New York’s blind business owners chart path forward out of COVID-19
Coronavirus
Shots – Health News : NPR
This winter's COVID-19 surge in the U.S. appears to be fading without hitting nearly as hard as many had feared.
"I think the worst of the winter resurgence is over," says Dr. David Rubin, who's been tracking the pandemic at the PolicyLab at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
No one expected this winter's surge to be as bad as the last two. But both the flu and RSV came roaring back really early this fall. At the same time, the most contagious omicron subvariant yet took off just as the holidays arrived in late 2022. And most people were acting like the pandemic was over, which allowed all three viruses to spread quickly.
Shots – Health News : NPR
The Food and Drug Administration is considering a major shift in the nation's COVID-19 vaccine strategy, NPR has learned.
The goal is to simplify vaccination against COVID and perhaps adopt an approach similar that used for the flu vaccine, with annual updates to match whatever strain of the virus is circulating. This is according to a federal official who spoke under the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
The FDA will outline the strategy publicly Monday when it releases a set of documents in advance of a meeting Thursday of the agency's Vaccine and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee. The committee will vote on the agency's proposal.
I glad I got my COVID-19 bivalent booster and flu shot 💉
I glad I got my COVID-19 bivalent booster and flu shot 💉
It was two little picks to each arm that you could barely feel. Quick in and out. I don’t think I had to wait fifteen minutes for vaccines. I made my appointment online, checked in with my phone, they were waiting for me when I arrived. The shots were painless, there was no side effects and the next day I went to work and nothing had changed except I’ll have greater protection going into the colder weather and flu season.
It’s just good knowing that I have the additional protection of the latest flu vaccine and COVID-19 bivalent booster. I still wear the muzzle in crowded stores, the bus, hallways and elevators at work. But I know odds are good that I won’t get seriously sick if I get either the flu or COVID-19. I take reasonable precautions as I know no vaccine is 100% effective and it doesn’t sound like fun getting either illness from my vaccinated friends who have gotten it.
It seems like this pseudo vaccination patriotism crap has finally come to end. People are no longer talking about vaccination like it’s a way to save the country, help the elderly and disabled people. I always thought they was such bull shit. No more lines at the pharmacy, no more guilt tripping and shaming the unvaccinated. No more vaccination cards, though they were happy to sign your existing card. Just common sense personal choices to keep oneself healthy.
I don’t like vaccination mandates 💉
I don’t like vaccination mandates 💉
You should get vaccinated against COVID-19. While getting vaccinated isn’t fun and you want feel miserable after your second shot for a day it worth it as because getting COVID-19 and ending up in the hospital is no fun. Now more than ever its super easy to get a shot – no more playing with a state website, trying to get an appointment in a massive civic center to get your arm jabbed. Just walk in to any pharmacy. It’s free.
That said, I don’t like the idea of mandating the shot. People should have a wide range of choices over their bodies, they shouldn’t be treated like regulated property of the state. Getting vaccinated might have some marginal benefit to the interest of the state in the form of fewer virus mutants and spread, but the primary reason for getting vaccinated is to protect yourself and not others.
A Clunky, Reusable Mask May Be the Answer to N95 Waste – The New York Times
More Omicron Variants Gain Ground U.S., According to C.D.C. Estimates – The New York Times
The Omicron subvariants known as BA.4 and BA.5 now represent 13 percent of new coronavirus cases in the United States, up from 7.5 percent a week ago and 1 percent in early May, according to new estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The spread of the subvariants adds more uncertainty to the trajectory of the pandemic in the United States, where current case counts are likely to be a significant underestimate. But whether it leads to a major new wave of infections, or spikes in hospitalizations and deaths, remains unclear, scientists cautioned.