Higher breakthrough rate lately with Covid in Maine?

Submitted by BadLuckShoesie t3_11y16wz in Maine

I work in healthcare and this is entirely anecdotal, but I’ve been seeing a higher rate than usual of hospitalizations of fully boosted individuals as well as an infection rate of those in my circle. I know the number would be much much higher and outcomes worse if the vaccines weren’t given out, but has a newer mutation been making the rounds under the radar? I know most everyone in Maine is sick of the pandemic and everywhere you go, people have abandoned the mask for multiple reasons, but I think our state is starting to head backwards again in getting this behind us. I’m not trying to cause a panic but something’s got me paranoid about this.

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DidDunMegasploded t1_jd5wk5a wrote

Mutations have been making rounds for months now. They pop up very frequently. Seems like one a week.

The catch is that it's about as effective to people as telling a cat lady to stop bringing cats inside. You will hardly get a bat of an eye nowadays.

COVID is going to stick around. It will never truly go away. Might be like the flu that gets worse around a certain time of year, who knows. But it's in for the long haul.

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TravellingTransGirl t1_jd5yyo9 wrote

Replying to [deleted] (#2,298,413)

The study you provided on vaccination's impact on transmission suggests to continue masking...

"Thus, the current evidence suggests that current mandatory vaccination policies might need to be reconsidered, and that vaccination status should not replace mitigation practices such as mask wearing, physical distancing, and contact-tracing investigations, even within highly vaccinated populations."

Also, the study on masking suggests the results are not concrete:

"There is uncertainty about the effects of face masks. The low to moderate certainty of evidence means our confidence in the effect estimate is limited, and that the true effect may be different from the observed estimate of the effect."

Here is a study from Nature suggesting a positive correlation between masking and reducing respiratory infection rate.

Efficacy and practice of facemask use in general population: a systematic review and meta-analysis | Translational Psychiatry (nature.com)

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peppapoofle4 t1_jd5zwsi wrote

Replying to [deleted] (#2,298,413)

Not downvoting, but legit wondering how it can be said that masks are useless.

When we had mask mandates, the transmission rates were lower than other states that didn’t enforce mask wearing. When we had mask mandates lifted, the virus started spreading like wildfire. There has to be some correlation between the two.

That being said, I’m a mask wearer, I use sanitizer, and was fully vaccinated, when I contracted covid. But it was brought into my home by family members who thought masks were a burden to their free-will and they aren’t exactly avid hand-washers.

My first bout of covid is what messed me up and this was before the vaccine was created. My second bout was after being fully vaccinated, during the omnicron variant, and it was much easier to deal with, but I had a horrible reaction to the first dose of vaccine. I haven’t had any boosters.

Either way, my body hasn’t been the same since the virus and every day is a damn struggle.

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GottaUseFakeNames t1_jd619og wrote

Have you seen people being hospitalized with the flu at all lately? How does hospitalization from flu compare to pre-covid times?

and just so i’m clear, i’m genuinely asking, not trying to make any sort of point with my question. truth be told, i never paid any attention to the flu and at this point in time i don’t pay any attention to covid. it just seems like we don’t hear about flu at all but i personally was so sick a few months back with a flu and would have bet anything it was covid but tested negative the whole time.

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peppapoofle4 t1_jd61tal wrote

Replying to MosskeepForest (#2,298,790)

Benzene was the ingredient that is associated with cancer and other health conditions. I use alcohol based sanitizers with aloe and vitamin E.

The virus is mainly transmitted through respiratory droplets. But there is still a chance for surface transmission. Besides, other viruses and illnesses are transmitted through surface contact. I’ve always used sanitizer though. Especially when I was working with the public and often in contact with immunocompromised people.

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fishmanstutu t1_jd64hz9 wrote

Replying to [deleted] (#2,298,413)

Awe please tell my transplant team masks don’t work and the vaccine was a joke. Your a fool bro. Sorry your dumbass just can’t see for yourself there was a reason for both to be used.

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Mooshtonk t1_jd651ei wrote

I tested positive for covid last week on Monday. It was a rough week. Worst sore throat I’ve ever had. I didn’t even know a throat could hurt that bad. It was ridiculous. My nose was like a faucet just constantly dripping. Finally feeling better now but it’s made my autoimmune disease flare up worse than I’ve seen in a decade.

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Sufficient-Squash428 t1_jd66gme wrote

Aroostook has had a steady 12-15 cases a day for weeks.

Aroostook County, Maine Covid Case Tracker - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

And SARS-CoV-2 has still been the dominant variant in wastewater.

COVID-19: Wastewater Testing Data | Airborne Disease Surveillance Epidemiology Program | MeCDC | Maine DHHS

I'd question the validity of them being fully boosted. When they finally get it, they lie to cover up stupidity and embarrassment.

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JosiesYardCart t1_jd66nec wrote

Replying to Yourbubblestink (#2,298,410)

I too work in a hospital, seeing the elderly dying of COVID... still.

It's going through the schools, the kids bring it home to the family. Lots of my coworkers have gotten it a month ago, and going through their family again.

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BadLuckShoesie OP t1_jd673za wrote

Replying to GottaUseFakeNames (#2,298,871)

The flu season over the winter hasn’t been that bad, but to compare it on the same level as something as novel as COVID-19 which seems to have unpredictable symptoms and risks depending on the person isn’t recommended. The flu’s been around for much longer and evolved much longer to where you know the extent of it (that’s why flu shots are so readily available).

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InfamousCelery4438 t1_jd67enx wrote

I have researched all kinds of stuff, being a ghost writer and former newspaper writer

One thing I want to bring to your attention is stealth viruses. Humans are very symbiotic with the gut and mind body stuff, but I just read recently that they think MS is causes by the Epstein Barr virus aka Mononucleosis.

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pinetreesgreen t1_jd67ex7 wrote

Replying to MosskeepForest (#2,299,285)

The data is largely from 2016. Which it states several times. The data from covid wasn't reliable bc the people were not masking with regularity. Which it says several times too. So its a pretty useless study, much like the others you just googled, I suspect.

My family hasn't had much of an issue with covid, thankfully. Vaccines had a lot to do with that I suspect.

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ecco-domenica t1_jd67ysz wrote

I've been tracking the numbers as best I can. Hospitalizations have fluctuated between 150 or so and 175 or so for a couple of months. Not as bad as the last big peak, but still not good. Deaths are still occurring regularly but I don't have a good handle on the rate.

US CDC just yesterday lowered most counties in Maine's *community transmission level* rating from high to substantial although several are still high. That is a measure of infections or spread. The *community level* which is a measure of hospital strain is rated low in most counties by US CDC.

People confuse these two metrics all the time. It doesn't seem to me by the numbers that hospitalizations have gone down significantly plus spread is still high or substantial in every county except Washington County, but that's how it's being interpreted by the *community level* metric.

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LizzieLouME t1_jd6aikz wrote

For those of us who got boosters as soon as they were available it's possible that we have little immunity left as the CDC tries to switch us to a yearly vax without really talking about it. We are very early in this. It takes a while to do science, to get it peer reviewed & get it to the public. It doesn't help that we -- the public -- are a huge variable. I think I had COVID in March 2020 before there was really testing. I'm over 50. By some guidelines that makes me high risk (over 50 + had COVID once). But you have to dig through scientific literature to find that. Very few people have had their full series including the multi-variant. Many people now don't have the sick time they need -- leading to move spread & more variants. Even if large numbers aren't dying, people are dying. People are becoming disabled. And people are dying from "unexplained" heart attacks & strokes. It's too early to know what long COVID might do -- we shouldn't put that burden on future generations when we can wear masks & better filter air in schools + public buildings.

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fishmanstutu t1_jd6bibf wrote

Replying to MosskeepForest (#2,299,255)

Except the science is there for transplants and of people who are at risk. Sorry you haven’t had a reason to believe doctors. Yes am I saying they all are great no I am not. But for once try and see something from who it effects not just what you read. Go talk to people who it did effect that’s your science.

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pinetreesgreen t1_jd6bpzf wrote

Replying to MosskeepForest (#2,299,605)

In the 76 studies they looked at that were not on covid? Okay. There were two studies on covid. Which they said were unreliable bc people were not using masks regularly. Just like the other data. It's your study. Read it. Under "author's conclusions".

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SheSellsSeaShells967 t1_jd6r2cx wrote

I was at a local walk-in today which is also a medical practice. There were signs about a new outbreak. Most of the seating has been removed again. It’s usually busy there between regular patients and the walk-in. I was the only one there.

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peppapoofle4 t1_jd6ugq9 wrote

Replying to MosskeepForest (#2,298,985)

I’m sorry your grandfather passed away from covid. From what I saw, it was really brutal for a lot of people. I have a friend who lost at least four people to it. Another friend lost his aunt and uncle to it. Both died within days of each other. It’s been a bad time for many. :(

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kimishere2 t1_jd72gkl wrote

I keep an eye on China. The population is huge and the mutating virus is having a field day right now. They are looking at the second wave hitting Beijing. This one's got a Norovirus component that is hitting the youngest now. I'm honestly waiting to get the next booster when we get a hold of this new variation. Hopefully soon.

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jasonhitsthings t1_jd756b6 wrote

A lot of people also got boosted in the fall. At this point, even my doctor said this latest booster is only effective for 3 or 4 months. It may just be their booster has worn off.

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smokinLobstah t1_jd758md wrote

I think it's pretty difficcult to track any of these trends at this point.

The issue becomes very complex when you consider:

  1. Covid, Flu, and RSV are all circulating
  2. There's a significant overlap of symptoms
  3. Testing is far less accurate than it needs to be to actually determine statistics

I do know that a much larger percentage of people I know are either currrently sick or have recently been sick. Yes, I know that's a very subjective statement, but think about the people you know and how many of them have been sick in the past 2 mos.

Everyone I mention it to agrees when they think about it, and those that are sick have no idea what they were sick WITH...they just know that they're sick.

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crack-cocaine-novice t1_jd7bc3g wrote

Truth is, there are just plenty of people who really don't care that much. It's kind of a "cultural thing". In certain groups, the "culture" is to REALLY care about covid. But in some other groups, it's pretty much the opposite.

For instance, I'm a healthy liberal cis male in my early 30's, most of my friends are cis males and tend to lean left politically, although most are not very politically focused. Most of the people I know don't really care about covid. Most have had it more than once. They'll get it, quarantine, then get back to normal life and just keep going. I think there are lots of folks who regard covid in this way now. It's just an acceptable level of risk for them, and they're willing to run through the quarantine if they need to.

Me on the other hand, I seem to care a tiny bit more than my peers. For example, I still wear a mask in high risk situations (when traveling, if I went to an indoor concert, etc). But even me, I generally am not wearing a mask at the grocery store and places like that, and am more-or-less just living my life as usual. I got the first booster but never got the bivalent because I was seeing mixed information on whether it makes sense for a young healthy person to get the vaccine or not. It DOES have verified risks, and I figured I'd be better off just continuing to be kinda careful with mask wearing in high risk situations, and run without the most recent booster.

I managed to go 3 full years without catching covid, but just this past week I came down with it for the first time. It feels like a bad flu to me. I do kinda wish I'd gotten the recent booster, and probably will get boosted at some point in the next several months just because I'd like the extra protection.... but beyond that, I don't intend to change how I live my life too much.

It does seem like covid is more-or-less here to stay, and I don't think this type of approach is reckless. I don't blame or judge those who take even "riskier" approaches to life than I do.

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JupiterWaterwheel t1_jd7e3wo wrote

i had covid 2 weeks ago and i’ve never been so sick in my life. i had to go to the doctor’s the other day because my asthma has gotten so bad that im having attacks almost daily

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ecco-domenica t1_jd7g667 wrote

Replying to MosskeepForest (#2,299,397)

Per Cochrane, not enough data from the right kind of studies to make any conclusion.

New York Times, Zeynep Tufekci, March 10, 2023

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/10/opinion/masks-work-cochrane-study.html

>The debate over masks’ effectiveness in fighting the spread of the coronavirus intensified recently when a respected scientific nonprofit said its review of studies assessing measures to impede the spread of viral illnesses found it was “uncertain whether wearing masks or N95/P2 respirators helps to slow the spread of respiratory viruses.”
>
>Now the organization, Cochrane, says that the way it summarized the review was unclear and imprecise, and that the way some people interpreted it was wrong.
>
>“Many commentators have claimed that a recently updated Cochrane review shows that ‘masks don’t work,’ which is an inaccurate and misleading interpretation,” Karla Soares-Weiser, the editor in chief of the Cochrane Library, said in a statement.
>
>“The review examined whether interventions to promote mask wearing help to slow the spread of respiratory viruses,” Soares-Weiser said, adding, “Given the limitations in the primary evidence, the review is not able to address the question of whether mask wearing itself reduces people’s risk of contracting or spreading respiratory viruses.”.
>
>. . .
>
>She said that “this wording was open to misinterpretation, for which we apologize,” and that Cochrane would revise the summary.
>
>Soares-Weiser also said, though, that one of the lead authors of the review even more seriously misinterpreted its finding on masks by saying in an interview that it proved “there is just no evidence that they make any difference.” In fact, Soares-Weiser said, “that statement is not an accurate representation of what the review found.”

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smokinLobstah t1_jd7gr0y wrote

Replying to International-Pen940 (#2,302,196)

My experience is that the at-home kits show false NEG results. This has happened with a few folks I know. When they went to their Dr, they tested POS. One had tested NEG twice daily at home for 4 days.

Many people I know don't even bother testing anymore. If they get sick, they believe it's either Covid, Flu, RSV, or a bad cold, and there's not much to be done about any of them, unless they develop severe symptoms.

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KYazut t1_jd7gv7u wrote

Replying to BadLuckShoesie (#2,299,365)

I think it’s reasonable for a layman to ask the question about comparison of Flu and Covid hospitalization rates though.

Flu is the context folks are more familiar with, so if knowing a relative baseline were possible (I know it’s not b/c of Flu testing/reporting issues) that would be useful info for most folks.

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CYBarSecretGloryhole t1_jd7ixos wrote

Covid flew through Orono a couple months ago. I got it it, 2 of my 3 roommates got it, down stairs neighbors got it, friends got it, half my professors got it- absolutely nuts for a while

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CYBarSecretGloryhole t1_jd7j7aa wrote

Replying to LizzieLouME (#2,299,649)

I’ve been vaccinated and double boosted and had Covid before with very mild symptoms, but this year it kicked my ass. Bed ridden for a whole day and then the rest of the week I just felt like a husk. Granted I’m better now but it was definitely the worst bout of sickness I’ve had in a very long time.

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MaryBitchards t1_jd7jbzb wrote

I just got COVID for the first time in February, and I'm fully vaxxed/boosted. The same week I got it, my buddy and his brother also got it for the first time (both vaxxed/boosted). And we live in three different places. Seems like there is a crazy-transmissible variant out there.

Also, a nurse told me I might have gotten it because my last booster was almost six months old at the time. She said I should go get a new one and I'll be better protected. And I will, because COVID sucked. I still can't wear contact lenses because of whatever it did to my eyes.

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vgallant t1_jd7kk7l wrote

Replying to LizzieLouME (#2,299,649)

I haven't had covid yet, even though literally everyone I know has by now. I've gotten 6 covid shots so far, which I like to think has helped me. When my 7yo had it, I should have had it. He literally puked all over me, we slept on the couch together and shared the same drinks/straws but I never tested positive or had any symptoms.

Anyway, I think my son and I could have had it back in Feb 2020. We were both felt like death for a week. It was like the flu but omg so much worse. Right after we got better, covid news started to come out. But my SO never got sick, but he also avoided us like we had the plague.

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Fearless-Factor-8811 t1_jd7sh5y wrote

Replying to LizzieLouME (#2,299,649)

Very very few vaxed and boosted people are dying from covid. Unless you're have stats otherwise.

For the record the bivalent booster focuses on strains that are not really predominant anymore AFAIK. Omicron strains. It mostly functions as a general booster, which is probably good.

People are testing positive for covid, certainly some people are getting sick, some people are getting disabled, sure. Rare things are happening. Long covid is real but fairly rare. In the meantime, other awful health outcomes are happening that are as common that have nothing to do with covid. Cancer, heart disease, flu, etc.

I'm an ER nurse working in Maine. In the last 3 months I can't think of a single vaxed and boosted patient we admitted primarily for a covid diagnosis. Many people coming in for unrelated things that ended up positive for covid. Many asymptomatic people in the community probably testing positive for covid if you tested then. Likewise flu, cold etc.

Long story short: covid sucks, vaccines work amazingly well considering how bad things were, get used to living with it. If the cdc is sort of unclear how to approach a disease that has only existed for 3 years, cut them a little slack. I am very happy to get a boost every year. Why not?

Counting my initial Astra zenica shot I got in a trial prior to any vaccine being available I have had 5 shots. I've been in the room with a surgical mask with patients coughing up a lung in my face only to find out later they had covid. I've never gotten it. I am very lucky, also I think the vaccines work. I made a point of getting 3 different brands. Who knows?

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Fearless-Factor-8811 t1_jd7tfep wrote

Additionally it's the end of winter. And it started out as a pretty mild winter but it has been colder lately.

If you think of infection as a slow chain reaction, and the reaction is increased by contact inside, March would likely be the time where there is the most reactivity. Things would slowly ramp up through the winter.

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InfamousCelery4438 t1_jd7whzz wrote

Replying to SheSellsSeaShells967 (#2,300,782)

My daughter's husband has Multiple Sclerosis and I read on Johns Hopkins website that they now think there's a connection between Mono aka Epstein Barr virus, and MS. It's the little bugs we have to worry about. But I guess you know that already. I'm sorry for your troubles.

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LizzieLouME t1_jd7wkp9 wrote

Replying to Fearless-Factor-8811 (#2,303,247)

I think that's true but you don't want to be the person who dies or whose loved one dies because they have another condition & needed to go to the grocery store or doctor.

I also think many of us 1) don't have sick time or adequate sick time 2) don't have disability insurance 3) can't afford co-pays or otherwise access healthcare. There are lots of complications.

I see prevention as key. I don't see it as it's going to stick around & I don't want to die from it but its going to stick around and there are ways to lower the risk of contracting and spreading it while still living my life if others will also engage in prevention activities.

These are death stats. Likely undercounted because there is a lag time & lots of COVID related operations have been shut down.

I think, for example, wearing a high quality mask correctly in places where others have to be makes sense. (I also believe they should be provided free to people) If you want to go to a restaurant or bar or concert, unmasked, that's cool. It's not a "must do." But elders and immunocompromised community members need to grocery shop & go to the pharmacy & may even want to go to Target. Why put them at risk?

https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#trends_weeklydeaths_select_00

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Calm_Possibility9024 t1_jd80hzj wrote

We've been headed backwards since mask mandates were removed. Especially in healthcare settings. Covid isn't something that's kept at bay with a singular solution. Multiple mitigation are needed and it's not going to get any better without them. Look at the rates of folks getting bolstered still because it's dismal. Vaccines also only mitigate severity or acute infection and don't do anything about long term outcomes.

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BadLuckShoesie OP t1_jd8h2i6 wrote

Replying to [deleted] (#2,303,033)

There’s no metals or flouride in modern day vaccines. It’s a dead cell of the virus suspended in oxygen molecules so that it can enter your system easily and give your body the ability to develop antibodies against the virus without actually getting sick. At worst you would want to worry a tiny bit if you’re allergic to egg shells, but even then….

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BadLuckShoesie OP t1_jd8zgun wrote

Replying to [deleted] (#2,306,653)

You’re spreading misinformation again. there’s no metals (including aluminum) in the Covid-19 vaccine. All of the ingredients are food grade and safe for mostly everyone according to what’s listed here.

I’d really love to know where you learned about this.

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A_Common_Loon t1_jdcyf0s wrote

Replying to International-Pen940 (#2,302,434)

I'm really curious about this. My family is all fully vaxxed and we have occasionally had mild cold-like symptoms and always test negative on the home tests. The symptoms go away in a day or two so it hasn't seemed worth going to the doctor. I really wonder if we have been infected and just don't know it.

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SheSellsSeaShells967 t1_jdh9jrv wrote

Replying to heavymetaltshirt (#2,303,591)

I also had a mystery virus for months when I was about three years old. The doctors back then pumped me full of antibiotics, which of course don’t kill a virus. We lived in Boston at the time and I saw a new doctor. Way back then in the 60s he was telling people that antibiotics don’t kill viruses. That was kind of a new idea back then. But anyway, I was sick for months and no one has ever figured out what it was.

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