Out of curiosity, of those that are getting infected multiple times, have you been keeping up with your vaccinations? Fully or partially, or not at all?
Unfortunately, due to the nature of COVID, the vaccines aren't fully effective at stopping infection. The virus is just too effective, and our immune system doesn't maintain the response required.
What they do is give the immune system a massive headstart. This vastly reduces the peak viral load. This both reduces the chances of it being dangerous, as well as reducing how infectious you are.bit doesn't always stop you getting reinfected however.
Depending on the target, vaccines can allow the immune system to eliminate it before it can start multiplying significantly. For things like measles etc, this effect is strong enough to provide effective immunity. Whether vaccines can stop infections depends a lot on how you define infection. They won't magically stop the virus being able to enter your body. They can stop them from establishing themselves and stop you becoming infectious to others.
Unfortunately, the coronavirus family viruses are particularly slippery. Even our primary immunity from infection is often short lived. COVID is ridiculously good at both hiding from the immune system, and spreading to new hosts. The vaccine provides significant protection, but isn't effective enough to provide complete immunity.
That's because it is unreasonable to take elimination of the virus seriously at this point. It's like saying no one is taking seriously the elimination of cold and flu. For better or worse, it's here to stay. Elimination is no longer an option.
Even then, the one thing we should have got right was that you're required to take sick leave when you're positive.
Yet our government says my colleague is allowed to bring COVID into the office twice in a month, further risking the health of my high risk parents and grandparents. As if that's even remotely acceptable.
If you're sick, you get sick leave in Australia, no? If you get covid, just like if you get a bad cold or the flu, you should take your sick leave. That's why it exists.
I'm not even sure what you're saying at this point. That people should be required to take leave when they're sick? Yes, obviously...
So your coworker was sick, and you would like the ability to compel them through some authority to go home whenever you think they're sick? Or they tested positive, were no longer contagious, and came back? I'm honestly just confused.
I had it 4 times last season and twice this season. I got the initial 2 dose vaccine in early 2021 and a booster each November since then for a total of 5 shots. I think the boosters have helped me to not have terrible symptoms, a few times it’s been just a stuffy nose and loss of smell, maybe a low grade fever. I’ve only had two infections that I would consider bad and even then I’ve been nowhere near hospitalization or even doctor checkup.
I’ve got a toddler in daycare and I work as a specials/resource teacher in an elementary school where I see 700 kids a week. So the sneezing in my face is pretty accurate unfortunately.
I wore a mask religiously all through my pregnancy but the last two years I haven’t as much unless I have symptoms of anything. My immune system is great against everything except Covid apparently, it’s the only thing I’ve had in years.
3 time gang. I got my first round about a month prior to covid even being officially announced. 2nd and 3rd I was vaxxed and masked and everything, including my wife. I still don't know how I got #2 and #3. Luckily I haven't had it in about a year and a half, but working from home and being an introvert have helped.
The 1st was like a really bad flu. It spread like wildfire though anyone I was in contact with. The 2nd was the worst. Ended up in the ER with worst migraine of my life. 3rd was rough but much easier to deal with, shorter lifespan too.
I’ve had it 3 times: I had the two vaccinations, one booster and this years annual booster, but I believe I missed one. I’ve generally had a strong immune system, but am definitely reaching an age where I can no longer just assume good health
First was worst. I realized it wasn’t a cold when I couldn’t smell the curry I was making. I ran a fever for a couple of days and was actively sick more than a week - that was before vaccinations existed
Second was just like a cold for several days. I believe I ran a brief fever from symptoms but missed it with the thermometer
Third was I think a day or two, caught on the flight back from seeing family this past Thanksgiving. The biggest problem was the test and trying to self-quarantine. It’s much harder when you don’t feel sick
My kids had it twice more, from school, but I avoided it despite keeping them home from school and being around them all day
While it continues to affect us, there really seems to be a progression where it’s less and less
We can't even get them anymore in the Netherlands, unless you have bad health and are also eligible for flu shots or are old enough (50+ afaik). I recently checked because I'd rather take another shot than be ill for a week. It kinda sucks but I also do kinda get it. The vaccines were at some point like €30 a piece. Spending that amount plus the infrastructure for everyone isn't free either. So maybe it's just not worth the collective cost anymore, for young and healthy people.
Eligible for flu shots? Tf? In the US, almost all shots are 100% free. It's the most cost effective way to keep people healthy. I thought you guys had healthcare?
We got infected for first time ever last September, were double boosted (so 4 doses in total) prior to that and the new boosters (for the BA strain family) were just coming out at that time which we were planning to take. It hit us bad, Paxlovid helped a lot getting it out. Then we got infected again in December as JA.1 started spreading everywhere but just a mild cold this time. The new strains are just so infectious and by the time the vaccines targeting them are available, most people are already infected.
So the initial two shots that were a months or so apart and then the refresher 6 months later? You're basically unvaccinated at this point. No surprise you're contracting it all the time.
Ah yes, the the subscription plan of free vaccinations in a country with universal health care. Just to be sure, let me check my receipts... yes, all vaccinations free. Covid, influenza flu, everything zero Euro.
You should still get the boosters because those will both A) help keep you from becoming ill at all, and B) not transmit it to others if you do.
Most other people aren't in great shape. Wouldn't you feel bad if you passed it to someone's cute kid or lovely grandma and they got severely ill as a result?
I'm not running around giving it to people. When I get even slightly sick I stay in my room and mask up even around my own house. Can't say the same for the person who gave it to me though lol.
You first start spreading, then you start feeling ill - about 2-3 days later. If you left your home within 2 days before noticing symptoms, you've been spreading covid.
The vaccine trains your immune system to generate antibodies that target the virus
When you get infected, those antibodies attack right away to keep the virus population low
With low viral load you literally have fewer viruses to spread to other people
If you're not vaccinated (or not boosted for the correct variant) then the virus population blooms much more quickly and you get a higher viral load, meaning your coughs and sneezes are quite literally more contagious.
I started to read that article but it was a lot of charged language, and then when it got to the point about transmission it made the typical argument that they weren't tested to see if they stopped transmission (the primary goal of the vaccination was to decrease hospitalization and death, so they didn't test for this). I then realized how long the article was and lost interest. Can you quote the part of the article where they actually make the claim that it did not lower transmission?
Here's a link to an actual study that claims it reduced transmission.
I think I probably agree with you about the efficacy of the vaccine, but this is a terrible reply to someone who actually provided you some kind of argument.
But even if that's true (which I have a hard time believing considering the nature of vaccines), it's been repeatedly proven that the vaccine does dramatically reduce both symptoms and life-ending complications.
How have you managed to avoid 2-3 years of the news mentioning that? It's why "herd immunity" isn't a thing for this disease yet, and why it's still a problem despite the vaccine, and no, there isn't enough anti vaxxers to explain it. I mean, for gods sake, there was literally ad campaigns imploring people to get the vaccine because transmission occurs regardless.
Because "Google", an antivax opinion hitpiece with a single source about efficacy (yes there are other sources about absolutely nothing to do with transmission and more about how poor antivax folks are demonized, cmon dude), and what everyone "just knows" from the last two years are magic arbiters of truth...
Lol fuck off dude. Give me some actual sources/studies with no opinion whinging and I'll bite.
Until then, you're the very thing you keep writing everything else off as, conspiratorial nonsense.
You know a really effective way to reduce symptoms in case you get sick? Getting vaccinated. Just get your yearly flu and covid vaccination and your symptoms will be much less than without.