Quadruple vaccinated and I have waited hand and foot on four people who had it who were vaccinated and had a rough three days. But I have been invited to participate in a research study at the local university research hospital in a national project on “never Covid” people. These are people who are in a high risk group—definitely am—who have been exposed repeatedly and never tested positive or even had a sniffle. I will do it because if my DNA helps find a cure so be it, but I think it’s mainly that I have had two vaccines and two boosters.
@CozyWolfy: Oof. I was in your position last year (and the year before). I caught Covid multiple times. No kids for me, fortunately, and I didn't die—but now I can't do much without having a coughing fit, plus my musculoskeletal system hates me. Work? Out of the question when sometimes I can't even lift a mug. That gas station is never going to see me again.
I'm double vaxxed and—well, I'd say, "Don't push yourself like I did." Sure, I needed the money. But now I can't make any. It wasn't worth it. I should've quit and laid in bed like they wouldn't let me. Maybe it would've made a difference!
Thanks achetocuddle
Well, so much for free speech. I guess some people don't want to investigate what the other side is saying.
The Constitutional right to free speech regards the government curtailing speech, not private companies or websites. Please review the Forum Rules. https://www.cuddlecomfort.com/forum/discussion/2999/forum-rules-your-moderators#latest If you wish to participate in the forums you must agree to abide by those rules. Your choice. This website respects science and the informed opinions of epidemiologists whose understanding rests on the preponderance of evidence. - Babichev
@Btown The question is are the numbers real or are they made up to scaremonger us? Many people die of the flu every year but that is never mentioned on the news.
There is no evidence that the CDC or any other reputable body is making up numbers. Regarding flu: the number of deaths due to flu is a piece of information that is easily and freely available. The death rate from the flu is discussed on the news. Perhaps broadening your sources of information is in order if you fail to hear it. Be aware that you are skating on thin ice. You have a right to your opinion but you do not have a right to put forth false or misleading information or make claims not supported by evidence. Continuing to do so will restrict your ability to participate in the forums. Please keep this in mind going forward. - Babichev
Please don't bar me from speaking my mind. Do your own investigating about what the other side says please. During the entire two years of not wearing masks except periodically at work and for when I come home (because my roommate told me I have to find a new place if I won't wear a mask) I caught only ONE cold. Everyone who attended protests every week never caught Covid. I know someone who is in their sixties, who doesn't go to protests, who caught Covid twice and she recovered. I am here to be a cuddle buddy for those who are being shunned because they don't want to get the jab or wear masks or if you did get the jab and you don't care about cuddling with someone who is not jabbed.
Sorry. TIme out for three days. For your information, I’m well aware of what the “other side” says and I’m well aware of the falsehoods, the scientific illiteracy, the conspiracy theories, and the downright dangerous misinformation that gets circulated. It will not be allowed to be circulated here. That’s the rules and I’m more than happy to enforce them.. - Babichev
@FectionKitty: If you're genuinely interested, here's a look at how Covid deaths are counted (click this sentence).
And here's a look at how average flu deaths per year are estimated (but not actually counted).
Pertinent quotes include
At the core of the issue is the fact that COVID-19 kills in myriad ways, typically setting off a combination of potentially fatal afflictions. ... When a COVID-19 patient dies, “it’s usually a cascade of events that lead to death — it’s not one thing,” agrees Daniel Handel, MD, MBA, MPH, chief medical officer for Indiana University Health’s South Central Region in Bloomington. ... For those who die — from a heart attack, for instance — the role of COVID-19 might never be determined unless there’s a reason to run a post-mortem test for the disease ...Many people who die at home do not get diagnosed with — or get medical care for — what ultimately kills them, Aiken notes. That’s particularly true of COVID-19. ...the official numbers don’t capture all COVID-19 deaths.
and
The CDC should immediately change how it reports flu deaths. While in the past it was justifiable to err on the side of substantially overestimating flu deaths, in order to encourage vaccination and good hygiene, at this point the CDC’s reporting about flu deaths is dangerously misleading the public and even public officials about the comparison between these two viruses.
And, of course, the Covid death numbers say nothing about the people who didn't die, but are now crippled.
Yeah, hi. My lungs and joints weren't like this before.
One of the reasons I’m especially cautious is my concern about long COVID. I’ve known a number of people who have gotten COVID - one got it twice, once before and once after getting vaccinated. Half of them still don’t feel well six months after getting over the infection. For some, it’s enduring respiratory problems. For others, it’s fatigue. For some it’s both. I’d be in a bad position if that happened. I live alone, there’s no one available to help take care of me.
I’ve cuddled with two individuals without masks who were both vaccinated and took precautions in their daily lives. They felt like safe individuals to me. Now and then I think maybe I could loosen up a bit and then someone else gets it and then I think no, I’ll keep taking precautions. I’d rather err in that direction.
@Babichev: Yeah, the long-term stuff is no fun.
"Excessive fatigue, myalgia, arthralgia, muscle weakness and skeletal muscle damage...." Argh. I wasn't expecting any of that—I figured if I didn't die I'd be fine. And now I've got wrist braces coming in the mail and am seriously considering the benefits of a cane.
I didn't even go to the hospital: none of my bouts were that bad. It genuinely just felt like an awful flu each time. Lucky, right? And now this.
Notes:
I'm 32 years old and live in a red state—most people around here won't get vaccinated or mask up.
The gas station where I used to work had a lovely system set up where the store was understaffed, you didn't get paid time off, and if you so much as hinted you weren't feeling well you weren't allowed to work... which means no money for you and your coworkers curse your name while you struggle to pay bills.
I'm lucky @HogboblinZwei recovered better than me (so we don't get evicted for defaulting on the rent); and I really hope this pain and incapacity is temporary.
This is a good article from Scientific American about how the flu has almost disappeared since the pandemic. Between social isolation, hand washing, mask wearing, staying home when feeling sick, less traveling, kids not being in school together, etc., the number of deaths attributed to flu during the 2020-2021 flu season is estimated to be about 700. Yes, seven hundred. Compare that to the year before the pandemic - 22,000 - and the season before that - 34,000.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/flu-has-disappeared-worldwide-during-the-covid-pandemic1/
@Babichev: I saw that, and it delights me. Science at work!
"If the future includes more hand washing, face covering and temporary social distancing when people become sick, perhaps flu seasons can be less severe, even as health restrictions lift and groups gather together again."
Yes, indeed. Count me in!
"BA.2 is the subvariant of the original Omicron and is several times more contagious than Omicron." ~ FunCartel
Omg! I saw that on one of them and read it as if it were a sourse citation note. Just wow.
And thanks!
I keep wondering what the "other side" is. You have science and factual information and then you have....what?
@Btown
Belief and strong feelings. Oh, and a sense of belonging to a group that is right—and the fact that everyone disagrees with your group is proof that you're correct.
Conspiracy theorists. Ugh.
@HogboblinZwei Yeah, I get it and with millions of people in the world that leaves room for lots of personal beliefs and strong feelings.
I haven't read any replies but safe is a non-specific term that is personal to you. In my area covid has gotten over three times weaker then it was in november. Is that safe?
I think its safe to cuddle.
In my state of New York, the cases have dropped so low, that you are more likely to be stricken by lighting than catching the virus.
I personally feel between moderately to highly safe cuddling at this point. I haven't started yet and I haven't done my first session yet, but this may change in the future and I may book my first session with a pro provided that she is ok with cuddling unvaccinated clients since I am unvaccinated.
My county had 312 new cases of Covid this week alone. Not bad for a population of 181,923 (it's about one sick person in every 583), but given we've also only got 7 adult ICU beds and 3 inpatient ones available... eh.
Like @JasonCuddles says, deciding whether it's safe is more of a personal thing than an objective one. Even in New York (2837 new cases this week, 9 confirmed deaths).
It isn't over. In the UK cases are ticking up again (after a big drop since April) and we still have fifty deaths a day.
However, in London at least, we have all silently agreed to pretend that it is over. Almost nobody wears a mask, and we're back to shaking hands. To be fair, 93% of the UK population (over 12) has had at least one vaccination, and most of the rest will have had the virus, so almost everybody has some protection. The situation is very different from 18 months ago.
Where I am, cases are at about 8-10 % right now. There is no really "safe" -- there is what risk are you willing to take and what risk are you not willing to take.
IMO I believe Covid is going to be around for a long time.
Covid will he here for a long time, but our precautions to it are done for the most part. Nobody wants to socially isolate themselves forever. If you're immunocompromised or plan on visiting somebody who is, you might want to take extra precautions.
It doesn't seem justifiable to make reference to "long Covid" when the policy about discussing Covid is to stick to scientifically verifiable facts. At the present time, there's no more scientific evidence for "long Covid" than there is for fibromyalgia. If we are going to adhere to policy in this forum, we ought to be consistent about it.
https://www.science.org/content/blog-post/search-long-covid
https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/public-health/what-doctors-wish-patients-knew-about-long-covid
@Btown The argumentum ad verecundiam does not negate the controversy that exists pertaining to the existence of "long Covid". We cannot accept some scientists hypotheses while rejecting Dr Mercola's just because they are saying what we want them to say. We should stick to what is considered factual.
I am vaccinated and double boostered. I tested positive last saturday (6/11). I am hoping to be negative soon. Despite my medical issues it didn’t really affect me much, thankfully.
I guess time will tell.
In order to any kind of risk, you must estimate both the severity of some adverse that could occur, and the probability that it will occur.
If the possible adverse event is being killed by a grizzly bear, the severity, death, is as high as it gets. However, in the 143 year history of the park, there have been 8 deaths from grizzly bear attacks. Considering that there are over 4 million visitors per year, the probability that this adverse event will happen to you, is so small as to be almost negligible.
On the other hand if the adverse event is being late for dinner, because you were stuck in a prolonged bison jam, the severity is so low as to be almost negligible. However, if you have very far to drive, the probability is so high, that it's almost a certainty.
To a person who evaluates risk for a living, both of these two possible adverse events have approximately the same degree of risk. People who don't evaluate risk for a living tend to look at severity, but also tend to ignore probability. When evaluating the risk of catching Covid-19 while cuddling, the severity is not as high as it once was, because there are now some treatments available. The probability is also not as high as it once was because so many people (including yourself?) are vaccinated.
Nevertheless, Covid-19 can still be a fairly severe disease, and the probability is still well above zero. The bottom line, is that we must each evaluate the risk for ourselves, but at least go about it properly. Evaluate both severity and probability.
Cases are trending upward here, but deaths are not.
@GreatHornedOwl 100% agree with you. I have worked in, and taught, risk management and you are absolutely right - there is a tendency by most people to focus on severity while ignoring (or at least minimizing the importance of) likelihood of occurrence.
A study of fatal traffic accidents in the US in the wake of 9/11 showed a “surplus” of about 1,595 traffic deaths in the 12 months following 9/11 (compared to the average number of annual traffic deaths for the 3 years before 9/11). This surplus was attributed to people being scared of flying after 9/11 so they chose to do what they perceived as “safer” by driving rather than flying.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/sep/05/september-11-road-deaths