The Indomitable Covid Virus
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Free COVID test kits will be available in September.
U.S. households will be eligible to order 4 free COVID-19 tests at COVIDTests.gov. The COVID-19 Tests will detect current COVID-19 variants and can be used through the end of the year.
That second part sounds like they're getting to the end of their shelf life.
@wtg Looks like they won’t be available to order until the end of September.
We’ve used all but ONE of our tests, including the party pack of 30 that must have been intended for school or workplace. I just ordered more from Amazon, but they won’t arrive til the end of next week.
Our kids are Covid virgins, and we all test before they come for dinner.
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Yep. Turned deep red within a few second. Feeling better today. Not great, but not like I’d been hit by a truck.
@Mik said in The Indomitable Covid Virus:
Yep. Turned deep red within a few second. Feeling better today. Not great, but not like I’d been hit by a truck.
That’s what surprised me when we got Covid last October, how fast the positive line turned dark red. Hope you get to feeling better soon.
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I was able to get the updated Covid jab today along with my usual flu shot.
I know so many people who’ve gotten Covid in the last 3 or weeks that I was starting to feel stupid for having waited for the new shot , so this is a relief.
I hardly noticed the Covid shot, but my flu shot arm hurts like hell…
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The CDC says it's safe to get the shots together but they don't say it's optimal. I think the "one visit and done" recommendation targets people who might get one shot and then not go back and get the other.
From what I read, for best protection, get COVID now because there's a lot of it going around. And hold off on the flu vaccine till September/October, because that season is later.
This article from Yale goes over all of the above, plus RSV.
https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/updated-2024-2025-covid-vaccines
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Yeah, I got them together because it was convenient and “safe.” Well, it probably was safe but I was so, so sick afterwards. So this year I’m going to space them out.
@wtg said in The Indomitable Covid Virus:
From what I read, for best protection, get COVID now because there's a lot of it going around. And hold off on the flu vaccine till September/October, because that season is later.
Makes sense to me! I just scheduled Mr SK and myself for covid shots on Sunday.
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The Novavax vaccine should be available in pharmacies soon.
https://wtop.com/business-finance/2024/09/new-novavax-covid-vaccine-now-headed-to-pharmacies/
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If you're considering the Novavax vaccine, here's the page to check to see when it is available at various outlets:
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Hello to the XEC variant.
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About Novavax, for those who might be considering it.
I had no idea how distant a third it is to Pfizer and Moderna's mRNA versions.
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That's interesting,I didn't know that either. I've always gotten either Pfizer or Moderna, so I hadn't been paying attention.
At the end of the day, though, at least those Novavax fans are still getting vaccinated! So many people are not.
Re side effects, (apologies if I already shared this), I got the updated covid shot a few weeks ago, and I didn't get it with the flu shot. I had a much easier time than last year, when I got the flu and covid shots together. That knocked me out for several days, but this year, I was a little crummy (though not quite feverish) in the evening of the shot, but totally fine the next day.
We're getting our flu shots tomorrow, so hopefully I'll be ok then as well.
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DIY flu vaccine approved, available next year.
https://www.statnews.com/2024/09/20/fda-approves-at-home-flu-vaccine-nasal-spray/
Sadly, I'm not in the age range that it's approved for...
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DIY flu vaccine approved, available next year.
https://www.statnews.com/2024/09/20/fda-approves-at-home-flu-vaccine-nasal-spray/
Sadly, I'm not in the age range that it's approved for...
@wtg said in The Indomitable Covid Virus:
Sadly, I'm not in the age range that it's approved for...
Oop, neither am I. I wonder why that's the age range.
Also, this is the same nasal spray version that's already available for in-person administration right? How does it compare to the shot in terms of efficacy?
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Yes, it's the same one that's been available for a while. Here's some history on it.
For people over 65, there's a high-dose injectable flu vaccine. I guess we oldsters don't have as robust an immune system so the higher dose helps kick start things. I never get the high-dose vaccine even though I'm over 65 because I tend to react very strongly to vaccines in general like my mom did. She got the high dose one year and it knocked her on her butt for days.
I suspect I would do fine with FluMist, but I'm not sure if they'd send it to me because I'm not in the right age bracket...
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I got the Covid 19 booster on Wednesday. Opera season and a World Music Festival are starting up here. They get crowded and I don’t want to go unprotected. I requested Pfizer because all my previous Covid shots were Pfizer. Pfizer wasn’t available at the CVS drug store chain which administered the shot so I got the Moderna vaccine instead which is interchangeable with Pfizer.
My arm was sore and I had body ache for about a day and a half afterward but it’s better than catching a Covid.
