Covid 12/28/23

[Gregg]

I hope you are all doing well. Just checking in on the current Covid situation in your area.

I know several people who have had it is the last 30 days. That said not too severe, but noticing masks are starting to show up again.

How about you?

[GwynnInTheHall]

I hope you are all doing well. Just checking in on the current Covid situation in your area.

I know several people who have had it is the last 30 days. That said not too severe, but noticing masks are starting to show up again.

How about you?

My wife caught it a couple of weeks ago, as did a close friend. Seems to be hitting more people than last season. I have still, thankfully, avoided getting the virus, Vaxxed, and double boosted, I never really get sick so--I'm still lucky.
We isolated in different parts of the house until she tested Neg (10 days), I masked until I could test (found out after I'd left for the theatre) and then masked at home if I had to speak to her at the door. She masked until the Neg test.

Anyhow that's the haps in my part of the desert, hope you're avoiding it and being well!

[umjewman]

Not too prevalent around here. My whole family had it in September but that was after we were on a cruise, which almost seems like a guaranteed souvenir. It was bad for a few days but not worse than any other flu that I’ve had before.

[Sour Masher]

My six year old brought home a hard hitting stomach bug that put me out of for the count xmas day, but we are all on the mend. My kids have brought several things home with them this fall, but as far as I know, none of them were COVID. We did have a rise in cases in the area, but nothing like before and the response here seems to have regulated it to just another of the many virus that try to infect and spread among us on the regular.

[rhd]

OK, another Covid thread. I'll spare you most of the details but I think the whole pandemic has been mismanaged from start to present. The only thing they've really gotten right is that they developed several very effective vaccines in record time. I wore a mask until late last March. I had read early on that the pandemic wouldnt be considered over until there were less than 4 new cases per 100,000 people per day for a running period of 14 days. I continued looking at the stats every day to see when this would happen. It never did but then states stopped reporting their stats, even Maryland which had been one of the most compliant states. So, I never was able to find out when this "key date" occurred. I decided to get another vaccine booster and then, not knowing what else to do, call it wrap and then I finally took off my mask for good.

I've been fine thruout the whole thing. I've had the flu a couple times but that's it. I still see quite a few people wearing masks, even outdoors, which makes no sense. I havent noticed an increase in mask-wearing lately but I'm really not paying much attention to this now.

Now, for some good news that may benefit some of you. I've been due for another booster for a while but I found that now you have to pay for the shot. I was quoted from $140-$250. If you have insurance, then you dont have to pay, or maybe just a co-pay, but I currently have no insurance. But one of the places told me about a program that will give uninsured patients a voucher for a free shot at participating pharmacies. I signed up for this program and I had to call about 10 of the pharmacies they provided before I found one that would accept the voucher but finally I did. I got the shot today. If any of you want to know the details of this program, let me know.

For the future, it looks like a Covid shot will be necessary periodically, like the flu. I was told that you could get a booster every 4 months but I'm not doing it that often. I havent heard anyone say anything lately about how often getting a shot is recommended. In just a few months it went from a situation of life-threatening urgency to now nobody acts like they much care (like I said, mismanaged from start to present). I guess I'll try to get a shot at least once a year.

[GwynnInTheHall]

OK, another Covid thread. I'll spare you most of the details but I think the whole pandemic has been mismanaged from start to present. The only thing they've really gotten right is that they developed several very effective vaccines in record time. I wore a mask until late last March. I had read early on that the pandemic wouldnt be considered over until there were less than 4 new cases per 100,000 people per day for a running period of 14 days. I continued looking at the stats every day to see when this would happen. It never did but then states stopped reporting their stats, even Maryland which had been one of the most compliant states. So, I never was able to find out when this "key date" occurred. I decided to get another vaccine booster and then, not knowing what else to do, call it wrap and then I finally took off my mask for good.

I've been fine thruout the whole thing. I've had the flu a couple times but that's it. I still see quite a few people wearing masks, even outdoors, which makes no sense. I havent noticed an increase in mask-wearing lately but I'm really not paying much attention to this now.

Now, for some good news that may benefit some of you. I've been due for another booster for a while but I found that now you have to pay for the shot. I was quoted from $140-$250. If you have insurance, then you dont have to pay, or maybe just a co-pay, but I currently have no insurance. But one of the places told me about a program that will give uninsured patients a voucher for a free shot at participating pharmacies. I signed up for this program and I had to call about 10 of the pharmacies they provided before I found one that would accept the voucher but finally I did. I got the shot today. If any of you want to know the details of this program, let me know.

For the future, it looks like a Covid shot will be necessary periodically, like the flu. I was told that you could get a booster every 4 months but I'm not doing it that often. I havent heard anyone say anything lately about how often getting a shot is recommended. In just a few months it went from a situation of life-threatening urgency to now nobody acts like they much care (like I said, mismanaged from start to present). I guess I'll try to get a shot at least once a year.

I don't know where you live, but here in AZ boosters are still free. Maybe because I'm over 60, I'm not sure--but I don't have to pay for them. I get one a year, right before I work the WSOP, it has done the trick for me to date—Knock on wood and all that.

[rhd]

I don't know where you live, but here in AZ boosters are still free. Maybe because I'm over 60, I'm not sure--but I don't have to pay for them. I get one a year, right before I work the WSOP, it has done the trick for me to date—Knock on wood and all that.

That's interesting. I live in MD. I was told that the government (I assume the Fed) isnt paying for them any more. Maybe AZ still is.

[heyelander]

My mom broke her arm just before the holidays, and my dad picked it up, I'm guessing, while waiting for her to get out of surgery at the hospital. He was pretty sick for a couple of days, but the meds kicked in and he was feeling better quickly.

[In the Corn]

Mrs. ITC came down with COVID on New Year's Day, and she passed it right along to me. Last week was rough. No energy, slept about 20 hours of the day, Wednesday through Friday. Started feeling better on Saturday, and I'm feeling pretty good today with a little cough and still a little congested. However, I woke up this morning with my right eye swollen shut, and just came from the doctor after being diagnosed with pink eye.

[Gregg]

I hope you and yours feel better quickly. I just got a text that our Bowling Captain will miss tonight due to Covid.

[heyelander]

cripes mate. Hope you are feeling better soon