Just had a call from my neighborhood clinic informing me that my 2nd shot next week has been cancelled. Our county health dept decided to administered the 2nd doses that were supposed to be held in reserve to individuals needing their first shot. And now the supply has dried up. So now there are thousands of us who are SOL and may need to start over again.

And this is just my county here in Iowa. I imagine this is going on nationwide. Possibly worldwide.

my wife and i got our first Pfizer shot on the 12th.
i had absolutely no reaction to it, but my wife was super tired the next day, and said her arm was sore if you pushed on the area where the shot was administered.
we get the second shot march the 9th.

The Covid “Variant” from Manaus region of Brazil called P1
looks like a pretty bad hombre

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-03-transmissible-evasive-sars-cov-variant-rapidly.html

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Is the P.1 lineage more transmissible compared to others?

Based on what is known so far, the researchers estimate the P.1 lineage is 1.4 to 2.2 times more transmissible. This might change over time.

Is the P.1 lineage better at escaping immunity compared to other lineages?

Partial immune escape is likely. It is not possible to provide an exact figure but it is estimated that P.1 evades between 25 and 61% of immunity conferred from prior infection with previously circulating strains. What this means is that 100 people previously infected with non-P.1 SARS-CoV-2 lineages that circulated in Manaus, between 25 to 61 of them could be re-infected if they are exposed to P.1 in Manaus.

Is the P.1 lineage more deadly compared to other lineages?

The study found P.1 is associated with a 1.1-1.8 times increase in risk of mortality compared to previously circulating variants in Manaus.
However, the health system in Manaus collapsed during this second wave and so it is unclear whether the increased risk of mortality is due to P.1 or the strain on the health system imposed by the large second wave. Uncertainty surrounding this effect and how it generalises outside the context of Manaus is therefore considerable.

Will vaccines still protect us from infection with the P.1 lineage?
Vaccines can protect from infection and protect from disease or death. This study shows evidence that the virus may cause more severe disease. However, this study only considered acquired immunity and did not study vaccine effectiveness. There is no evidence that the current vaccines are less effective against the P.1 lineage.

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I received my second vaccine Sunday. Felt lousy most of Monday, aches , slight fever and fatigue. Tuesday was a big improvement

Brazilian P.1 strain of Covid-19 now in 5 US States

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-03-coronavirus-variant-brazil-states.html

Which one? Moderna or Pfizer? I have heard that the Moderna 2nd vaccine hits some people fairly hard but haven't heard much about the 2nd Pfizer.

Still awaiting for my 2nd Moderna to show up.

I got Moderna. My wife got Pfizer and she was sick after her second dose, bad headaches, low fever aches and pains flu like symptoms.
Didn't last long however. The thing is she has a compromised immune system because of cancer, so I would guess that would have been a contributing factor.
Im very happy we both have now received both doses. We take precautions of course but were not in a total lockdown either. Being our ages (later sixties) and her health, contracting Covid has been a nearly year long concern

My 80 year old mother got moderna, no effects other than a sore arm and she was tired for a day

Firefighters say their place in line for vaccines is unjust compared to hospital staff.

https://www.news-medical.net/news/2...8099-e28094-signal-pandemic-burnout.aspx

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As of Feb. 19, 110 firefighters and 53 EMS workers nationwide have died of covid, according to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. It is not known how many contracted the virus on the job. Dupin said contact tracing showed that all three KCFD members who died contracted covid while working.

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I'm a 61 year old former leukemia patient still waiting for my vaccine, but orangutans in the San Diego Zoo got theirs.

long article with many details about what US Intelligence agencies know or suspect about Chinese coronavirus research

https://www.politico.com/news/magaz...2-d5b7-af5f-fff3c0e70000&nlid=630318

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The Wuhan Institute of Virology had openly participated in gain-of-function research in partnership with U.S. universities and institutions. But the official told me the U.S. government had evidence that Chinese labs were performing gain-of-function research on a much larger scale than was publicly disclosed, meaning they were taking more risks in more labs than anyone outside China was aware of. This insight, in turn, fed into the lab-accident hypothesis in a new and troubling way.

A little-noticed study was released in early July 2020 by a group of Chinese researchers in Beijing, including several affiliated with the Academy of Military Medical Science. These scientists said they had created a new model for studying SARS-CoV-2 by creating mice with human-like lung characteristics by using the CRISPR gene-editing technology to give the mice lung cells with the human ACE2 receptor — the cell receptor that allowed coronaviruses to so easily infect human lungs.

After consultations with experts, some U.S. officials came to believe this Beijing lab was likely conducting coronavirus experiments on mice fitted with ACE2 receptors well before the coronavirus outbreak—research they hadn’t disclosed and continued not to admit to. In its January 15 statement, the State Department alleged that although the Wuhan Institute of Virology disclosed some of its participation in gain-of-function research, it has not disclosed its work on RaTG13 and “has engaged in classified research, including laboratory animal experiments, on behalf of the Chinese military since at least 2017.” That, by itself, did not help to explain how SARS-CoV-2 originated. But it was clear that officials believed there was a lot of risky coronavirus research going on in Chinese labs that the rest of the world was simply not aware of.

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Therapy to speed up the return of smell after Covid-19

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-03-covid-therapies.html

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Patients with smell loss due to COVID-19 may be prescribed nasal steroids or rinses to reduce inflammation. If smell loss persists, the next step is olfactory retraining, which both experts describe as physical therapy for your nose.

Patients gently smell different essential oils or herbs with familiar scents for 20 seconds while focusing on their memories and experiences associated with those scents. Rose, lemon, clove and eucalyptus are commonly used, but patients can choose their own scents. Patients should do two sessions a day for four to six months.

"It takes patience. The more you train, the better the outcome will be," Locke said. "I recommend patients find a quiet place where they won't be disturbed so they can give their full attention to the practice."

Sivam said patients should manage their expectations before starting the regimen, because they may not regain the same level of smell as they had before they were infected with COVID-19.

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Six people have been infected by Covid-19
in addition to every one person who got a positive Covid test
says large Emory University study of USA from October 2020.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-03-covid-antibody-americans-infected-october.html

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The study found that people living in metropolitan areas were 2.5 times more likely to have been infected than those living in non-metropolitan areas.

Also, people who are Black and Hispanic were more likely than whites to have experienced SARS-CoV-2 infection (2.2 times and 3.1 times more, respectively). Roughly one in six of those infected at some point had been diagnosed with COVID-19 and reported to health departments, based on comparison with CDC reports.

In addition, in a survey of participants' attitudes toward vaccination, the study found that 32 percent said they were unsure or unwilling to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccine willingness was measured with a 5-point scale. The overall findings were: 12 percent Very Unlikely, 7 percent Somewhat Unlikely, 13 percent Unsure, 19 percent Likely, and 50 percent Very Likely.

Many population groups at higher risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection were more likely to be unsure or unwilling: Black vs White (46 vs 30 percent), people working outside the home vs those working at home (38 vs 21 percent) and smokers vs nonsmokers (44 vs 29 percent).

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As of today there is just short of 30 million confirmed by test USA cases.
30 x 6 = 180 million USA residents had Covid but took no test.

In addition to the above numbers,
32 million USA citizens have now completed 2 vaccine shots.

So roughly 240 million USA citizens have some immunity.
About 72%

Herd Immunity should be near if above numbers are approximately true.

Got my second Pfizer shot Tuesday -zero effects other than the sore arm like the first shot. Fine the next day

Just got my first one a few hours ago and not even a sore arm It will be very nice to get out to the races this summer.

Gus

My mom (nurse) got both of hers maybe a month ago now. After the second she had a general "bleh" feeling, and could have done stuff, but chose to read a book instead that day.

My dad and grandma are getting their second shot in a week or two.

Will be nice to see them in person again.

Once again...like always...Proving your tact and intellect with every post.