All but three US states have very high or high levels of Covid-19 in their sewage right now, according to the CDC. Due to a drop in efforts to count individual cases, that data is the most accurate way to paint a picture of the current extent of Covid cases—and it’s bad.

In addition to wearing respirators, getting the updated Covid vaccine (mRNA shots were approved last week, and the Novavax vaccine this week) is an important way to reduce one’s chance of getting the infectious disease. Even if a person contracts it, the shot will reduce their risk of death and developing Long Covid.

But for uninsured and underinsured Americans, the vaccine has just gotten significantly more costly. On August 22, the CDC sunsetted its Bridge Access Program, which provided free Covid vaccines to 1.5 million Americans over the past year. A CDC spokesperson told Mother Jones that the sunsetting was a consequence of the new 2024-2025 vaccines being approved—which meant the 2023-2024 vaccines could no longer be administered. But many people did not know that the program would only cover the vaccine approved last year—just that it would end in August, potentially after the new shots became available. The CDC’s page on the program, which was live until some point Friday, did not clarify any of this information.

  • Qkall
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    13 days ago

    To preface this, I’m totally for vaccines and have convinced others to get the COVID shot…

    Two things… I haven’t found anything from a white paper to read up on this new vaccine. Like I think the last thing I found was like ‘its the best we got but local variants will persist.’ And my hesitation is that when ever I got my COVID vax and boosters… It fucked me up bad. I was useless for three days each time. I don’t react well to medicine… I can’t take a full xyzal without loosing a day. I did catch COVID once and I realize most logical reason it wasn’t that bad was because of the shot, but in my past I never get the flu or any thing that bad. Like I get sniffles at worse … so I guess I’m wondering/hoping I don’t need the shot… I couldn’t move those three days from the vax and I’m wondering if it’s another medication I’m overly sensitive to. But I will likely put up with loosing a weekend to try to consider others around me as I’m not sure how to prove or test that.

    I guess my point is I’m looking for more data to make a good decision here.

    edit - I’m confused by the downvotes… I’m getting the shot, I just want more info and yet have been provided anything but downvote or general information about covid. I’m asking data on the new vaccine but I don’t want to seem to come off combative… like I’m for it lol shrugs

    • bjorney@lemmy.ca
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      14 days ago

      COVID has long lasting effects across your entire body, it impacts your immune and cardiovascular systems for years after you get it.

      Risks of heart attack, stroke, etc are increased 2.5x in the year after infection, increasing exponentially with the number of times you have been infected. In fact, the risk of pretty much ANY health problem skyrockets following a COVID infection.

    • CeruleanRuin@lemmings.world
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      14 days ago

      Some people legitimately have a bad immune reaction to vaccines, for a wide variety of reasons. It could be a specific allergy to some component of the shot, or a number of other factors. This isn’t unique to the COVID shot. It’s relatively rare, but everyone who is unlucky to be one of that minority goes online to talk about it, so there this inflated sense of it happening that far outstrips the real world occurrence of it. I’m sorry that you have had bad reactions in the past. That sucks. Thankfully that’s not the experience of most people.

      • Qkall
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        13 days ago

        Yeah, I keep up where i need to, but yeah medicine always wrecks me. It sucks, I really have to be careful and try stuff on days where I have a few days to burn if i react poorly. Fortunately, I haven’t needed much medications growing up. But, yeah I’ll probably just schedule a weekend where I don’t need to go anywhere

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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      13 days ago

      I haven’t found anything from a white paper to read up on this new vaccine. Like I think the last thing I found was like ‘its the best we got but local variants will persist.’

      Would you be able to understand it if you did? Do you have the level of understanding of virology and vaccine research that would require for something on this level of complexity?

      • Qkall
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        13 days ago

        It’s part of my career to review white papers. Mostly from the FDA food guidelines but I do enjoy reading white papers. Cuts the bias if I can go through the methodology and data set. I have a chemistry degree with an interest in computational science, inorganic and polymer. I’m on some regulatory review team at work as well…

        I really didn’t want to come off so anti vax… not my intent, like i’m going to get it I just wanted more info which I haven’t seen yet.

    • Randomgal@lemmy.ca
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      13 days ago

      If the vaccine hits you like that… Imagine how much worse COVID would be. That’s my data lol

    • Aviandelight @mander.xyz
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      13 days ago

      I am severely allergic to eggs so no annual flu shot for me but I have gotten multiple COVID shots without issue. I am a bit worried about a combo flu-covid shit in the future and will talk with my doctor about my options. I will say that it is possible to work with a physician or allergist and take half-shots of some vaccines. This is where you take half the shot in two spaced out doses to eventually get full coverage. I will admit that it didn’t work for me with the flu vaccine but it was definitely worth a try and the reaction I had wasn’t as bad as a full dose.

      • Qkall
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        13 days ago

        Thank you … I’ve been meaning to get a regular Dr anyway… seems like a good two for one solution.

    • edric@lemm.ee
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      13 days ago

      I don’t have a white paper on hand, but they work like the flu vaccine in that they are updated for new variants, that’s why we need to take boosters. I think this new version is for the KP2 variant.