On Topic Discussion 2019 Coronavirus (COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2)

[Kulindahr]

^
I wish I could send that to the PA who insisted no one needed more than two shots and no real vaccine would have to be give more than once a year.

BTW, after waiting almost three months to get a new primary care doc, it turns out -- and no one at the clinic knew this! -- that the assigned doctor is phobic about dogs! (Is that "caninophobia"? or would it be cyonophobia, from the Greek instead of Latin?) I thought about it for a couple of days and decided there was no way I'm going to put up with a doctor who isn't comfortable around Knox, so yesterday when the clinic called about scheduling a six-month checkup appointment, I explained this to them. So the next option on their list was a PA....

turns out it's the same PA I thought was so nice (and cute!)

Too bad he's married.

 

[Kulindahr]

Something light-hearted from early in the pandemic--

 

[cityboy-stl]

So WHO says Monkeypox is over and Covid is over. Except they are not.

I'm a little concerned about Arcturus, which I read is spreading. I really do not want to see another severe Covid outbreak.

 

[LoveMyPeppermill]

The WHO is saying that the emergencies are over. But yes, most people won't make that distinction.

 

[cityboy-stl]

The WHO is saying that the emergencies are over. But yes, most people won't make that distinction.

True and true. Most people are acting like it is just over.

 

[KaraBulut]

So WHO says Monkeypox is over and Covid is over. Except they are not.

I'm a little concerned about Arcturus, which I read is spreading. I really do not want to see another severe Covid outbreak.

The WHO is saying that the emergencies are over. But yes, most people won't make that distinction.

That's exactly it: the "emergency" is over. The expectation that things are returning to normal in society but it does not mean COVID-19 is over.

One of the unfortunate things is that funding for surveillance is ending and the requirement that States report their cases and deaths to the CDC is also ending. Free COVID-19 vaccines are ending, along with the mandates.

The estimates are that we've leveled in the US at about 1,000 COVID-19 deaths per week. It will probably not change on the short-term, as those who are going to get vaccinated have been vaccinated. The FDA and CDC still haven't come out with booster guidelines and we are at the point where the 4 month antibody booster from the bivalent vaccines in the Fall is waning.

Thankfully, the mutation rate for the virus has either slowed or the vaccines have helped slow the infection rate which also slows the number of new mutations. Africa remains the one place in the world that has high mutation rates because of their low vaccination percentages.

 

[ShadowCat]

That's exactly it: the "emergency" is over. The expectation that things are returning to normal in society but it does not mean COVID-19 is over.

One of the unfortunate things is that funding for surveillance is ending and the requirement that States report their cases and deaths to the CDC is also ending. Free COVID-19 vaccines are ending, along with the mandates.

The estimates are that we've leveled in the US at about 1,000 COVID-19 deaths per week. It will probably not change on the short-term, as those who are going to get vaccinated have been vaccinated. The FDA and CDC still haven't come out with booster guidelines and we are at the point where the 4 month antibody booster from the bivalent vaccines in the Fall is waning.

Thankfully, the mutation rate for the virus has either slowed or the vaccines have helped slow the infection rate which also slows the number of new mutations. Africa remains the one place in the world that has high mutation rates because of their low vaccination percentages.

Then we should restrict anything to or from Africa while things get under control there!

 

[KaraBulut]

Then we should restrict anything to or from Africa while things get under control there!

It would be more useful to undertake vaccination mass programs in Africa.

 

[Kulindahr]

That's exactly it: the "emergency" is over. The expectation that things are returning to normal in society but it does not mean COVID-19 is over.

One of the unfortunate things is that funding for surveillance is ending and the requirement that States report their cases and deaths to the CDC is also ending. Free COVID-19 vaccines are ending, along with the mandates.

The estimates are that we've leveled in the US at about 1,000 COVID-19 deaths per week. It will probably not change on the short-term, as those who are going to get vaccinated have been vaccinated. The FDA and CDC still haven't come out with booster guidelines and we are at the point where the 4 month antibody booster from the bivalent vaccines in the Fall is waning.

Thankfully, the mutation rate for the virus has either slowed or the vaccines have helped slow the infection rate which also slows the number of new mutations. Africa remains the one place in the world that has high mutation rates because of their low vaccination percentages.

The hospital clinic is still giving vaccines for free -- one of the advantages of having a church-run hospital with the stated mission of caring for people.

 

[Kahaih]

The hospital clinic is still giving vaccines for free -- one of the advantages of having a church-run hospital with the stated mission of caring for people.

Bet you anything the hospital gets paid by Medicare and/or Medicaid.

 

[KaraBulut]

The hospital clinic is still giving vaccines for free -- one of the advantages of having a church-run hospital with the stated mission of caring for people.

Bet you anything the hospital gets paid by Medicare and/or Medicaid.

In theory, under the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare), immunizations are covered at 100% as "preventative services".

During the emergency, the Federal Government was buying the vaccine in bulk and providing it to providers for free. Because of the cold storage requirements and the manpower needed to do mass immunizations, most of the providers giving the COVID-19 vaccine were billing for an "administration fee", that was paid by private insurance or CMS (aka Medicare/Medicaid). The emergency declaration also provided no-cost vaccines for the uninsured.

With the end of the emergency, the government will stop buying COVID-19 vaccines. When the stockpiled vaccines are used up, the clinics will begin charging both for the cost of the vaccine and the administration fee.

Booster uptake was much less than expected. There's currently about 100 million booster doses in storage that will eventually be used or will expire/be discarded.

 

[cityboy-stl]

^ I am planning to get my second bivalent Moderna booster next week.

 

[Thad1527]

The free COVID at-home tests for Medicare recipients have ended. I was in a busy CVS pharmacy on the last day of their availability. Old folks are greedy, especially for anything free.

 

[Kahaih]

The free COVID at-home tests for Medicare recipients have ended. I was in a busy CVS pharmacy on the last day of their availability. Old folks are greedy, especially for anything free.

So, they weren't really free, they were covered by Medicare without a co-payment.

No real act of kindness to speak of. No goodness coming from anyone's heart.

 

[cityboy-stl]

So, they weren't really free, they were covered by Medicare without a co-payment.

No real act of kindness to speak of. No goodness coming from anyone's heart.

Medicare covered them and they were paid for with Medicare funds and/or Covid relief funds. That's true. We all know that. The tests were free to the individual who received them. Which is the point.

 

[KaraBulut]

The free COVID at-home tests for Medicare recipients have ended. I was in a busy CVS pharmacy on the last day of their availability. Old folks are greedy, especially for anything free.

As long as more people got their booster...

So, they weren't really free, they were covered by Medicare without a co-payment.

No real act of kindness to speak of. No goodness coming from anyone's heart.

Every medication charge has two components - 1) the cost of the medication and 2) the cost of administering the medication. The US Govt did a bulk purchase of the vaccine at about $20/per dose and they distributed the medication to vaccinators for free. If the patient had Medicare/Medicare or no insurance, the vaccinator could bill the government for a $40 administration fee.

When the Government supply of vaccine runs out, it will cost you about $100 per dose for the vaccine plus the $40 administration fee. That cost will be billed to your insurance or you will have to pay out-of-pocket.

 

[Kahaih]

/\ Yes, I know. The administers (drugstores, hospitals, clinics, etc) weren't/aren't paying for the vaccine, and they aren't sticking people for free - they're getting paid.

No saints there.

And governments couldn't foot the bill without tax payers. Did tax payers really get a freebie, or did they pay in advance?

 

[rareboy]

Ah thankful to still be in Canada.

Our alerts came by email last week to get our booster...our village pharmacist now gives us our shots.

Al, covered by OHIP. Through our taxes. At a lower cost per unit because there is no third party insurance bullshit.

 

[Kulindahr]

Bet you anything the hospital gets paid by Medicare and/or Medicaid.

That would only cover a small portion of the population. The hospital clinic is providing them free to everyone.

 

[Kulindahr]

In theory, under the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare), immunizations are covered at 100% as "preventative services".

I'd forgotten that.

During the emergency, the Federal Government was buying the vaccine in bulk and providing it to providers for free. Because of the cold storage requirements and the manpower needed to do mass immunizations, most of the providers giving the COVID-19 vaccine were billing for an "administration fee", that was paid by private insurance or CMS (aka Medicare/Medicaid). The emergency declaration also provided no-cost vaccines for the uninsured.

With the end of the emergency, the government will stop buying COVID-19 vaccines. When the stockpiled vaccines are used up, the clinics will begin charging both for the cost of the vaccine and the administration fee.

Booster uptake was much less than expected. There's currently about 100 million booster doses in storage that will eventually be used or will expire/be discarded.

So would getting another booster be a good idea?