Muh Muh Muh My Corona (virus)

I'm pro-vaccine. Something that's been rushed through at breakneck speed does give me pause.

 

One of the numbers was 2018, which is the year the story was published.

 

After reading Plaschke's story recounting his symptoms, I'm more convinced than ever that I had teh Corona in late February/early March...but in early July, my antibodies were checked and it showed no trace of it.

So, if my instinct is correct and I actually had it, then that would anecdotally indicate that immunity is brief.

 

I have participated in vaccine trials. I didn't even think about doing it this time, not with the warp speed approval process. We won't even attempt to be near the front of the line for a released vaccine.

I believe in vaccines. I get my flu shot every year, and consider it cheap insurance. I have given hundreds of vaccine shots to both adults and clildren.


I'll be hanging back and watching the results of the Covid-19 vaccines after they are in use.

 

Or that you took a test and got a false negative. I am abnormally skeptical of tests, test results, and test statistics in the age of Covid. Too much money to be made, too much political pressure on the scientists and manufacturers.

 

I'm still waiting for someone to ask Plaschke whether he contacted his dinner mates when he tested positive.

Seeing a lot of these "I did all the right things but caught it anyway!" stories. Can't help but wonder how much of this is bullshit. I suspect there's a lot more "didn't do all the right things" than people are remembering or are willing to admit (because only unwoke Trumpists don't do all the right things, ya know).

 

It does not work as far as getting us back to normal.

 

Nothing but time will get us "back to normal", and that starts with getting rid of Trump. Not that we'll go back to the same normal, anyhow. Work from home, changes in dress for work, probably remote learning in combination with classrooms and who knows what else will change over the long term.

That said, any percentage of the population that has gotten an immunization is an improvement, and as the percentage goes up we'll see less Covid-19. We might see Covid-20 or H3N1, so I imagine that facemasks will stay in use long term, although not as much as by more public spirited societies.

 

Some times I step back - we get caught up in the day to day of things - and am truly stunned at the magnitude of it all. Colleges and schools closed - sports seasons altered - businesses shut for good. Drove by a local hotel and the parking lot was empty. It's easy to delude ourselves that "life goes on" as we adjust to things - but nothing in my lifetime has impacted this country as severely as COVID-19.
And our country's reaction to it is an embarassment.

 

It could also be that the antibody tests aren't very accurate. My understanding is the positives are usually accurate, but thy have a lot of false negative results.

I have been convinced that I had it in February for a while. I had the high fever, the cough, the sore throat, the body aches and the fatigue. My doctor didn't even think to have me tested for it back then, but flu and strep tests came back negative.

I had an antibody test in June that was negative, but even the doctor said it was probably wrong.

 

I too am pretty sure I had it the first week of March. My hope is that if there is a second time, the symptoms next time will be far milder for everyone. There are other coronaviruses out there that are not nearly as virulent, because we've been exposed to them numerous times and our bodies have T-cells to fight them. With this novel virus, that isn't the case. We can only hope this virus remains stable and doesn't mutate into something worse.