The Indomitable Covid Virus
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It’s a major wave now, with an estimated new 900,000 infections per day, as my friend Jay Weiland estimated based on the 2 sources of US wastewater data (definitely worth following him at X or Threads). The slope of rise of SARS-CoV-2 levels is still steep, so we haven’t yet reached the plateau. It’s already towered beyond 4 prior waves of the US pandemic.
Why is this happening?
The virus is relentlessly evolving, getting further and further away as an antigen (how our immune system “sees” the virus) than the strains of virus in the early years of the pandemic. The antigenic distance map below reflects that evolution. JN.1 is further way from the infamous Omicron BA.1 than BA.1 is from the major variants of 2020 and 2021 (Wuhan-ancestral, D614G, Alpha, Delta, Beta). KP.3 and KP.3.1.1. is to the right of JN.1 (not shown), even further away. The virus will not stop here, despite our desire to will it way. It will continue to find new ways to infect and reinfect us, under selection pressure from our prior immunity (be it infections, vaccinations, or combinations). We may also see another “Omicron-like event” in the times ahead, with a profoundly altered virus spike, tens of new mutations, as seen with BA.1 and BA.2.86 (the latter eventually led to JN.1)
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Yea, the new version should be out soon, August or September...
https://www.uchealth.org/today/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-2024-25-covid-19-vaccine/
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This is on my radar since I’ve been at an academic conference (with about 300 attendees from overseas and 200+ from the U.S.) for the last five days. I’m on the organizing committee, so there are various events I have to attend (over and above the sessions), including dinners. As well as staffing the registration tables etc. I’ve been trying to mask consistently but it’s hard when you can’t eat in private.
I’m headed home now. I guess I’ll know in about a week if I picked up anything or not…
And then I’ll keep masking as we head into fall semester. Sigh.
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I’ve got the European Respiratory Society in a month in Vienna. Thousands of people in a huge conference room. I’m going to try to get another booster beforehand.
The fact that it’s mostly pulmonologists doesn’t make it any safer. The US equivalent (American Thoracic Society) was a superspreader event in 2022.
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FDA has approved the new version of the COVID vaccines
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2024/08/22/updated-covid-19-vaccines-fda/74871327007/
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Me too.
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@AdagioM said in The Indomitable Covid Virus:
Waiting to see when it actually becomes available; I’m due for a jab.
Should be very soon.
Pfizer will begin shipping its new shot immediately and expects it to be available in pharmacies, hospitals and clinics across the U.S. “beginning in the coming days,” the company said in a statement. Moderna also expects its shot to be available in a similar time frame, according to a statement.
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I’ve got the European Respiratory Society in a month in Vienna. Thousands of people in a huge conference room. I’m going to try to get another booster beforehand.
The fact that it’s mostly pulmonologists doesn’t make it any safer. The US equivalent (American Thoracic Society) was a superspreader event in 2022.
@jon-nyc said in The Indomitable Covid Virus:
The fact that it’s mostly pulmonologists doesn’t make it any safer. The US equivalent (American Thoracic Society) was a superspreader event in 2022.
Physicians, heal thy selves!
Yeah, I've been waiting for the updates shots to become available too.
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Too late. Never saw that T line turn red so fast. Feel like a truck hit me. Vaxxed up until about last fall, had it I think this is either the third or fourth time. I should be able to mount a pretty robust immune defense.
“I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that I don't know the answer”
― Douglas Adams -
Too late. Never saw that T line turn red so fast. Feel like a truck hit me. Vaxxed up until about last fall, had it I think this is either the third or fourth time. I should be able to mount a pretty robust immune defense.
Bummer. Hope it doesn't get any worse/last very long.
Mr wtg is having knee replacement on Monday. We've been masking when we go out, and I decided to just completely avoid stores for the next week or so. We both got sick last year around this time, our first time. I'd prefer to skip a second iteration, especially since he'll be recovering from surgery and doesn't need a case of COVID on top of TKR to feel extra-miserable.
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