Fall tasks: (1) inflate tires; (2) flu shot, and; (3) COVID

Thanks to @PriusTech, I asked Google, "jama covid vaccine risks" and got this:

Recent studies published in JAMA and other outlets show that while COVID-19 vaccines have risks like myocarditis, the risk of severe outcomes is higher after COVID-19 infection than after vaccination. The updated 2024-2025 vaccines, in particular, are still effective at preventing serious illness, hospitalization, and death, with myocarditis risk remaining modest after sequential doses.

• • Myocarditis: A potential risk associated with COVID-19 vaccination is myocarditis, particularly after the second dose of mRNA vaccines. However, analyses show the risk of hospitalization or death from myocarditis is greater after COVID-19 infection itself compared to after vaccination. The risk is considered modest after sequential doses of the mRNA vaccine, notes Pfizer.
• Overall vaccine effectiveness: New research published in JAMA Internal Medicine confirms that the updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccines provide effective and durable protection against infection, emergency department visits, hospitalization, and death, reports UNC.
• Risk comparison: The overall risk of severe outcomes is significantly higher from contracting COVID-19 than from the risk of adverse effects from the vaccine.

​

I was planning flu and then COVID vaccinations. I may change the order.

Source_2: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21645515.2021.1950504

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve and impact communities around the world, including the United States. COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted certain demographic groups.Citation1 Older adults are more likely to get COVID-19, with death rates for 65–74-year-olds 90 times higher than those of 18–29-year-olds.Citation2 Males have also been shown to be more susceptible to COVID-19.Citation3 In addition, individuals from certain racial or ethnic groups, particularly the Black and Hispanic communities, are more likely to contract COVID-19.Citation4,Citation5 Reasons for these racial and ethnic disparities include occupation clustering (e.g., as essential workers), lower average socioeconomic status, geographic location, higher rates of comorbidities and lower access to care. These disparities can result in conditions that both increase infection rates and limit access to COVID-19 treatment.​

Source_3: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/ebiom/article/PIIS2666-5247(21)00069-0/fulltext

Vaccine efficacy is generally reported as a relative risk reduction (RRR). It uses the relative risk (RR)—ie, the ratio of attack rates with and without a vaccine—which is expressed as 1–RR. Ranking by reported efficacy gives relative risk reductions of 95% for the Pfizer–BioNTech, 94% for the Moderna–NIH, 91% for the Gamaleya, 67% for the J&J, and 67% for the AstraZeneca–Oxford vaccines. However, RRR should be seen against the background risk of being infected and becoming ill with COVID-19, which varies between populations and over time. Although the RRR considers only participants who could benefit from the vaccine, the absolute risk reduction (ARR), which is the difference between attack rates with and without a vaccine, considers the whole population. ARRs tend to be ignored because they give a much less impressive effect size than RRRs: 1·3% for the AstraZeneca–Oxford, 1·2% for the Moderna–NIH, 1·2% for the J&J, 0·93% for the Gamaleya, and 0·84% for the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccines.​

Life has risks but the claimed 38,000 is trivial across the 2-3 orders of magnitude, 100-1000x, who are walking around today. Or worse, the million or so dead pre-vaccine like the ones in these trailers:


Vaccines don't "cure" as much as make our bodies more resistant to the pathogen. For example, I had a 5 day, weak case that I wouldn't have known was COVID but for the test kit. I still have an unused test kit.

Bob Wilson

 

I'm wondering who is funding the panicked, disinformation disseminators? Certainly Twitter/X plays a part. Perhaps we're asking the wrong question:

• @PriusTech - how do you propose to deal with COVID?

Not really expecting one answer, I asked Google "what do covid vaccine deniers propose to deal with COVID?"

Individuals who deny the efficacy or necessity of COVID-19 vaccines propose a variety of unproven or non-standard methods to deal with COVID-19, often rooted in a preference for natural immunity or a distrust of established medical authorities.

Proposed alternative approaches include:

• Repurposed Medications: Promoting the use of existing drugs like ivermectin (an antiparasitic agent) and hydroxychloroquine(used for malaria and autoimmune diseases), despite a lack of clinical evidence supporting their effectiveness against COVID-19 and warnings from health authorities like the FDA about potential risks and toxic effects from misuse.
• Dietary Supplements and Natural Remedies: Advocating for the use of various vitamins (such as C and D), minerals, probiotics, and herbal medicines (like garlic, ginger, and turmeric) as preventative measures or cures, for which there is generally no scientific evidence of efficacy against COVID-19.
• Hygiene and Disinfection Methods: Suggesting actions like frequent hand washing (a standard health recommendation, though sometimes paired with unproven claims about specific soaps), gargling with salt water or povidone-iodine solutions, and using homemade/unregulated hand sanitizers or other disinfection-related methods.
• Lifestyle and Personal Beliefs: Emphasizing a preference for developing "natural immunity" through exposure to the virus, relying on personal freedom to make health choices without government mandates, or adhering to religious or spiritual beliefs for protection.
• Conspiracy Theories and Misinformation: Believing that the severity of COVID-19 is overblown or a hoax, and that the vaccine is part of a larger conspiracy involving government control, commercial profiteering, or microchip implantation.
• Unproven Homeopathic and Religious Practices: In extreme cases, promoting methods such as homeopathic pellets with no active ingredients, drinking cow or camel urine, or using "spiritual vaccines".

These proposed methods are largely unsupported by scientific evidence and public health organizations, which emphasize that the approved COVID-19 vaccines have been shown to be safe and effective at significantly reducing the risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death. ​

Recently, I dealt with someone with a sinus infection who daily complained about their symptoms. I suggested seeing a clinic but they replied, "I don't believe in modern medicine." and continued complaining about their disorder.

Then they caught another, more deadly disorder that had to be treated with an antibiotic. Their sinus infection cleared right up at the same time. No more complaints so I figured they were just a "drama queen."

They sought for weeks, unearned sympathy for what was cleared up in two days.

Bob Wilson

 

Perhaps I should explain why I like modern medicine:

• Dad - went to medical school when I was pre-kindergarten. So Father's Day outages once included the specimen lab and seeing the medical school 'museum'.
• Penicilin allergy - fear of rheumatic fever meant I got enough penicillin shots to become allergic (belt line hives)
• Drug allergies - there are two, both blood pressure meds. One became a Doctor Jekel and Mr Hyde that simply became ineffective. The replacement worked fine for two decades until it started swelling my tongue.
• Natural "garlic" - just meant no effect on blood pressure but a severe body order problem.
• Needle-phobia - have used the induced shock to briefly lower my blood pressure (transient)
• Scientific method - learned at an elementary school age, it was the basis of my work experience success
• Medical practice, Dad's - general practitioner, pathologists, county coroner, Kansas State chief medical officer, and ending in family practice.
• Trips with Dad would come across an accident and he would have his bag and render aid. This always ended the original trip to go fishing or visit relatives
• nitroglycerin - drug representatives would come by with free samples to convince doctors to prescribe that med. Dad saw some nitroglycerine tabs an said, "Well I would never proscribe something I hand'n't used myself" and took some. Within minutes his blood pressure cratered and his skin gained a reddish hue. The drug rep was in a panic, "I've killed a doctor!"
• Mom had two degrees, accounting and nursing

So I grew up with modern medicine and know its strengths and occasional weaknesses. It is called "medical practice." Much more often right than wrong, I prefer to takes my chances with modern medicine and let others be "God's sparrow."

Bob Wilson

ps. My brothers:
#2 - Blue Cross and Blue Shield actuary
#3 - service medic
#4 - x-ray tech
#5 - ER nurse

As for me, just a patient as needed.

 

That is what Elon claimed while trying and keeping his California factory open making Teslas. Denial is not just a river in Egypt. Regardless, thanks for confirming the "Conspiracy Theories and Misinformation" hypothesis.

The only way it works is if it the poster can induce a false sense of panic and outrage. Given today is Halloween, "BOO!" to you too. <GRINS>.

Given my needle phobia, this would be a better photo:


More of an inconvenience, I nearly passed out in Marine bootcamp from the TB test. More needles are needed to affect me.

Bob Wilson

 

No problem, I get both the annual COVID and flu shots. The others are welcome to "toss the dice." Given the cost for younger folks, a direct effect of public policy changes making medical care more expensive.

I've already got the pneumonia and scabies. Also tetanus every 5-10 year when warranted. Not sure about the RSV as it is an expense, not covered under Medicare, and fairly rare compared to the other maladies.

Hopefully, the rabies vaccine, the only known treatment, is not on anyone's list.

Regardless, I had chicken pox, measles, and mumps as a pre-teen child. I understand it is life-long immunity. Heck, even got a small pox scratch back then along with polio vaccine, needle or sugar cube, I forget.

Bob Wilson