How has the Pandemic affected you as a cancer patient/survivor

Still flummoxed by the numbers of people who think aerosols enter and exit the body through the chin.

hahaha wrenn

I have an English friend who lives and works in Malawi. She said there are some practical reasons for people not bothering to get vaxxed, main one being that it costs them half a day's salary to get to and from a vaccination centre. It is apparently a big problem, she volunteers and transports people who want to get the shot.

Another reason is indifference mixed with social media mistruth. In a country/continent that HIV, accidents, childbirth, malaria are still killing people in droves, getting vaccinated against a disease that is likely not going to kill them (it's a very young continent) isn't simply a priority in their minds.

Wait - you can get a fourth Covid vaccine?

The stupidity is just stunning.

Maybe we should stop blaming Africa?

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/omicron-variant-covid-in-europe-netherlands-before-alert-raised/

I was hoping to wait until January for a third dose, but my charge nurse suggested I get it soon because of rising cases here. I'll see MO next week and ask about taking a longer break from Ibrance to lower risk of rash. I still have a couple small rough patches from the first dose. Which vaccine should I get after 2 doses of Moderna 15 weeks apart? It's been 4 months since the second dose.

moth - For the Moderna shot, did you get the full or half dose? Thanks!

moth - Thanks! I just got an email from the nurse that she would give the full dose for me. I made an appointment with her, but the timing with Ibrance isn’t ideal. If I go to a mass vax site with better availability, they would give me Pfizer. I’m leaning towards Pfizer to mix it up, avoid thefull dose of Moderna (rash PTSD), and have better timing with Ibrance. I need to ask about getting the shot in my thigh though.

So the U.S finally found a bunch omicron cases, but the administration's "solution" is to have people pay for at home rapid test, then get reimbursed by insurance companies? why? why do we make things so complicated, from vaccine appointments to covid tests, after 2 years into the pandemic? Also this doesn't kick in until Jan 2022. WTH. isn't now the most crucial time to use at home test coz of the holiday? I just don't get it.

Also, I went the supermarket yesterday and saw at least 5 senior citizens with masks on their chins or under their nose at the checkout counter.

I am so angry at those who keep the insanity going. My 2 year old granddaughter was in emerg with what was thought to be croup but because some young people have croup symptoms with covid she had to have that damn painful brain poke test. My daughter is 38 weeks pregnant and had to sit in emerg with her sad child. She isn't an angry person so I am doing her share of rage. I am so done with assholes.

Baby girl is neg for covid but the worry was unnecessary dammit

Oh, Wrenn, how awful she had to go through that!

Thanks guys. It really is just croup but she is suck a sweet trusting child and hearing she had to have that done just made me sad/mad.

Stunned by how many selfish people there are in the world. Mad at interwebs for showing me. I had no idea there were that many not that long ago

If my family saw me making them, they might not let me go to the hospital unaccompanied.

Serenity, that graph tells it all: we Boomers are being responsible and in return have the lowest incidence of COVID; but teens, Gen-Z, millennials and younger Gen-Xers are reaping the whirlwind.

The emerging etiology of Omicron shows once again that it did not start in areas with low availability of vaccines, but rather in countries with good supply and low demand--Europe and then the parts of southern Africa similarly situated, to which Europeans (especially apparently the Dutch) had traveled and "left a little something" for South Africa & Botswana "to remember them by" (reverse souvenirs). The fact remains that the Third World countries with the least vaccine equity have paradoxically turned out to be those with low COVID transmission--again, perhaps their very insularity (caused in large part by poverty) may be protecting them despite logistical fusterclucks. It shoots to hell the self-righteous contention that First Worlders getting boosters are depriving the Third World of first shots, causing death and despair among the poorest. It's mostly the First Worlders refusing to both vaccinate themselves and mask up who are sowing and reaping death & despair, largely among and within their own countries--and then likely spreading it beyond their borders. It's tempting to buy into the WHO's trope of wealthy nations hogging vaccines resulting in inequity in the Third World, because on the surface it seems so logical (and quite frankly, righteousness and sanctimony can feel so selt-satisfying). But as we're seeing, that argument fails to take into account the unforeseen variables that complicate the picture and seem to defy logic.

The saving grace (thus far) is that the earliest identified Omicron cases have been mild & fleeting. Both of the first two identified American Omicron cases were mild and fleeting--they've already recovered. (The San Franciscan had visited South Africa, the Minnesotan had attended the NYC anime convention from which 5 NY cases were identified yesterday). And even if the currently available vaccines are less effective against Omicron, they're not ineffective. Even if the variant can elude antibodies produced by vaccination & previous infection, it can't elude T-cells, which antibodies recruit. The more antibodies, the more T-cells (except in those with myeloid & lymphatic cancers whose bone marrow can't produce T-cells and white cells).

I had three Modernas: Jan., Feb., and then Aug. All were the full 100mcg. doses. So not only was my antibody titer multiplied almost 100-fold, those antibodies will recruit plenty of T-cells. But that doesn't mean I'll ditch my mask and hang out in crowds. In fact, I'm shelving my surgical-style and cloth masks for the better-fitting and better-filtering KN95s & KF94s. (They're more comfortable too, don't need to be layered or laundered, and can be rotated and used until they get soiled, wet or their straps fail). I have a few duckbill N95s, but their head straps are uncomfortable; I'll save them for airplane travel and (heaven forbid) surgeries.

Will I stop dining at restaurants and traveling? No--but I will alter where & how I do both. Not going to travel to, get personal care services, nor eat in places where mask-wearing is the exception rather than the norm. (For instance, we're blowing off a nurses' Christmas party tomorrow night at a banquet hall in the right-wing SW suburbs--generic drinks and mediocre family-style platters of banquet food aren't worth the risk, despite the $80 we paid in advance. The nurses throwing the party are required by their hospital to be fully-vaccinated or tested weekly; but, knowing the locale and their politics--they're all white South Siders--I don't trust them to be partying safely).

Get vaccinated (be current on all your vaccines--flu, pneumonia & TDaP included). Get boostered when eligible (and if you feel guilty about that, donate to an organization that actively works towards vaccine equity). Wash your hands. Avoid crowds. Wear a good mask & wear it properly whenever in an indoor public space or can't social-distance when outdoors. Use curbside pickup whenever it's offered. Get tested if you have symptoms (even if you think it might just be a cold) &/or think you've been exposed--and RSVP "no" to any family or friends' gatherings till you test negative.

Above all, don't do anything stupid. Weigh your risks, and ask yourself--as the old WWII-era gas-rationing slogan goes--"Is this trip really necessary?" (We have decided that vacations are not, but our son's destination wedding this spring is).

Insomnia…

Here in QC, only 70+ or limited immunocompromised are eligible for the booster or third dose. Under 12 just became eligible for dose 1. It's the provincial leadership that's responsible for all the sick kids/parents. They wanted to make sure the parents are working in person, but they didn't implement NPIs to protect kids in daycare or schools. You can't assume from the chart that Boomers are more responsible. They're protected.

I'm going to switch to VOC, because numerous variants arise everywhere. It's only the VOC that matter. VOC have occurred in areas with low vax rates. Stating that omicron developed in an area with low demand really means low vax rate.

Boosters vs vaccines everywhere - Why do you think that both can't happen at the same time? The scientists are pushing for both. Maybe they know more than you. I even heard a clip of Biden saying vaccinating the world was a moral imperative.

"Self-righteous"? "Sanctimonious"? That's horrific. You should let that go.

I don't want to use "First World" or "Third World". All areas with low vax rates are susceptible to the pandemic even if they're isolated. COVID data from many countries are inaccurate. If the country has few resources, you can assume the data are missing cases/deaths. The whole world will be exposed eventually. Why are you against minimizing the damage? Dr. Hotez and many scientists disagreewith you.

The African continent stands out on maps of vax rates by country because they are so low compared to the rest of the world. We shouldn't lump all the countries together. They won't all need or accept the same support, but dismissing the effort is not conducive to ending the pandemic. Plus, we need Africa to do well. We're in a global economy. They grow the best vanilla.