Neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 variants after infection, vaccination • Hacker News Board

Re: Neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 variants after infection, vaccination

#91

Post by yorwba » Sun, Mar 21, 2021, 6:34 PM UTC

hef19898 wrote: post #70

scrollaway wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There aren't only americans on this site. FWIW as a european (Belgium resident), your statement doesn't apply. Belgium did a shitty job since the second wave: We didn't go far enough and only applied a weak lockdown which has been in effect since October . So life here has been just bad enough to test everybody's patience for about six months. And now we're in a new uptick and everyone's losing their shit. Korea mean…

All EU countries screwed up, not just Belgium. Case in point, German states agreed on an "emergency brake" once cases increase over 100 per 100k, 7 day average. Now we are there, 3 days in a row. So, one would assume they would close schools again. No, because it has to be 3 days in a row, weekends don't count so. After that, two days to implement measures. Which means schools will be open next week despite a heavy c…

The whole concept of restrictions that only apply for high infection rates shows lack of foresight.

If you have a way to halve new infections in x weeks, you can wait for y weeks during which infections double, then apply your countermeasures and after x+y weeks you're back where you started.

Or you could start implementing countermeasures immediately, ease up after x weeks, and after y weeks of growth you're also back where you started.

The only difference between the scenarios is the ordering, but the first leads to a mountain of infections and the second to a valley, i.e. lower total case count and fewer deaths. (Also a chance of extinction if the expected number of infected falls below 1.)

So anything you're willing to do when 100 of 100k are infected is just as good when it's 50 of 100k or really any number greater than zero.

Re: Neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 variants after infection, vaccination

#92

Post by Tade0 » Sun, Mar 21, 2021, 6:35 PM UTC

anedcata wrote: post #78

outside1234 wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And to pile on this, I know a triathelete in my group, 24 years old, who had it in April of LAST YEAR and is still not at 100% (can't do any hard aerobics without getting wildly out of breath). We are still in a pandemic. Stay distant.

It used to be common to reply to this sort of fear mongering with "anecdotes aren't data." Cool anecdote, bro. Sorry for that person you, a random internet person I have no reason to trust, allegedly know, who is very, very unlucky. The people in power want us to stay afraid and easy to control. Fauci says vaccines work but doesn't trust them enough to stop going into public with TWO masks! Despite being vaccinated!…

> Or are the masks just for show?

The masks are so that the wearer doesn't infect and the vaccine is there to help the immune system fight COVID, not prevent infection entirely.

Re: Neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 variants after infection, vaccination

#93

Post by oliwarner » Sun, Mar 21, 2021, 6:39 PM UTC

anedcata wrote: post #78

outside1234 wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And to pile on this, I know a triathelete in my group, 24 years old, who had it in April of LAST YEAR and is still not at 100% (can't do any hard aerobics without getting wildly out of breath). We are still in a pandemic. Stay distant.

It used to be common to reply to this sort of fear mongering with "anecdotes aren't data." Cool anecdote, bro. Sorry for that person you, a random internet person I have no reason to trust, allegedly know, who is very, very unlucky. The people in power want us to stay afraid and easy to control. Fauci says vaccines work but doesn't trust them enough to stop going into public with TWO masks! Despite being vaccinated!…

These anecdotes are useful to remind us that many covid survivors still suffer from its damage.

The data doesn't quantify these things yet, so cynical people, maybe people especially like you, might do well to pay them attention. Just because you're unlikely to die from covid, doesn't mean you won't be part of the 10% who retain symptoms past 3 months.

It's not a binary outcome.

Re: Neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 variants after infection, vaccination

#94

Post by mbrameld » Sun, Mar 21, 2021, 6:40 PM UTC

anedcata wrote: post #78

outside1234 wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And to pile on this, I know a triathelete in my group, 24 years old, who had it in April of LAST YEAR and is still not at 100% (can't do any hard aerobics without getting wildly out of breath). We are still in a pandemic. Stay distant.

It used to be common to reply to this sort of fear mongering with "anecdotes aren't data." Cool anecdote, bro. Sorry for that person you, a random internet person I have no reason to trust, allegedly know, who is very, very unlucky. The people in power want us to stay afraid and easy to control. Fauci says vaccines work but doesn't trust them enough to stop going into public with TWO masks! Despite being vaccinated!…

Answering these two questions will help you uncover the errors in your thought process:

1. Are masks suggested to protect the wearer from contracting the virus or to prevent the wearer from spreading the virus?

2. Are vaccinated individuals still able to host and transmit the virus, despite not contracting the disease caused by the virus?

Re: Neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 variants after infection, vaccination

#95

Post by ghaff » Sun, Mar 21, 2021, 6:41 PM UTC

throwaway894345 wrote: post #88

ghaff wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A fair number of states did have travel restrictions in place but there were oodles of exceptions and AFAIK no real enforcement although it probably did limit cross-border travel some.

Right, but if all states had a handful of ports of entry manned by TSA who could enforce those restrictions and supply chains that were already inadvertently optimized to prevent disease transmission, then the US would probably look a lot more like New Zealand!

And if I looked like an eagle I could flap my wings and fly.

We didn't even shutdown widespread commercial traffic between the US and Canada (although otherwise travel was largely shut down).

Re: Neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 variants after infection, vaccination

#96

Post by AlchemistCamp » Sun, Mar 21, 2021, 6:46 PM UTC

jquery wrote: post #24

war1025 wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Probably that patience has worn thin for the extremely overly cautious people who have been hiding in their homes for a year when they are realistically at zero risk of severe illness. We have known since early summer of last year that being fat or being old are your two biggest risk factors. Beyond that, if you have some serious pre-existing condition that makes you susceptible to all illnesses. The messaging should…

So you’d prefer we be like Brazil? Because the alternative for us was not Taiwan or Korea. They went far and beyond what Americans were willing to tolerate. Never mind the bad statistics behind your claim that covid is no worse than the flu. A athlete friend of mine in his 20s has permanent heart damage caused by the virus. Covid-19 is not a joke, no matter how much you wish it was. Americans could be out free, today…

Because the alternative for us was not Taiwan or Korea. They went far and beyond what Americans were willing to tolerate.

I'm in Taiwan (and was for SARS in 2003). We had early travel restrictions and have to quarantine for 14-days after returning from abroad, and have to wear a mask on the subway.

For the past few months there's been a mask rule at some indoor venues but it still allows for restaurants and bars to stay open and maskless. There was a marathon a few months ago with tens of thousands of people.

There hasn't been a lockdown here. Businesses haven't been wrecked. The economy is great. What was so "far and beyond what Americans were willing to tolerate"?

Edit: serious question here! I know there's quite a bit of ignorance about Taiwan internationally, but the rules truly have not been onerous at all. It's gone well because of travel restrictions and an, IMO, justified trust in civic institutions.

Re: Neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 variants after infection, vaccination

#97

Post by rimliu » Sun, Mar 21, 2021, 6:48 PM UTC

modularform123 wrote: post #4

The plural ‘variants’ in the title is a bit misleading. Only one of the four viruses they tested is one we are actually concerned about at this time. The first is the original virus, which was displaced by the second early in the pandemic and against which vaccines are already known to be effective. The third one is the UK variant, which is of interest and the fourth is an artificial virus with a single mutation of i…

Nothing is misleading in the title.

Re: Neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 variants after infection, vaccination

#98

Post by cassalian » Sun, Mar 21, 2021, 6:49 PM UTC

rconti wrote: post #25

war1025 wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Probably that patience has worn thin for the extremely overly cautious people who have been hiding in their homes for a year when they are realistically at zero risk of severe illness. We have known since early summer of last year that being fat or being old are your two biggest risk factors. Beyond that, if you have some serious pre-existing condition that makes you susceptible to all illnesses. The messaging should…

I'm a healthy male who's been "hiding in [my] home for a year". I mean, other than shopping trips, and running, and cycling, and skiing, and.. However, I've done no social events, seen no friends, etc. But, sorry if you think trying to avoid illness, trying to avoid passing on illness to others who don't have the comfort of working from home, passing on the illness to elderly family members, etc, is a waste of time.…

It's nice that you have been able to deal well with the situation this last year, but try to remember that your experience is not necessarily representative of the whole:

> The districts, large and small, rural and urban, serve more than 2.2 million students across the United States. Of the 74 districts that responded, 74% reported multiple indicators of increased mental health stresses among students. More than half reported rises in mental health referrals and counseling. Nearly 90% of responding districts cited higher rates of absenteeism or disengagement, metrics commonly used to gauge student emotional health

https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/health-c... (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26532588)

Re: Neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 variants after infection, vaccination

#99

Post by throwaway894345 » Sun, Mar 21, 2021, 6:53 PM UTC

ghaff wrote: post #95

throwaway894345 wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Right, but if all states had a handful of ports of entry manned by TSA who could enforce those restrictions and supply chains that were already inadvertently optimized to prevent disease transmission, then the US would probably look a lot more like New Zealand!

And if I looked like an eagle I could flap my wings and fly. We didn't even shutdown widespread commercial traffic between the US and Canada (although otherwise travel was largely shut down).

> And if I looked like an eagle I could flap my wings and fly.

???

> We didn't even shutdown widespread commercial traffic between the US and Canada (although otherwise travel was largely shut down).

Why bother? It’s not like any significant number of transmissions are coming via commercial transit with Canada. I don’t pretend to be an epidemiologist but it seems pretty intuitive that a small island nation and one of the largest countries are going to differ.

Re: Neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 variants after infection, vaccination

#100

Post by hef19898 » Sun, Mar 21, 2021, 6:53 PM UTC

yorwba wrote: post #91

hef19898 wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All EU countries screwed up, not just Belgium. Case in point, German states agreed on an "emergency brake" once cases increase over 100 per 100k, 7 day average. Now we are there, 3 days in a row. So, one would assume they would close schools again. No, because it has to be 3 days in a row, weekends don't count so. After that, two days to implement measures. Which means schools will be open next week despite a heavy c…

The whole concept of restrictions that only apply for high infection rates shows lack of foresight. If you have a way to halve new infections in x weeks, you can wait for y weeks during which infections double, then apply your countermeasures and after x+y weeks you're back where you started. Or you could start implementing countermeasures immediately, ease up after x weeks, and after y weeks of growth you're also ba…

The funny thing is, the 50, or 100, is completely arbitrary. Initially it was 50 because authorities couldn't follow up cases above that. They couldn't below 50, as it turned out. Also, this threshold changes as seems fit. When 50 wasn't realistic anymore it became 100. Only for one state to choose 200. It is utter chaos. And still, a majority still supports these measures. Funny times indeed.