Moderna says its new vaccine booster shows ‘superior’ response to omicron : NPR
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Thanks for this. Moderna seems optimistic that this will provide a significant boost in protection:
“Because of the higher antibody response seen with the new vaccine candidate, Moderna predicts that people who get the booster will have protection that is “more durable over time” against omicron, compared to the original Moderna vaccine.
The protection is so strong that it could potentially last a year, Dr. Paul Burton, Moderna’s chief medical officer, told NPR.”
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Woohoo!! Proud to be all-4 Moderna and will happily take a 5th!
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My younger 2 kids’ school has arranged most of the classrooms where kids are facing each other in little groups. There are groups of 5 or 6 desks facing each other like this which could have been spread out, and were last year. I am so unhappy. I get that they want them to be able to work together but if one kid sneezes all the others will get it in the face.
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It’s for posts like this that we need something other than a “heart” button. My heart goes out to you, but it wouldn’t come through with the usual button. I hope you can enjoy the concert and skip the Covid.
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We haz the Heart Chart for this very purpose!
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Uuuuugh! I’m like 99% sure I have a UTI, and maybe 40% sure that it’s already a kidney infection. 
Fingers crossed I don’t have to spend a few days in the hospital (I have MS and a history of kidney stones, so it’s almost a foregone conclusion)… I do not need to get covid this close to my trip! I also don’t need to take pretty much the whole time between now and then off from work.
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Urinary issues are awful. Hopefully they can just give you something to take at home to clear it up.
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I’m going to share some random OT good news just to change things up. 
(I think @LTinNC82 and some others might need some!)
Our local Pearland team is representing Texas/Southwest Region in the Little League World Series. I think there are only 4 teams left in the US half of the bracket. It’s double elimination and we’ve lost one game, so just hanging on by a thread right now.
4 players on the team are from the DS12s’ school. For instance, tonight’s starting pitcher and his family go to our church, and DH works with the dad (who is also the first base coach).
One of the other pitcher’s older brothers is a long time friend of DS18. So much fun to see these great kids we know getting interviewed, the families we know in the stands, etc.
If you haven’t seen this video yet from one of our earlier games in the series, it is probably the most heartwarming story of “batter hit by pitch goes to the mound” you’ll ever see. 
Anyone have that on their bingo card? 
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Ouch! Very sweet of him though.
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Some good news-my 86 year old dad is feeling nearly 100% better and back to himself after being diagnosed last week! He took the five days of Paxlovid, and the only side effect seemed to be an unpleasant taste in his mouth.
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That’s awesome!
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Good overview of the use/accuracy of rapid at-home antigen tests:
The post includes links to the study and whatnot;
I would add that testing every 24 hours instead of every 48 would likely improve the accuracy.
My understanding is insurance should still cover 8 tests per person per month.
I’ve been getting mine from CVS for zero out-of-pocket cost. (They now charge my insurance company directly, so I don’t need to pay and then submit for reimbursement anymore.)
My learnings: They ring each one up as a prescription, so it is much faster for them to process it as 8 tests for one household member, rather than 2 tests for each of 4 household members, for instance. I’ve found the most efficient way for me is to give them a copy of our insurance card with the name/birthdate of one household member on it and tell them I’ll come back to pick it up in a couple hours (or the next day) rather than waiting on it. They are generally ok with giving me 8 tests at a time unless their stock is low, especially when I explain there are 6 of us. If I need more tests before a month has passed, I do the same thing with a different household member for another batch of 8 tests.
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Nothing unexpected in yesterday’s variant update, so still in situation described above, I think. (Unless they slipped something interesting into the desktop-only footnotes that I can’t see on mobile.)
Even with its larger market share in region 7, it’s not clear if BA4.6 can outperform BA.5. Last week vs this week:
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Returned today from a 3 day road trip with the family.
Some observations on masking:
Hotel lobby: About 10% masked.
Science Museum: About 30% masked (interesting that the science museum had the highest percentage of masks I had seen in a long time).
Zoo: About 20% masked in indoor areas. Note: At the front of the gorilla house there was a large sign asking people to mask inside the gorilla house to protect the gorilla’s from Covid. Still only about 20% masked … I would have thought zoo attendees would make an effort to protect the gorillas who are unable to protect themselves with their own masks and vaccines.
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Thanks for observations. Which science museum was it?
I saw that! I’ve been watching a little bit every evening while channel surfing. Not much as DH didn’t grow up with much sports at all. Or not ones televised on TV. 
Used to like watching baseball back in the day. Professional now is slow and boring.
But some of those little league kids are awesome! I caught one throw from past third to first that just blew me away!
There’s a lot of pressure on some of those kids. A pitcher a few days ago sure seemed to be struggling.
Thanks for posting this - and reminding me! 
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Great news! I’m still waiting for when DH - also 86 - gets covid.
How’s your grandbaby doing?
I had to take rapid today before Cruise. Thankfully negative. Now I just need to stay that way thru 1 week cruise, then 12 days in Orlando. There is a 7 day gap between the two trips…
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Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. My kids loved it!
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