Breakthrough club

[teetee]

Since we are vaccinated, and no serious symptoms, testing would not change our behavior, stay home and isolate.
If we got sicker, I guess we would go get tested to eliminate/confirm covid.

As for the population stats, if I knew there was 0 covid on the ship, I'd feel it's probably not covid. If I knew 66 people caught covid on the ship, I'd believe it's very likely I was exposed.

You can be on a plane and not be exposed, and you can be on a cruise ship and not be exposed.

For example Carnival Vista just had an outbreak of 27 cases
26 were crew and 1 passenger, on a ship of total capacity of ~5,400
If everyone on the ship was exposed, they would have a LOT more than 27 cases.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/trav...-27-positive-cases-carnival-vista/8105767002/

Ah I see. I think it is the confusion between the terms exposed and infected. You can be exposed but not be infected if the level of viral load you are exposed to is handled by your immune system successfully.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

For those of you getting test, where are you getting this done? The health department testing centers seemed to have closed down in my area. Are you getting tested at a pharmacy? I have some of the home test kits but a forum member who is a doctor says they are unreliable.

The reported accuracy of the take home tests are 90%+, so while I don't dismiss the information shared by a single physician, IMHO it's good enough for most situations. They are good enough that they are allowed as legitimate tests for travel back into the US.

I suppose if you need/want to know for travel or being around a bunch of people where 99% accuracy is needed, then sure. Otherwise, I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with the at home test for situational awareness.

 

[harllee]

The reported accuracy of the take home tests are 90%+, so while I don't dismiss the information shared by a single physician, IMHO it's good enough for most situations. They are good enough that they are allowed as legitimate tests for travel back into the US.

I suppose if you need/want to know for travel or being around a bunch of people where 99% accuracy is needed, then sure. Otherwise, I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with the at home test for situational awareness.

Thanks for this Flyboy. This is what I thought--I would use the home test if I felt like I had a cold or something similar. If I know I have been exposed I will get a more accurate test.

 

[Alan]

The fully vax'ed employee who tested positive where my son works continues to have no symptoms so he will be back in the office on Monday. No one else in the office tested positive, and they have all been testing themselves since the news.

Just talked to our son as he and my wife have been out to a garden center this morning. He said that everyone except him was back in the office a couple of days ago (Today is Saturday) but no one expected him to be in because of his recent experience.

 

[Time2]

Last night, Friday evening, my live in son told us one of the guys he works with tested positive that afternoon. The same guys daughter, had tested positive Tuesday and another of his daughters two weeks earlier.

We are all vaccinated, so just hoping for the best.
I take vitamin D, I started my wife and son on it last night.

 

[EastWest Gal]

At that point I went ahead and got tested - positive! DW, also vaccinated, then got tested (negative) and was told testing is not necessary for vaccinated individuals that are exposed unless they have symptoms.

(I messed up the quote and can’t seem to fix it)

That’s odd. The CDC explicitly recommends that vaccinated individuals should get tested 3-4 days after exposure even if asymptomatic. It may help shorten the quarantine period, I think.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/quarantine.html

 

[Time2]

Last evening our local news reported we have a site giving Regeneron a Monoclonal Antibody as a treatment for those that test positive.
I don't know anything about it. Anyone familiar?

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[Aerides]

Last evening our local news reported we have a site giving Regeneron a Monoclonal Antibody as a treatment for those that test positive.
I don't know anything about it. Anyone familiar?

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Yes there have been some discussions about it, recently here:
https://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f55/covid-positive-regen-cov-110137.html

There are pop up sites showing up all over Florida now too.

 

[Another Reader]

This treatment shows a lot of promise. Here is an article about an immunosuppressed patient that tested positive for 300 days. He accumulated numerous virus mutations over that time that were tracked. He cleared the virus completely with two doses.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34201591/

It is being considered for prophylactic use for people that cannot be vaccinated for various reasons. There are a couple of reported cases of Long Haul patients that have received it and appear to have been cured. That would be very good news, as it's increasingly clear this virus is persistent, and therefore mutating, in many Long Haulers. That makes us viral reservoirs for the species...

 

[Time2]

Thanks, Aerides and Another Reader, for those two posts, I'm on board with MAB if the need should arise.

 

[harllee]

This treatment shows a lot of promise. Here is an article about an immunosuppressed patient that tested positive for 300 days. He accumulated numerous virus mutations over that time that were tracked. He cleared the virus completely with two doses.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34201591/

It is being considered for prophylactic use for people that cannot be vaccinated for various reasons. There are a couple of reported cases of Long Haul patients that have received it and appear to have been cured. That would be very good news, as it's increasingly clear this virus is persistent, and therefore mutating, in many Long Haulers. That makes us viral reservoirs for the species...

I hope and pray this treatment helps the long haulers.

 

[Chuckanut]

Last evening our local news reported we have a site giving Regeneron a Monoclonal Antibody as a treatment for those that test positive.
I don't know anything about it. Anyone familiar?

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That is good news. We definitely need a fall-back therapy. The vaccines are good but not perfect, as we all know.

 

[Chuckanut]

Here's an FYI: In California the hospitalization rate for unvaccinated people is 68 times greater than for the vaccinated people. The death rate is 58 times greater for unvaccinated people. Not quite the difference of the hospitalization rate but still substantial.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/08/10/us/covid-breakthrough-infections-vaccines.html

 

[Ole Red 29]

My wife and I got the Pfizer vaccines in Feb of this year. About 6 days ago I started having a headache and fatigue. I went to my doctor and was tested positive for covid. The symptoms never got worse. I did have some sinus congestion, a bit of a cough and lost my sense of smell. The headache and fatigue lasted about 4 days. It wasn't incapacitating, but it was enough to keep my activity around the house fairly low. The last couple of days I have felt better each day. Today I spent the entire day working in the yard. I am not completely over it, but close. Thankfully it was a mild case. After I was diagnosed, I slept in a separate room from my wife and limited contact with her. She never got it.

 

[EastWest Gal]

I would get the monoclonal antibody if I test positive.

We give monoclonals against RSV to tiny preterm infants prophylactically, and have been doing so for over 20 years.

 

[harllee]

I would get the monoclonal antibody if I test positive.

We give monoclonals against RSV to tiny preterm infants prophylactically, and have been doing so for over 20 years.

EastWest Gal, is the monoclonal antibody readily available in most of the U.S.? I wonder if there are shortages?

 

[EastWest Gal]

I understand it has been under utilized in the past. I have no personal experience with it.

HHS launched a locator website back in January. It simply lists places that order the monoclonals. On TWIV podcast, Daniel Griffin MD discussed how his health system set up infusions in nursing homes. Here is the website:

https://protect-public.hhs.gov/pages/therapeutics-distribution#distribution-locations

 

[Aerides]

FYI, we have a separate thread dedicated to treatment protocols, which includes info on Monoclonal antibodies (ie. Regeneron). Please post there if you wish to continue that discussion.
https://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f55/standardized-covid-treatment-protocols-106155.html

Let's keep this thread specific to breakthrough infections.

 

[DrRoy]

I had a concert scheduled with friends for Monday night, and we met for dinner before. The plan was to eat outside, but it had recently rained and the outdoor seating was not open. I picked a table near the door, away from other tables, and with good ventilation. At the concert, after we passed security, I put on an active, anti-virus N-95 mask for the concert. Only 1-3% of the crowd had a mask. The rest of my group did not. It's only been 2 1/2 days, so too early to tell yet.

Day 7, still good.

 

[HMMY]

At my husband's office, there have been 10 breakthrough infections. Two were "sick", similar to a bad cold. The other 8 had no symptoms and wouldn't have known except that his office tests everyone every week.

My son's friend had a breakthrough infection with mild cold symptoms for 2 days. None of his vaccinated friends that he was with contracted it.

 

[COHgirl]

I’m vaccinated with J&J. My husband is also. I had the classic sinus infection/head cold feeling start earlier this week. No fever whatsoever. I even sneezed a bit. My allergy medicine helped the symptoms…so I believed it was allergies. On Wednesday an unvaccinated friend I visited over the weekend said she lost her sense of smell and took a Covid test. Of course it was positive. I picked up the BinaxNOW from CVS for $24 (in the drive thru). My husband and I ran the tests. Mine showed the two lines nearly immediately. His was negative thankfully. We already have separate bedrooms and bathrooms which is great.
My symptoms are nothing like the typical Covid stories. One really odd thing was early on my face felt like I had a sunburn or wind burn for just an hour or so. I’ve got a stuffy drippy nose. Sinus congestion. My upper teeth hurt at the gum line. I have an occasional cough. I’ve had a pretty consistent headache. I have a sore throat. I lost most of the sense of smell on the third day. I can taste a few things still. One thing I can still smell is spearmint oil.

I NEVER HAD A FEVER.

I’m taking extra vitamins and supplements. I have not taken any cold medicine or pain reliever. So far my husband is feeling ok. I really hope that he doesn’t catch it from me.
Monday I am scheduled for the monoclonal antibody infusion.

 

[KarenF]

Out of curiousity, is it possible to test positive but have had your symptoms from a cold? I know two people that tested positive but had absolutely no symptoms whatsoever. So is it possible your symptoms actually were from a cold and not covid?

There are some false negatives and positives from testing, very few. It is highly unlikely to test COVID positive from a cold, as it is a different virus.

 

[HMMY]

False positives happen. At my mom's nursing home, she and a few others tested positive. They were taken to the hospital, who tested to confirm and sent back because they tested negative.

 

[disneysteve]

I NEVER HAD A FEVER.

Many (perhaps most) COVID patients don't get a fever, vaccinated or not. That was something that was mistakenly promoted early on as a "required" symptom. So many patients came in saying, "I know it's not COVID because I don't have a fever" only to test positive. The same goes for loss of smell and taste. If you have that, it's probably COVID, but not having it doesn't rule it out.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Many (perhaps most) COVID patients don't get a fever, vaccinated or not. That was something that was mistakenly promoted early on as a "required" symptom. So many patients came in saying, "I know it's not COVID because I don't have a fever" only to test positive. The same goes for loss of smell and taste. If you have that, it's probably COVID, but not having it doesn't rule it out.

Your post makes an EXCELLENT point re: temperatures. The requirement to get your temp checked is still rampant in places and I don't understand this for the life of me.