2/Covid-19 Megathread

[Sheilbh]

Anti-vaxx/lockdown protestors outside the court while Sarah Everard's murderer was being sentenced, which seems very inappropriate.

Also - we don't have any lockdown measures, we don't have any vaccine mandates. At this point they are just protesting the existence of a voluntary medical procedure

[DGuller]

For the US people, what are the thoughts on getting the booster shots?  I'm approaching the six-month mark since my second vaccination, so I'm starting to think about it.  I'm leaning towards getting it.

[Barrister]

For the US people, what are the thoughts on getting the booster shots?  I'm approaching the six-month mark since my second vaccination, so I'm starting to think about it.  I'm leaning towards getting it.

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration amended the emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine to allow for use of a single booster dose, to be administered at least six months after completion of the primary series in:

individuals 65 years of age and older;
individuals 18 through 64 years of age at high risk of severe COVID-19; and
individuals 18 through 64 years of age whose frequent institutional or occupational exposure to SARS-CoV-2 puts them at high risk of serious complications of COVID-19 including severe COVID-19.
Today's authorization applies only to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine.

https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-authorizes-booster-dose-pfizer-biontech-covid-19-vaccine-certain-populations

Do you meet any of those categories (and did you get Pfizer to start with)?  If so I'd say yes.

If you don't I would recommend not lying to try and get a booster anyways.

I was eligible to get my first dose slightly earlier because of a medical condition so I looked into whether I qualified under Alberta's rules for a booster, but I do not.

[Berkut]

I am scheduled for the booster next week.

[Barrister]

I am scheduled for the booster next week.

Do you care to share how you qualify?

[Sheilbh]

I got mine because I got told to by the doctors.

[Duque de Bragança]

In France you need to be 80 years old to be eligible for the booster shot. That, or have some comorbidities.

PS: not sure about Portugal, 85 years old minimum? Plus comorbidities I guess. Clandestino?

[DGuller]

Do you meet any of those categories (and did you get Pfizer to start with)?  If so I'd say yes.

Marginally so, but yes, and yes.  I'm in a category where it's "talk with your doctor to figure out what's right for you", but it's not like I have regularly scheduled 1-1 meetings with my doctor to chat about life.

[Barrister]

Interesting how access to a third shot seems to vary so widely across different jurisdictions, despite vaccines now being plentiful (in the West).

Alberta's criteria for a third shot:

Third doses are only currently recommended for eligible groups with the highest risk of severe outcomes: some immunocompromised people and residents of seniors supportive living.

Alberta is not offering additional doses to the general seniors population at this time. Two doses still provides excellent protection for most people. As new data emerges, additional doses may be recommended for other groups in the future.

Immunocompromised Albertans 12 and older

Eligible immunocompromising conditions include:
recipients of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T-cell therapy
moderate to severe primary immunodeficiency (for example, DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome)
Stage 3 or advanced HIV infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome
immunosuppressive therapies (for example, anti-B cell therapies, high-dose systemic corticosteroids, alkylating agents, antimetabolites, or tumor-necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors and other biologic agents)
transplant recipients, including solid organ and hematopoietic stem cell transplants
chronic kidney disease receiving regular dialysis
receiving active cancer treatment (chemotherapy, immunotherapy or targeted therapies), excluding those receiving only hormonal therapy, radiation therapy or surgery
taking certain medications for autoimmune diseases including rituximab, ocrelizumab and ofatumumab
When to book: Must wait at least 8 weeks after second dose.
How to book: Call 811, book online with AHS or a participating pharmacy, or contact a physicians' office
Residents of seniors' supportive living

Alberta Health Services will coordinate additional COVID-19 doses for residents of seniors' supportive living with other immunization partners as needed at least 5 months after their second dose.
Eligible residents of supportive living facilities will receive their third doses at their facilities.

It's not just all seniors - but only seniors living in supportive living.  And it's not all immune-compromised people - only those with extremely compromised immune systems.

[Sheilbh]

Yeah - English criteria are:

People aged 50 years and over, health and social care workers and younger people at risk are being offered a booster dose of coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine. The NHS will contact you when it is your turn to have a booster.

So basically all the first round priority risk categories:

Priority    Risk group
1    Residents in a care home for older adults and staff working in care homes for older adults
2    All those 80 years of age and over and frontline health and social care workers
3    All those 75 years of age and over
4    All those 70 years of age and over and clinically extremely vulnerable individuals (not including pregnant women and those under 16 years of age)
5    All those 65 years of age and over
6    Adults aged 16 to 65 years in an at-risk group (see clinical conditions below) [footnote 1]
7    All those 60 years of age and over
8    All those 55 years of age and over
9    All those 50 years of age and over

[Berkut]

I am scheduled for the booster next week.

Do you care to share how you qualify?

Chronic upper respiratory disease making me at a higher risk for a severe case, plus a job that involves close contact with lots of people (officiating).

But the New York list is pretty vague, and they have specifically stated that they won't be asking for any kind of proof or evidence.

[Sheilbh]

Clinical trials find it's safe to give AZ vaccines and flu shot at the same time, which strikes me as very positive news in the run up to winter.

[Sheilbh]

This seems like very good news:

The New York Times
@nytimes
The drug maker Merck will seek authorization for the first antiviral pill for Covid. The drug, molnupiravir, cut the risk of hospitalization or death in half when given to high-risk people early in their infections, a clinical trial found.

[Jacob]

It'll be exciting to see whether the antivax crowd will be okay with this or whether they'll reject it too.

Though, I guess, if the medicine is part of the treatment once you're hospitalized it may be that they'll try to have the cake and eat it too.

[Razgovory]

It'll be exciting to see whether the antivax crowd will be okay with this or whether they'll reject it too.

Though, I guess, if the medicine is part of the treatment once you're hospitalized it may be that they'll try to have the cake and eat it too.

In this country at least, I hope that political leaders make an effort to distance this stuff with vaccines in an attempt to convince not to keep killing themselves.