The Coronavirus Prep/Sweat Thread Part Omicron: Winter is coming AGAIN.

the senate covid hearings the other day were pretty scary.

so many people suffering from long covid.

i didn't think i had any problems from covid, but this is the 3rd time i've been sick in 3 months. which is insane. i've never been sick twice in a short period, let alone 3 times.

Did you get the latest covid booster or flu shot? So far I've ducked any nose running including the holidays.

(Now that has to jinx me, right? lol)

i did not get the latest booster or flu shot. i got sick right away, and figured that would give me immunity for the season. it always has before.

i've never gotten sick more than once in a season before

I am totally certain that I still have some sort of COVID brain fog going on. It’s not as severe as it used to be, but I’m positive that my cognitive functions are well below 100%.

I imagine this is affecting a *lot* of people, and they may or may not be aware of any impairment.

I'm still oversleeping since having Covid a month ago.

I've also been sick twice in the past month. Big red flag. Will be re-booting the KN95 era starting immediately.

Guys, is it still a pandemic of the unvaccinated?

You shouldn't blindly trust anyone, doctors included. They don't always have your best interests in mind, despite what you might think.

Yup. So many lost souls....

Good luck to all.

It seems to be a big spike around here again now, I had her again 3 weeks ago . Got the paxlovid and got some better after a week or so

What did the Paxlovid cost you?

There was an article in the local news here recently that few pharmacies in the area even stock it because it is so expensive--even with insurance--that most patients decline it after discovering the price.

I took it a couple of years ago when I had COVID (and Paxlovid was free to me) and would do so again if the price were reasonable--despite the horrible taste it left in my mouth. However, I'm not sure how much I'd be willing to pay to experience that again.

It was no charge I assumed the gov was still paying for it. The receipt had 1700 bucks on it though . I'm on a lowly medicare plan too and having a few medical conditions might have made a difference. That taste was terrible and I read some people claim it never went away for them

Where are you guys getting boosters? I tried to schedule one with Walgreens, but they apparently don’t have any in stock as they are, “waiting for the fall update.”

Thanks for the $ info. The taste left me as soon as I stopped taking it. I had not heard that some people can't shake it. The best description I ever read of it was "like a bagful of old nickels."

I think that may be the same response you get anywhere right now. I know I found the same to be true when one of the previous boosters was awaiting release.

I feel less anxiety about having to wait for this one as I would rather have the booster that is geared toward the current strain and this strain seems to be a little milder than previous strains. But I do plan to get it as soon as it is available here.

Got my Fall 2023 boost at CVS, after my medical professional told me they weren't doing 'em anymore (corporate medicine FTW).

Possibly related, that CVS, and the next closest to me are now closed. Hmmm.

Looking forward to my 2024 boost in Oct time-frame, maybe in a back alley?

FDA likely to approve Pfizer and Moderna by end of the month (dragging their feet bc Pfizer was behind on their booster)

Novavax booster hopefully approved within the next 4-6 weeks - I'll be holding out for that one (and hope they're available at Costco again like last year). Novavax booster defends against the most current JN.1 variant, while Pfizer/Moderna focuses on an old one that isn't prevalent anymore (KP2)

My mom has Covid currently. First time she is aware of that she's had it.

I'll be getting a booster when available, along with my usual flu shot. Got both at the same time last year, will likely do the same this year.

Good luck to your mom!

I got both of those at the same time last year, and they kicked my butt a little bit but I've probably got a few years on you. I'll probably catch them one at a time this year, but I've got enough available time to deal with the aggravation of two visits.

Thanks! She no longer has a fever, just a persistent cough. She got some antibiotics from the Dr, along with a steroid that she is trying to avoid if possible.

I've not had any reaction from either the flu shot or covid boosters. A sore arm, yes, but no sickness type of side effects. Hoping that trend continues.

Just saw that the updated boosters for Moderna/Pfizer were approved today and should be available within a few days to a week.

That's good, skipped last year entirely but will this year. In the demo where **** can get real.

Got my yearly (??) flu/'rona boost at the CVS today. In n Out in under 15 minutes with appointment. Went Moderna, which satisfies the Pfizer/Moderna modulation that I've been working over ~4 years.

Been 4+ hours, starting to feel something in my head, might be sinus related.

Would recommend Novavax if you can find it (most CVS/Publix/Rite-Aid have it) - haven't had side effects either time, supposed to have more/longer-lasting immunity

I got COVID 2x in a 8-month period of having the Pfizer booster (and mostly masking for the duration of that time), so not touching that one ever again

I got my Pfizer a few weeks ago. I had the blahs that evening, and the injection site was sore that night and the next day. Got the flu vaccine a few days ago with no side effects at all.

28 hrs later, no issues. Arm is sore as if I've just had an injection. Got decent sleep last night, still staring at the ceiling ~3-5am. Never felt anything worse than a sniffle or a slightly scratchy throat, briefly.

I've been vaxed/boosted as often as allowed, and have had the 'rona x2 in 4 years. It was never more than a bad cold, and only lasted 4-5 days (1 day was really bad, mostly due to adding headache to the cold symptoms) I figure the vax/boosts probably helped mitigate the intensity of the viral infection (but IANADr or Scientist)

Oops too late, youngest came back from trip last Saturday and developed COVID on Tuesday, wife and oldest have it now. I was out of town this week but came back Friday, not looking forward to Tuesday.