For the not that bad crowd, there has been an avalanche of opportunity to cherry pick data. And, it might turn out compared to other variants, for whatever reason, be it innate weakness or pre-established immunity, Omicron is not that bad. But I looked at the statistics, and hospitalzations and deaths seem to be tracking at the same pace with Omicron as Delta did.
Maybe it is too early to say. The version of misery that befell my wife and myself did not seem mild, and it was only monitoring our temperatures and oxygen that kept us from going to the ER. We did reach a borderline where we discussed it. This is called mild. But we are boosted, and we masked up and tried to keep our distance. It is not like we went to a Suns game where people are screaming and packed in like sardines, which as much as I enjoy basketball, is in my opinion a bad idea right now.
But if we are boosted, does it matter when? As it turns out, perhaps. There are all kinds of studies to sift through, and I do not assign one to be determinative, but as it applied to us specifically this one stood out.
A United Kingdom Health Security Agency report published on Thursday suggests that the effectiveness of the COVID-19 booster against symptomatic infections of the omicron variant wanes within 10 weeks.
The report included 147,597 delta and 68,489 omicron cases, which were reported between Nov. 27 and Dec. 17. It analyzed the percentage of vaccine effectiveness between reported cases of the two strains in individuals who had received a two-dose regimen of the Astrazeneca, Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. Researchers then compared the vaccine effectiveness of those who received a Pfizer or Moderna booster between reported cases of omicron and delta.
“Among those who received an AstraZeneca primary course, vaccine effectiveness was around 60% 2 to 4 weeks after either a Pfizer or Moderna booster, then dropped to 35% with a Pfizer booster and 45% with a Moderna booster by 10 weeks after the booster,” the report said.
Ah I see. We got our boosters in late September. Now we must keep in mind this assigns an efficacy rate against symptomatic infection, not against a need for hospitalization or death, where the vaccines and boosters are still expected to be quite effective. I am not saying the vaccines do not work, far from it, as it turns out, they are probably why I am still alive. But for those who expected to walk out into the world without a care and not feel the effects of Omicron, this suggests that may be wishful thinking.
Nevertheless, even after being told we could proceed as normal, that the boosters were robust, I was still careful. To-go food, no events, only one outdoor distanced party, and then just briefly, where we raised our masks up just enough to eat and did not converse. Yet apparently my neighbor, less careful and more exposed being a nurse, coming by and saying a few words was enough to bring the darkness into our home.
Literally she dropped off our Christmas present. She shouldn’t have.
Really, she shouldn’t have. Now she is under care over severe Covid, and she is boosted but also 70 and is being shredded by the virus. She also apparently gave it to a bunch of other people. She might be a superspreader.
All it took was one mistake and poof, a week of our life is gone, and I am still exhausted. And if this study is accurate we can expect a need for further boosters, or perhaps the Army’s new vaccine later this spring, which might be the jab to end the pandemic.
We can hope. But the craziest thing, and to me, scariest thing, is yet another variant could come by at any time and make us sick, again, because it seems to have an ability to disguise itself. I can only handle so many episodes like this. So now we have to be even more careful.
This thing is devastating and vile and pervasive. It preys on the weak, looking for any opening, and is relentless in its pursuit of hosts.
Don’t be careless and become its Airbnb. It is very hard to remove once it books a reservation.
-ROC
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