4 ms·

If you don't immunise then you don't benefit from immunisation. I think that covid is largely considered another 'flu these days or perhaps a cold - I don't kn

If you don't immunise then you don't benefit from immunisation. I think that covid is largely considered another 'flu these days or perhaps a cold - I don't know the actual classification. It is certainly virus. I do know that some of my neighbours, friends and family members have been through a multi week infection of some sort, on top of the usual winter infections. An old school (pre 2020) cold or flu lasts a few days at most. This thing (whatever it is) lasts at least two weeks.

malfist 2y ago
Technically speaking, the family of viruses that is all coronaviruses (covid-19 isn't the first), are considered part of the common cold group
- troymc 2y ago
  There are seven coronaviruses known to adversely affect humans but not all of them cause the common cold [1]. Indeed, one of them (SARS-CoV-2) causes COVID-19, which is not the common cold. [1] https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/laboratory-biosafety-biosecurity/pathogen-safety-data-sheets-risk-assessment/human-coronavirus.html https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/laboratory-b...
eterm 2y ago
> An old school (pre 2020) cold or flu lasts a few days at most Actual flu always lasted weeks, just lots of people call bad colds "the flu" until they experience the flu for the first time.
- CubsFan1060 2y ago
  Learned that lesson like 15 years ago. 2 weeks gone, and lost 11 pounds. That was with tamiflu.
- rimunroe 2y ago
  > Actual flu always lasted weeks, just lots of people call bad colds "the flu" until they experience the flu for the first time. People don’t take the flu seriously enough. It’s a major illness and kills plenty of people each year. However, the duration can vary quite a bit. Other than lingering coughs, neither of my two cases of the flu lasted significantly over a week. Both were confirmed as the flu by tests since both were severe enough to require PCP or hospital visits. One was when I was in elementary school. I think I was pulled out of school for a little over a week, and knowing my parents I assume that was about how long symptoms lasted. I had terrible sinus/throat symptoms and a fever. The fever reached 104 °F. I remember lying on my mother’s lap, moaning, and at one point asked her if I was dying. The other was during the 2009-2010 swine flu outbreak. This one was notable because it lasted almost exactly three days. I felt basically back to normal on the fourth, but prior to that I spent three days in absolute misery. My joints felt like they were creaking and were extremely painful. I remember thinking “this must be how Pak Protectors feel”. I spent 24 hours doing nothing but sleeping for an hour, waking up to use the bathroom and drink some fluids, then went back to sleep for another hour. On the fourth day I suddenly felt almost completely fine. From what I recall a very short duration of intense symptoms with a sharp boundary was fairly normal for that outbreak.
juujian 2y ago
Plus what doesn't kill you might well weaken you enough that the next thing really knocks you down
refurb 2y ago
> If you don't immunise then you don't benefit from immunisation. It looks like this year's vaccination provides partial coverage. People often don't know that the flu vaccine manufacturers are guessing which strains will be active each year, because of the lead time required to manufacture it. "It's important to understand that flu vaccine effectiveness can vary quite a bit from year to year. Over the past decade, effectiveness has ranged from a low of 19% to a high of 60%. During the 2023–2024 season, flu vaccines were estimated to be 42% effective." https://www.flu.com/Articles/2024/2024-2025-Flu-Vaccine-Effectiveness https://www.flu.com/Articles/2024/2024-2025-Flu-Vaccine-Effe...
- croes 2y ago
  At least the social distancing during the pandemic killed one strain https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/05/health/flu-vaccine-yamagata-strains/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/05/health/flu-vaccine-yamagata-s...
- tzs 2y ago
  Only about 45% of US adults bother to get flu shots. It's about 33% for ages 18-49, 46% for 50-64, and 70% for 65+. I'm not sure why it is so low, as they are available for free under most major insurance plans (other than HMO plans) at the pharmacies of many major grocery chains including Walmart and Albertsons/Safeway and Target and Costco with no appointment necessary so you can get them during one of you shopping trips.
  - clipsy 2y ago
    My guess is the side effects of the vaccine, the low effectiveness of the vaccine, and the relative rarity of the flu combine to make it a genuinely questionable choice for most healthy adults -- I get the flu vaccine annually now in an abundance of caution (I have an immunocompromised relative), but prior to that I went more than two decades without getting the flu vaccine and did not once get the flu. Since the vaccine itself reliably makes me feel miserable for 1-2 days and the flu makes me feel miserable for 1-2 weeks I came out substantially ahead. Not saying that's necessarily the right choice from a public health standpoint, etc; just providing my anecdotal experience.
yapyap 2y ago
> I think that covid is largely considered another 'flu these days or perhaps a cold yeah, but with lasting possibilities such as longcovid
- dlcarrier 2y ago
  The flu has long term effects, too: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6596076/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6596076/ Really, any severe virus infection has long-term effects.
croes 2y ago
You get COVID from a corona virus but the flu from influenza viruses. A different family of viruses.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
pfisherman 2y ago
This year has been a first hand education in the benefits / efficacy of vaccines for my child. Like the differences in outcomes are so stark that the effect of vaccination is obvious to even a young child. I have also heard anecdotes of very bad flu / respiratory illness on other continents from some of my coworkers.

malfist 2y ago

Technically speaking, the family of viruses that is all coronaviruses (covid-19 isn't the first), are considered part of the common cold group

troymc 2y ago
There are seven coronaviruses known to adversely affect humans but not all of them cause the common cold [1]. Indeed, one of them (SARS-CoV-2) causes COVID-19, which is not the common cold. [1] https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/laboratory-biosafety-biosecurity/pathogen-safety-data-sheets-risk-assessment/human-coronavirus.html https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/laboratory-b...

eterm 2y ago

> An old school (pre 2020) cold or flu lasts a few days at most Actual flu always lasted weeks, just lots of people call bad colds "the flu" until they experience the flu for the first time.

CubsFan1060 2y ago
Learned that lesson like 15 years ago. 2 weeks gone, and lost 11 pounds. That was with tamiflu.
rimunroe 2y ago
> Actual flu always lasted weeks, just lots of people call bad colds "the flu" until they experience the flu for the first time. People don’t take the flu seriously enough. It’s a major illness and kills plenty of people each year. However, the duration can vary quite a bit. Other than lingering coughs, neither of my two cases of the flu lasted significantly over a week. Both were confirmed as the flu by tests since both were severe enough to require PCP or hospital visits. One was when I was in elementary school. I think I was pulled out of school for a little over a week, and knowing my parents I assume that was about how long symptoms lasted. I had terrible sinus/throat symptoms and a fever. The fever reached 104 °F. I remember lying on my mother’s lap, moaning, and at one point asked her if I was dying. The other was during the 2009-2010 swine flu outbreak. This one was notable because it lasted almost exactly three days. I felt basically back to normal on the fourth, but prior to that I spent three days in absolute misery. My joints felt like they were creaking and were extremely painful. I remember thinking “this must be how Pak Protectors feel”. I spent 24 hours doing nothing but sleeping for an hour, waking up to use the bathroom and drink some fluids, then went back to sleep for another hour. On the fourth day I suddenly felt almost completely fine. From what I recall a very short duration of intense symptoms with a sharp boundary was fairly normal for that outbreak.

juujian 2y ago

Plus what doesn't kill you might well weaken you enough that the next thing really knocks you down

refurb 2y ago

> If you don't immunise then you don't benefit from immunisation. It looks like this year's vaccination provides partial coverage. People often don't know that the flu vaccine manufacturers are guessing which strains will be active each year, because of the lead time required to manufacture it. "It's important to understand that flu vaccine effectiveness can vary quite a bit from year to year. Over the past decade, effectiveness has ranged from a low of 19% to a high of 60%. During the 2023–2024 season, flu vaccines were estimated to be 42% effective." https://www.flu.com/Articles/2024/2024-2025-Flu-Vaccine-Effectiveness https://www.flu.com/Articles/2024/2024-2025-Flu-Vaccine-Effe...

croes 2y ago
At least the social distancing during the pandemic killed one strain https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/05/health/flu-vaccine-yamagata-strains/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/05/health/flu-vaccine-yamagata-s...
tzs 2y ago
Only about 45% of US adults bother to get flu shots. It's about 33% for ages 18-49, 46% for 50-64, and 70% for 65+. I'm not sure why it is so low, as they are available for free under most major insurance plans (other than HMO plans) at the pharmacies of many major grocery chains including Walmart and Albertsons/Safeway and Target and Costco with no appointment necessary so you can get them during one of you shopping trips.
- clipsy 2y ago
  My guess is the side effects of the vaccine, the low effectiveness of the vaccine, and the relative rarity of the flu combine to make it a genuinely questionable choice for most healthy adults -- I get the flu vaccine annually now in an abundance of caution (I have an immunocompromised relative), but prior to that I went more than two decades without getting the flu vaccine and did not once get the flu. Since the vaccine itself reliably makes me feel miserable for 1-2 days and the flu makes me feel miserable for 1-2 weeks I came out substantially ahead. Not saying that's necessarily the right choice from a public health standpoint, etc; just providing my anecdotal experience.

yapyap 2y ago

> I think that covid is largely considered another 'flu these days or perhaps a cold yeah, but with lasting possibilities such as longcovid

dlcarrier 2y ago
The flu has long term effects, too: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6596076/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6596076/ Really, any severe virus infection has long-term effects.

croes 2y ago

You get COVID from a corona virus but the flu from influenza viruses. A different family of viruses.

deleted 2y ago
[deleted]

pfisherman 2y ago

This year has been a first hand education in the benefits / efficacy of vaccines for my child. Like the differences in outcomes are so stark that the effect of vaccination is obvious to even a young child. I have also heard anecdotes of very bad flu / respiratory illness on other continents from some of my coworkers.