Almost didn’t think about Frank this year. He was the first doctor to die in the USA, and a friend.
I have a day by day diary of these days four years ago, they’re tough to read. I go back every once in awhile.
RIP Frank.
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Pretty good work here saying that paxlovid isn’t necessary for vaccinated patients
Did they get into long covid or just immediate outcomes?
They measured length of illness with no changes.
Long covid remains… challenging to study
Anyone know the latest on getting the same booster or mix and matching? I’m about to be due on my every 6 months schedule, and so far I’m all Moderna. IIRC there are some benefits to throwing a Novavax in there, but also not sure if they’re updating seasonally for variants?
Right now you can technically only get a second updated booster (actually one every 4 months) within a year if you are immune compromised or over (I think 55?) years of age. That said a pharmacy will not challenge you on the immunocompromised thing. I got a second booster at 6 months and my health insurance covered it. I did not have a doctors note / documentation of need. The only questions the pharmacy was concerned about related to it having been at least 4 months since my last shot and the other standard questions about not being on steroids, not having anther vaccination within the past two weeks, etc.
Yeah, I’ve been doing boosters every six months. Going to go with Novavax this time - first time getting anything other than Moderna. There’s some evidence that mixing and matching may offer better protection, some evidence that Novavax may offer more durable protection, and some evidence that Novavax may have fewer side effects. No guarantee on any of that, limited data, etc, but it’s one of those situations with minimal downside and a little upside, so why not?
Also don’t need an appointment for Novavax, so that’s cool.
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Article goes into some detail about the history of the House Covid subcommittee (that Fauci is currently testifying at):
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2024/06/02/covid-committee-house-fauci/
‘I took an oath to do no harm’: The two doctors wrestling over Fauci’s legacy
In interviews during the past year, Wenstrup and Ruiz acknowledged fractures in their relationship, as they wrestled over how to use the powers of Congress. Ruiz said he has thought about the Hippocratic oath that physicians must take, pledging to do no harm.
Is the covid committee playing with fire, by elevating the lab-leak theory, raising questions about vaccines and spotlighting accusations against public health experts like Fauci? Or is the panel — finally — giving voice to points of view suppressed during the pandemic?
“Look, I’m a doctor, and I took an oath to do no harm,” Ruiz said as he helped kick off a May 2023 hearing on coronavirus vaccine mandates, warning about “the disinformation and the misinformation” that he said had damaged confidence in public health. “We cannot get to a place where we are explicitly or implicitly sowing distrust in covid vaccines,” Ruiz said later.
“An opinion is far different from misinformation,” Wenstrup quickly countered. “And if we’re not allowed to have opinions in the medical community, we are doomed. We are absolutely doomed.”
The hematology/oncology infusion office I go to has stopped their required masking. That was one of two places I still wore a mask, the other being the poker room I work at. Thinking I may stop there too now. Although I’ve been going sans mask the past three weeks when I deal the bigger games and PLO because it’s easier to run the game and I have to talk more, and of course I got sick this past weekend for the first time in forever and it reminded me how much that sucks.
Anyway, as likely one of the last SPE mask holdouts I guess this means covid is officially over!
(Inb4IgetCovid)
Eta: probably 25% of the reason I still mask at the poker table is because poker players are fucking gross. Not having to smell their breath, body odor, cigarette stench, or weird foods is a huge benefit.
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I still mask at Disney World but that’s about it.
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I’ve been seeing pulmonologists for sleep apnea and I tend to mask up for that.
I’m still masking in doctors offices/etc, pharmacies, and for quick store runs where it’s not an inconvenience/annoyance - unless I’m in a conservative area and don’t want to get harassed or worse for it. Also still masking on planes and in airports, probably would on a crowded train/subway.
Still carry one on me whenever I remember, just in case someone around me starts hacking up a lung - hasn’t happened yet.
I’m also less careful close to a booster and more careful outside the 3 month window. But at this point I’m pretty comfortable with the data on covid/long covid after keeping up with all the boosters aggressively.
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Oh, I totally still mask at doctor’s offices and pharmacies. That’s where sick people are!
I still mask at drs as well, which is why I was kind of floored when I walked in to an oncology unit today and was the only patient or staff member with a mask when up until sometime in the last 4 weeks they were still required there. Made me question my reality a bit.
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Did I read this right? Someone attempts to bribe a juror, juror reports it, they dismiss the juror anyway. If that’s the SOP, it seems way too easy to get rid of a juror you don’t like.
The juror is now witness to a crime allegedly committed by one or more of the defendants. Therefore dismissed.
So let me get this straight. If you want to get a juror dismissed or a judge recused, just mail them an envelope with like 5K and a note that says “there’s more where that came from if you do X”. Now they are a witness to a crime and they can’t be involved any longer? That’s it?
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Bingo. You will have committed a serious felony though so tread carefully.