#“you should have gotten a flu shot in october”

[zapsoda]

i feel like shit :-(

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved in our archive (Updates daily!)

A bit California specific in some cases, but generally good advice to follow: You want your vaccination to lead the wave by a month or two to get the best protection from your vaccination.

By Carly Severn

If you haven’t yet sought out your updated COVID-19 vaccine — or your flu shot — now might be a good time.

That’s because, after a lengthy COVID-19 surge this summer that lasted twice as long as 2023’s summer swell, the Bay Area is now about to enter the winter respiratory virus season.

In August, the updated 2024 COVID-19 vaccine was made available to everyone age 6 months and over, with shots from manufacturers Pfizer, Moderna and most recently, Novavax. These COVID-19 vaccines are now provided as annual fall vaccines, alongside the yearly flu shot, updated to target the latest strains and timed in order to offer maximum protection against the predicted winter surge of these viruses.

All of which means if you haven’t gotten either your COVID-19 or flu shot yet at this stage in the fall, seeking them out in the next few weeks is a good idea. Keep reading for what you need to know about fall vaccines, including the best time to get them, what to do if you got COVID-19 this summer and more.

When is the best time to get my COVID and flu shot? The recommendations medical professionals make about when to get a COVID-19 or flu shot are based on:

The fact that it takes about two weeks after you get vaccinated for antibodies to develop and provide protection against the virus When levels of the virus are predicted to rise that year Getting your COVID shot

Last year, the Bay Area’s fall and winter COVID-19 surge began in late October, according to Stanford University’s WastewaterSCAN team, which monitors levels of the virus in local sewage. And when it comes to the timing of your COVID-19 shot, you want to aim for what UCSF infectious disease expert Dr. Peter Chin-Hong called “the Goldilocks moment.”

“You don’t want to get it too soon because your antibodies might wane just when you need it the most,” Chin-Hong said. “And you don’t want to get it too late because you want to prevent infection. So generally, by Halloween or mid to late October is when most people say the right time is.”

The reason for this, explained Chin-Hong, is to ensure you get your full immunity ahead of the busy holiday season, from trick-or-treating at Halloween to holiday travel, Thanksgiving and beyond.

With your vaccine, “you not only get protection against serious disease, hospitalization and death, but you get a little bit of a buffer against infection itself,” Chin-Hong said. “So that if you want to have peace of mind while doing all of these things, it’s probably a good idea to peak your antibodies just when people are getting together again.”

Getting your flu shot

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that last year’s flu season caused between 17,000 and 100,000 deaths and up to 900,000 hospitalizations. Typically, flu season starts in November and peaks around January or February, Chin-Hong said.

The CDC recommends that everyone 6 months and older get an annual flu vaccine “ideally by the end of October.” Chin-Hong told KQED that his “optimal sweet point” for getting this shot is “sometime before Halloween” — but that if you see flu cases start to rise earlier, you should hustle to seek out your flu shot even sooner.

Can I get my COVID and my flu shot at the same time? Yes — it’s totally fine and safe to get your flu shot at the same time as your new COVID-19 vaccine, and you’ll find many pharmacies offer appointments where you can get multiple vaccines at the same time.

A caveat: if you’re trying to schedule vaccinations for a child, the CDC advised in 2023 that you first talk to your pediatrician about the best schedule for the COVID-19 and flu vaccines (and now the RSV — respiratory syncytial virus — preventive treatment, too).

I got COVID over the summer. Do I still need a COVID shot? Yes, Chin-Hong said — although make sure you’re not getting a shot too soon after having COVID-19.

That’s because “after getting infected with COVID, in general, you have a force field for around three months,” Chin-Hong said, meaning your infection will give you a good level of immunity against getting COVID-19 again during that period.

That said, this immunity will wane, Chin-Hong said, so having “a little bit of a buffer” is something to consider. This means getting your COVID-19 shot even after two months “won’t be a bad idea if it coincides with the time when we expect COVID to come back.”

Where can I get my COVID and flu shot? For full information on how to find an updated 2024 COVID-19 shot, read our guide. If you have health insurance, the cost of your COVID-19 vaccine should be fully covered.

To learn more about where to find a flu shot with or without insurance, read our 2023 guide to locations offering flu vaccination around the Bay Area.

Remember that many locations — including pharmacies — will offer appointments where you can get both vaccines at the same time.

What about RSV? Should I get a vaccine for that? The CDC said that while RSV “does not usually cause severe illness in healthy adults and children,” older adults and infants younger than six months of age are especially at risk of becoming “very sick and may need to be hospitalized.”

The vaccine against RSV is accordingly recommended by the CDC for infants, young children and adults ages 60 and older, as well as for pregnant people.

The virus spreads in the fall and winter like other respiratory viruses and “usually peaks in December and January,” according to the agency, which recommends that vaccination against RSV “will have the most benefit if administered in late summer or early fall [August through October], just before the RSV season.”

Speak to your health care provider about getting the RSV vaccine, when might be the best time for you and whether to get it alongside other vaccines. And as ever, if you’re trying to schedule your kid’s vaccinations, the CDC advises that you first talk to your pediatrician about the best schedule for the COVID-19, flu and RSV vaccines.

[darkmaga-returns]

President Trump was recently awarded TIME’s 2024 Person of the Year, a most ironic distinction given that the Mockingbird MSM have been weaponized against him since he first announced he was running for POTUS in late 2015.

In a follow-up Time magazine article President Trump said that he will get rid of any vaccines that RFK Jr. finds to be “dangerous” or “not beneficial.”

If RKF Jr. is rigorously honest, then every single vaccine, not limited to the Modified mRNA slow kill bioweapon “vaccines,” will be pulled from the marketplace forever.

I’m going to be listening to Bobby, who I've really gotten along with great and I have a lot of respect for having to do with food, having to do with vaccinations, I don’t think it’s going to be very controversial in the end. — Trump

What is most troubling is that last month, RFK Jr. told NBC he would not take vaccines away from anyone who wants them. Perhaps if the genetically modified mass ritual bio-suicide participants want to chase down their latest C19 booster injections with a shot glass filled with DRANO, then the caustic drain cleaner should also not be taken away from anyone.

The absolutely fantastic news is that RFK Jr. recently exposed the deadly fraud that are the flu shots:

“I would not take the flu shot in a million years, and I’ll tell you why,” says Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the newly appointed head of Health and Human Resources for the United States of America. Basically, when you get a flu shot, you are only protected against a few (sometimes only one) particular strains of flu, out of about a dozen or more possible that could be circulating that flu season, which lasts from October through May. Those injected folks are FOUR TIMES more likely to get a non-flu viral infection. Ever notice how many people who get the flu shot get sick right away?

[balboamedical]

Stay Healthy This Fall: Get Your Flu Shot Early

Summer is behind us and that means that colds and flu season is around the corner or already here. In Get Healthy, Stay Healthy It’s Time for Your Flu Shot, Dr. Amir Raeesy of Balboa Medical Center & Spa in Encino stresses the need to get your influenza vaccine. The flu shot is your best protection when it comes to the flu and flu related symptoms such as fever, muscle aches, and chills. According to the CDC or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention people aged six months and above should get the flu vaccine every year. Flu strains change so the vaccine you may have gotten this time last year will be of no help this season. The shot is particularly important this year mainly because of Covid19 which is still a cause of major concern. Why get vaccinated early? It takes nearly two weeks of the flu shot to get the antibodies into your system so you are not protected, for example, until the September/October timeframe. This however will not make you sick just as earlier stated and debunking the myths surrounding the vaccine. It is made from viruses which are nonreactive or have only one gene and thus are incapable of producing a disease. There could be some post administration side effects such as mild pains or feel more tired; these effects are temporary.

Visit: Stay healthy this fall get your flu shot early

[jinmukangwrites]

Whumptober 2021 - October 7th - Blindness

Gift fic for @sassydefendorflower

Fandom: Nightwing, Batman - All Media Types

AO3

Warnings: Head Injury, slight descriptions of blood

---

Slade dodges under the swinging blow of Blüdhaven’s newest sewer monster; born from whatever chemicals a rat has gotten into near some chemist-based super-villain’s old hideout. Now, while it’s not everyday Slade goes out of his way to take down various monsters across the ‘Haven, this time… he feels a little obligated to.

Yes, he is the reigning champion of being Nightwing’s least favorite and most powerful villain, but unfortunately Nightwing is Slade’s favorite and most interesting opponent. He came to the ‘Haven to give the kid a head’s up that he has a mark in the city; a regular challenge he likes to set for the kid to try and stop him. However, when he didn’t find Nightwing along any of his normal routes, nor in his apartment, he turned to the news to see if the kid had left for Gotham or some other city without him noticing; preparing to postpone this mark until he was back in his patron city and away from other bats.

It was then he noticed the breaking news that a giant, sewage themed rat was wreaking havoc under Blüdhaven’s streets in the downtown areas, near a major subway platform. Nightwing was spotted going in, telling people to stay out, and he hasn’t been seen since.

Of course, Slade went to the fight, and it’s a good thing he did. When he got there, he found Nightwing limp in the creature’s tail, held inches from it’s long and jagged front teeth. Blood trailed down the side of his skull in a steady flow. Slade knew immediately he was unconscious.

He took out one of his pistols and shot at the rat, but the monster was so large and feral it hardly did anything when it went into its arm. It dropped Nightwing like a sack of flour onto the ground, snarling as it turned to it’s newest threat, drool dripping down it’s snout. Slade pulled out his swords and faced it head on.

The creature, while lacking any intelligence, was fast and powerful. Even Slade had trouble ducking under its tail that it used like a club and avoiding its powerful legs and jaw. While it’s disappointing to see Nightwing taken down by a creature as low as this, he can’t exactly blame the kid when it takes himself several minutes to finally get his sword through the thing’s tail. He cuts off the appendage, then while the monster screeches in agony, he pierces its throat.

It goes down twitching and gurgling, its blood bubbling down into the sewer's already questionable streams of water. He whips his swords out, getting off a majority of the wretched blood, then heads over to his unconscious person of interest.

Nightwing doesn’t move as he kneels down beside him, in fact he’s still in the rather undignified position he had been dropped in. Frowning, Slade moves Nightwing into a better position that won't strain his spine and smacks his face lightly to wake him up. He doesn’t even twitch, causing Slade to frown more. His head is still bleeding, which is worrisome. He grabs a tube of smelling-salts from his pouch—usually used to wake up people he’s previously knocked out to get some information out of them—and firmly places it under Nightwing’s nose. A solid few seconds pass before Nightwing’s eyes shoot open under his domino mask; his hands fly out to his face to stifle coughs and he rocks forward so he’s sitting instead of laying down.

Slade doesn’t try to make conversation quite yet, more worried about that head injury. He holds Nightwing by the jaw to tilt his head and get a better look, but Nightwing reacts like the touch was electrified. He smacks Slade’s arms away and jumps to his feet, stumbling back and holding out a single escrima. Slade doesn’t know where the other one went.

“Sit back down,” Slade growls, “I’m not here to hurt you.”

Nightwing flinches at the initial sound of his voice, his mouth dropping open in shock before lowering his single weapon slightly.

“Slade?” he asks, his voice slurred.

Slade resists sighing, and lifts his eyebrow. Who else would it be? It’s not that dark here, even with Slade’s heightened senses. Nightwing doesn’t relax completely though, as if waiting for an answer. Not for the first time that night, another spike of worry rises in his chest.

“Kid, sit down or I’ll make you sit down.”

Nightwing almost goes boneless after that, breathing a single ”thank fuck” before sinking to his ass and putting his head in his hands with a groan.

Now Slade does sigh, even rolling his eyes as he does so, as he once again approaches Nightwing and grabs onto his face to look at the wound. Nightwing hisses and flinches out of his grasp.

“Don’t,” he says, “I already know how bad it is.”

Slade hums, folding his arms across his chest. “How bad is it then?”

Nightwing remains quiet for a moment, biting his lip, perhaps internally fighting with himself on whether or not it’s a good idea to tell one of his biggest enemies about how injured he is. Eventually, Nightwing makes the smart choice and speaks anyway, knowing Slade will find no pleasure in ending him if he's already down.

“Head feels like a war-drum. Feel like ‘m gonna throw up. Voice slurred… ears ringing… I-” Nightwing hesitates. Then sighs. “I can’t see.”

“You can’t see?” Slade repeats, kneeling down to once again take Nightwing’s face in his hands. Nightwing fights the grasp, but this time Slade holds strong and takes off the mask, revealing unfocused electric-blues.

“Nothing, it’s all black,” Nightwing whispers, a slight wobble in his voice that Slade is sure he’s trying to keep down.

He grabs a small flashlight from his tools and shines it in Nightwing’s eyes, frowning as there’s hardly any reaction in the pupils. He clicks off the light and releases Nightwing, thinking of options.

He’s sure the last thing the kid’ll want is to get dumped at the hospital, but Slade’s no medical expert, especially with something as fragile as a normal human’s brain.

He sighs, as only one option realistically reveals itself. The last thing Slade wants to do is risk Nightwing going home all on his own and possibly making this blindness permanent when there could be something that can be done to help him. Nightwing is a competent, talented young man, which is why he’s so intriguing to Slade—and while he has all the faith that Nightwing will find a way to fight even if his sight is forever gone, Slade also knows the loss of sense will be a major blow to the kid’s moral for months to come. He’s seen how far Nightwing can fall with helplessness and depression plaguing him, and honestly the thrill of fighting him leaves when his fire is replaced with a desperateness to prove to himself that he’s still worth something. He needs Nightwing to have a steady support system, and help for this injury.

Nightwing is going to hate him for a while after this, but Slade has no choice. He doesn’t fight against Nightwing to kill him, but because those fights are the only thing that brings a fun challenge. For how human Nightwing is, he fights like a beast, and Slade can’t lose that.

“Up,” he says while returning the kid’s mask; he grabs Nightwing by the arm and lifts him to his feet. Nightwing groans, but doesn’t fight too badly as Slade firmly wraps his arm around Slade’s shoulders. “Where is the best place to exit this place without being spotted?”

Nightwing, with the complexion of the inside of an avocado, talks him through on where to go. He looks one small fit of nausea away from throwing up all over Slade’s armor.

Luckily, he keeps it in his stomach—perhaps the discomfort in his body being something more desirable to deal with than a vomit covered Slade—and by the time they make it out of a small, boarded up and abandoned, exit to the subway line, Slade lets the kid take a break by the nearest dumpster. Nightwing, the poor thing, must have lost everything he’s eaten today in those fifteen minutes.

Now that he’s out below Blüdhaven’s night sky, he’s now the one in charge of leading the way. Nightwing stumbles along blindly—hah—never letting go of his weak grasp around Slade’s neck and shoulders.

Finally, they make it to where Slade has parked the car he had taken into the city. The windows are all tinted to near-illegal levels, but Slade still stuffs Nighting in the back-seats and hands him a bucket he had in the trunk that previously held a few hundred bullets from when he bought them in bulk.

“Throw up on the seats and I’m making you buy me a new car.”

“Bet this one was stolen anyway,” Nightwing mumbles, curled up in the backseats with the bucket touching his stomach like a flu-ridden child.

Slade scoffs and closes the door after reminding him to keep his head down but to stay awake. He takes off his Deathstroke mask, then the top bits of his armor, and shoves them in the truck. Then, after he gets in the driver's seat, they’re off.

Getting out of downtown Blüdhaven should be the hardest part of all of this; both for Slade’s navigation skills and for Nightwing’s gag-reflex. Eventually, however, they make it out of the twists and turns of downtown and eventually make it onto the main roads of the city—still crowded with cars coming too and from various ass-awful shifts of work. Nightwing remains quite agreeable in the backseats, responding that he’s awake every time Slade calls for a status report (about every five-ten minutes), and groaning at every turn no matter how slow Slade takes them.

However, that agreeableness quickly leaves the boy when Slade enters the on-ramp connecting to the north-south interstate.

Kid almost makes himself throw up by how quickly he scrambles to a sitting position; ignoring Slade's commands to lay back down.

“Turn around,” Nightwing growls. And it’s a strong growl too, reminds Slade of a chihuahua. Shaking and all.

“You’re currently blind, you have no idea where-”

“I know the roads of my city, Slade. And you’re leaving it.”

Slade sighs and merges into traffic, then uses one hand to shove Nightwing back town onto the seats. “Keep down, a cop will see you.”

“Where are you taking me?”

Slade remains silent.

“Tell me it’s a secret mansion somewhere and you have your own personal doctor that can help. Or you know a guy that happens to be down south. Or-”

“I’m taking you to Gotham,” Slade says, ripping off the band-aid.

Nightwing looks all sorts of emotions in the span of a few seconds. The one he settles on, however, is anger.

“No.”

“Batman gets injured all the time,” Slade begins to explain, but Nightwing looks frantic now.

“No, don’t take me back- I’ve worked so hard to get him to see that I can do things without him- and he has a new kid now and-”

“Suck it up,” Slade growls. “Deal with it. I’m not like you, kid. I don’t know how to take care of a normal human, and I definitely don’t know anyone who can because I have no need to. What you need is a doctor that can treat you off the record, who knows about your nightlife. Batman has that, doesn’t he.”

It’s not a question, but Nightwing’s silence is still an answer.

“Whatever your old man thinks of you for coming back injured doesn’t matter in the end. Nor does the new kid. What you should worry more about is what I think of you after this. You’re not fighting Batman, you’re fighting me.”

“What if he doesn’t let me fight after this?” Nightwing… Dick whispers as he finally lays back down on the seats. He’s taken his mask off and is rubbing his eyes, perhaps quelling tears or a headache. Perhaps both. “What if my sight doesn’t come back? What if he retires me?”

Slade remains silent for a second, then answers as firmly as he can. “I’ve known plenty of formidable enemies who are missing a sense. You’ll find a way to get back up, and if he doesn’t let you then I’ll just have to break in, kidnap you, and train you myself.”

That startles a laugh out of Dick. “I thought you were no longer trying to get me to be your apprentice.”

Slade shrugs, allowing a smile on his lips, selfishly comforted that Dick couldn’t see it. “You have a lot of potential, kid, I’d rather you use it against me than not at all. I’ll train you and release you like the bird you are, and we can get back to the same ol’ dance we have.”

Dick takes a deep breath. “Yeah. Yeah… okay. I’ll hold you to that.”

-o-o-o-o-

Slade parks the car in an old neighborhood in Gotham that has a considerable drop in crime compared to the rest of the city. All things considered. Though, the sun is beginning to rise and Slade’s positive the Bat knew he was in his city the second he drove into it. Dick knows this too, as he’s telling Slade to hurry up and get out of here despite the boy still looking green around the gills. Slade grabs his mask and armor, then turns to the stolen car he’s about to abandon and opens the back door near Dick’s face.

Suddenly, and rather embarrassingly, he doesn’t know what to say. Thankfully, Dick is a freaky empath sometimes and gives an exhausted smile.

“Don’t worry,” he says, “I’ll get through this.”

“Good,” Slade replies. “I won't let you quit.”

His grin widens. “Never.”

Then Slade closes the door and takes off quickly, only pausing on a distant roof to watch a large black figure and a smaller red-and-yellow clad child approach the car and catch sight of the injured bird inside.

From there, Slade turns and leaves, not looking back.

He’ll see Nightwing on the battlefield again. No matter what, Slade will make sure of it.

[btsqualityy]

BTS Toddler Series #32: Finding Out that You’re Pregnant Again

Author’s Note: So, this is it guys! It’s been a long 7 months of exploring the lives of the members, their wives, and their kids! I’m honestly crying as I type this, but this is the last part of the Toddler Series! Thank you all so much for reading and leaving likes, comments, and reblogs! And an even bigger thank you to all of the people who have EVER sent me an ask regarding these Toddlers and different aspects of their lives! Ya’ll honestly made me a better writer and I couldn’t be anymore grateful to you guys for indulging me and my little universe! After this, I will be doing another Pregnancy Series which should be getting started in mid-October. In the meantime, I’ll be focusing on Amour Vincit Omnia, some small drabbles of the couples and of the toddlers as teenagers, and writing and releasing some imagines that I’ve had outlined for forever lol. Again, thank you all so much and I hope you all enjoy this last part!

Kim Seokjin

“You really didn’t have to come with me Jin,” you said as you looked over at him as the two of you sat in one of the examination rooms that was in your doctor’s office.

“I know but I had the day off so what’s the harm?” He shrugged. “And besides, I’ve been worried about how sick you’ve been lately.”

“I know and I have no idea what it could be,” you told him. “I haven’t thrown up this much or felt this nauseous and gross in years.” Before Jin could reply, there was a knock on the door before it opened and your doctor walked inside.

“Hi Y/N, Seokjin,” he greeted you both with a smile.

“Hi,” you smiled. 

“Hi Doc,” Jin said.

“So, I know you came in because you’ve been feeling really sick so we ran a full panel on you and you tested negative for everything,” the doctor started.

“So you don’t know why I’ve been feeling so horrible?” You wondered.

“I wasn't finished,” he chuckled. “You came back negative for everything except one thing.”

“What is it?” Jin questioned.

“Congratulations Y/N, you’re pregnant,” he announced and your eyes immediately went wide.

“I-I’m pregnant?” You gasped, feeling the tears beginning to well up in your eyes.

“Yeah, 6 weeks,” he confirmed with a nod before looking at you and Jin’s faces to gauge your reactions. “I’m assuming that this one wasn’t planned?”

“Absolutely not,” Jin laughed. 

“Well, here’s your prenatal vitamins and some pamphlets on becoming a mommy again,” your doctor said as he handed you a bottle of pills and a few brochures. After telling you and Jin goodbye, he walked out of the room to give you and Jin some privacy.

“Can you believe it Jinnie? I’m pregnant again,” you squealed, making Jin smile as he wrapped his arms around your waist.

“And we weren’t even actively trying this time,” he added with a smirk, making you roll your eyes playfully. “I love you Y/N.”

“I love you more Jin,” you smiled, giggling when he puckered his lips out and you leaned forward to kiss them.

Min Yoongi

“Y/N-ah, I wish you’d stop being so fucking stubborn and let me take you to the hospital,” Yoongi groaned.

“Yoongs, it’s just a bad case of the flu,” you shrugged, immediately leaning over and vomiting into the small bucket that was next to your side of the bed.

“Y/N, you haven’t gotten out of bed in two days,” he deadpanned. “And it’s not the flu.”

“Then what is it, oh Master of Medicine?” You questioned as your rolled your eyes.

“You’re pregnant again.”

“Yeah, right.”

“Your period’s late, isn’t it?” He said and you narrowed your eyes at him.

“That could be because I’m sick though.”

“Or because you’re pregnant.”

“Listen, just to shut you up, can you go get me a test?” You asked him and he nodded before grabbing his keys and wallet from the dresser. About 20 minutes later, he came back with a pregnancy test in hand. 

“Help me up please?” You pleaded and he nodded before wrapping his arm around your waist and helping you out of bed. He helped you into the bathroom and handed you the test before walking back out to give you some privacy. You then opened the test and used it, setting it on the counter before wiping and flushing the toilet. You then hobbled over to the door, opening it and motioning for Yoongi to come in.

“How long did it say?” He wondered.

“One minute,” you replied as you went to the sink to wash your hands.

“Would you care if you are pregnant again?” He questioned as he looked over at you.

“You know I wouldn’t Yoongs,” you chuckled. “I’d actually be happy but I just don’t want you to have the satisfaction of being right.”

“Well, looks like that isn’t an option jagi,” he grinned as he picked up the test and held it out to you. You took it into your hands and gasped when you looked at the huge plus sign that was on the face of it.

“I really am pregnant again Yoongs,” you laughed as you looked up at him. 

“We’re having another little Min,” Yoongi smiled as he walked over to you, grabbing your face in his hands and kissing you passionately. 

Kim Namjoon

“Ah, what the hell?” You whispered to yourself as you looked down at the two positive pregnancy tests in front of you. You hadn’t been feeling like yourself lately, similar to the way that you felt when you were pregnant with Mason, so you decided to take a pregnancy test just to be sure. However, you weren’t actually expecting the first test to turn up positive, and the second test only confirmed it.

“Mommy!” You heard Mason yell along with the sound of the front door opening and closing and you glanced back down at the pregnancy tests before walking out of the bathroom and down the stairs. 

“Hey jagi,” Namjoon smiled as he helped Mason take his shoes and jacket off. “Someone had a really good day at school today.”

“Oh yeah?” You hummed, smiling as Mason came running over to you.

“Yeah and look, I got a gold star!” He exclaimed as he pointed to his shirt, where a gold sticker sat. 

“Good job Myungie,” you praised, taking a second to bend down and kiss his cheek. “Why don’t you do me a favor and go play in your room for a little bit?”

“Ok,” he nodded, grabbing his backpack and heading up the stairs.

“You ok Y/N-ah?” Namjoon wondered as he walked over to you. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost or something.”

“Uh, I think so but I have to tell you something,” you said. “Come here,” you told him, grabbing his hand and turning around to lead him up the stairs. Once you reached the top, you lead him to the bathroom where the two pregnancy tests were still sitting on the counter.

“Jagi, are these?” Namjoon mumbled before picking up one in each hand, his jaw slightly dropping when he saw the positive results. 

“I’m pregnant Joon,” you confirmed. Namjoon immediately set the tests back onto the counter and walked over to you, holding your face in his hands.

“Are you ok with this?” He checked in and you smiled softly as you wrapped your hands around his wrists and laid your forehead against his chest.

“Mmhmm,” you nodded. “Scared though.”

“That’s understandable jagi. You’re gonna be great though,” he assured you and you lifted your head to look at him. “You’re such an amazing mom to Mase, our second baby is gonna be so lucky to have you.”

“And they’re gonna be lucky to have you too,” you said as you poked his side, making him smile and shake his head.

“You’ll be fine, ok?” He promised you and you nodded, choosing to just cast all your doubts aside and believe him. “I’m gonna be right here by your side the entire time.”

“I love you Joon, so much,” you whispered as you laid your forehead against his chest again.

“I love you too,” he smiled before leaning down and kissing the top of your head.

Jung Hoseok

“Y/N-ah!” Hobi called as he walked into the house, shutting the door behind him before walking off into the living room. You were sitting on the couch, laid back against the back of it with your eyes closed.

“Baby?” Hobi called as he walked over to you and you opened your eyes when you heard his voice again. 

“Hey Hobi,” you said quietly as he sat down next to you on the couch. You immediately sat up so that he could wrap his arm around your shoulders before leaning against him.

“Hey, you ok?” He wondered. 

“I’m fine.”

“Did everything go ok at the doctor’s?” He asked, knowing that today had been the day that you went to your doctor’s office to renew your birth control.

“I actually need to talk to you about that,” you said as you looked up at him. “So you know how when I go to renew my birth control, they have to give me a pregnancy test first in order to make sure that I’m not pregnant?”

“Yeah, what about it?”

“And you remember how a few weeks back, when we were about to have sex and I told you that my shot was still good? Even though I had missed my original renewal date?”

“Yeah.”

“Let’s just say I wasn’t able to get the birth control,” you summed up and Hobi’s eyes widened.

“You’re, you’re pregnant again jagi?” He whispered and you nodded. It was quiet for a few seconds before his eyes widened even more. “You said that your last shot was still in your system though.”

“Hobi, I almost never go and get my shot renewed on the day that I’m supposed to and it’s never affected it before!” You shot back. Hobi then shut his eyes and took a deep breath, not wanting to start a fight with you.

“I’m sorry Y/N-ah,” he whispered as he pulled you closer to him and kissed the side of your head. “Are you ok with it?”

“Yeah, just worried,” you admitted honestly. “Us with three kids is gonna be a lot Hobi.”

“I know but hey, we’ve been doing pretty good at containing the chaos of two,” he pointed out with a small smile. “I don’t think one more is gonna make much difference.”

“I love you, you know that?” You mumbled, grateful to have a husband who always looked at the bright side of things.

“I love you more jagi,” he said and you leaned up, pressing your lips to his gently. “We got this Y/N-ah. I promise.”

Park Jimin

You were in the kitchen, bent over the counter as you pressed your forehead to the cool marble. Your head had been killing you all day long and it had gotten so bad that you had to take a second to make sure you didn’t pass out or something.

“Mommy?” Noah called as he walked into the kitchen and you immediately straightened up, not wanting him to know that you weren’t feeling that great.

“Yes baby?” You asked and he walked up to you, setting his hands on your thighs.

“Can I have animal crackers?” He requested and you smiled with a nod. 

“Sure, why don’t you go sit up in your chair and I’ll bring them to you?” You told him and you smiled softly as you watched him do as you said. You then walked across the kitchen to one of the cabinets that hung on the wall and you opened it. When you reached up to grab the animal crackers however, you felt your vision go blurry and you swayed on your feet. The very last thing that you remembered was the feeling of your body hitting the ground before everything went completely black.

When you came to, you opened your eyes and realized that you were in a hospital bed. You looked over to your right, only to see Jimin holding your right hand with his left hand and scrolling through his phone with his right hand. 

“Jimin-ssi?” You whispered and Jimin’s head popped up to look at you. Throwing his phone down onto the bed, he scooted towards the end of his chair so that he was closer to you.

“Hey Y/N-ah,” he said quietly. “How you feeling jagi?”

“Really groggy and my head still hurts,” you replied honestly. “What happened?”

“You fainted,” Jimin explained and your eyes widened as you started to remember what had happened.

“Noah! Where’s Noah?” You demanded to know as you tried to sit up and Jimin got up out of his chair and set his hands on your shoulders, pushing you back into bed.

“Jagi, he’s fine, I promise,” Jimin swore. “When you fainted, he found your phone and called 911 and then he called me afterwards.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, he actually did an amazing job. He refused to leave your side though, even after you guys got here to the hospital. I had to bribe him with cuddles just to get him to leave with the members,” Jimin explained with a chuckle.

“My sweet baby,” you smiled softly. “Have the doctors come and talk to you yet? Do you know why I fainted?”

“Y/N,” Jimin said as he sat down on the edge of your hospital bed, grabbing both of your hands in his as he looked at you. “You’re pregnant.”

“What?” You chuckled.

“Yeah, that’s why you fainted. Your hormones were trying to balance themselves out, just like-”

“When I got pregnant with Noah,” you finished and Jimin nodded. You let a rush of air out of your mouth as you let the news soak in. “We’re having another baby Jimin-ssi.”

“Yeah we are jagi,” Jimin grinned, leaning forward and kissing you softly.

Kim Taehyung

“Why are you staring at me like that?” You laughed as your eyes met Taehyung’s in the mirror. You had been trying to get ready to go out to lunch with the other members’ wives, but you had been catching Taehyung staring at you the entire time.

“I just, you look different,” he muttered and you turned around and walked over to the bed, sitting next to him.

“Different?” You hummed.

“Yeah. Like you’re, glowing,” he said and you rolled your eyes playfully

“So you’re still on this?” You asked him with a small smile. For the last week or so, Taehyung kept making small comments about how he thought you were pregnant again. You tried not to pay him attention, but when the start date of your period came and went without any sign of Aunt Flo four days ago, you actually had started to think that he may be right.

“I can’t help it Y/N-ah,” he whined childishly, making you laugh at him. “I just know your body and I can sense a difference.”

“Aw Tae,” you cooed, moving forward and kissing his pouting lips. “Would it make you feel better if I took a pregnancy test?”

“It really would,” he nodded enthusiastically, like a little kid. 

“Where’s the pregnancy test then? I know you already have one,” you said and the small smirk on Tae’s face only confirmed it for you. Tae got out of the bed and you followed behind him as he walked into your shared bathroom. He bent down and opened the cabinet that was underneath the sink, reaching to the very back and pulling out a box with two pregnancy tests inside. 

“Ok, get out,” you said and he pouted before walking out of the bathroom and shutting the door behind him. You then used the bathroom, using both of the tests before sitting them onto the counter. Once you were completely finished, you washed your hands before opening the door.

“One minute,” you told him before he could even ask you how long it would take for the results to show up on the tests.

“I know that I probably sound crazy jagi but I’m telling you, I just know,” Tae explained and you couldn’t help but to giggle at him.

“I actually need to tell you,-” you started to say but the timer that you’d set on your phone went off, making Tae jump and rush to grab the tests from the counter.

“Holy shit,” Tae gasped and you walked over to him, leaning over to get a look at the tests and your eyes widened at the large “PREGNANT” that was on the face of both of them.

“You were right Tae,” you smiled as you looked up at him.

“Hell yeah I was!” He exclaimed, taking a second to do a little dance in front of you, and you laughed at him. You decided that you’d tell him about your period having been late another time and let him have his celebration.

“Thank you Y/N-ah,” he said once he stopped dancing, coming back over to you and setting his hands on the sides of your neck.

“For what?” 

“For giving me babies,” he told you and you smiled, setting your hands on the sides of his body.

“I didn’t make them by myself,” you pointed out with a laugh.

“But you’re doing all the heavy lifting so thank you,” he reiterated and you just responded by kissing him firmly.

Jeon Jungkook

“What the fuck are you so angry at me for?” Jungkook sighed in exasperation.

“Because you’re being an inconsiderate dickhead!” You shouted back.

“All I did was leave my clothes on the bathroom floor,” he replied.

“And you do it every fucking day! I shouldn’t have to clean up behind an adult.”

“Then leave it there and I’ll clean it when I get home!”

“Oh, as if you ever feel like cleaning when you get home,” you chuckled darkly. “We both know that I’m the one who does most of the cleaning.”

“Oh my gosh, are you mad at me for leaving the clothes on the floor or for not cleaning up around the house? Make up your fucking mind,” Jungkook snapped. 

“Fuck off Jungkook,” you seethed, stomping towards the door of your bedroom to walk out but Jungkook reached out and grabbed your wrist, stopping you. “Let go of me.”

“No, because obviously you have a problem that’s making you act like this,” he said softly. The sudden gentleness of his tone made you realize how irrational you were being and you couldn’t help the tears that began to suddenly well up in your eyes. 

“I’m sorry Kook,” you sighed and Jungkook just responded by pulling you into his chest, wrapping his arms around you and hugging you tightly. 

“No no baby, it’s ok,” he whispered into your ear, hating to see you crying. 

“I do have something that I need to tell you though,” you sniffled and Jungkook pulled back from the hug to look down at you. “I’m pregnant Kook.”

“You serious?” He wondered with wide eyes and you nodded while you reached up and wiped your face.

“Took a test while you were at the studio,” you replied.

“That’s why you bitched out at me?” He chuckled. 

“You know how my emotions are when I’m pregnant,” you shrugged lamely. 

“I should’ve known,” he muttered as he shook his head. “Are you happy?”

“It’s definitely unexpected but yeah,” you nodded. “Are you?”

“Of course Y/N-ah,” he smiled as he moved his hands from around you to set them on your cheeks. “We’re having another baby.”

“I love you Kook,” you whispered.

“I love you too Y/N-ah,” he grinned before leaning down and kissing you.

[adrenaline-roulette]

Hallow-Queen (Joe)

I wrote three Hallow themed one shots back in October for the Boh Rhap cast (There was supposed to be a fourth, but unfortunately some things came up, and I was unable to write it. Maybe this Halloween I’ll finally get it done!?)

Anyways, there is a fic for Joe, Ben and Gwil

First up will be everyone’s favourite Dino boi! Pairing: Joe Mazzello x Reader

The monster mash filled the bathroom as you got ready for the evening, your poor spotify algorithm will be so confused after tonight. You go for months listening only to the hits of the 80’s, and then suddenly, monster mash, and the Addams family theme are on loop! That however did not stop you from grooving along to the song, moving your hips to the beat and bobbing your head. You could hear Joe downstairs, setting everything up for the party he had organised at the last minute. Joe had sent a group text to the BohRhap cast, demanding everyone be free for Halloween. This, of course had been met with a rather loud outcry. Rami and Lucy had already made plans, Gwil was travelling to Wales to see his brother, and Ben well, Ben was free and had accepted immediately. Up until two days ago, it had been planned for just you, Joe and Ben to have a quite night together, watching scary movies, and pigging out on pizza. That is, until Joe had received a message from Gwil, his brother had come down with the flu, and didn’t want to pass it on to him. Your party now consisted of four. Next came a message from Lucy, “Okay, this is crazy, I haven’t seen you in months! Tell Joe that Rami and I will be there this weekend! (Don’t mention anything to Rami please, I’ve still got to figure out how to tell him…)”

With six confirmed people, you had taken it upon yourself to invite a few extra people, work mates, old school friends, and the castmates of Joe’s current project. As far as Joe knew, there were only going to be four of you in attendance tonight, yet somehow the extra bags of crisps, candy, and drinks hadn’t clued him in on the fact that there would be a lot more people in your house tonight. The doorbell rang downstairs, and you pause your music listening out for Joe as he shuffles around the floor below.  There’s the faint mumbling of voices, though they’re too quiet for you to pick up on who had arrived. Your phone ‘dings’ on the bathroom counter, and you turn your attention to it, a message from Ben illuminating the lock screen. “How long am I keeping Joe occupied for?”

You had a rather special surprise instore for Joe tonight, but to execute it properly, you needed Joe to give you some space for a little while. Ben had been more than willing to help out, offering to keep Joe away from you and the bathroom for as long as you required. “Just need 20 mins.” You send back just as the doorbell rings again. If you had planned everything correctly, everyone would arrive at roughly the same time, which meant Joe would be busy greeting all his unexpected guests. Turning back to face the mirror, you grin at your reflection, time for the piece de resistance! Carefully, you step into the legs of the suit you had chosen to wear, shimmying the material up to your hips. The suit is incredibly baggy on you, and it only becomes more noticeable as you shrug the outfit over your shoulders, but that was all about to change.

                                                                  *****************

“What the hell is that noise?” Joe asks, turning his attention to Ben beside him, who paused as he went to open a beer. A loud ‘whirring’ noise seemed to echo around the entire apartment, Ben had a suspicion as to who the cause of the noise was, but had promised not to say a word.

Instead, Ben simply shrugs, popping the cap off his beer and taking a swig. “No idea sorry.” Joe squints at the blonde, but says nothing more on the topic, his eyes traveling over the costume his best mate had opted to wear. “Ben, mate, I’ve gotta ask. What are you wearing?” He waves his hand in the general direction of Ben’s costume, which consisted of a lime green skirt with purple flowers, salmon coloured tank top, and black boots.

Ben looks rather outraged at Joe’s obliviousness to his costume. “I’m sexy Patrick Star you uncultured swine!” He cries out, folding his arms across his chest, glaring at Joe. “What about you? You’ve barely put any effort in at all!”

Joe looks down at himself pouting at the blonde. “What do you mean? I’m in costume too!”

“It doesn’t count if you dress as your own character!”

Now that was something Joe hadn’t considered, he hadn’t even run his costume by with you, he just assumed that what he had decided to wear would be fine! He had on his baseball outfit from undrafted, lucky number 15 for Pat Murray. Looking at the slightly faded red shirt now however, Joe realised it was perhaps a somewhat lazy costume choice, he had just been so excited to still be able to fit into it! He never stopped to think, should he wear it? “At least my ass looks good in these pants.”

Ben can’t help but chuckle, shaking his head slowly. “Well, you’re not wrong.” A grin is plastered to Joe’s lips, as he gazes around the kitchen. Clearly you had been up to something, as there were currently at least fifteen people milling around the apartment, none of which he had invited, not that they were any less welcome though.

“No fucking way!” Joe screeches, as he looks over to the front door. It had been left open, allowing the warm night air flow into the apartment, also to stop people from constantly ringing the doorbell, allowing the guests to just walk right on in. Ben casts his glance towards the door also, an identical look of glee on his face also. “RAMI! LUCY!”

The sheer volume of Joe’s voice carries over the small crowd of guests, and the two people of his calling turn to look at him, only to find the man in question jumping up and down like a child on Christmas, waving his hands in the air. Ben looks almost embarrassed to be stood beside him, though he would never leave his side, especially seeing as the only other people who he knew at the party, were headed straight for him now. The ever impeccably dressed couple, now stood with them, dressed as Jack and Sally from the nightmare before Christmas. It was a classic costume, but they both pulled the look off so well! “What the hell are you two doing here?” Joe grins, as he wraps his arms around Lucy, then Rami in a tight, welcoming hug.

“You know, I would love to know the answer to that also Joe. Lucy, perhaps you could shed some light on the situation?” Rami smirks, wrapping an arm around the blonde bombshell.

Ben raises a quizzical eyebrow at Lucy, while she shies away from the interrogation she was currently facing. “Maybe, I accidentally typed in the wrong address when booking our uber?” She offers in explanation, though it’s obvious that even she doesn’t believe her own lie.

“Did Y/N have something to do with it?” Joe laughs, swiping a beer off the table for himself.

“I’m pretty sure Y/N had something to do with this entire party. You just weren’t told.” Ben offers quietly. Joe nods in agreement, there was no denying you had created this party, even if Joe had thought he was the one planning the whole thing.

The front door continues to swing open and closed, allowing more and more people inside, the dull mumble of conversation rising to one of a low roar. A tall shadow looms over the small group, who had migrated into the sitting room, Rami was scrolling through Joe’s phone, creating a playlist for the night, while Lucy, Ben and Joe discussed their latest projects. “Looks like our mission from God was a success. We’ve gotten the band back together.” The deep voice of Gwilym is one that cannot go unrecognised, and the small group all turn to face him. The Brit was dressed as Indiana Jones, complete with a whip from a children’s costume of the adventurer, and a brown sable fedora.

                                                                  *****************

You switch the air pump off, turning to face the mirror once more, a broad grin covering your concealed face. “Joe is going to love this!” You chuckle to yourself, moving to exit the bathroom. Your walk is a slow, lumbering one, your oversized costume causing you to take short steps, as apposed to the long strides you usually took. You left your phone on the bathroom counter, having realised you had no way of picking it up and storing it on your person, now you had your costume fully applied. As you exit the bathroom, the soft notes of the time warp, melt into those of the much louder all star, the smash mouth hit blaring through the speakers on the floor below. “Stairs, okay, we can do stairs. This is fine, I am fine...”

At no point during the costume planning process had you considered the need to travel downstairs, and now here you stood, trying to gauge what the best way to tackle your descend. To say it was a slow process down would be an understatement, as you neared the bottom, a few guests stopped to look at your larger than life costume, attempting to peer in and see who had donned such an outrageous outfit. However they soon gave up, when you took too long to reach them. You could hardly blame them for walking away, by the time you got off the stairs, it had taken you close to seven minutes! You wouldn’t wait for you either.

You scan over the crowd, costumed people milling around your apartment drinking and eating, a few dancing along to the music that filled every crevice of the small home. Finally, you spot the people you had been looking for, your small band of misfits who had taken up one of the sofa’s in the sitting room. Somehow Ben, Lucy, Gwil and Rami had managed to sit themselves of the two-seater, leaving Joe sat cross legged on the carpet beside them. Moving closer, Ben is the first to spot you, not that you had expected anything else, he was the only one who knew what your costume was, in all honesty, he had been keeping an eye out for you all evening. Your shadow looms over Joe, who frowns slightly at what he would deem, as a rude intrusion into his personal space. “Hey mate, I think one of your guests needs a hand.” Ben smirks, raising an eyebrow in your general direction.

                                                                  *****************

Joe looks up at Ben, his neck straining from having to continuously tilt his head back at an awkward angle to see his friends. He pushes himself up from the floor, adjusting his now lopsided baseball cap, before pivoting on the spot, only to come face to face with an inflatable T-Rex. The grin which takes over his face, is one you had been praying you would see tonight, and it only cements the fact, that you had worn the perfect costume. Sure it would likely never be worn again, you couldn’t think of a time where you would require a T-Rex costume, and you could almost guarantee that after tonight, it would be folded back into the amazon box it had arrived in, then shoved under your bed, never to see the light of day again. But just for this moment, the look on Joe’s face, made it all entirely worth it!

“Y/N that had better be you under there. Or I’m about to profess my love for a complete stranger.” He chuckles, the grin never wavering from his cheeks, as he looks past the mesh below the dinosaur’s head, searching for a face he could recognise.

You shake your head from side to side, the dinosaur’s head moving erratically as you do so. “Of course it’s me! Honestly, who else would do something like this?” You laugh, as Joe wraps his arms around you, hugging as best he can through the thick layer of inflated costume.

“Bugger me I love you.” He breaths out softly before he whirls around on the spot, one arm remaining wrapped around you, causing you to stumble forward with him. “Benjamin! Did you know about this?” Joe cries, mock hurt flashing through his hazel eyes.

Ben simply shrugs, downing the last of his beer, before leaning forwards and placing the empty bottle on the coffee table. “Don’t yell at Ben! If it hadn’t of been for him, this whole thing would’ve been ruined with your snooping!” You laugh in your friend’s defence.

Joe turns to look at you, mouth agape at your outcry. “What do you mean, my snooping?”

You roll your eyes, though quickly speak up, having forgotten no one can see your face terribly well. “Oh come off it Joe, you know as well as I do that if you get a hunch something is going on, then you do everything in your power to get to the bottom of it!”

“I do not!”

This time, there is a chorus of people agreeing with you, and Joe now turns to the group who he had only moments ago been sitting with. “Ben, I expected this from you. But the rest of you? I expected better!”

“Oh Joe, we love you, But Y/N is right. You remember Christmas last year, when you thought Gwil had you for secret Santa? You wouldn’t let it go for weeks! Not until you finally got you present, only to find out Rami had had you!” Lucy grins, shaking her head softly. Joe has the decency to look somewhat embarrassed.

“You followed me home one night after filming! It was bloody terrifying!” Gwil chuckles, crossing one leg over the other. “I nearly called the police, I thought someone was about to rob me, until I realised it was you lurking by the front door!”

You can’t help but laugh at this, as Rami turns to look at Gwil in shock. “I’m sorry, Joseph did what now?” Joe fumbles with his words as he attempts to explain himself, as Gwil simply laughs loudly, unable to form words to explain the situation to Rami. You remember that discussion quite well with Joe.

                                                                  *****************

It was close the four in the morning when you heard the front door creak open, you had been napping on the sofa, the show you had been binge watching on Netflix long since finished. But Joe had promised he would be home at a reasonable hour tonight, so you had decided to stay up and wait for him. This, however, was not what you considered a reasonable time! And from the way he had been talking when you spoke on the phone earlier in the day, he was expecting to be home just after midnight.

 “Hey babe.” He smiled, toeing off his shoes at the front door, and hanging his coat up on the hook by the door. You frown over at him, peering over the back of the sofa, sleep clouding you vision momentarily.

 “Where have you been?” You sigh, on any other night, you would likely get into an argument over his late arrival. But you were too tired for that right now, and quietly you were just glad that he was home now.

Joe has the decency to look somewhat guilty, as he moves around the apartment, settling down on the sofa beside you. He lifts your legs for a few moments, before lowering them back down, now resting over his lap. “I’m sorry Y/N. I had a few errands to run. I guess I lost track of time.”

“Errands at three in the morning?” Joe goes still, and you can see the cogs turning in his mind as he tries to think up an excuse. “Out with is Mazzello.”

Joe pinches the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index fingers, his eyes squeezing shut tightly. “I, um, followed Gwil home.” He mumbles.

You’re at a loss for words, and blink steadily at the ginger beside you. You had met Gwilym only a handful of times, he was such a gentleman! And for the life of you, you couldn’t understand why Joe had felt the need to follow the man home. “Expand and explain.”

“You know how the cast and I are all doing secret Santa this year?” Joe pauses, and looks over to you, watching as you nod in understanding before he continued. “Well, Rami kept asking me about things that I liked, and what I would perhaps want for Christmas. At first I thought nothing of it, but then I saw him and Gwil whispering to each other, and they kept looking over at me when I was grabbing a coffeein between takes. I put two and two together, and figured Rami was collecting information for Gwil! I asked around, tried to find out if anyone knew who had me, but either no one knew, or they refused to tell me. So I decided to take things into my own hands! We finished up for the night, and I decided to follow Gwil, to try and confirm my suspicions. He went to a department store, and I followed him as best I could, but I couldn’t see what he purchased, there were too many people around. So I realised I just had to follow him home, and see if I could catch what I was wrapping. And well, that’s kinda what I did. Problem is, he caught me lurking around the place, swung the door open, demanded I come inside, and proceeded to give me the lecture of a lifetime.” Joe finishes looking like a kicked puppy.

You can barely contain your laughter, and if it were to be told by anyone else, you would say they were lying. But you knew Joe, and this was exactly the kind of thing he would do! “You’re a fucking idiot, you know that right? The whole point of secret Santa is right there in the name, it’s supposed to be a secret!”

“Yes, I know that! But I just had to know if he did have me!”

“And, the verdict was?”

“I still don’t god damned know! I couldn’t see what the gift was when he wrapped it, and he refused to tell me!”

You shake your head, sighing deeply, it was a good thing you lived this man, otherwise you would be on the verge of sending him to a psychiatric ward. “Bloody hell Joe, I’m going to bed before you tell me anymore.”

                                                                  *****************

As you stand with your rag-tag group of friends, you make a note of the one flaw in your costume, you have no way of eating or drinking whilst wearing it. A pout forms on your lips, as you join in with a conversation Lucy had sprung up with Ben. After a while, you excuse yourself “I’d best go play hostess to the rest of the guests.” You say with a grin, stepping away from the group.

“We all know we are the best guests here!” Rami calls, giving you a double thumbs up as you walk away.

You grin, shaking your head softly as you move around the large number of guests. It seemed like most people had taken the option of bringing a plus one, not that you could blame them. You often did the exact same thing, dragging Joe along to most social gatherings you were invited to. Slowly, you made your way around to everyone, making polite conversation with the guests you didn’t know well, and speaking enthusiastically about your costume with those you did know. By the time you had made the rounds a few times, you were hungry, and honestly really frustrated about not being able to eat. You made your way over to Joe, attempting to be subtle as you slide into the conversation he was engrossed in, Gwil talking animatedly with him about his latest project. “Hey babe, could I borrow you for a few minutes?” You ask softly.

Joe turns away to look at you, smiling at you, leaning down to hear you over the loud noise of the party. “Sure love, let’s go somewhere quiet so I can actually hear you?” He grins, before leading you away, towards the laundry. It was a rather small room, and was barely more quiet than where you had just been, but you were thankful for not having to manoeuvre the stairs once again. It was one thing to go down, and you wouldn’t know where to begin with how to go up. “What’s up?” Joe grin, leaning back against the washing machine, arms folded loosely over his chest.

“Can you give me a hand getting out of this?” You laugh, gesturing as best you can with you tiny T-Rex arms, at the costume you were surrounded by. “It was a bitch of a thing to get on, and I don’t even know where to start with taking it off.”

Joe grins, though moves to you quickly, helping you out of the outfit with ease. Perhaps you should’ve asked for some help getting it on also? That probably would’ve been a good idea… Joe places the sad looking T-Rex in the corner of the laundry, grinning across at you. “Now who are you supposed to be?” He chuckles, taking in your now lack of costume.

You look down at your yoga pants and shirt combo. “I’m a Jurassic Park fan still, can’t you tell?” You smirk, pointing to the faded Jurassic Park logo shirt, which you had long ago stolen from Joe. “I’ve got a soft spot for ‘lil Tim Murphy. He was my first movie crush.” You giggle.

Joe sighs, rolling his eyes at you, though a smirk tugs the corner of his lips. “How about a soft spot for Pat Murray too?” He suggests wriggling his eyebrows at you suggestively. You walk over to him slowly, rolling your hips as you do so, watching as his eyes travel from yours, and down to your hips. You stand up tall, taking the dusty cap off his head, planting it firmly on your own. His hair is an absolute mess underneath, his auburn locks pointing in all directions.

“Perhaps I just have a soft spot for that actor in general?” You tease, before making your way out of the laundry, and back to the party. You don’t wait for Joe, making your way over to your group once more, throwing yourself onto the sofa with an “Ooof.” Ben barely had a chance to get out of the way before you land partially on him, and Lucy grins at you from where she sits on the arm of the sofa.

“Someone pass me something alcoholic in nature please.” You grin, as you make yourself comfortable, sinking into the cushions. You don’t have to as twice, a glass of what you assume is rum and coke, thrust into your hands from Rami. “Cheers!” You grin, raising your glass in the air, before tipping the contents back.

You quickly fall into conversation with Ben, thanking him over and over again for keeping Joe distracted earlier in the evening, to which he brushes you off, telling you to not worry about it. Completely unaware, that when he brings up the promotion you recently got at work, that perhaps he was now keeping you distracted. Joe had reappeared recently, sitting on the opposite side of you, with a bowl of hula hoops in his lap. Carefully, he takes your left hand, and places one of the snacks on your ring finger, a soft blush covering his cheeks. “Thank you Joe, I am starving!” You grin, eating the food off your finger.

You’re oblivious to what he’s getting at, paying no mind to which finger he continues placing the crisp on, and instead, eating it off each time a new one appears. Joe looks at Ben over you shoulder, who simply shrugs in response, unsure what either could do about it. “Babe, could I maybe have more than one at a time?” You ask sweetly, and Joe looks physically pained.

Lucy, who had been watching the events unfold before her, had cottoned on to what was going on early in the piece, and decided to jump to Joe’s aid. “Y/N darling, just take a second and look at your hand yeah?”

You frown slightly at her, before turning away from Joe, looking down at your hand. “What’s so special about? Oh….” Perhaps it shouldn’t have taken you this long to figure out what was going on. The hula hoop sat just above your first knuckle on your ring finger.

“Um, I know this isn’t how one normally does the whole, proposal thing. But we haven’t gone out looking at rings before, and I don’t know was your ring size is… So I’m kinda hoping this will do for the time being? As a place holder kind of thing?” Joe rambles, the blush creeping steadily up to the tips of his ears.

“Joseph, I’ll marry you with or without a ring.” You grin, throwing your arms around his neck, as his snake around your waist, your lips pressing together in a fierce kiss. A kiss full of promises of the future.

“Jeez, I don’t know how we’ll upstage Halloween next year.” Gwil smirks, as he and the other guests who were aware of the happenings clapped for the newly engaged couple.

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I tagged 644 of my posts in 2022

Only 50% of my posts had no tags

#ds9 - 33 posts

#ent - 32 posts

#voyager - 20 posts

#snw - 20 posts

#discovery - 19 posts

#picard - 16 posts

#picard spoilers - 16 posts

#a tired environmentalist - 16 posts

#threshold day - 12 posts

#dsc - 12 posts

Longest Tag: 126 characters

#just because transphobes are using detrans people to further their narrative doesn't mean detrans people don't deserve support

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

While you are in your dead Hemmer rages, I am sitting here fully confident that he is still alive like:

69 notes - Posted July 3, 2022

#4

So do you think when Trip works really hard in engineering he eventually gets all tuckered out?

74 notes - Posted November 15, 2022

#3

The absolute irony of american conservatives going on for years about how we shouldn't give students contents warnings for anything, we should just deal with it, and how we are "oversensitive snowflakes" NOW turning around trying to ban books, prevent the mention of the existence of lgbtq people to minors, and ban the teaching of accurate american history because it might upset white students is just.... something.

149 notes - Posted April 13, 2022

#2

PSA: Please get the updated bivalent covid shot and the flu shot!

In the US, only 12.5% of people over 5 have gotten the new covid vaccine which protects against omicron. If you remember from 2020 and 2021, winter will bring likely surge of cases. The more people who are vaccinated, the less severe cases and deaths, and the less likely our already overwhelmed healthcare system is to get completely swamped. If you haven't already, please go get the vaccine and protect yourself and community.

Also, get your flu shot! Flu cases are already looking to be very high this year (about 18.1% positive testing rate as of November 28th, as opposed 3.6% from a normal year, as listed in the Vox article). Flu can always be a serious illness, but it's especially important this year to get vaccinated.

There are people who can't get vaccinated and they are often the people most at risk of serious illness from both covid and the flu. Please help lower their risk by getting vaccinated.

325 notes - Posted December 1, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Anybody else just really love pigeons? They make the sweetest noise and are genuinely very pretty. I know they're super common but I just think they're great.

540 notes - Posted October 27, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[patriotsnet]

Why Are Republicans Against The Era

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/why-are-republicans-against-the-era/

Why Are Republicans Against The Era

Republican Governors Revolt Against Cdc Mask Guidance

Bill Maher explains why intelligent people vote Republican

Republican governors are rejecting new mask recommendations the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued Tuesday, casting the health guidance as a step back amid a push to vaccinate millions of Americans that is already struggling in their states.

In statements and public comments, governors said their states would not return to the mask orders issued in 2020.

“The CDC’s new guidance suggesting that vaccinated people wear masks indoors flies in the face of the public health goals that should guide the agency’s decision making,” Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts said in a statement. “The State of Nebraska will not be adopting their mask guidance.”

“Public health officials in Arizona and across the country have made it clear that the best protection against COVID-19 is the vaccine. Today’s announcement by the CDC will unfortunately only diminish confidence in the vaccine and create more challenges for public health officials – people who have worked tirelessly to increase vaccination rates,” Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey said in a statement.

Newly revised guidance from the Atlanta-based agency recommends that some fully vaccinated people wear masks indoors if they live in areas where the virus is spreading rapidly.

Most of Nevada, Utah and Wyoming are areas of high concern. So are parts of California, much of Indiana and Kentucky, and eastern swaths of Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.

Video: CDC Reverses Mask Guidelines

CNBC

President Truman Integrates The Troops: 1948

Fast forward about sixty shitty years. Black people are still living in segregation under Jim Crow. Nonetheless, African Americans agree to serve in World War II.

At wars end, President Harry Truman, a Democrat, used an Executive Order to integrate the troops.

These racist Southern Democrats got so mad that their chief goblin, Senator Strom Thurmond, decided to run for President against Truman. They called themselves the Dixiecrats.

Of course, he lost. Thurmond remained a Democrat until 1964. He continued to oppose civil rights as a Democrat. He gave the longest filibuster in Senate history speaking for 24 hours against the 1957 Civil Rights Act.

House Votes To Reauthorize Violence Against Women Act Despite Gop Opposition

WASHINGTON The House on Thursday passed an extension of the Violence Against Women Act, which provides protections for survivors of domestic violence, and includes new gun-related provisions that are opposed by the NRA.

Lawmakers approved the bill in a 263-158 vote, with most Republicans voting against it.

The measure, which expired in February, was sponsored by Congressional Black Caucus chairwoman Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa. The bill today, which would extend the law for five years, includes new provisions that would make it harder for domestic abusers to gain access to guns.

Those include an attempt to close the so-called ‘boyfriend’ loophole, prohibiting those convicted of stalking or abusing individuals with whom they have been in a relationship that did not include marriage from buying a gun.

Read Also: Liberal Congress Members

Lawsuit Regarding Deadline Extension

On December 23, 1981, a federal district court, in the case of Idaho v. Freeman, ruled that the extension of the ERA ratification deadline to June 30, 1982 was not valid, and that ERA had actually expired from state legislative consideration more than two years earlier on the original expiration date of March 22, 1979. On January 25, 1982, however, the U.S. Supreme Courtstayed the lower court’s decision, thus signaling to the legislatures of still-unratified states that they may continue consideration of ERA during their spring 1982 legislative sessions.

After the disputed June 30, 1982, extended deadline had come and gone, the Supreme Court, at the beginning of its new term, on October 4, 1982, in the separate case of NOW v. Idaho, 459 U.S. 809 , vacated the federal district court decision in Idaho v. Freeman, which, in addition to declaring March 22, 1979, as ERA’s expiration date, had upheld the validity of state rescissions. The Supreme Court declared these controversies moot on the grounds that the ERA had not received the required number of ratifications , so that “the Amendment has failed of adoption no matter what the resolution of the legal issues presented here.”

Emergence Of New Conservatism

The relief programs included in FDRs New Deal earned overwhelming popular approval, launching an era of Democratic dominance that would last for most of the next 60 years. Between 1932 and 1980, Republicans won only four presidential elections and had a Congressional majority for only four years.

Though the centrist Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was president from 1953 to 1961, actively supported equal rights for women and African Americans, a conservative resurgence led to Barry Goldwaters nomination as president in 1964, continued with Richard Nixons ill-fated presidency and reached its culmination with the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980.

The South saw a major political sea change starting after World War II, as many white Southerners began migrating to the GOP due to their opposition to big government, expanded labor unions and Democratic support for civil rights, as well as conservative Christians opposition to abortion and other culture war issues.

Meanwhile, many black voters, who had remained loyal to the Republican Party since the Civil War, began voting Democratic after the Depression and the New Deal.

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Hayden Rider And Protective Labor Legislation

In 1950 and 1953, the ERA was passed by the Senate with a provision known as “the Hayden rider”, introduced by Arizona senator Carl Hayden. The Hayden rider added a sentence to the ERA to keep special protections for women: “The provisions of this article shall not be construed to impair any rights, benefits, or exemptions now or hereafter conferred by law upon persons of the female sex.” By allowing women to keep their existing and future special protections, it was expected that the ERA would be more appealing to its opponents. Though opponents were marginally more in favor of the ERA with the Hayden rider, supporters of the original ERA believed it negated the amendment’s original purposeâcausing the amendment not to be passed in the House.

ERA supporters were hopeful that the second term of President Dwight Eisenhower would advance their agenda. Eisenhower had publicly promised to “assure women everywhere in our land equality of rights,” and in 1958, Eisenhower asked a joint session of Congress to pass the Equal Rights Amendment, the first president to show such a level of support for the amendment. However, the National Woman’s Party found the amendment to be unacceptable and asked it to be withdrawn whenever the Hayden rider was added to the ERA.

Democrats V Republicans On Jim Crow

Segregation and Jim Crow lasted for 100 years after the end of the Civil War.

During this time, African Americans were largely disenfranchised. There was no African-American voting bloc. Neither party pursued civil rights policies it wasnt worth their while.

Democrats dominated Southern politics throughout the Jim Crow Era. Its fair to say that Democratic governors and legislatures are responsible for creating and upholding white supremacist policies.

Southern Democrats were truly awful.

You May Like: How Many Democrats And Republicans Are Currently In The Senate

Why Are So Many Republicans Refusing Vaccination Because Russia Is Telling Them To

What is the difference between doubt and distrust? Doubt can be overcome by evidence. Distrust cannot.

According to a recent Washington Post poll, refusal to get the COVID-19 vaccine has now become completely politicized in the USA. Among Democrats, 93% report that theyve already gotten at least one shot or are likely to, compared with only 49% of Republicans.

Why so much refusal to vaccinate among the GOP? Because theyre being targeted by a deliberate campaign of disinformation. Science denial isnt a mistake, its a purposeful lie.

Despite ample data that the vaccines are safe, false stories circulate on the internet claiming that scientists are lying to us, that the vaccines can make you infertile, that they contain microchips, that they can alter your DNA. Do these worries arise organically? Maybe some do. But such disinformation is often intentionally created to serve someones financial, political or ideological interests.

Among those with something to gain is the Russian government, which is diligently working to undermine confidence in the vaccines as part of its goal of destabilizing American society. It has been spreading misinformation for years on a host of other virus-related topics, including flu and Ebola. From there, its a short hop to having their message amplified by conspiracy-embracing, right-wing media, whether witting or not, and by the soulless churn of algorithms on social media.

But can it work with strangers?

Why Do Republicans Hate Everyone

BATRA’S BURNING QUESTION PERIOD: Memo to Trudeau: Why do you hate Canada? Where’s the budget?

In fairness, the question should be: Why does the extreme right-wing;hate everybody? The majority of republicans are just as friendly as your average floundering democrat. In reality-tv-obsessed America, however, the people who yell the loudest and say the most outlandish things are those who make the news and get elected President.

With that in mind, we can still generally answer the question: Why do republicans seem to hate everybody?

Lesson one: look to history. There are countless periods in political history in which we find anger-driven uprisings against all things other by the right-wing. Every time the economy swung in favor of the wealthy and against the average worker, the right-wing increased its political power by blaming The Other: Irish, Italians, African Americans, Chinese, Japanese, even alcohol. Today that blame is targeted at Mexico and predominantly Muslim nations.

Same problems, different scapegoats. Assigning blame is the easiest way out of complex situations especially for the simple-minded. Assigning blame is also the shortest path to a culture of hate.

Like chanting, hate is a infectious. It spreads like a cancer and a wave in a stadium. As a result of decades of fear-mongering on right-wing media combined with GOP election strategies of encouraging blame and;disgust;of the opposition, hate has become a permanent motivator in;republican brain function.

Read Also: Democrats More Educated Than Republicans

Why A Republican Who Co

By: Ned Oliver– February 21, 2019 6:19 pm

Supporters of the Equal Rights Amendment rallied at the Capitol in Richmond earlier this year.

The Equal Rights Amendment only needed two Republican votes to pass the House of Delegates.

And two Republican delegates signed on as co-patrons to the ratification resolution that passed the Senate, where the chief sponsor was also a Republican.

So what happened?

After the ERA failed in subcommittee, where four or five members of the majority party can kill legislation, the only way it could get a full vote on the floor of the House was through a rules change.

Thats what Democrats tried; twice on Thursday. But when it comes to procedural votes, the Republican caucus is known for toeing the party line.

I dont believe that we change the rules in the middle of the game, said Del. Roxann Robinson, R-Chesterfield, one of the two Republican ERA co-sponsors with Del. Chris Stolle, R-Virginia Beach.

Thats the bottom line. Bills live and die here all the time, and when your bill doesnt go the way you want it, you dont just change the rules to make it happen.

Does she consider her votes to be against the ERA?

I voted against the rules change, she said. Definitely I voted against the rules change.

Whether voters appreciate that distinction in November remains to be seen, but political observers say they doubt it.

Robinson and Stolle also face uphill battles, with Kaine winning their districts by 10 and six points respectively.

Which Came First: Republican Hate Or Gop Misinformation

Hate is a great motivator. All political parties have used it to get out the vote. Generally, those who seek elected office shape information in a way that helps a certain voting block hate their opponent. Thats how we elect people in America. That is a sad reality we just have to accept in order to fix it. Hope doesnt fix it.

Whats unique and new about negative politics in the post-Obama era is that we have this thing called the Internet and dare I acknowledge itSocial Media. ;Social media has completely isolated the Republican Party base. The Internet and social media have created hard-edged, isolated buckets of information where facts dont matteragreement;and emotion matter. For republicans, agreement with their own bias is considered fact, whereas disagreement is a lie they literally transform reality to support their own opinion: the Post-Truth Era. In order to maintain that alternate reality, they have to hate those who dont agree, otherwise their reality bubble starts to break apart.

This is the case on both sides of the aisle, but the hardliners have taken it to a new level, which is why they seem to hate everything. Theyre even taught to hate things that help them like the ACA, unions, and public education.

Social media and 1000 cable channels dont increase the information we receive they focus the information and repeat it 1000 times more often. Anything can become the truth when its repeated enough times.

Recommended Reading: What Caused Republicans To Gain Power In Congress In 1938?

Us District Court Lawsuit Supporting Ratification

On January 30, 2020, the attorneys general of Virginia, Illinois and Nevada filed a lawsuit to require the Archivist of the United States to “carry out his statutory duty of recognizing the complete and final adoption” of the ERA as the Twenty-eighth Amendment to the Constitution.On February 19, 2020, the States of Alabama, Louisiana, Nebraska, South Dakota and Tennessee moved to intervene in the case. On March 10, 2020, the Plaintiff States filed a memorandum in opposition to the 5 states seeking to intervene. On May 7, 2020, the DOJ filed a motion to dismiss, claiming the states do not have standing to bring the case to trial as they have to show any “concrete injury”, nor that the case was ripe for review.

On June 12, 2020, the District Court granted the Intervening states motion to intervene in the case. On March 5, 2021, federal judge Rudolph Contreras of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that the ratification period for the ERA “expired long ago” and that three states’ recent ratifications had come too late to be counted in the amendment’s favor. The plaintiffs said they will consider their options, including appealing this ruling. On May 3, 2021, the plaintiff states appealed the ruling to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Mcconnell Walks Back Language About Stopping Biden Administration

Finally, on free market philosophy, Trump completely upended the way Republicans talk about the relationship between government and the economy.

Prior to Trump, the partys closest thing to a guiding light among members were then-Rep. Paul Ryans budgets, which called for partially privatizing Medicare, lowering tax rates and slashing overall spending. Tea party grassroots activists often took their cue from more libertarian-minded thinkers like Ron Paul, the former Republican congressman from Texas, who played up the beauty of the free market. They opposed barriers to trade, hated bailouts and subsidies, and looked down on the takers” who wanted the government to finance their lifestyle.

In fact, just one cycle before Trumps first run, a popular conservative take was that the working class paid too little in taxes relative to the rich a position illustrated by the party’s 2012 presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, and his famous .

While Trumps administration tended toward conservative orthodoxy, his message to voters frequently undermined it. He promised not to mess with entitlements. He threatened individual companies whose CEOs crossed him and slapped tariffs on imports. He boosted spending and said it was a good time to borrow.

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House Republicans Vote Against Equal Rights For Women

A House resolution removing the ratification deadline for the Equal Rights Amendment passed Thursday with just five GOP votes.

Nearly every House Republican voted against a resolution that could help ratify the Equal Rights Amendment on Thursday, citing a litany of excuses not to enshrine equality on the basis of sex in the Constitution.

The House of Representatives voted, 232 to 183, for a resolution to remove the 1982 deadline for states to ratify the ERA. Five Republicans joined all 227 Democrats present in voting for the measure; 182 Republicans and a conservative independent voted against.

During Thursday’s floor debate, some Republicans said they opposed the resolution on constitutional grounds, but many argued against the Equal Rights Amendment on its merits.

Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner warned that banning discrimination would mean women could no longer enjoy discounts. “Girls get substantially lower rates on auto insurance because they’re better drivers,” he said, adding that, with a constitutional ban on sex discrimination, such advantages “would become unconstitutional and girls are going to have to pay boy-drivers’ rates for auto insurance.”

Sensenbrenner also said that, although women “live longer than men,” women would also have to pay more for life insurance than they do now.

Rep. Vicky Hartzler said the ERA “would not bring women any more rights than they currently have right now.”

TAGS

Proposed Removal Of Ratification Deadline

On March 8, 2011, the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day, Representative Tammy Baldwin introduced legislation to remove the congressionally imposed deadline for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. The resolution had 56 cosponsors. The resolution was referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution by the House Committee on the Judiciary. The Subcommittee failed to vote on the resolution, and as such, the resolution died in subcommittee when the 112th Congress ended in January 2013. On March 22, 2012, the 40th anniversary of the ERA’s congressional approval, Senator Benjamin L. Cardin introduced âwhich is worded with slight differences from Representative Baldwin’s . Senator Cardin was joined by seventeen other senators who cosponsored the Senate Joint Resolution. The resolution was referred to Senate Committee on the Judiciary, where a vote on it was never brought. The resolution, therefore, died in committee when the 112th Congress ended in January 2013.

On February 24, 2013, the New Mexico House of Representatives adopted House Memorial No. 7 asking that the congressionally imposed deadline for ERA ratification be removed. House Memorial No. 7 was officially received by the U.S. Senate on January 6, 2014, was designated as “POM-175”, was referred to the Senate’s Committee on the Judiciary, and was published verbatim in the Congressional Record at page S24.

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[golddaggers]

if you say so

pairings: mitch rapp x reader

warnings: cursing, mentions of sex.

a/n: writing this made me cry so much, but I don’t want to spoil anything. just see for yourselves.

word count: 5,3k+

December, 2017

It was another terrible winter night, the one that celebrated a month since the love of my life walked out on me. Yes, a bit amusing if you consider the fact I hated this season and everything that comes along with it.  

Ever since I was a little girl, I was never a fan of winter. Never wanted to go outside to play in the snow with my other friends, never enjoyed jumping into puddles of water and the rainy nights were my personal nightmare. I hated thunders with my whole soul. They were undeniably scary, plus the lightnings? Urgh, only to be thinking about it makes my body cringe. It was really awful.

But, my entire concept of hate changed when I met him, when I met Mitch Rapp. Honestly, I do not wish to sound cheesy, that is definitely not my goal, yet, I can tell you, without thinking twice that the handsome brown haired man I once called husband was my soulmate. He understood me in ways no one managed to do. Broke down my walls with a sledgehammer. I didn’t even saw him coming, still, when I clasped the grip of my life, I was already utterly in love with him. Mitch was… addictive.

I gripped a mug filled with tea, heading outside and opting to watch as the rain slapped the buildings, water gushing everywhere. It was a plainly normal scene, I agree, however, it felt like I had gotten a ticket to a ride down memory lane. I began missing his arms around my waist, his chin supported on my shoulder and how he would sometimes kiss my neck, his beard my skin itch. I missed his hoarse laugh. The way his eyes would go to a soft tone of liquid honey when he was about to tell me he loved me.

A warm tear rolled down my cheek and then I realised it was time to bring back the old picture hidden under the cushioned seat from the balcony. The photo was old, the edges already fading; Mitch had his lips pressed onto my face in a clumsy kiss, I was smiling and we were sort of hugging. That day was fucking amazing and I wish I could go back to that state of happiness.

Nevertheless, I couldn’t.

Summer, 2014

“You look really good on that, baby girl.” Mitch said with a cocky smirk, wounding his arms around my waist and nibbling at my bare neck, his beard grazing my skin, sending chills to my entire form.

“I’m only wearing my bikini bottoms, you can’t say that I ‘look good on that’ when I’m half naked.” I replied, laughing. “But thank you, Mr. Rapp.”

“You’re welcome, Miss Y/L/N.” The brown haired man kissed my cheek playfully then went to lie on the huge bed situated on the middle of the room. “You should hurry, though, because we should already be enjoying a beautiful day by the pool.”

“Yeah, I’m almost done, honey.”

The hotel Mitch and I had found in Jeffersonville, Vermont, wasn’t exactly fancy, but, considering we just wanted to be together and take pleasure in the little time we had before he was forced to go back to work, anything with the standard comfort fulfilled our needs. Plus, the place wasn’t so bad; it was a little cabin, everything beautifully carved and made out of wood. Simply perfect.

A goofy grin slipped whilst I observed the handsome man glancing at me; although we had been together for almost two years now, not one day went by without him making sure I knew how much he loved me. Which was why we faced hours and hours on the road so we could spend our anniversary in this romantic getaway. I guess he was feeling a tad guilty about how much he had worked lately, still, I didn’t blame him; I knew he was happy being the hero. Thus I was happy as well.

Finally, after getting fully clothed and applying the last layer of sunblock on my face, we went out, heading to the hotel’s pool section. Mitch, as usual, hooked his rough fingers with mine, the thumb massaging carelessly the back of my hand. It was such a small gesture, yet I could already feel a tingling sensation spreading across my body, causing me to smile.  

Because it was way too early, the place was nearly empty when we got there, five minutes later; I mean, no one would be insane enough to get up at 7 A.M. so they could hit the swimming pool. But I guess it’s what happens when you date a trained agent: sleeping in late is a very rare occasion. Mitch never slept past six and half in the morning, I had lost count of how many times I woke up to an empty bed and him outside our small home working out, punching sandbags or something. Not that I was bothered by it, that being the first thing I saw in the day always brightened up my mood.

Taking a good deep breath, my eyes closed, I couldn’t help but think my life was exactly where I wanted it to be. After years working under the supervision of a boss I didn’t like one bit, I had finally managed to save enough money to open my vet clinic, in a successfully partnership with my best friend; had moved into a nice home, which allowed me to adopt my adorable Annie; had a healthy relationship with my family and, at last but not least, I had found the man of my dreams. The more I give this emphasis, I am more sure Mitch Rapp is the man I want to spend the rest of my days with. He is everything I had ever dreamt about or wanted in a partner.

It was fun to look back to the night we met, because, even then, I knew he wasn’t any ordinary person. Robert Mills, which was a friend of mine from school, had invited me to a small gathering; at first, I wasn’t going to go. The weather was horrible, my flatmate Cristina was sick with the flu… Everything seemed to be working so I couldn’t go to the stupid party. However, as if fate wanted Mitch and I to meet, Cris talked me into it, saying it would be good for me to unwind a bit after the rough week I had had at work. Therefore, I got on my favourite black dress, heels, light make-up and drove to Robert’s place. Once there I realised the evening wasn’t going to be much fun; to be honest, I knew Robbie wasn’t much of a wild guy. Nevertheless, just when I was about to leave, I spotted him leaning against a tall column, smoking a cigarette. I couldn’t quite place what gave me the courage, but I walked up to that handsome man. We talked all night long, both sat at a bench on the park in front of the house. That night was purely magical.

“Sweetheart!” Mitch’s hoarse voice called, splashing water on me playfully. “Come join me, please!”

“Mitch!” Exclaiming, I started drying myself with the white towel I had brought for him. “I don’t want to get wet.”

“Just for a little bit. I want to talk to you about something.”

“Why don’t you come here?”

“No, it has to be here. Please, baby girl, it won’t take long. Just five minutes, okay?”

“Five minutes!” Shrugging, I agreed, making my way into the cold water. “Jesus, this is cold!”

“I’ll warm you up.” He said, his strong arms wounding themselves around my waist. “You’re so beautiful, you know that?”

In delight, I just let my head fall to rest on his shoulder, my eyes sealed shut. Being within his embrace was an indescribable feeling, if there’s a place where I could die in peace, it was under his silky touch. My boyfriend dragged his beautiful upturned nose up my neck, his teeth nibbling at the sensitive skin of my earlobe, causing me to hum in pleasure. His thumbs, then, began a soft massage at each side of my body. I had no idea what he wanted out of this, but I was enjoying it a lot.

“Mitch…” I whispered, reaching back to cup his cheek. “You can’t do that to me in public. I can’t resist it.”

“Babe, don’t use that sexy voice on me. It’s not right.” The brown haired man muttered, his mouth now latched on the crook of my neck. “Plus, I called you here because I wanted to tell you something.”

“What is it?”

“First I want you to know that you are the love of my life. I have loved a few women back then, but when it comes to you, all those loves from before seems as if they were merely passions. Because when I look at you, my heart warms up, my legs tremble and I am struck with the realisation that I rather be shot on the stomach or be beaten up til I’m dead than to lose you.”

“Oh baby.” A single tear fell from my right eye, a lump forming on my throat. I swivelled myself to stare at him, noticing he was just as emotional as I was. “I love you so much.”

“Sh, babe, let me finish.” He smiled, wiping away the string of teardrops streaming down my cheeks. “What I am trying to say is that, whenever I have to be away from you, I feel this awful sensation in my gut, like something is missing. I miss the way your hair scatters on my pillow and how you steal the sheets all to yourself, leaving my feet cold in the dead of night. I miss your arms wrapped around my waist. You fixing my ties. You stealing kisses. I miss you. And I don’t want to miss you any more. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Y/N.”

“Yes.”

“Oh, no, let me ask first.” We both laughed, our cries mingling with the happiness. “Will you-”

“Yes, yes, yes.”

“Y/N!” Mitch squeezed my hand, tilting his head. “Will you marry me?”

“Fuck yes, baby, I’ll be your wife. Your partner. Everything that you want.”

Wearing the cutest smile in the whole wild world, he slided down my finger a beautiful ring. I could sense my heart pounding against my ribcage as I admired him awe, my hands cupping his cheeks, feeling the soft stinging of his beard against my palms. He laced his arms around my small back, pulling us even closer so he could finally connect our lips into a very meaningful kiss. There wasn’t anything wild or hot, like our usual. It was just two souls in love making a deeper connection through a physical act.

“I love you.”

“Me too, darling, me too.”

October, 2017

A small pile of clothes, alongside with thrown shoes, made a slight disarray on our bedroom’s recently cleaned floor. Not that we cared, anyway, we were way too busy trying to get our breathings back to normal, feeling the cold touch of our sweat dripping down our backs while two tired, but blissful, smiles rested on our lips. Mitch and I had made quite a mess tonight.

I guess it was the long time we spent apart from each other that caused us to be so hungry. My beloved husband had been tasked with an undercover mission in Afghanistan, one that lasted over two months. Meaning that when he got back home, there wasn’t anything we wanted to do other than make sure we knew how much we had missed one another. The rest didn’t matter at all.

“Sweetheart?” He muttered quietly, after pulling me to lie my head on his chest, hands slowly stroking my back. “You haven’t talked much… Is everything okay?”

“Of course it is, Mitch, I’m just a bit numb. That’s all.”

The man laughed loudly, shaking his head while tightening his arms around me in a clumsy hug. I, on the other hand, solely smiled, too busy drawing imaginary figures on his pale arm. It was so damn good to be around him again… No words were actually needed. Just the warm sensation of his skin against mine, protecting me from the coldness of autumn. The worst time of the year was coming.

“I was thinking…”

“You thinking? That’s news! What have they done with you in there?” I joked, looking up at him and seeing the frown forming on his face.  

“Very funny, Y/N.” He replied, shifting us so we were lying facing each other. “It’s serious.”

“Fine, fine, I’m sorry. Tell me.”

“Okay, uh… So, we have been married for two years now.”

“Yes, we have.” Now I was smirking, I loved seeing him acting so nervous. It was so incredibly adorable. “What do you want to tell me, baby?”

His tepid hands reached for my cheeks, cupping them gently and directing me the beautiful honey eyed glance I loved so much. His eyes never seemed brighter to me, which caused a shy grin to pull up the corners of my mouth. Mitch smiled as well, his thumbs massaging my cheekbones. I closed my eyes for a minute, too overwhelmed by his blazing gaze.

“I don’t want you to be pressured about what I’m going to say. If you don’t want to, that’s okay with me. Whatever makes you happy, makes me happy too.”

“Please spill the tea. I’m curious.”

“Let’s have a baby. We have been together for five years, we’re married, have our own place, stable jobs… It’s the right timing to start our family, don’t you think?”

“Wow, Mitch, wait a minute.”

Sitting up straight on our california king sized bed, I carefully observed his features, the beam of hope fading away from his eyes. It wasn’t like I didn’t want to have a family with him. If there was anyone I would want to have a kid with, that someone was Mitch Rapp. Nevertheless, I couldn’t ignore the fact he worked for the government as a CIA agent. It was a dangerous job; Hell, I was constantly worrying whether he would return home whole from his missions. Also, my husband had many enemies. I don’t know if I could risk the life of a child.

“I know what you’re thinking.” The honey eyed man murmured. “I know that look.”

“Then you know I can’t do that.”

“But you want to, don’t you?”

“Yes, of course, I want everything with you.” I sighed, shaking my head, a couple of tears escaping. “But it’s risky, you and I both know it.”

“I’ll quit my job.” Mitch said, staring at me so vividly I knew he wasn’t just saying that out of the heat of the moment. “I can easily find another one. Or maybe work with you at the pet clinic. I honestly don’t mind.”

“Oh no, please don’t say that. I don’t want you to give up on your dream job. I love you way too much to allow that.”

“Listen to me.” He intertwined our digits again, giving a soft squeeze. “I know what it has done to us. Fuck, I hate when I’m too far from you. I don’t want it any more. So… At the end of the year, I am going to resign.”

“Baby…”

“No, I have set my mind on it. I can be on the training team, or preparing the new recruits. But no more missions. I’m done.”

“You promise to me that’s what you really want?”

“Cross my heart and hope to die.”

Then, in a swift movement, I straddled his lap, lacing my arms around his neck and quickly planting a kiss on his soft, pink lips. Without thinking twice, he returned the fond action, palms gripping the back of my tights, eliciting a gentle, delighted hum to fall from my mouth. I didn’t want to admit out loud, but I was happy Mitch had made that choice. I hated the fact we had to spend so much time away from each other. Now it was like I could breathe properly. I wouldn’t have to worry about my husband’s safety any more.

A few moments later, we broke the kiss, still gasping and heaving.

“I’ll ask again now.” He mumbled, hands rubbing my back at leisure. “Do you, Mrs. Rapp, want to make a baby with me?”

“You are so cheesy.” I chuckled, hiding my face on the crook of his neck, intoxicating myself with his manly scent. “Yes, I do, Mr. Rapp. Let’s make a baby.”

“It will be my pleasure.” My husband answered and I could already feel his ‘excitement’ poking my inner thigh.

“I’m hoping it will be ours.”

“I’ll make sure it will.”

“Alright. I trust you.”

Chuckling, Mitch pushed me down onto the mattress so he could be lying above me, my legs wounded around his waist. His nose poked mine, teasing before sealing our lips in one hell of a good kiss. The night was surely going to be fun.

November, 14th, 2017

While pouring fresh tea inside a large mug, already wearing my thickest set of sweaters, I began wondering if I would ever get used to missing Mitch. He had left only a week ago, but each morning I woke up without him by my side caused a dull ache to spread on my chest. It didn’t matter how many times we had done it before, I was never fully completed unless he was with me. Some might say I was addicted to him, however, they didn’t know about our personal life. They didn’t know the extension of our love towards one another. And this was something I guess no one will ever truly understand.

Taking a deep breath, I decided it was best if I went upstairs to snuggle under my comfy sheets. I had woken up with a horrible belly twisting that made me stay all the day long at home, because I couldn’t stop throwing up; when I called Cris to let her know I wouldn’t go to work, she offered herself to drop off some healthy food at my place once the working day was done. Such a good friend! She even suggested to stay with me the night, but I couldn’t get her away from her kids or husband. Thus she left, about thirty minutes ago. To be honest, I was already better. I had taken two pills, ate a good warm soup… My stomach seemed to be completely okay now.

As soon as I stepped inside my room, my phone began ringing; upon realising it could only be Mitch, my heart skipped a beat and I ran to pick it up, not able to wait another moment. I needed to see his face.

“Hey babe.” He said, winking at me playfully. “How are you today?”

“I was a bit sick earlier, but I’m better now.” I answered honestly, placing the cup of tea on my nightstand. “Some food probably didn’t sit me right.”

“You have to eat properly, Y/N. Especially now that we’re trying to have a baby.”

“Yes, you’re right. I just wished you were here.”

“I’ll be home soon, baby girl. Just one more week, alright?”

“Uh-uh.” Sipping at my delicious drink, I gazed at him, watching him smile. God I loved that man with all my heart. “Are you okay?”

“Well, I would be if you were here with me, but since you’re not, I can only say I’m good. My heart misses you. And other things miss you too.”

“Ew, you pervert.”

Our call lasted about an hour, one that made me forget that I was ever feeling sick or sad. We laughed, told each other about our day, him having a lot more to say than I did, a couple of jokes, a few cheesy ‘I love you’s and when we finally came down to our senses, it was way too late for either of us to be up. Mitch yawned while I stretched, barely able to keep my eyes open.

“Alright, we should go sleep.”

“Yeah, I think we should, babe.” I agreed, nodding, blinking way too many times.

“I love you, girl.”

“I love you more.”

He glared at me seriously, pausing and taking a deep breath afore breaking down into a cheerful laugh. It was so contagious, I wasn’t able to hold back a chuckle; seeing him so happy made me feel great inside.  

“If you say so.”

“Bye, baby.”

Waving one last time to me, still smirking, Mitch ended the call. I threw my cellphone to his side of the bed, heaving in pleasure and finally feeling at ease for a change. Within seconds I felt myself drift off, his beautiful image still floating inside my mind.  

November, 16th, 2017

Today was marking exactly two days since I had last spoken to my husband and, as usual, I was starting to feel anxious. In the five years we had been together, whenever he was away working, there wasn’t a single day we didn’t find a way to let the other know we were fine. Either through messages or calling. So it was pretty weird that he hadn’t make any sort of contact, but I was trying to not let my bad thoughts get best of me. Mitch was probably stuck with something so he wasn’t able to reach me. Yes, that was the probably the explanation behind this.

With the positive thinking in my mind, I got up from bed, ate a delicious breakfast, put on some clothes and went to work. Busying myself was probably the best option I had now, despite feeling still a little bit sick, I wasn’t going to mope around home. My clinic needed me; once there, I totally forgot about the external world. Just me and the adorable animals. They always managed to get me a better mood.

During the whole day, I found the necessary strength to not check my phone repeatedly; it wouldn’t do any good to martyrise myself. I knew my husband; he was damn good on what he did. It was worthless to worry, plus, Mitch wouldn’t want that. Maybe he just rescheduled his coming back and hadn’t told me to make me a surprise.

Shaking my head, I focused on the last animal I would have to treat today. My head was feeling a bit light and needed my bed as soon as possible; I was definitely not better from whatever I had. Perhaps I should just throw away all of my food. But, if I were to be honest, I wasn’t exactly feeling up to eat anyway.  

“Okay, this pup is very much healthy.” I said, scratching the back of the dog’s ears. “Don’t be so preoccupied, he only has a mild cold. This big boy should be better in a few days. Just make sure he eats right.”  

“Alright.” The sixty and something woman smiled at me. “Thank you, Mrs. Rapp.”

“Call me Y/N, please, and I am the one who’s thankful you chose us to take care of your little one.” We shook hands for a brief second. “If that doesn’t go away in a week and half, bring him back here.”

“I’ll do that. Again, thank you so much, Y/N.”

Mrs. Emerson waved goodbye and disappeared through the tall brown door of my office, leaving me completely alone for the first time today. Inhaling a deep breath, I opted to use the last fifteen minutes to sign some papers; nevertheless, no matter how hard I tried to fight, I still could feel that something was off, even though I didn’t know what was causing me to be like that.

Huffing, I realised I couldn’t push myself any further; mind was too fuzzy and I still had to drive home, so, in about five minutes, I packed all my stuff, everything perfectly set to my departure. I gave the keys to Philip, the receptionist, then went outside, feeling the rough wind slap my face. Urgh, I hated this crappy season.

On the way back to my place, a thin rain began to fall and the traffic grew heavier. A trip that lasted ten minutes got extended to twenty. Nonetheless, the second I arrived, I felt my entire body froze when I spotted a black Mercedes parked outside my house. This sort of thing never brought good news. A small part of me still wished the car wasn’t waiting for me, that this whole thing was just one big misunderstanding.  

I was wrong, obviously.

“Mrs. Rapp, wait!”

“Yes?”

“I’m a Irene Kennedy.” The beautiful woman who had stopped me from going inside introduced herself, her traits very much austere. “I work with your husband, Mitch Rapp.”

“Oh.” It was all I managed to say. “And?”

“I need to speak with you for a minute. Is that okay?”

“Sure.” Tightening the coat around me, I motioned to my home. “Let’s get inside first. It’s really cold.”

“Okay, that’s sounds good.”

While we made our way towards my residence, I wasn’t able to contain my curiosity, glaring at her by the corner of my eye, searching for any clues on her appearance that would help me uncover the reasons beneath her sudden visit. Even though I couldn’t spot anything out of the usual, the weird feeling at the pit of my stomach got back, this time even stronger, so much I was damn sure I would be throwing up soon.

My hands began shaking and I had to take a good deep breath before unlocking my front door, revealing the neatly organised living room. If Irene had noticed my nervousness, she had done pretty great job at pretending everything was fine. Maybe she was just used to handling the soldiers wives always being worried about their husbands.

“Do you want anything?” I questioned, clamping my bottom lip between my teeth. “A glass of water? Juice?”

“No, I’m fine. Can we talk now?”

“I know what you’re going to say and I-I don’t know if I’m ready.”

“Sit, please.”

“How badly?” The words had come out so low I wasn’t sure if Kennedy had understood what I had said.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Mitch. He’s injured, isn’t he? That’s why he hasn’t called me, right?”

“Mrs. Rapp…”

“Call me Y/N.” As I dismissed her, I could already feel the tears welling up in my eyes. “When can I see him?”

“Y/N, I’m afraid it’s little bit more serious than just a injury.”

“What do you mean?”

“Mitch, uh, he…” Irene muttered uneasy. “He passed away.”

At first, I didn’t quite know what to do with that information, because it simply could not be true. Mitch Rapp, my husband, the future father of my children, would never, never, leave me like that. We had made promises! We were going to make a family. For God’s sakes, we swore to grow old together. It was lie. A mean, terrible lie. But then, once Irene started to rub my arm, I realised it wasn’t. He wouldn’t magically appear from behind a curtain saying ‘surprise!’. It was that moment everything crashed down. All my senses simply decided to cease their functions, leaving me to rot.  

I struggled, trying to breathe, trying to make out of the darkness and fog that suddenly clouded my sight. Nevertheless, the more I tried, I knew, deep down, I didn’t want to, really. If it meant I would be living in a world where I would not have my soulmate beside me, I didn’t want live at all.

“Y/N, are you okay?”

“No, I’m not.” Tears were now rolling down my cheeks, breathing growing harder and harder. “I-I… What happened?”

“He was shot in a crossfire, we tried all we could to bring him back, but the bullet had gone too deep.”

“W-when can I see him? His body.”

“Soon. We’re making all the arrangements to his funeral.”

“Okay, I-”

But I was never able to finish that sentence.  

When I regained my senses again, I was no longer at home, but actually in a very bright, white place. I had wires connected to my body, an IV that made my arm ache a bit and a monitor beeping to each of my heartbeats. What was I doing at hospital?

As if someone was reading my mind, a very nice looking woman walked inside my room, a chart on her hands. She smiled at me politely whilst I sighed, shifting on the hospital bed.

“How you’re feeling, Mrs. Rapp?”

“Awful.”

“That’s okay, you have been through a traumatic event. You’ll need time to recover.”

“Why am I here?”

“A woman named Irene brought you in last night, you were passed out. She informed us about your husband, so we were sure it was just the stress, but we ran some tests and-”

“Oh.” The sinking feeling in my belly returned, once the memories of last night’s events flooded back in. “Where is she?”

“Uh, Ms. Kennedy couldn’t stay, she called a friend of yours, Cristina Anderson.” The woman mumbled, her eyes weary. “But I have good news.”

“Good news?” I shrieked, narrowing my eyes. “The only good news you could tell me is if I’m dying.”

“Mrs. Rapp, I wish there was something I could do besides telling you how sorry I am for your loss.”

“Oh shut up, no one of you know what I’m going through. I-I just… I want to die. Please, inject me with something. Ease my pain. I give you the rights.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re pregnant.”

“I’m what?”

“We ran some blood tests, just to rule out the causes of your dizziness and faint. Your friend told us you have been sick for a few days. I’m sorry this is the worst timing in the world for you to be receiving this news, but… You’re pregnant.”

December, 2017

It is still hard for me to get up from my bed each morning. To not feel his arms tight around my waistline, or hear him whispering how much he loves me. I was still paralysed and I didn’t think I would be much better in any time soon, even though I needed to due to my current situation.

I took a sip from my tea, trying to control the tears that threatened to come back. The rain smoothened a little, yet, the wind kept whooshing, slapping my face and probably leaving my cheeks reddened. Remembering him made me feel at home, at least for a while.

“I wish you were here, baby.” Stroking my still straight belly, I whispered to the wind, hopeful that whenever he was he would hear me. “Just to see the child you wanted growing. I understand you had go, but it would be so much better if you were here to go through this with me…”

A single tear slipped. I still had so much to tell him… I wanted to see him again, hear his voice, hold him one last time, say that I loved him more than anything; that he was the most important person in this world for me; that I would never feel complete again; that nothing would ever be the same without him. I would give anything to do that.

His happy face haunted my thoughts, the last words repeating themselves again and again in my mind… “If you say so”. It was ironic that despite shattering my heart into a zillion pieces, Mitch was still able to leave me with a gift. A small piece of him to remind me that he would always be my side. His last wish would become true.

“I only hope you’re watching us from there and that you know I still love you more.”

And, after I said that, a soft breeze hit my face, as if he was answering me. I smirked, walking inside, more sure than ever that, as long as I kept him within my heart, Mitch would always be by my side.  

you said ‘I love you girl’

I said ‘I love you more’

Then a breath, a pause, you said

‘If you say so’

opinions?

[orbemnews]

Vaccine Critics Acquired Extra Than $1 Million in Pandemic Aid Loans The Paycheck Safety Program’s unfastened guidelines allowed just about any small enterprise or firm in America to qualify for a government-backed aid mortgage. Pissed off residents and activist teams have criticized 1000’s of recipients they deemed unworthy, together with rich legal professionals, politicians and political lobbyists, publicly traded corporations and companies underneath authorities investigation. Now the federal mortgage program has drawn criticism for giving loans to organizations which have challenged the protection of vaccines. Six organizations which have made claims scientists have known as false obtained Paycheck Safety Program loans totaling greater than $1.1 million, in accordance with information from the Small Enterprise Administration, which manages this system. The information was launched final month underneath a court docket order, in response to a lawsuit filed by The New York Instances and different information organizations. The teams that obtained the loans are Kids’s Well being Protection, a company based by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.; the Knowledgeable Consent Motion Community; the Nationwide Vaccine Data Heart; Mercola.com Well being Assets and Mercola Consulting Providers, each affiliated with the outstanding vaccine skeptic Joseph Mercola; and the Tenpenny Integrative Medical Heart, a medical follow run by Sherri Tenpenny, a doctor and creator whose books embrace “Saying No to Vaccines: A Useful resource Information for All Ages.” The loans, which have been made by banks and backed by the federal government in an effort to stave off the financial results of the coronavirus pandemic, ranged in dimension from $72,500 to Dr. Tenpenny’s medical heart to $335,000 to Mercola.com. The loans don’t seem to violate Small Enterprise Administration guidelines: Paycheck Safety Program loans have been obtainable to any small firm or nonprofit group (usually these with 500 or fewer staff) keen to certify that “present financial uncertainty makes this mortgage request crucial” to help their persevering with operations. Small Enterprise Affiliation representatives didn’t reply to questions in regards to the loans. The Heart for Countering Digital Hate, a London-based advocacy group, uncovered the loans, and The Washington Publish first reported on them. “There’s an anomaly right here,” mentioned Imran Ahmed, the group’s chief govt. “The P.P.P. was wanted to cope with the financial shock of Covid, and the anti-vaxxers essentially inhibit our capability to defeat Covid and transfer previous this.” Barbara Loe Fisher, the president of the Nationwide Vaccine Data Heart in Sterling, Va., mentioned by e mail that her group had utilized for its mortgage “when it grew to become obvious that lockdowns and social distancing restrictions immediately threatened the job safety of a lot of our workers and jeopardized continued rental of our Virginia headquarters workplace.” The group used the mortgage to retain its 21 staff, she mentioned. Ms. Fisher disputed the concept that her group is anti-vaccine. The group “doesn’t make vaccine use suggestions and encourages everybody to change into absolutely knowledgeable in regards to the dangers and problems of infectious ailments and vaccines,” she mentioned. Covid-19 Vaccines › Solutions to Your Vaccine Questions If I dwell within the U.S., when can I get the vaccine? Whereas the precise order of vaccine recipients might fluctuate by state, most will possible put medical staff and residents of long-term care services first. If you wish to perceive how this choice is getting made, this text will assist. When can I return to regular life after being vaccinated? Life will return to regular solely when society as a complete good points sufficient safety in opposition to the coronavirus. As soon as international locations authorize a vaccine, they’ll solely have the ability to vaccinate just a few p.c of their residents at most within the first couple months. The unvaccinated majority will nonetheless stay weak to getting contaminated. A rising variety of coronavirus vaccines are exhibiting sturdy safety in opposition to changing into sick. But it surely’s additionally potential for individuals to unfold the virus with out even understanding they’re contaminated as a result of they expertise solely gentle signs or none in any respect. Scientists don’t but know if the vaccines additionally block the transmission of the coronavirus. So in the intervening time, even vaccinated individuals might want to put on masks, keep away from indoor crowds, and so forth. As soon as sufficient individuals get vaccinated, it should change into very troublesome for the coronavirus to seek out weak individuals to contaminate. Relying on how shortly we as a society obtain that objective, life may begin approaching one thing like regular by the autumn 2021. If I’ve been vaccinated, do I nonetheless must put on a masks? Sure, however not ceaselessly. The 2 vaccines that may doubtlessly get approved this month clearly shield individuals from getting sick with Covid-19. However the scientific trials that delivered these outcomes weren’t designed to find out whether or not vaccinated individuals might nonetheless unfold the coronavirus with out creating signs. That is still a risk. We all know that people who find themselves naturally contaminated by the coronavirus can unfold it whereas they’re not experiencing any cough or different signs. Researchers will probably be intensely finding out this query because the vaccines roll out. Within the meantime, even vaccinated individuals might want to consider themselves as potential spreaders. Will it damage? What are the negative effects? The Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine is delivered as a shot within the arm, like different typical vaccines. The injection gained’t be any totally different from ones you’ve gotten earlier than. Tens of 1000’s of individuals have already obtained the vaccines, and none of them have reported any severe well being issues. However a few of them have felt short-lived discomfort, together with aches and flu-like signs that sometimes final a day. It’s potential that individuals might must plan to take a break day work or college after the second shot. Whereas these experiences aren’t nice, they’re a superb signal: they’re the results of your individual immune system encountering the vaccine and mounting a potent response that may present long-lasting immunity. Will mRNA vaccines change my genes? No. The vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer use a genetic molecule to prime the immune system. That molecule, referred to as mRNA, is finally destroyed by the physique. The mRNA is packaged in an oily bubble that may fuse to a cell, permitting the molecule to slide in. The cell makes use of the mRNA to make proteins from the coronavirus, which might stimulate the immune system. At any second, every of our cells might comprise a whole bunch of 1000’s of mRNA molecules, which they produce as a way to make proteins of their very own. As soon as these proteins are made, our cells then shred the mRNA with particular enzymes. The mRNA molecules our cells make can solely survive a matter of minutes. The mRNA in vaccines is engineered to face up to the cell’s enzymes a bit longer, in order that the cells could make further virus proteins and immediate a stronger immune response. However the mRNA can solely final for just a few days at most earlier than they’re destroyed. Del Bigtree, the founding father of the Knowledgeable Consent Motion Community, additionally objected to being described as anti-vaccination, saying his group opposes “the distribution of merchandise that aren’t correctly safety-tested.” He doesn’t take into account the Covid-19 vaccines secure, he mentioned. The mortgage allowed his group, close to Austin, Texas, to retain 10 jobs, he mentioned. “We used the mortgage simply because it was designed,” Mr. Bigtree mentioned. The Paycheck Safety Program distributed $523 billion to greater than 5 million small corporations from April to August to assist them endure the shutdowns and different financial shocks attributable to the pandemic. As long as recipients use a lot of the cash to pay staff and adjust to different guidelines, the loans are eligible to be absolutely forgiven and paid off by the U.S. authorities. Congress not too long ago allotted $284 billion to restart this system, and hard-hit organizations — these whose gross sales have dropped by at the least 25 p.c because the pandemic took maintain — are eligible for a second mortgage. Ms. Fisher mentioned her group doesn’t intend to use for an additional mortgage. Mr. Bigtree mentioned he, too, doesn’t plan to use once more. “Our donor base has gotten a lot stronger by this,” he mentioned, referring to the pandemic. The 4 different organizations that obtained Paycheck Safety Program assist didn’t reply to questions on their loans. Two of the teams obtained loans very early in this system, when funding was restricted and weak small corporations have been struggling to interrupt by queues that usually prioritized rich and well-connected candidates. The Tenpenny Integrative Medical Heart acquired a mortgage on April 11 from KeyBank, and the Nationwide Vaccine Data Heart obtained one 4 days later from Northwest Federal Credit score Union. Neither lender responded to a request for remark. Mr. Ahmed’s group not too long ago revealed a report on an October on-line gathering organized by the Nationwide Vaccine Data Heart to debate the coronavirus pandemic. Audio system on the occasion, together with Mr. Kennedy and Dr. Tenpenny, described the Covid-19 disaster as a chance to broaden the ranks of vaccine skeptics, in accordance with the Heart for Countering Digital Hate’s report. Such efforts come as the US authorities is working to steer doubters that vaccines for the coronavirus are secure and efficient. Some frontline staff at hospitals and nursing properties have balked at getting inoculated. Congress created the Paycheck Safety Program in late March as a part of the CARES Act. This system’s guidelines have been swiftly written and continuously revised, and the aid effort has drawn heavy criticism from lawmakers and others for distributing cash inconsistently and unfairly, in ways in which didn’t goal the cash to the neediest recipients. Loans to a few of the vaccine critics — Kids’s Well being Protection, the Knowledgeable Consent Motion Community and Mercola.com — have been made in Might by JPMorgan Chase. A financial institution spokeswoman declined to touch upon the loans. One other lender, PNC, declined to touch upon its mortgage to Mercola Consulting Providers in late April. Supply hyperlink #Critics #loans #million #Pandemic #received #relief #Vaccine

[floydvalleyhealthcare]

It’s not too late for a flu shot

While you usually want to get a flu shot well before flu season gets started, that isn't always possible. With flu shot delays or shortages, you and your child might not always be able to get a flu shot when you want.

Late Flu Shots

So when is it too late to get vaccinated against the flu?

The CDC recommends getting vaccinated early, but they also say, "Getting vaccinated later, however, can still be beneficial and vaccination should continue to be offered throughout the flu season, even into January or later."

So it is really never too late to get a flu vaccine.

When Should You Get a Flu Shot?

While ideally, you should have gotten your flu shot by September or October, that sometimes doesn't happen.

Why wait?

The early start to a flu season might catch you by surprise so that you simply didn't have time to get you or your kids the flu vaccine. Others might wait, thinking they didn't need one, but then became concerned about the reports of how bad flu season has been the last few years.

Of course, it is always better to get a flu shot much earlier so that you are protected for the full flu season.

Finding Flu Shots

Because of the flu shot delays and shortages in past years, finding a flu shot, even if you want one, has sometimes been difficult.

Increased demands as flu activity increases have a lot of people looking for flu vaccine who might otherwise have skipped getting vaccinated though. That could have meant that your doctor was already out by the time you wanted one.

If your own pediatrician does run out of flu shots, you might check with your local health department, hospital, or pharmacies, and find a flu shot wherever you can.

[fitnesshealthyoga-blog]

New Post has been published on https://fitnesshealthyoga.com/cdc-says-residents-of-colorado-georgia-at-highest-risk-for-influenza/

CDC says residents of Colorado, Georgia at highest risk for influenza

Based on laboratory testing, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said it believes the state has entered a period of more intense influenza activity.

As of Thursday morning, 596 people had been hospitalized since the flu season started in early October. Twenty-five percent of them are over the age of 65 and 26 percent are under the age of 18.

Based on patterns from past years, influenza activity is expected to continue to escalate, with peak activity starting now and ending in February.

“Colorado and Georgia have been declared by the CDC to be the states currently at the highest flu risk, so one of the best things you can for your health as we start 2019 is to get a flu shot if you haven’t already gotten yours,” said Executive Director of Tri-County Health Department John M. Douglas, Jr. “People who are at higher risk of developing flu-related complications include children younger than 5, adults 65 and older, pregnant women, and people with medical conditions or compromised immune systems. These people should be treated with medication when flu symptoms first begin.”

Symptoms of the flu include high fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches and fatigue. Some people may experience nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but this is more common in children than adults. Tri-County Health Department provides no-cost or low-cost flu vaccinations for those on Medicaid or who are uninsured at numerous clinics throughout Adams, Arapahoe and Douglas Counties.

For more information,

visit Tri-County Health Department’s website here

or call the immunization hotline at 303-451-0123.

To find flu vaccines at retail outlets,

click here

or speak with your healthcare provider.

Source link

[itsfinancethings]

New story in Politics from Time: The Ford Administration Rolled Out a Vaccine Program Right Before the 1976 Election. It Backfired—And Not Just Politically

For months, President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that a vaccine for the novel coronavirus may be ready by the end of the year, even as the nation’s top infectious disease specialist says early 2021 is more likely. Now, the New York Times has reported that the Trump Administration intends to speed up the process, with its eyes on a slightly earlier deadline: before Election Day on Nov. 3.

White House officials disputed the Times’ account, and researchers working on the specific vaccine cited as the likely candidate for emergency approval—one that is being developed by Oxford University and pharma giant AstraZeneca—said “it would be premature to speculate on that possibility.” This isn’t the first time Trump or his team has suggested a COVID-19 vaccine could come before the general election—Trump, for example, made a similar claim in the first week of August.

Some pundits, like David Axelrod, an adviser to former President Barack Obama, have accused Trump of being willing to sacrifice safety in the name of politics.

This is as predictable as it is disturbing. If @realDonaldTrump fast tracks a vaccine, bypassing critical safety steps so he can announce it before the election, who will have confidence in taking it?https://t.co/OLZT5BDc4o

— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) August 23, 2020

Trump has shot back, suggesting that his political opponents are holding up research progress for the same reason; on Aug. 22, he tweeted that “The deep state, or whoever, over at the FDA is making it very difficult for drug companies to get people in order to test the vaccines and therapeutics. Obviously, they are hoping to delay the answer until after November 3rd.”

This isn’t the first time a fast-tracked attempt to mass inoculate Americans has gotten political. The history suggests that if the White House rushes a vaccine rollout, it can risk losing credibility—not just for itself, but for the science as well.

In February of 1976, more than 200 recruits at Fort Dix military base in New Jersey came down with the flu. While some simply had the 1975-1976 seasonal flu, 13 had a new strain of H1N1, often called swine flu, that the CDC says was “similar” to the strain that caused the 1918-19 flu. One 18-year-old died. The outbreak sparked concerns of a repeat of that infamous pandemic, which scientists now know killed an estimated 675,000 Americans, or of the more recent 1968-69 pandemic, during which 100,000 Americans died and “$3.2 billion was lost in medical bills and working time,” TIME reported.

Unlike in 1918, the U.S. in 1976 had a way to stop the outbreak in its tracks: flu shots, developed for military use in the 1930s, approved for civilian use in 1945 and encouraged for all high-risk Americans since 1960.

But the Fort Dix cases involved a new strain of H1N1, so if a vaccine were going to be ready in time for the 1976-1977 flu season, production needed to start as soon as possible. Even though no major outbreak had yet begun, the government decided to put its weight behind the effort.

“We cannot afford to take a chance with the health of our nation,” then-President Gerald Ford said on March 24, 1976, when, per the CDC’s recommendation, he called for a $135 million program (about $615 million in 2020) to produce a vaccine and manufacture more than 200 million doses in time to inoculate all Americans for the winter flu season. The plan “was unprecedented in intended timing and in scope among American immunization efforts,” Richard E. Neustadt and Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg noted in The Swine Flu Affair, their 1978 evaluation of the program, which the incoming Health, Education and Welfare Secretary asked them to undertake.

But not everyone was sure the vaccine program was being launched for purely altruistic reasons. A year of celebrations to mark America’s bicentennial was in full swing. It was also a presidential election year, and while Ford had beaten challenger Ronald Reagan in the first five primaries and the Iowa caucus, it was still a tight race for the Republican nomination. In fact, Neustadt and Fineberg’s report points out that Reagan won the North Carolina primary the day before Ford’s announcement of the vaccine program. During hearings on the program that spring, Washington State’s Democratic U.S. Senator Warren Magnuson joked of vaccine recipients that the Administration “might have ’em vote at the same time,” and, TIME noted, “some legislators and doctors are wondering out loud whether the flu program is merely another symptom of election-year fever.”

Ford Administration officials took the position that—given that the vaccine was safe—the risk of an outbreak outweighed any concerns about politics. Not that it wouldn’t be politically beneficial: “Consider the outcry,” one White House aide was quoted as saying, “if with all that evidence the President had said no.” In April 1976, Congress swiftly passed emergency appropriations to make the vaccine for which Ford had called.

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By July 1976, the vaccine was “only partially successful in clinical trials,” TIME reported back then, prompting scientists to reconsider the rollout. Among the roughly 5,000 volunteers injected with the still-being-tested vaccine, researchers found minimal side effects in adults, but high fevers in young people, leading Dr. Albert Sabin, developer of the oral polio vaccine, to backtrack on his initial support of the Ford program, and argue that only the highest-risk people should get the vaccine. Dr. Jonas Salk, who developed the initial polio vaccine, argued it was safe and would reduce the virus’ spread.

By August, when Congress passed a bill officially authorizing the rollout, the effort was two months behind schedule, largely because of Congressional wrangling over whether vaccine-makers would be protected from liability related to the product. This delay would have serious consequences: In retrospect, a 2006 review of the CDC’s handling of the 1976 swine flu vaccine program co-written by David Sencer, the agency’s director back then, found that manufacturers’ demand for indemnification led the public to believe “there’s something wrong with the vaccine,” and so “every coincidental health event that occurred in the wake of the swine flu shot would be scrutinized and attributed to the vaccine.”

Clinics began offering two swine flu vaccines in October—a vaccine against swine flu and, for higher risk groups, a vaccine against both swine flu and the previous year’s flu. At that point, no other cases of swine flu had been confirmed since the Fort Dix cluster in February, but the government began offering free vaccines anyway, along with the slogan “ROLL UP YOUR SLEEVE, AMERICA.”

A poll showed that a little over half of Americans (53%) planned to get one, TIME reported in its Oct. 11, 1976, issue.

Howard Markel, director of the Center for the History of Medicine at the University of Michigan, remembers getting the shot as a high school sophomore: “Everyone went to school gyms or large areas, and I remember vividly my mother making us go, and waiting in line, and saying ‘this is ridiculous.'”

But only a few vaccine-distribution centers were equipped on launch day. A Portland, Ore., health official told TIME, “We didn’t even know we’d received a batch until we read about it in the newspaper.” And the magazine reported that by November, only a quarter of the more than 200 million doses advertised had been manufactured.

Then, 35 mostly elderly people, in various parts of the country, died shortly after getting vaccinated. The government said there was no link between the deaths and the vaccines, but the news still dissuaded people from getting the shot. After the news of the deaths, the number of New Yorkers who showed up for a vaccine dropped from 21,000 to 7,500 a day, and nine states closed their clinics, TIME reported.

“If you immunize very large numbers of elderly people, inevitably some will have a heart attack the next day, so you have to prepare the public for such coincidences,” Fineberg, a co-author of the 1978 study of the public health response, later told the World Health Organization. “That wouldn’t have been a blip on the screen had there been a pandemic but, in the absence of any swine flu disease, these rare events were sufficient to end the program.”

Photographs of Ford (who had ultimately been successful in the primaries) getting vaccinated, like the one seen above, were circulated in an attempt to restore confidence in the vaccine program, but it was too late.

Election Day rolled around, and Ford’s tenure in office ended, for a host of reasons other than the flu-shot rollout. The mass inoculation program ended about a month later—but not before the public’s confidence was once again shaken, this time by reports of shot recipients being at a very slightly higher risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS).

“The uptick was not directly caused by the flu vaccine,” Markel says, “but it was associated with it, so everyone came to the conclusion that the swine flu shot equaled Guillain-Barré.” (About one additional case occurred per 100,000 people vaccinated, according to the CDC, but most studies that have since evaluated a possible link between other flu vaccines and GBS have found no association.)

Markel also notes that the program’s failure happened to occur at a time when Americans’ trust in government was already in decline, following the Vietnam War, Watergate and the assassinations of the 1960s. The idea that the government would have botched the vaccine and still tried to capitalize on it for political reasons fit right in—whether or not it was true.

That confusion and distrust incubated in that time period lingered well beyond 1976. In a 2009 CDC fact-sheet about a vaccine for that year’s H1N1 virus, for example, two of the questions were about about 1976 and GBS. Today, at a time when unfounded anti-vaccine views are growing (even though vaccines are safe) and polls indicate distrust in the federal government’s management of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, that enduring doubt can be dangerous.

“Things like the small increased risk of GBS from the 1976 vaccine become…convenient for post-hoc justification of those pre-existing fears,” says Jonathan M. Berman, author of the forthcoming history of the anti-vaxxer movement Anti-vaxxers: How to Challenge a Misinformed Movement. “Later studies showed that there was likely no link, but already wary parents and anti-vaxxers see it as a justification for the fear.”

On the other hand, the 1976 controversy “does provide important lessons,” Berman argues. “When vaccination decisions appear politically motivated, it can undermine trust.”

The fact that even people who are not generally anti-vaccine are worried about the safety of a COVID-19 inoculation means it’s all the more important that a coronavirus vaccine is not rushed, argues Markel. “This is a very touchy issue,” he says, “so this [vaccine] has to be rolled out exactly right.”

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Bad flu season predicted — did you get your shot?

What can we expect from the flu season this year? Unfortunately, many experts are predicting an active, and possibly severe, flu season. This projection is based on data from Australia, where the flu season is just wrapping up. Australia was hit early and hard by flu this year: over 300,000 patients had laboratory-confirmed influenza, a record number of cases. Flu outbreaks in the Southern Hemisphere happen during our summers, and they often give us a clue as to what we should expect when the flu lands on our shores in the fall.

Who should get the flu vaccine?

Basically, everybody over the age of 6 months, except for those who have had a life-threatening reaction to a flu shot in the past, should get it. People with egg allergies will likely be able to receive a newer version of the flu vaccine, as described below.

It is especially important to get vaccinated if you are in a high-risk group for developing life-threatening complications from the flu. This includes

people over age 65

people who have heart failure and other cardiac conditions, or suffer from asthma, COPD, or other lung diseases

people who have Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, strokes, or other neurological problems

pregnant women and new mothers

residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities

people who have diabetes, weak immune systems, and chronic liver or kidney disease.

Most people who are hospitalized with influenza have one or more of these risk factors.

When to get the flu vaccine

If you haven’t gotten your flu shot yet, now is the perfect time — that is, around the end of October and the beginning of November. We now think that getting the flu shot very early in the season may be a mistake, as immunity may fade when flu season is at its peak in January and February. Waiting until later may also be a mistake, as flu sometimes peaks earlier than we expect.

What type of vaccine is right for you?

There are several options for flu vaccines. Most are quadrivalent: they protect against two strains of influenza A and two strains of influenza B. There are different processes for growing the viruses to make the flu vaccine: egg-based, cell-based, or recombinant (see below). People allergic to eggs should avoid egg-based vaccines. If you’re older or have chronic illnesses, ask your doctor which vaccine is best for you.

Egg-based vaccines. The most widely used flu vaccines rely on weakened viruses grown in chicken eggs. This includes a flu shot with inactivated (killed) viruses, and a nasal spray (FluMist) that contains live, but weakened, influenza virus. The nasal spray is mainly used to vaccinate kids and should not be given to patients with high-risk medical conditions. There have been concerns about its effectiveness.

Cell-based vaccine. A newer quadrivalent vaccine named Flucelvax relies on viruses grown on mammalian kidney cells.

Recombinant vaccine. A recombinant flu vaccine, Flublok, is also available. It is grown on insect cells, and eggs are not used in its manufacture.

Vaccines for older and chronically ill people. Many older and chronically ill people have lackluster responses to flu vaccines. Two trivalent vaccines have been engineered to produce better immunity in these patients. The high-dose vaccine (Fluzone) contains higher doses of inactivated virus. The adjuvant vaccine (FLUAD) has an added substance that perks up the immune response. While these vaccines produce better immune responses to influenza, they only cover three strains of influenza versus the four strains in the quadrivalent vaccines.

Recent data suggest that the cell-based vaccine and the high-dose vaccine may be more effective than the others in preventing emergency room visits and hospitalizations.

Protection with the flu vaccine varies from 30% to 60%, depending on the match between the vaccine and the major circulating flu strains. Because vaccine manufacturing has a lag time of several months, there is always the possibility that the virus-vaccine match may be somewhat off by the time flu season rolls around. But even when the match is not perfect, flu vaccine still reduces the risk of severe illness and death.

What else can you do to protect against flu?

Other measures to protect yourself and others against flu include

frequently washing your hands or using hand sanitizer

keeping your hands away from your eyes, nose, and mouth

staying home from work, school, or church if you have flulike symptoms

covering your mouth and nose when sneezing and coughing; it’s good for public health (not to mention good manners!)

if possible, avoiding contact with sick patients until five to seven days after they become ill

getting both types of the pneumonia vaccine if you are over 65, or if you have an underlying medical condition. This is important because bacterial pneumonia is very common after influenza infection.

eating well, staying active, and getting a good night’s sleep.

Consider using a humidifier in your home, as well. Flu virus is able to survive longer in dry conditions, which is one of the reasons why flu outbreaks occur mainly in the winter.

The post Bad flu season predicted — did you get your shot? appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.

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What can we expect from the flu season this year? Unfortunately, many experts are predicting an active, and possibly severe, flu season. This projection is based on data from Australia, where the flu season is just wrapping up. Australia was hit early and hard by flu this year: over 300,000 patients had laboratory-confirmed influenza, a record number of cases. Flu outbreaks in the Southern Hemisphere happen during our summers, and they often give us a clue as to what we should expect when the flu lands on our shores in the fall.

Who should get the flu vaccine?

Basically, everybody over the age of 6 months, except for those who have had a life-threatening reaction to a flu shot in the past, should get it. People with egg allergies will likely be able to receive a newer version of the flu vaccine, as described below.

It is especially important to get vaccinated if you are in a high-risk group for developing life-threatening complications from the flu. This includes

people over age 65

people who have heart failure and other cardiac conditions, or suffer from asthma, COPD, or other lung diseases

people who have Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, strokes, or other neurological problems

pregnant women and new mothers

residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities

people who have diabetes, weak immune systems, and chronic liver or kidney disease.

Most people who are hospitalized with influenza have one or more of these risk factors.

When to get the flu vaccine

If you haven’t gotten your flu shot yet, now is the perfect time — that is, around the end of October and the beginning of November. We now think that getting the flu shot very early in the season may be a mistake, as immunity may fade when flu season is at its peak in January and February. Waiting until later may also be a mistake, as flu sometimes peaks earlier than we expect.

What type of vaccine is right for you?

There are several options for flu vaccines. Most are quadrivalent: they protect against two strains of influenza A and two strains of influenza B. There are different processes for growing the viruses to make the flu vaccine: egg-based, cell-based, or recombinant (see below). People allergic to eggs should avoid egg-based vaccines. If you’re older or have chronic illnesses, ask your doctor which vaccine is best for you.

Egg-based vaccines. The most widely used flu vaccines rely on weakened viruses grown in chicken eggs. This includes a flu shot with inactivated (killed) viruses, and a nasal spray (FluMist) that contains live, but weakened, influenza virus. The nasal spray is mainly used to vaccinate kids and should not be given to patients with high-risk medical conditions. There have been concerns about its effectiveness.

Cell-based vaccine. A newer quadrivalent vaccine named Flucelvax relies on viruses grown on mammalian kidney cells.

Recombinant vaccine. A recombinant flu vaccine, Flublok, is also available. It is grown on insect cells, and eggs are not used in its manufacture.

Vaccines for older and chronically ill people. Many older and chronically ill people have lackluster responses to flu vaccines. Two trivalent vaccines have been engineered to produce better immunity in these patients. The high-dose vaccine (Fluzone) contains higher doses of inactivated virus. The adjuvant vaccine (FLUAD) has an added substance that perks up the immune response. While these vaccines produce better immune responses to influenza, they only cover three strains of influenza versus the four strains in the quadrivalent vaccines.

Recent data suggest that the cell-based vaccine and the high-dose vaccine may be more effective than the others in preventing emergency room visits and hospitalizations.

Protection with the flu vaccine varies from 30% to 60%, depending on the match between the vaccine and the major circulating flu strains. Because vaccine manufacturing has a lag time of several months, there is always the possibility that the virus-vaccine match may be somewhat off by the time flu season rolls around. But even when the match is not perfect, flu vaccine still reduces the risk of severe illness and death.

What else can you do to protect against flu?

Other measures to protect yourself and others against flu include

frequently washing your hands or using hand sanitizer

keeping your hands away from your eyes, nose, and mouth

staying home from work, school, or church if you have flulike symptoms

covering your mouth and nose when sneezing and coughing; it’s good for public health (not to mention good manners!)

if possible, avoiding contact with sick patients until five to seven days after they become ill

getting both types of the pneumonia vaccine if you are over 65, or if you have an underlying medical condition. This is important because bacterial pneumonia is very common after influenza infection.

eating well, staying active, and getting a good night’s sleep.

Consider using a humidifier in your home, as well. Flu virus is able to survive longer in dry conditions, which is one of the reasons why flu outbreaks occur mainly in the winter.

The post Bad flu season predicted — did you get your shot? appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.

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