Our local hospital has reinstated masking for patient-facing employees and has never dropped mandatory COVID vaxxing, although they are requiring primary series only. I recently tested myself when I was sick but only out of curiosity because I have a bunch of rapid test kits.
I'm currently recovering from an upper respiratory virus. Last week I had to come into work because I couldn't find coverage for multiple days. I washed my hands often and I utilized the empty office every time I needed to cough or rest for a few minutes. I wouldn't have come into work if I felt like that was really an option for me. None of my coworkers have started to show any symptoms (They also didn't show any symptoms the last time I had a confirmed case of covid and also had to come into work). I didn't test because it wouldn't have changed anything about my situation. If you can stay home do that. If you can't stay home just try your best to be hygienic in shared spaces.
"Go to work if you feel up for it; stay home if you are too sick to work."
Uhm. No. If you know you are sick, PLEASE STAY HOME. Just because it's mild for you, doesn't mean it'll be mild for the next person who catches it. I agree that it doesn't matter if you're sick with Covid, the Flu, or Strep Throat. If you're sick, keep sick home. I know people who've gone into work with Strep throat (not on antibiotics). That's just not cool.
The problem is not keeping sick home, the problem is using the tests to keep kids out past the "24 hours after fever breaks" or when they're feeling better. My daughter had a 24 hour fever with Covid. She had another 9 days of positive testing which kept her home due to the district's rules. THAT is the problem. But staying home when you *are* sick - regardless of how much you can power through the day - will help the rest of us not catch it. This is common sense. And yes, there is value in not knowingly spreading diseases. Just because we'll all catch it eventually doesn't mean we should speed up that process.
I was interviewed by my local paper a couple years ago. Yes, print media is alive and well in rural America. I told them routine masking doesn't slow the spread, and that I had already stopped masking in my clinic by Feb of 2021. I received angry (and cowardly) texts from a couple of local colleagues who were still in hazmat suits. They called me "dangerous". It afforded me the opportunity to dust off an old Pee Wee quote: "I'm a loner, Dottie. A rebel." Then, I proceeded to chastise them for a) being chicken-shit physicians in a time when courage was needed, and b) not practicing evidence-based medicine. It's no surprise I had already found solace in VP's podcast at that point.
Once Omicron arose, I knew covid virus was better described as SARS-CoV-3, and that it more or less reverted to the common cold virus that I learned in med school some 35 years ago. (Yes, I know SARS CoV-1 and MERS were nasty players, but even archetypal SARS CoV-2 never came close to those beasts.)
After the first few weeks of the pandemic, I realized that for a large majority of the population, the medical risks of covid were highly exaggerated by public health figures and legacy media. As such, I'd mentally substitute "flu" for "covid", and interpret the guidance, news report, etc, accordingly.
For example, when the topic of asymptomatic covid restrictions arose, I'd substitute "flu", and see if it still made sense. Of course, it didn't, so I knew it was poor advice or an exaggerated news story. In other cases, I'd get a question from a person about to travel by air that went like this: "I feel fine, but my pre-travel test was positive; then I retested at a different lab, and it was negative. What should I do?" In good conscience, I advised them to get on the plane and enjoy the trip. After all, we'd never advise a healthy person with supposed "pre/sub-clinical infection" to refrain from air travel in pre-covid times.
In the final analysis, I've been in sync with Vinay's conclusion for a very long time.
When I developed nasal congestion and fatigue last week, I tested for COVID for several reasons (I was positive): 1) I sing in 2 choirs, and wanted to decrease the chance of mass-infecting my fellow choir members. 2) I'm 73 years old, and even though I've had multiple COVID vaccinations and am in excellent health, I wanted to (theoretically) cut my risk of hospitalization. 3) My wife was leaving in a few days for a meditation seminar in which COVID testing is mandatory, so I wanted to better understand how much I needed to isolate from her.
Incidentally, my symptoms markedly improved within 12 hours of starting Paxlovid. Coincidence? Who knows, but I'm gratified.
Amen. Thank you Dr. Prasad. I do wish everyone would stop calling these injections "vaccines". As near as I can tell they do not fit any reasonable definition of vaccine.
I would love to send this article to my ex workplace where we were forced to test every time we went to work. I tested and always negative under protest.
Man, pharma is not going to be happy about this - they need to SELL VACCINES! That is why Travis Kelce was the face of the double vax during yet ANOTHER commercial from Pfizer attempting to sell me their product. I see the current path as similar to AIDS/HIV - I remember the fear when it was first out there...and today’s HIV is not the same as the one in the 80’s.
Sort of OT. During a football game today I saw a Pfizer commercial starring Travis Kelce. If they have money to pay that Super Bowl winner then they can do some real vax testing.
Our local hospital has reinstated masking for patient-facing employees and has never dropped mandatory COVID vaxxing, although they are requiring primary series only. I recently tested myself when I was sick but only out of curiosity because I have a bunch of rapid test kits.
I'm currently recovering from an upper respiratory virus. Last week I had to come into work because I couldn't find coverage for multiple days. I washed my hands often and I utilized the empty office every time I needed to cough or rest for a few minutes. I wouldn't have come into work if I felt like that was really an option for me. None of my coworkers have started to show any symptoms (They also didn't show any symptoms the last time I had a confirmed case of covid and also had to come into work). I didn't test because it wouldn't have changed anything about my situation. If you can stay home do that. If you can't stay home just try your best to be hygienic in shared spaces.
"Go to work if you feel up for it; stay home if you are too sick to work."
Uhm. No. If you know you are sick, PLEASE STAY HOME. Just because it's mild for you, doesn't mean it'll be mild for the next person who catches it. I agree that it doesn't matter if you're sick with Covid, the Flu, or Strep Throat. If you're sick, keep sick home. I know people who've gone into work with Strep throat (not on antibiotics). That's just not cool.
The problem is not keeping sick home, the problem is using the tests to keep kids out past the "24 hours after fever breaks" or when they're feeling better. My daughter had a 24 hour fever with Covid. She had another 9 days of positive testing which kept her home due to the district's rules. THAT is the problem. But staying home when you *are* sick - regardless of how much you can power through the day - will help the rest of us not catch it. This is common sense. And yes, there is value in not knowingly spreading diseases. Just because we'll all catch it eventually doesn't mean we should speed up that process.
Thank you.
I was interviewed by my local paper a couple years ago. Yes, print media is alive and well in rural America. I told them routine masking doesn't slow the spread, and that I had already stopped masking in my clinic by Feb of 2021. I received angry (and cowardly) texts from a couple of local colleagues who were still in hazmat suits. They called me "dangerous". It afforded me the opportunity to dust off an old Pee Wee quote: "I'm a loner, Dottie. A rebel." Then, I proceeded to chastise them for a) being chicken-shit physicians in a time when courage was needed, and b) not practicing evidence-based medicine. It's no surprise I had already found solace in VP's podcast at that point.
Once Omicron arose, I knew covid virus was better described as SARS-CoV-3, and that it more or less reverted to the common cold virus that I learned in med school some 35 years ago. (Yes, I know SARS CoV-1 and MERS were nasty players, but even archetypal SARS CoV-2 never came close to those beasts.)
After the first few weeks of the pandemic, I realized that for a large majority of the population, the medical risks of covid were highly exaggerated by public health figures and legacy media. As such, I'd mentally substitute "flu" for "covid", and interpret the guidance, news report, etc, accordingly.
For example, when the topic of asymptomatic covid restrictions arose, I'd substitute "flu", and see if it still made sense. Of course, it didn't, so I knew it was poor advice or an exaggerated news story. In other cases, I'd get a question from a person about to travel by air that went like this: "I feel fine, but my pre-travel test was positive; then I retested at a different lab, and it was negative. What should I do?" In good conscience, I advised them to get on the plane and enjoy the trip. After all, we'd never advise a healthy person with supposed "pre/sub-clinical infection" to refrain from air travel in pre-covid times.
In the final analysis, I've been in sync with Vinay's conclusion for a very long time.
When I developed nasal congestion and fatigue last week, I tested for COVID for several reasons (I was positive): 1) I sing in 2 choirs, and wanted to decrease the chance of mass-infecting my fellow choir members. 2) I'm 73 years old, and even though I've had multiple COVID vaccinations and am in excellent health, I wanted to (theoretically) cut my risk of hospitalization. 3) My wife was leaving in a few days for a meditation seminar in which COVID testing is mandatory, so I wanted to better understand how much I needed to isolate from her.
Incidentally, my symptoms markedly improved within 12 hours of starting Paxlovid. Coincidence? Who knows, but I'm gratified.
Please ratchet this down so that we may share it w everyday people. Thank you
Amen. Thank you Dr. Prasad. I do wish everyone would stop calling these injections "vaccines". As near as I can tell they do not fit any reasonable definition of vaccine.
I would love to send this article to my ex workplace where we were forced to test every time we went to work. I tested and always negative under protest.
Dumb asses I would say.
Vinay
UCSF had a medical rounds on September 8 updating COVID. I noticed that you were not invited. Are you upset?
Man, pharma is not going to be happy about this - they need to SELL VACCINES! That is why Travis Kelce was the face of the double vax during yet ANOTHER commercial from Pfizer attempting to sell me their product. I see the current path as similar to AIDS/HIV - I remember the fear when it was first out there...and today’s HIV is not the same as the one in the 80’s.
Vinay
What do you tell your B cell depleted patience, regarding testing and treatment at the present time.
Don’t test?
Do not take antivirals?
There are clear data that these patients do poorly, even in the omicron era.
Since you’re an oncologist, I would like to know what you actually do when I ask by a patient has been on long-term rituximab
Sort of OT. During a football game today I saw a Pfizer commercial starring Travis Kelce. If they have money to pay that Super Bowl winner then they can do some real vax testing.
Saw that and facepalmed.