COVID: Vaccine?

[jn1780]

An NPR report today stated there is a possibility COVID will never go away. That's reassuring :-/

Well no, it will never go away. Just like how measles never went away. It already made the multi species jump, if we eliminate it from humans it could still jump from another species back into humans again.

In reality, the vaccine will only save the small percentage of the vulnerable population who actually managed to avoid Covid for over a year. Maybe more if it comes out early in flu season as opposed to late flu season.

[jdizzle]

An NPR report today stated there is a possibility COVID will never go away. That's reassuring :-/

A flu vaccine made the flu go away...oh, wait.

[TheTravellers]

Things that most people don't even think about regarding a coronavirus vaccine.

Keeping coronavirus vaccines at subzero temperatures during distribution will be hard, but likely key to ending pandemic

[bucktalk]

I guess I'm a little confused. But will the vaccine prevent COVID or if you already have COVID does the vaccine restore your health? So is the vaccine 'pre' or 'post' to fight the virus?

[Pete]

I guess I'm a little confused. But will the vaccine prevent COVID or if you already have COVID does the vaccine restore your health? So is the vaccine 'pre' or 'post' to fight the virus?

It's preventative.

People will take it to make them more immune to catching Covid-19, just like a flu shot.

[bucktalk]

It's preventative.

People will take it to make them more immune to catching Covid-19, just like a flu shot.

Ah, ok. With that in mind if you had a positive test for COVID but no symptoms -do you get the vaccine or no? Just wondering....

[Pete]

Ah, ok. With that in mind if you had a positive test for COVID but no symptoms -do you get the vaccine or no? Just wondering....

Yes, you should take it.

Whatever immunity you have from having the disease once will not last.

[Bill Robertson]

Ah, ok. With that in mind if you had a positive test for COVID but no symptoms -do you get the vaccine or no? Just wondering....

Yes! Take it. I had antibodies for about 4 months. Then got the damn thing again and it is worse for me the second time. I'll get the shot the second I can get it.

Side-note: I've been searching like mad the past month for information on people getting it 3 or more times but I haven't found much. I'm not letting my guard down but I'm hoping a second, worse case will build more immunity.

[HangryHippo]

Bill - have you had it confirmed that it's a second case via another test?

[Bill Robertson]

Bill - have you had it confirmed that it's a second case via another test?

No but all the month long symptoms fit. I broke my collarbone in 1980 during a bike race and I wouldn't have to have an x-ray to know if I ever broke it again. I know what it felt like. When I have been fever free for 14 days per OBI guidelines I'll donate blood and I'm 99.9% sure I'll test positive for antibodies again.

[HangryHippo]

No but all the month long symptoms fit. I broke my collarbone in 1980 during a bike race and I wouldn't have to have an x-ray to know if I ever broke it again. I know what it felt like. When I have been fever free for 14 days per OBI guidelines I'll donate blood and I'm 99.9% sure I'll test positive for antibodies again.

You kept describing lingering symptoms for some time. Is it possible that you’re a long-hauler as opposed to a second case (which seems unlikely considering your original disease timeline)?

[Bill Robertson]

You kept describing lingering symptoms for some time. Is it possible that you’re a long-hauler as opposed to a second case (which seems unlikely considering your original disease timeline)?

I don't think so. One, I haven't seen reports of long haul continuation happening 8 months after the first time. Two, there was a visitor at work that tested positive after returning home right about then. I could have easily been in hallways, restrooms, etc. right after him. His time there would be right on for my onset. Sadly, his stay was the one time they tried opening the place since March. Before that week and since the building has had like 5 people out of 40 working daily. So I can go all day and see no one. Except that one week. Also, I didn't say but maybe I should have but this second time my wife developed very similar symptoms just about 10 days after I did so that unfortunately fits with me passing it to her. Right now our big thing is who's going to go to the kitchen for bottled water since it will require a rest afterward.

[PaddyShack]

So, how longs does the vaccine prevent someone from getting covid-19? If those antibodies from having covid-19 wear off after some time, wouldn't the antibodies from the vaccine do the same? My understanding of vaccines is that it is just enough of the virus strand to trigger antibody production with out actually causing the full blown symptoms of the full strength virus, it doesn't sound much different whether you get COVID or the vaccine, both generate the antibodies, which leads to better response when the virus comes around to your body again.

[PoliSciGuy]

So, how does the vaccine prevent someone from getting covid-19 if those antibodies from having covid-19 wear off after some time, my understanding of vaccines is that it is just enough of the virus strand to trigger antibody production with out actually causing the full blown symptoms of the full strength virus.

Depends on the technology. mRNA vaccines don't have any live virus but rather simply send a message (in incredibly layman's terms) to our antibodies to prep a defense against COVID-19. As for immunity, it will most likely last years according to recent studies: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/17/h...-immunity.html

I fully expect I'll have to take multiple COVID vaccine shots throughout my life, but not nearly as often as a flu shot.

[jedicurt]

So, how longs does the vaccine prevent someone from getting covid-19? If those antibodies from having covid-19 wear off after some time, wouldn't the antibodies from the vaccine do the same? My understanding of vaccines is that it is just enough of the virus strand to trigger antibody production with out actually causing the full blown symptoms of the full strength virus, it doesn't sound much different whether you get COVID or the vaccine, both generate the antibodies, which leads to better response when the virus comes around to your body again.

so there is some truth to this. a recent study. i can't find the actual study, but Science Versus just did a podcast on it. talking about how we still don't know how long the antibodies stay around, but we do know that there is a certain and small percentage that is able to get it a second time within about a 90 day window, but that appears to be a small percentage. and much like if you do get it and get it a second time, most see a milder case, but there is a small percentage of that subset that actually gets it quite a bit worse. But what appears to be more common are people who get it and it keeps flaring up and they have it for a month or even a few months... this seems to be a much larger issue and why a vaccine is a much better method for getting the antibodies than just getting the virus

[jedicurt]

I fully expect I'll have to take multiple COVID vaccine shots throughout my life, but not nearly as often as a flu shot.

yep. i see it like tetanus , and you will need a booster every couple of years, or something. i hope i'm wrong, and even if you do, that still doesn't mean we can't keep working to eradicate it eventually one day (why i am so glad we now won't be leaving the WHO. we pay more because you get to say what that extra money goes to, and the US usually puts it into eradicating viruses. we are very close to getting Polio eradicated, and that would have stopped with us so close had we left.)

[OkiePoke]

yep. i see it like tetanus , and you will need a booster every couple of years, or something. i hope i'm wrong, and even if you do, that still doesn't mean we can't keep working to eradicate it eventually one day (why i am so glad we now won't be leaving the WHO. we pay more because you get to say what that extra money goes to, and the US usually puts it into eradicating viruses. we are very close to getting Polio eradicated, and that would have stopped with us so close had we left.)

Funny thing about the tetanus booster is, they aren't sure how long it lasts (recently suggests 30 yrs), but no real study longer than 10 years.

[jn1780]

Average time for coronavirus antibodies to wear off is about 4 - 5 years, but usually the population is not sick at the same time because a virus is not novel like covid-19 is.

There are a lot of viruses in the world that it would be "nice to remove from the world" , the human body is able to deal with 99% of those. Unfortunately we all get old, and our body takes more and more "refresher" courses in order to properly deal with viruses. Eventually, we get to the point where even the common cold can take us down. I don't think we can eliminate all viruses and bacteria from the world unless we do it somehow with Nanorobotics. But that seems like a huge can of worms we're opening up there.

[HangryHippo]

Average time for coronavirus antibodies to wear off is about 4 - 5 years, but unlike a novel virus the population is not getting re-inoculated or re-infected at the same time which is what makes this virus so bad.

There are a lot of viruses in the world that it would be "nice to remove from the world" , the human body is able to deal with 99% of those. Unfortunately we all get old, and our body takes more and more "refresher" courses in order to properly deal with viruses. Eventually, we get to the point where even the common cold can take us down. I don't think we can eliminate all viruses and bacteria from the world unless we do it somehow with Nanorobotics somehow. But that seems like a huge can of worms we're opening up there.

Where in the world did you get 4-5 years? They have no way of knowing that yet. Or are you talking about a different coronavirus?

[jn1780]

Where in the world did you get 4-5 years? They have no way of knowing that yet. Or are you talking about a different coronavirus?

Coronaviruses in general lasts an average 4-5 years on past research.

[Bill Robertson]

Coronaviruses in general lasts an average 4-5 years on past research.

The antibodies for this seem to be lasting 3 to 4 months. This according to current research and personal experience.

[PoliSciGuy]

The antibodies for this seem to be lasting 3 to 4 months. This according to current research and personal experience.

Yeah the antibodies only last for a few months, but the T-cell memory, which works to prevent re-infection, is likely to last years:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-020-01143-2

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...11.15.383323v1

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/17/h...-immunity.html

[silvergrove]

Where in the world did you get 4-5 years? They have no way of knowing that yet. Or are you talking about a different coronavirus?

There are other coronaviruses besides the current pandemic one (The one that causes COVID-19 is called SARS-CoV-2). Other coronaviruses can cause mild to moderate respiratory illnesses, not unlike the common cold. Since they're all in the same family, we're making assumptions on how SARS-CoV-2 may act.

[TheTravellers]

Hadn't really read this anywhere, and assumed that the COVID-19 vaccine would prevent a vaccinated person from getting infected, but that's apparently not the case (as it normally is with vaccines). It can prevent serious disease symptoms, but apparently can't prevent you from getting infected, so it's definitely not the silver bullet everybody's expecting.

[jerrywall]

Hadn't really read this anywhere, and assumed that the COVID-19 vaccine would prevent a vaccinated person from getting infected, but that's apparently not the case (as it normally is with vaccines). It can prevent serious disease symptoms, but apparently can't prevent you from getting infected, so it's definitely not the silver bullet everybody's expecting.

Yeah. My sister works at Integris and got the vaccine yesterday, so I asked her if that meant I could see her at Christmas, and she said that what they're telling them is that even once they get the second shot, they don't know yet if folks could still spread it to others.