Healthcare Consumer Navigator Center is a Healthcare Consumer Advocate Organization that helps consumer navigate the healthcare maze. The following Series “KEEPING THE CONSUMER SAFE; LIVING WITH COVID”. Our goal is to provide a commonsense approach to living with covid with general healthcare information.
So here are a couple of updates. Yesterday, I received my Moderna booster shot. Supposedly, I’m now in very exclusive company as a vaccinated, breakthrough and now a boosted case. While this sounds pretty good, I asked the person giving me the shot where I could find data on what my immunity level would be and they didn’t know. So off to find some research I went.
I continue to find quotes from Anthony Fauci, the Chief Medical Advisor to the President, referring to our need to follow the science. In one exchange I saw Fauci claimed “to question
him was to question science.” I’ve been on the CDC website, the WHO website, numerous medical research websites looking for simple interpretations about immunity, breakthrough cases and what’s the profile of who is being admitted to hospitals with COVID now. As I’m continually finding mixed information. One article indicated currently unvaccinated, middle-age people were more common to be admitted to hospitals. Another article indicated in Texas, fewer people over 70 were being admitted to hospitals in recent surveys.
I’m still researching getting an Antibody Test. LabCorp is one organization offering the test. QuestDirect is another organization offering the test. According to several other articles there are supposedly dozens of immunity tests on the market. However, the Food and Drug Administration “does not currently recommend antibody tests to assess immunity.” So my questions are “why can’t we figure out a way to measure immunity, doesn’t immunity ultimate determine when we can return to normal and who’s working on these type of questions?” Being a little cynical, I fully understand the economic motivation that accelerated Operation Warp Speed. What motivation exists for gaining a more thorough understanding of the day to day nuances of COVID?
I recognize I’m unskilled in the field I’m inquiring about but as we now are dealing with the Omicron variant and before this it was the Delta Plus mutation, shouldn’t there be a longer range game plan being developed? Our strategies are starting to feel very episodic to me. Wear a mask, avoid groups of people etc it’s starting to feel like a merry-go-round.
I Googled how many people had a breakthrough case of COVID-19 in the US. Here’s what I found. In May, the CDC stopped tracking all reported breakthrough cases not resulting in death or hospitalization. (Now this is truly ironic if you recall my last article indicating we’re not doing autopsies on C OVID deaths). In addition, there isn’t a government data survey measuring the likelihood vaccinated people would get a test. Well, isn’t that just peachy. I live in a metropolitan area that in 2014 experienced Ebola. When I compare the hysteria of that time to our current environment it seems like we’re monitoring COVID like the common flu.
If it’s not the CDC, who is doing the data gathering on COVID? As a person that seemingly has experienced all of the precautions currently available, what benefits does that afford me? For example, I have a TSA account that let’s me avoid the more intense security checks at airports. Doesn’t it make sense if a person has the triple option of vaccination, having COVID and the Booster there would be some perks available? It seems as I read about the various incentives to encourage people to become vaccinated there are more “sticks” than “carrots.” It’s becoming more and more obvious COVID is going to become just a part of our way of life. So it seems there should start being a concerted effort to make living with it as tolerable as possible.
Writer’s Note: In researching COVID for my own personal use, I found there is an enormous volume of information on the topic. It’s not possible to review all the different sources. Unfortunately, I’ve also discovered differing opinions exist on some of the more significant aspects of the virus. I’ve attempted to seek different viewpoints on the topics I’m covering, but fully understand I’ve not found them all. I can’t emphasize enough if you have underlying health issues such as obesity, diabetes, cardiac disease, chronic liver disease, lung diseases and cancer extra precautions are imperative.
Next up will be new warnings related to Boosters.
