Posted on 08/02/2021 7:23:46 AM PDT by 2aProtectsTheRest
The RT-PCR testing that you get (regardless of where the testing is done) gives you a positive/negative result for presence of SARS-CoV-2, but does NOT identify the specific variant. For that, CDC takes a random sampling of positive test specimens and does whole genome sequencing. It’s through this process that the actual variant is identified.
This is done on a subset of positive specimens because it costs about $130 to sequence the genome of a single sample. This is how the statistics are compiled on which variants are active. You can reach out to testing laboratories in your area if you test positive and see if any are capable of doing whole genome sequencing and if they’re willing to do so. Expect to pay probably more than $130 as that’s effectively the “bulk” rate.
Sorry for the redundant comment below; I didn’t see this before I responded to your earlier question!
Glad you got the info you were looking for!
I have no problem with redundancy!
That seems to be the common experience for the few vaccinated people who get COVID and are bad enough to go to the hospital (total of 4,641 for the whole country as of July 26th): they go in for a few days and come out just fine.
Contrast this with the more common experience for unvaccinated people who frequently go into the hospital for weeks at a time and as many as half end up in the ICU. I pinged the docs who can elaborate on their experience, but suffice it to say that the overwhelming data is that at every stage along the way (catching it, getting any symptoms, getting symptoms severe enough to become hospitalized in the first place, staying hospitalized, ICU admission, and death), vaccination drastically reduces the risks and improves the experience.
Also worth noting that data from the Big 10 study indicates that young male athletes develop myocarditis from COVID-19 infection in 2.3% of cases, which is astronomically higher than the risk of developing it from COVID-19 vaccination. Which means that if we’re worried about myocarditis in young males, vaccination is the best available way to reduce the risk of that.
I’d be curious to see whether - for young males specifically - the J&J vaccine winds up being the safest option. I haven’t seen any reports of blood clot issues for males, and J&J doesn’t appear to present risk of myocarditis.
Most of the medical professionals were run off from here months ago. I salute you for continuing to share your perspective. Thank you for still commenting on the forums here. Your input and participation is greatly appreciated. I believe the source of much of the animosity is that egregious lies and faulty statistics from government agencies and politicians have emboldened those who tend to be paranoid to begin with.
Observations from medical professionals such as yourself are needed to avoid what I believe is the greatest long term threat... Millions of deaths from preventable disease in the future will be caused by people who will refuse to be vaccinated for anything after the extent of this current botched up mess is realized. Unfortunately medical professionals and not the politicians will be the ones blamed. This is the source of much of the very regrettable misguided animosity toward you..
Double blind studies are starting to show no advantage between some of the vaccines over placebos when faced with variants. It is people such as yourself spreading this type of pure unproven BS that is obliterating any trust that people have in government agencies, the media, and politicians. As the extent of this mess is realized millions of people will die in the future because they will refuse worthwhile vaccines that work against deadly preventable diseases. I hope you are proud of what you are accomplishing.
You are a one issue plant here who comments on just one subject that has nothing to do with your moniker. You do not know the difference between a primer and a projectile.
Thank you for your kind words. They are much appreciated. Have a blessed day
“How many previously had covid and recovered?”
Just in the last week, CDC updated its estimate, to run through May 2021, from the start of the epidemic. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/burden.html
They put it around 120 Million. In the two months since, new infections have sped way up, with the Delta wave. I’d guess something like 5-10 Million more (possibly even more).
Roughly speaking, they estimate about three unreported infections, for each one confirmed by test, but that probably varies from place to place, and at different times.
We don’t have any good way (and I doubt CDC does either), of telling how many of those who were previously exposed are also counted among those who were infected. So we can’t just add 120 Million infected to 165 million fully vaccinated to get 285 Million with strong immunity (which would be like 85% of the US population). But natural immunity is a major component of our herd immunity.
In the Spring, vaccination was outpacing infection better than 10 to 1. But since vaccinations slowed way down, and Delta is spreading rapidly, we may be approaching closer to parity as the Delta wave peaks. After Delta, I think there will be too much widespread immunity for any future variant to have much of a run.
Let’s hope you are right. I think you are. You are also correct there is no way to know how many people really have natural immunity - the only way would be to do large scale antibody testing and I think we would find it would vary fairly widely between regions. It is also difficult to talk about natural immunity as a strategy because while it is easy to vaccinate and track the number of vaccinations I don’t think anyone would advocate infecting the nonimmune with covid….
I’m asking you to chime in on two extremely important things:
Why do you think there is literally no media discussion how about those who have immunity thru prior infections not needing the vaccine?
Why do government leaders literally want every person on the planet to get the jab even those you yourself would admit should not be vaccinated?
I would guess the fact that you ignore these very very important questions ( which pose a much deeper question than the black and white medical issue of covid) is why you may be a target of ugly comments.
You only pinged docs that agree with you it seems.
Oh come now, you know better than that. Of COURSE some people would advocate doing just that. :-)
the more common experience for unvaccinated people who frequently go into the hospital
If you think you are subject to a problem take it.
your argument has no merit. HOw do you know if something is going to happen? How do you know a truck isn’t going to run over you today? Better stay in the house it could happen.
Each and every one of us is UNIQUE in our genetics, history, environment etc. We each have our own special fingerprints. YOU CAN’T PREDICT.
But one size fits all for too many people today.
If you go get a test at a pharmacy, or at the state site and find out you’re positive, they can’t immediately tell you if you have one of the variants. It’s a labor-intensive process that takes time.
How much does a viral test for COVID-19 cost?
There is a wide range in charges. An investigation by the Kaiser Family Foundation determined that the cost of a test can range anywhere from $20 to $850, with $127 being the median cost. Currently, the Medicare reimbursement rate for a COVID-19 test is either $51 or $100, depending on the type of test offered. For those who end up paying out of pocket, there was a smaller range of $36 to $180 per test. Again, any test would also likely require additional charges for specimen collection and a physician’s visit, which could potentially add to the cost significantly.
I do not control the media nor the government. I am happy to point out where i disagree which I have done and also happy to point out when I agree. I have already stated those I do not think should be vaccinated I am against mandates of any kind - vaccination , masks, lockdowns and have said so on many occasions. I am also against the spreading of hysteria and false information and will also speak up when I see them despite being called liar, fraud, murderer, fake and other lovely things
I speak about what I know and control. I do not speculate about motives for media and government just call out what I think is right or wrong. it everything reported i media is true but not everything is false either. Unfortunately there is no common sense here - one must either be fanatically in the covid is real and everyone needs to be vaccinated or fanatically in the there is no such thing as covid it’s all a scam and the vaccine was made just to kill people camp or get attacked from both sides
I can attest covid os real and is a devastating illness for some. I can attest that we are seeing very few vaccinated people in the hospital and even fewer in the ICU. i have already said the vaccine is not for everyone but it os beneficial for some. If that does not satisfy what you wish me to say O cannot help it. Have a nice day
That's incorrect. About 40% of the unvaccinated who are infected will be asymptomatic. About 40% will have mild to moderate symptoms like a cold or allergies which resolve without medical intervention. 5% will be hospitalized. 3% go to the ICU. 0.65% - 1% die. Those last two figures are changing in the past few months as treatment in hospitals has improved and as monoclonal antibody therapy has become more widely available. But those have been the basic numbers since the start of the pandemic.
"HOw do you know if something is going to happen?"
If 5,000 of every 100,000 people have an outcome of hospitalization without vaccination and 100 have an outcome of hospitalization with vaccination, you can look at the total population to make a statement that 4,900 hospitalizations have been prevented. You can't look at an individual case, but you can look at a population. Same way I can look at a population of people and say that if all of them supplement fish oil, the overall joint health of that population will improve, but I can't state with certainty that one individual within that population will see improved joint health if they take fish oil supplements.
"Each and every one of us is UNIQUE in our genetics, history, environment etc. We each have our own special fingerprints. YOU CAN’T PREDICT."
Not with certainty, no. That's why in medicine, everything is considered as a risk factor. You can reduce your risk factor for contracting COVID-19 by getting vaccinated, but some risk continues to exist. It's simply much lower. Further, you can significantly reduce your risk factor for severe illness or death from COVID-19 by getting vaccinated, but you haven't eliminated all risk. If your chances of death go from 1 in 100 to 1 in 10,000, that's pretty good. But you can't say with certainty that you won't be that 1 in 10,000.
None of this is reason for us to just throw our hands up and say "well, I guess we can't do anything about this because we can't prevent every single negative outcome in all people all the time!"
This is pretty much what I expected to leak out.
I’ve been seeing reports that focused on the issue, but gave
very little information.
They made it sound like a significant portion of the people
coming down with COVID were vaccinated people.
California 1.00% plus.
Enemedia is about the only word to describe today’s media.
What is the difference between a liberal and you?
They both think more laws will solve problem and never trust the market place. nor that individuals can be responsible.
there is not much dif between you and a lib. one size fits all.
I didn’t say throw up our hands, that is your projection.
Again, you can’t predict.
In our govt we trust.........................
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.