The Vaccine Discussion Thread

[ruadisneyfan2]

I was replying to someone saying health workers have been wearing masks for years and have no lung damage.

Prior to 2020, no one in healthcare wore a mask all day.

The new norms we’ve seen adopted in the past year are different, and we have no data on long term effects.

Sigh... Surgeons did and still do.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Surgeons. Surgeons wear masks for hours in the operating room. They have always been.

Lol. You beat me to it.

Also surgeons don't work alone. In the room with them is a scrub nurse, a circulating nurse and often residents, students, xray techs, etc. It is a team effort.
One could not even enter an OR area outside the specific room without a mask.

 

[gilsan]

Prior to 2020, no one in healthcare wore a mask all day.

I wore a mask all day every day when I worked in Toronto during the SARS outbreak in 2003 for about 6 months with no issues.

As a Medical Radiation Technologist (nuclear medicine), I can tell you that Covid patients are presenting with images particular to having Covid-19.

Radiologists also will speak to patients directly about their scans. It is not an everyday thing but it definitely happens.

 

[mostlytraveling4food]

Surgeons. Surgeons wear masks for hours in the operating room. They have always been.

I don’t think surgeons are doing 8 hour operations 5 days a week.

 

[mevelandry]

I don’t think surgeons are doing 8 hour operations 5 days a week.

You’re right. They work for much longer than that.

Anyways. I don’t know where this conversation is going... Back to the main subject.

 

[AliceIn]

The state of Florida has passed a law saying that people can't be asked to prove vaccination. I would not feel comfortable on a cruise ship if vaccinations were not required for all crew and guests. Cruise ships have always had issues with diseases spreading quickly. If more of the population isn't vaccinated, we won't achieve herd immunity, so the opportunity for variants to spread is much higher. . If I worked on a cruise ship and depended on that income to support my family, I'd want all the protections that I could get. Norwegian is considering removing Florida from it's ports, so I'm thinking this is probably a big issue to the crews on the ships.

 

[hrhdhd]

The governor of Florida has passed a law saying that people can't be asked to prove vaccination.

Just to clarify, the Florida Legislature passed a bill, and the governor signed it into law.

 

[anricat]

I question his professionalism. As someone whose immediate family members have need for fairly regular radiology services at multiple hospitals - the radiologist never shares results directly with the patient. The patient is always directed to follow-up with the ordering HCP, who knows the patient's history and current concerns. It is not at all professional for the radiologist to give that opinion -- especially when covid apparently isn't the immediate reason for the pictures he's taking.

I dunno, possibly I misunderstood her. This was months ago (I want to say last fall) and she said her husband was seeing patients with no history of covid that were there for other concerns that had covid-damaged lungs on their scans. I don't know how else he would know that they had no history if he hadn't spoken with them? I'm just saying what she told me. Perhaps it was spoken about in a follow up or perhaps he spoke with the requesting physician and they told him there was no history of covid. I just know that isn't his normal reason for scanning.

And I have spoken with a radiologist day of having scans. I had a mammogram and went home. Later they called me that it that had something suspicious. I went back in for a second set of scans more specific to the region. I was told to dress and wait in a room, then I was lead directly in to speak with the radiologist in his office who informed me that they wanted me to have a stereotactic biopsy. He explained what they saw and what the concerns were, the best case scenario, etc. He explained the upcoming procedure and then told me I could schedule the procedure with the front desk on my way out. So it's definitely possible for a radiologist to speak with a patient directly the same day of the scans.

 

[mevelandry]

Update regarding the 16 weeks delay in Canada: plenty of outbreaks happening in seniors home lately (in my area). While most ended up being ok, there have been some hospitalizations and deaths. It sounds more and more like the 16 weeks delay between the two shots was not the best course of action for seniors. Experts are calling the government to make the delay shorter for seniors (and people at risk) before thinking of vaccinating children.

There is chatter saying that seniors could be called earlier than expected to receive their second shots... Don’t know if that’s reliable or not but it would be a good idea.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Update regarding the 16 weeks delay in Canada: plenty of outbreaks happening in seniors home lately (in my area). While most ended up being ok, there have been some hospitalizations and deaths. It sounds more and more like the 16 weeks delay between the two shots was not the best course of action for seniors. Experts are calling the government to make the delay shorter for seniors (and people at risk) before thinking of vaccinating children.

There is chatter saying that seniors could be called earlier than expected to receive their second shots... Don’t know if that’s reliable or not but it would be a good idea.

My next door neighbors are in their 80s. She told me that someone in her book club had recently died of covid. She had her first shot but hadn't yet had the 2nd one. The US is not intentionally delayed 2nd shots. This is so sad that someone who is soooo close, literally days away, from having this weight of worry removed, ends up dying from covid. My neighbor didn't say how/where she contracted it but considering that I got my dad an appointment back in February for his first shot, this seems like it could have been prevented.
One injection is not immunity. I don't understand the rationale to stretch out the time interval between injections. It still leaves just as many people who are not immune.

 

[rjb123]

I wore a mask all day every day when I worked in Toronto during the SARS outbreak in 2003 for about 6 months with no issues.

As a Medical Radiation Technologist (nuclear medicine), I can tell you that Covid patients are presenting with images particular to having Covid-19.

Radiologists also will speak to patients directly about their scans. It is not an everyday thing but it definitely happens.

Also, what people don't seem to remember is that it is in the radiology report. They report on the entire scan not just whatever the ordering doc is looking for at the time. So if lungs are in the picture and they are damaged with "ground glass" appearance (which is indicator of prior Covid and Covid lung damage) then they include that in the report. So yes, you can get a scan for something unrelated and discover that your lungs have been damaged from Covid. FYI- my daughter's pulmonologist said she is crazy busy with kids who had mild Covid who now have severe lung damage from it. They had no preexisting conditions but now they can't run on the soccer field like before they were sick and eventually end up seeing her. people can sit on here and deny and pretend that this is not happening a lot, but its just a fact. Death is only one small consequence of COVID. It is a very low bar.

 

[GatorMomInNC]

My colleague, who was the first person I knew to have Covid, has it again. Her husband also has it again and has pneumonia in both lungs as well. I just think we don't know how this virus will behave yet so don't assume your protection will last long.

My neighbors son had it twice, 11 mos. apart.

 

[GatorMomInNC]

I just want to respond to comments made about people wearing masks outside when no one is around. There could be other reasons unknown to you why people are wearing masks.

One could be that THEY have covid symptoms, or were exposed, and are trying to protect others.

Another could be our situation. Until recently (now that everyone but my 13 year old is fully vaccinated) we would all wear masks outside, even if no one was around. My husband and I felt we only needed to carry a mask and put it on when we saw someone approaching. But my oldest son had a great deal of anxiety about covid. He was extremely worried that we would catch it, or he would catch it and give it to us (we both have several risk factors, including I have asthma, and are in our 50s). If he even saw someone while he was outside without a mask on, or even could smell a cigarette but couldn't see anyone around, he would come home and mask up and stay away from us. Once he insisted he get tested before he would come near us again - he lived in the basement for a week. And, if he looked out the window and saw us walking, not wearing a mask, he would lecture us about how unsafe it was, that someone could come around the corner unexpectedly.

Now obviously, this is not normal, and he had anxiety pre-covid, but the covid and the thought of us dying (and worse, him infecting us and killing us) was a great stressor on him that grew as the pandemic wore on and esp. after the recent upswing in cases in January. Once my husband and I got our first dose of pfizer, it was an amazing change. He no longer "polices" us about our mask wearing outside. And now he is fully vaccinated and wants to start doing things with friends again (who are also vaccinated). He is even talking about getting a job this summer.

I just can't wait to get my 13 year old vaccinated - I know he is young and unlikely to have issues, but I don't want him to get it from us because we are not being careful. Esp. after what happened to that poor family who went on vacation to Hawaii and their son died.....

 

[Intr3pid]

Update regarding the 16 weeks delay in Canada: plenty of outbreaks happening in seniors home lately (in my area). While most ended up being ok, there have been some hospitalizations and deaths. It sounds more and more like the 16 weeks delay between the two shots was not the best course of action for seniors. Experts are calling the government to make the delay shorter for seniors (and people at risk) before thinking of vaccinating children.

There is chatter saying that seniors could be called earlier than expected to receive their second shots... Don’t know if that’s reliable or not but it would be a good idea.

Looks like Ontario is already on it:

https://globalnews.ca/news/7845752/covid-vaccine-dose-intervals-urban-indigenous-dialysis/

 

[Starwind]

No one should wear a mask while driving in a car by themself or walking by themself outdoors, but here we are.

Just a few reason why someone might:

- they have discovered [as a number of my friends have] that masks can help quite a bit with outdoor allergens, so now wear a mask when they are outdoors [includes driving] in allergy season [and will continue to after the pandemic];

- they prefer to don/doff the mask at home where they are able to properly wash their hands, have access to a mirror, etc vs trying to do this while in the car or during a walk; this also avoids the issue of how to safely store it while not in use

- they've had enough walks where they encounter enough people they've decided it is safer to just wear the mask for the whole walk

 

[soniam]

No one should wear a mask while driving in a car by themself or walking by themself outdoors, but here we are.

You should worry about you and let others do what they feel comfortable with. Why do you care if someone wishes to wear a face covering? It's none of your business.

 

[AquaDame]

Please keep this thread on track - we're here for vaccine discussion, not mask or poster bashing.

 

[mevelandry]

My next door neighbors are in their 80s. She told me that someone in her book club had recently died of covid. She had her first shot but hadn't yet had the 2nd one. The US is not intentionally delayed 2nd shots. This is so sad that someone who is soooo close, literally days away, from having this weight of worry removed, ends up dying from covid. My neighbor didn't say how/where she contracted it but considering that I got my dad an appointment back in February for his first shot, this seems like it could have been prevented.
One injection is not immunity. I don't understand the rationale to stretch out the time interval between injections. It still leaves just as many people who are not immune.

It helps a little bit and prevents hospitalization and death for a while. However, from what I understand, seniors lose their immunity faster than younger people so the 16 weeks may be okay for some, but possibly not good for all, especially not seniors.

 

[tink2424]

My colleague, who was the first person I knew to have Covid, has it again. Her husband also has it again and has pneumonia in both lungs as well. I just think we don't know how this virus will behave yet so don't assume your protection will last long.

Thanks! I don't assume anything just looking at the small number of reinfections to date. I don't go out very much but I don't really take any precautions except where a mask where I have to. Nothing is 100% in life.

I hope your friend and her husband get better soon! Pneumonia is a ***** as I got it last year when I had COVID. Not fun at all.

 

[tink2424]

Ah, okay, so you're just questioning his professional integrity. That's so much better. Covid damage looks very specific. Try out one of those articles I posted above. I said nothing about smoking. Smoking looks different too. Wearing masks doesn't cause lunge damage. How could wearing a mask possibly cause lung damage? That's not even logical. As far as "something else completely" like what? Here we have a virus that damaging the lungs absolutely RAMPAGING our world. We see damage on a scan that looks exactly identical to the damage this virus does to the lungs and your first conclusion is, "ah well, it's probably something else." I don't even know how to argue against that anti-logical type of thinking.

Well, remember correlation does not equal causation. They should be evaluating for all causes of lung damage. Not just COVID if we truly want to understand the disease process. Also, those patient should be studied for any common link between them all. Do they have some genetic component that made them more susceptible to lung damage? Or were there any other factors - diet, personal care products, home proximity to power lines/garbage dumps/manufacturing facilities/etc?

This is also something that should be done for those that are having severe reactions to the vaccines. Maybe we could figure out what types of people would be harmed prior to giving them something that would harm them. I've long thought the same thing for childhood vaccines.