The Covid19 thread

[SoulReaver]

Yes, every year. But they have been developed and used for a very long time, they are proven by the only test that really matters, long term use.

That is a far different thing than a vaccine that was developed by a hurry-up crash program where testing and other requirements may have been waived for expediency's sake. Sorry, I'm not a "beta tester".

you right but that's not what I meant

flu's one of those things that mutates so the shots have a limited efficacy in time
so you've to keep taking a new one: very lucrative for pharma isn't it?

tough luck Covid also mutates (though not as fast as flu) so you'll have to take a new vaccine on a regular basis - for life

[Annoyed]

you right but that's not what I meant

flu's one of those things that mutates so the shots have a limited efficacy in time
so you've to keep taking a new one: very lucrative for pharma isn't it?

tough luck Covid also mutates (though not as fast as flu) so you'll have to take a new vaccine on a regular basis - for life

So, what company is it that made the flu mutate?
On the other hand, isn't a good thing that the pharma companies are able to more or less keep up and produce somewhat effective vaccines?

[SoulReaver]

So, what company is it that made the flu mutate?

dunno if you're serious but it'd have to have been a very old company since the flu first appeared what 10K years ago?

On the other hand, isn't a good thing that the pharma companies are able to more or less keep up and produce somewhat effective vaccines?

it's good for them

[Platschu]

Viruses are so fighting for their own survival. If they don't mutate occasionally then soon it or later the host population (the humans) would catch it, but then they would be immune to them. Okay, we can guess that population density has reached its peak now, so that can be the explanation why this hasn't happened before in history. So basically more hosts, more spreading, more chance to mutate. "Life has founded a way" as Malcolm has stated in Jurassic Park as we can see the evolution of this illness.

[Annoyed]

dunno if you're serious but it'd have to have been a very old company since the flu first appeared what 10K years ago?

it's good for them

You're smart enough to get the point I was making. Might have to take your pre French revolution glasses off, though.

[jelgate]

But you ignore his point about the flu vaccine which far less effective if the Phfizer data is to be believed.

*cue Annoyed's conspiracy theory*

[Platschu]

I am giving flu shots every day. The effectiveness is 60%-70%. There are 3 new strains from 2019 and 1 old one from Phuket, Thailand, 2013. Since people wash their hand more frequently, they don't go anywhere as they travel less and they are forced to wear face masks they have said the spreading of the flu will be more slowly in comparsion to previous years. So effectiveness will never be 100%.

[Annoyed]

But you ignore his point about the flu vaccine which far less effective if the Phfizer data is to be believed.

*cue Annoyed's conspiracy theory*

As far as I can tell, his point was that since the flu virus mutates, you need to get a new shot for each year's variant, and that that was good for the pharmaceutical industry. Considering how vaccines work, showing the body an example of what it's supposed to fight to teach the body to create antibodies for it, there is no other way it can be. It's the nature of how immunity works. Since that can't be the fault of any company, I'm saying his attitude is simply his anti-corporate glasses coloring his view.

I'm saying "Isn't it a good thing that the industry can keep up with the changes so that fewer people get sick."

[SoulReaver]

As far as I can tell, his point was that since the flu virus mutates, you need to get a new shot for each year's variant, and that that was good for the pharmaceutical industry. Considering how vaccines work, showing the body an example of what it's supposed to fight to teach the body to create antibodies for it, there is no other way it can be. It's the nature of how immunity works. Since that can't be the fault of any company, I'm saying his attitude is simply his anti-corporate glasses coloring his view.

bull
where did I suggest it's the corporations' fault

I'm just saying they benefit from pathogens that mutate like flu & covid

and maybe you noticed there's already talk about making the (patented) covid vaccine mandatory
hope there's riots & chaos if that happens

[jelgate]

As far as I can tell, his point was that since the flu virus mutates, you need to get a new shot for each year's variant, and that that was good for the pharmaceutical industry. Considering how vaccines work, showing the body an example of what it's supposed to fight to teach the body to create antibodies for it, there is no other way it can be. It's the nature of how immunity works. Since that can't be the fault of any company, I'm saying his attitude is simply his anti-corporate glasses coloring his view.

I'm saying "Isn't it a good thing that the industry can keep up with the changes so that fewer people get sick."

Good job ignoring the point that invalidates your conspiracy.

Some things never change

[Annoyed]

Good job ignoring the point that invalidates your conspiracy.

Some things never change

What exactly are you referring to then? I'm not suggesting any sort of conspiracy.

[SGalisa]

btw I'm tempted to make a poll on who here will take the vaccine

a non-political poll of course :|

NO. Flat out NO. I'd rather be an *outcast* "from society" and wear the mask instead, if necessary.

Let everyone else who is sooooooooo eager beaver to want it, get it first. Maybe in 8 years, I might consider it. That should give plenty of time for any adverse side effect readings being made known, in a certain amount of the population... that is, *if* TPTB will permit such adverse reactions to be made publicly known at all.

And just for the record, I haven't had a flu shot in over 10 or 15 years. I forget when I had it last. Nurse advised me not to get it, due to allergies. I took it anyway and got sick, par usual. But since I haven't been getting the injections, I haven't had the "flu" ... only the norovirus, and that seems to be under better control when the BRAT diet is given on upset intestinal days.

[SGalisa]

I can accept delaying celebrating an earmark anniversary for a few months. Not forever....

I'll be celebrating my 40th birthday in January. I don't expect to celebrate it with friends or family... but that's not going to stop me from enjoying it.

Birthdays are different than wedding anniversaries. Anniversaries are shared events, whereas a birthday, celebrated or not, is an individual occurrence... not everyone likes to have their birthdays *known* especially in elder years, and favorite food preferences aren't always an issue then, either...

Some people don't mind hiding away on a birthday, but an anniversary "dinner" is a meal that is shared as a "very special day off from cooking for two people!"... when those anniversaries reach landmark years, 25th, 30th, 40th, etc., the *event* is more special. Tastier too, when the (paid) cook prepares a delicious meal that the spouse might otherwise ruin. BIG difference there. Trust me... I've been scolded at for destroying various meats as "burnt offerings" type of meals... It takes a special talent to make a delicious steak taste even more yummy, especially if you aren't the one slaving over the stove/oven while making it, too.

BTW, when I had my 40th birthday, my coworkers prepared a nice birthday surprise party for me, complete with napkins that had a "Happy 40th Birthday!" written on a tombstone in a graveyard... yeah, thanks for the thoughts folks... Nowadays, with COVID-19, that sort of joke might not be as funny, unless you like surrounding yourself with ghoulish things as a hobby interest... (one of my distant relatives likes dead & ghostly things... every day... she's weird... she makes creepy artwork, too.) Anywho, my 40th birthday party was one that I'd like to not remember or think about. So, there's that...

Anywho, after dinner, we took our daily vitamin boosters of C, D3 & ZINC. Did not get COVID19.

It should be noted that properties of Zinc with regards to staving off infection are not proven. It may indeed have an effect, as scientist have indeed done research, but it's not a proven fact. It's one of the many things along with social distance, facemasks and handwashing that aids in staying healthy.

It's not taking the ZINC alone that works, but taking it in combination with other vitamins that makes it work more effectively and stronger (specifically C & D3, plus Selenium and Magnesium). The combination of the different vitamins working in concert with each other helps strengthen the immune-factor potency in each. That's why multi-vitamins are tossed into one container... altho, multi's are often an extreme low dose of each for a balanced supplement. Except some folks, meaning myself, cannot take most multi-vitamins, because there are some vitamins I cannot take since I already get enough of those in my foods.

So, for over 20 years, I have had to pick and choose which vitamins I really need to supplement my diet, and find out via trial and error what dosage *seems* to work the best. (Otherwise, had adverse effects from too much of certain vitamins and no longer take those.) Even Centrum Silver multi's are too much. So, once in a while I'll take one just to fill in for the ones I don't get elsewhere.

Only in recent years, have some doctors even bothered to consider looking at what vitamin supplements their patients are taking, to figure out which antibiotics or other meds might need to be administered for some medical disorder or ailment at that time.

There are things people can do to prevent getting the virus, but not everyone is going to adhere to that protocol or "to do list".

Unfortunately no...

Ummm. Yes, I just explained it. If it were not true, then many other people who have been taking higher dosages of zinc with the other recommended vitamins would have also gotten the virus, and haven't, EVEN when they came in direct contact with it, whether wearing a mask or not. Would also explain why their "antibody" test came out *Negative*.

When my neighbor was "contagious" with COVID-19, she did not know she had it, and this was pre-mask time era. She wanted to show me a picture on her phone, so she approached me less than 4 feet with her arm extended holding the phone. I couldn't back too far away, because I was in my car at the time. Whether any of her "germs" got breathed or coughed onto me, I don't know... I was just trying to avoid contact as much as possible (because I knew she had visited her hubby in the hospital that week). After, I think I gargled with Listerine and washed my face just in case. Whatever was the situation, she did find out she was confirmed sick with the virus days later. But she was also only taking one multi-vitamin a day with 3 mg of zinc in it. I was taking the larger 30 mg dose split over 3 meals, daily. The amount of zinc in me was built up over months, perhaps years, as I had been taking it in higher levels certain times of the year for several years, due to common colds (ailments) usually occurring 2 or 3 times yearly. I tested negative for COVID19 antibodies.

I would add tho, that it would be foolish to let one slide on their diet, and forget taking their vitamins faithfully. That's when one gets sick. Similar to getting the norovirus or a standard cold/sore throat. What did you forget to do or do differently that caused you to get sick? Use common sense when approaching these issues. Theoretically, most times you *should* be okay and remain healthy.

[Falcon Horus]

The CDC, the WHO and just about everyone else have changed their minds and tunes more often than some people change their shorts.

Probably because research is about developments... what's good today, might be debunked tomorrow. It's not an exact science.

Much of the change due to politics. Example via PM shortly.

I'll get to that later.

Since when does anything have any consequences anymore? How many times have companies, media outlets and just about any other type of entity there is outright lied or misled folks and they go right on doing so and people believe them?

Once upon a time there was a Belgian scientist who was doing Parkinson's Disease research which looked incredibly promising. She was the best in her field. However, some of her research turned out to be "doctored" and she had fudged with her numbers to make it look better than it actually was.

She lost her research grants, her job and her reputation in the field -- and considering she was the best in her field, that's a loss to the scientific community and a loss for Parkinson's research. A disease which at this point has no cure.

So yes... consequences do exist and ripples affect the community in more ways than one.

btw I'm tempted to make a poll on who here will take the vaccine

That's a yes from me.

However, according to the regulations set in place, I have to wait till after healthcare workers, at-risk people, the elderly and imprisoned individuals have received it, so I'm way down the list of recipients.

...so that can be the explanation why this hasn't happened before in history.

Seem to have forgotten the Black Death, the Spanish Flu. The Plague jumped from animal to humans, that in itself is a mutation.

Hell, even the Covid-strains in the US are no longer the same ones that were first detected in Wuhan. They're mostly European in origin. Sorry guys.

It basically happened before, and it will most certainly happen again. Human population doesn't have to be big for it either.

As far as I can tell, his point was that since the flu virus mutates, you need to get a new shot for each year's variant, and that that was good for the pharmaceutical industry.

Actually, no you're not getting a shot with the new strain. You're getting a shot of last years strains and the scientists basically hope the cocktail will at least contain enough elements which are similar enough with the new strain so your body has a head start.

and maybe you noticed there's already talk about making the (patented) covid vaccine mandatory

From a scientist here in Belgium: "That would be a very bad idea.", and I agree.

While it's beneficial to have everyone vaccinated, I agree that it should be everyone's choice to get it or not. It should not be made mandatory. Same as the flu-shot. Get it, don't get it -- make that choice your own.

I don't get the flu-shot and simply hope enough of my colleagues do so that a form of herd immunity exists to get through the flu-season.

************

Now for something entirely covid-related different...

Apparently our "knuffelcontact" (= cuddle buddy) made world news. It's apparently an intriguing concept to have.

[Falcon Horus]

BTW, when I had my 40th birthday, my coworkers prepared a nice birthday surprise party for me...

I can't thank COVID enough that it spares me from that. Although, I'm fairly certain they'll have something planned even if it has to happen online.