Who here has not gotten COVID? Who has long COVID?

Unfortunately, it looks like no one near me still has the 24/25 version. Good luck!

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I have heard of folks around me getting covid infections recently, including one friend who just got it for the 1st time ever.

Is it possible for visitors in Japan to get COVID-19 vaccine there?

It MAY be possible to pay and go to private clinic in Japan, but you’d risk having side effects that could derail a portion of your stay or worse.

My spouse always feels like he has flu or worse after shots for 36-72 hrs and much prefers to sleep it off in own bed at home.

Just before our 3 week cruise-tour of Alaska in June we both got COVID shots, our first since last September. Neither one of us got sick! Asked my PCP when to get my next one, he replied October-November.

How much will the vaccination cost if insurance doesn’t cover it, does anyone know?

For the 2024-2025 version that is (theoretically) available now:

https://www.goodrx.com/comirnaty says $142-164 for Pfizer Comirnaty.
https://www.goodrx.com/spikevax says $147-170 for Moderna Spikevax.
https://www.goodrx.com/novavax says $147-280 for Novavax.

Of course, availability may be an issue, since some places may be sold out by now. Prices may also change for the 2025-2026 version.

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According to YLE today, insurers will wait to hear the AMA’s recommendation for adults, which is expected within the next month. And until the insurance companies confirm their coverage following that announcement, it’s just not clear what they will do regarding labeling, coverage and cost. For children, the American Academy of Pediatrics has already stated that children should get the vaccine. So hopefully that will push insurers to cover for kids despite what RFK does.

I did get my shot this morning! Easy-peasy, and I had a choice of either Moderna or Pfizer. I’m happy I was able to get it now and not have the uncertainty of whether I would be boosted before our trip. If it turns out that my insurance company will allow under 65 to continue getting covid vaxx, I will get that in 6 months (February.) But for now I know I have some protection for our upcoming overseas trip.

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Just noting that the proportion of adults who are at high risk of Covid is 70%+ because high risk includes those who are overweight (not just obese.) The full list of at risk conditions is here: People with Certain Medical Conditions and COVID-19 Risk Factors | COVID-19 | CDC

I hope the AMA and AAP include all ages in their recommendations, and that insurance companies cover the vaccine for all.

It’s too bad access to vaccines is likely to be compromised, both now and for the future (because of declining investment.)

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For those not ordinarily in any of the listed risk categories, would the “physical inactivity” risk factor be the easiest to game, since even those who are physically active can (for example) stay off the weights for a week and say that they did not meet the physical activity guidelines for that week?

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IMO it’s also easy to say you smoke cigarettes, cigars and/or vape.

I also edited my above post to make clear I was saying 70%+ of adults are at risk, not 70+ yrs old

It also says former smoker. Could you say that once you were in a place filled with secondhand smoke that counts as smoking?

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Hmm, maybe I should hold off on losing those last 7 pounds


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Note insurance also reimburses an administration fee to cover personnel and other costs so likely the cost to the consumer will be significantly higher than simply the cost of the vaccine itself.

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Well if it’s as easy as simply overstating your weight by a few pounds or declaring that you are not physically active in order to get the vaccine, then I may have jumped the gun. But the expert who has been often quoted here implied that it would be harder and more complicated than that. Time will tell, but regardless I am happy that I now don’t have to worry about it before our trip.

Recently two people at work got Covid. Both of them were in their late 30s. They were completely knocked out, with fever and body aches. They said this time seemed more severe than before.
I got a Covid vaccine early June before I went to Portugal. I will get another one early December before I go on an island vacation.
I am going to Japan end of October. I am hoping I will be be covered.

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If their last previous infection or vaccine was prior to 2024, the immune response generated may not match that well to current variants (descendants of JN.1 that began to dominate in 2024).

I was looking for this thread to post.

My husband had it recently. His respiratory infections tend to linger and he can easily get secondary infections, so he repeated the drill with Paxlovid. Again, he was miserable on day one but on the second day he was doing great and even tackled a few house projects!

BTW, do not toss your old covid tests. If the control line lights up, the test is likely still good. Ours were. Mr. B ran a new one and an old one side by side, and they showed the same thing. One caveat - we kept ours in a beverage fridge.

I assume I was exposed quite well despite the precautions, but just like the last time, I did not get it.

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We returned from 18 days abroad last Saturday night and I came down with Covid Tuesday. I was pretty knocked out Tuesday and Wednesday, but felt better yesterday and started working online again. I still have a bit of a cough ( I didn’t get Paxlovid), but otherwise I am on the mend. I tested myself again today and I’m still positive. The tests I used are 2 years expired, but picked up my infection. H and D2 who traveled with me have been lucky and not come down with it.

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Hope you get better soon!

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