#tw: death and covid

[vyctorianbyron]

Covid is still killing more Americans than all opioids combined, each week (2024). We are supposed to "go back to normal" and "don't worry about Covid", despite it having a higher death toll on average. Unlike opioid drugs, Covid can effect literally anyone.

Even the vaccinated are still at some risk of infection, though the new updated shots are much better at preventing breakthrough infections. Why so many in government and the media are willing to ignore the reality of Covid when it's still worse than the opioid crisis is beyond me.

[akindplace]

The former president's supporters invaded our National Congress and causing chaos and depredation after the former extreme right president lost the elections and left Brazil to hide in the U.S. the act is clearly inspired in the capitol's invasion after Biden won. Many of them came to the capital of Brazil, Brasilia, in November, set fire to buses, cars, have been camping outside army headquarters asking for the army to take over power in a military coup.

Those supporters also planned to blow a bomb at the international airport, going so a far as to set it but the police intervened. They came over in caravans last night planning on attacking the city today, the national congress being public patrimony that is representative of the democratic power in Brazil, and those people are trying to incite o violent coup. The local government of Brasilia is already being accused of not taking enough measures to keep those violent anti democratic protesters out of the area. So far, it seems there is no police there yet, the cavalry seems to be on their way.

Please don't support these people claiming the elections were fraudulent. We have one of the best electoral systems in the world to avoid fraud. The ex president was from the extreme right, defended torture during our past military dictatorship and was in favor of said dictatorship. He is already being accused of one of the biggest corruption scandals in the history of the country. He lost the elections fairly because of his extremism, corruption and incompetence as president.

Also remember the former president has left the country and all his supporters to hide in the US. As said, he is already being accused of several corruption crimes, including regarding the pocketing the money that should go towards buying of covid vaccines and letting 700k people die while the health system collapsed.

Translation of the cnn headlines: "just now: protesters invade the national congress".

For now I can't find sources in English because this just happened now at the beginning of the afternoon of this Sunday, January 8th, but as soon as there are, I'll post them.

[one-time-i-dreamt]

One of my friends wasn't taking the pandemic seriously and was insisting that I had a glorified cold, all the while I laid at home dying. In the end I passed away, and they held a monologue at my funeral about how I faked my death and I was part of a worldwide conspiracy. People believed them and left.

This was really out of character for them.

[a-typical]

Is an mRNA or a protein-based COVID-19 vaccine better?

The vaccine that is best is the one that’s available to you and the one that you’re willing to get!

I’ve heard chatter about some people believing that Novavax provides better protection against COVID-19, and there just aren’t data to support that.

Novavax trials and real-world evidence collection lagged substantially behind the mRNA vaccines, so trying to compare measured vaccine effectiveness is comparing apples to oranges. Approximately 3.2 billion doses of mRNA vaccines have been administered compared to 2.6 million doses of Novavax vaccine.

All you need to know is that all of the COVID-19 vaccines demonstrated over 90% effectiveness in their initial clinical trials. All options protect against severe disease, hospitalization, and death. All of the available options have been reviewed by experts and deemed to be safe, comparably effective, and beneficial.

Novavax may have slightly lower reactogenicity compared to mRNA vaccines. Reactogenicity refers to symptoms that occur from the immune response: low grade fever, headache, lethargy, injection site soreness, lymphadenopathy (swollen lymph nodes), etc.

Will JN.1 vaccine formulation provide measurably different protection than the more closely matched KP.2 formulation that we will see in the mRNA vaccines? It is too hypothetical to know. That will be impacted by how much virus circulates within a community and how much more SARS-CoV-2 mutates as a result of genetic drift because of that spread.

What can reduce the potential mutation and spread of SARS-CoV-2? Getting vaccinated.

[fireteam-survivor]

I've been playing the Final Shape and just sobbing, not just at the emotional and beautiful story moments, but at the fact a member of my Fireteam did not make it to the end.

Sadly he was torn from us in April of 2020, a few weeks into the UK lockdowns, becoming another statistic.

I just wish he could have seen the end, he'd have loved it, as I was playing I could hear his reactions to each story plot point and reveal.

RIP Dex, See you star side brother

[everythingwasnormalhere]

Kenny x El Cuarteto De Nos

He's so cuarteto coded change my mind

full sketch page of the 1st one will be posted soon :)

[theshadowrealmitself]

So fucking mad rn. I made scrambled eggs with that jalapeño & cayenne cheese a few hours earlier and rn I’m certainly suffering like someone who had spicy scrambled eggs, with cramps so painful it honestly makes me wanna vomit

AND YET

Blandest fucking eggs I’ve ever had. The spice level I tasted does NOT warrant all of…this.

[crabussy]

TO PREFACE. this post is ONLY about the people who openly boast about this and act like they're better than people who do wear masks. the rest of you, drink some water and I love you okay?

I'm so so tired of seeing people SO PROUD of the fact that they refuse to wear a mask. it is such a small, small inconvenience to you but its so important to you that you prolong the pandemic and cause more suffering and death. when you parade your ignorance around I want you to remember this number:

6,910,810

thats the number of deaths from covid-19. that's the total number of people who have died because of the virus as of August 29 2023. it's repulsive how you don't even stop to think about the elderly, those with autoimmune diseases, the already sick or disabled who have such a high chance of dying if they are exposed to even one person with the virus. My dad is now disabled from long covid. he hasn't been able to ride his bike, his favourite activity in the world, for over half a year. and he's one of the least affected by the virus. My friend (no longer around) with an autoimmune disease could not travel for three years because aeroplanes were such a high risk zone for her because people weren't wearing masks in such close proximity.

please I am begging you. inconvenience yourself. people are dying.

I know the death toll is dwindling and thats fantastic but it's not over yet.

[fantabulisticity]

https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-covid-propaganda/

The U.S. military launched a clandestine program amid the COVID crisis to discredit China’s Sinovac inoculation – payback for Beijing’s efforts to blame Washington for the pandemic. One target: the Filipino public. Health experts say the gambit was indefensible and put innocent lives at risk. By CHRIS BING and JOEL SCHECTMAN Filed June 14, 2024, 9:45 a.m. GMT

[ayahimes]

life update : ( tw hospital mention , tw anxiety , tw depression , tw death mention , tw covid mention )

so two weeks ago when shit hit the fan in the genshin rpc with the callout , the same day i was met with some pretty devastating news .

for some background : not everyone is aware but back in 2020 i put my school on hold because i was working as a nurse full time and doing a ton of overtime during the pandemic . i was initially working in ortho and then transferred to critical care ( where i still am too ) during the end of 2020 when it got really bad during the holidays . because of everything from it my mental health was shit and i was dealing with the ptsd of the trauma and death i saw every day . i'm still not 100% but much better than i was .

i eventually was told i got into a masters program again to get my pmhnp - bc and after some delays i spent 2.5 years of my life on it . anyways fast forward to two weeks ago . i didn't pass the exit examination for my program by one point and was told all my hard work was basically for nothing and i'd have to start all over again elsewhere . tbh , i was devastated and i still am . i'm currently trying to get my bearings straight and find out what i need to do next , but i just need some time is all . by no means are my efforts wasted , nor is it the end of the world , but this setback has definitely made me re-evaluate a lot of my life .

i have time again but i've decided to pick up more hours at work to pay for another 50k+ program somehow ( crazy huh ) and to enjoy my vacation in december . i'm still here and am enjoying my time , but if my heart or attention isn't into things it's nothing personal . i'm here to enjoy my time and hobby when i can , and i'm just going where i am happiest , whether it's gaming for hours on end or writing a shit post then logging off . thank you to everyone who has extended their kindness to me over the last two weeks , and those who have been patient with me since i've joined the fandom . i know i don't really owe an explanation but i want to so you all can understand the stuff going on outside of here too .

keep being kind to people . you never know what they're going through beyond here . sometimes our attitudes can make all the difference . and if you made it this far ? thank you <3

[cistematicchaos]

As someone who caught covid awhile back, I’m fr still so fucking pissed at people for constantly asking me to go on “fun” outings to places where they don’t require masking.  Not only are those places often completely inaccessible considering I’m a fucking cripple and can barely walk even with the cane I have, but I cannot catch covid again! 

Maybe I’m paranoid, maybe I seem absurd to some ppl to hole myself up in my house when places are opening up again but there are literally usually like 1000+ deaths weekly on regular where I live. I already have a werdass immune system. IT ALREADY FUCKED MY LUNGS AND ECT. I am already a cripple and severely mentally ill! I already require a lot of help on the daily, I can’t afford to get sicker! I just. I’m so fucking pissed every time people innocently suggest it and I don’t want to lash out at them, I really don’t, but it just seems so fucking inconsiderate, I can’t fathom it.

[thewildchild13915]

Sibling grief is weird.

With sibling grief you're grieving more than just the loss of your sibling.

You're grieving the life you had before you lost your sibling.

You're grieving the loss of who your parents were before your sibling died

You're grieving the loss of the future you'd prepared for

You're grieving the loss of the family unit as you'd known it

You're grieving the loss of who you were before they died

You're grieving the loss of your best friend

Before my brother died, I had plans for how the future would be. Family holidays with our kids, major life events being celebrated together, family vacations, so many memories to be made.

All of those were lost when he died. An entire future full of plans just.... Gone.

Finished.

Now I'm only left with the haunting visions of watching him go, with the sounds of our parents sobbing and begging for this to not be happening, with hearing the love of his life begging for more time and promising to make the rest of his life everything we'd always dreamed for him, with remembering both the feeling of his warm hands AND the feeling of his lifeless, cold hands.

Before my brother died, our parents were mostly happy.

Parents change after the loss of a child, regardless of the age of said child. That change can go 1 of 2 ways and it is usually to the extreme of whichever way they go.

Way 1: they're going to be extremely clingy with their remaining child(ren). They will want them close.

Or

Way 2: they're going to become extremely distant with their remaining child (ren).

My mom quietly went with way 1. She tries to not show it, but I know it. She still has her moments where she's distant, but she won't even entrain the idea of us being far away from her. She wants all of us near her.

My dad went with way 2. I've always felt like my dad absolutely hated me. There was no proud father moment when I got married, no "you look beautiful" comments, or any heart touching moments really. It's always been he was there, but quietly wondering how quickly he could leave. Sure there were moments when he really came through and made me feel like he cared. I can't say there weren't ANY.

But after losing my brother, I feel like I completely lost my dad. He barely acknowledges I'm there, he flat out ignores me when I say "I love you", but he will say it to everyone around me, he doesn't even try to hide the fact that he does NOT want to be wherever I am. In my heart I feel that he believes the wrong child died and that it should've been me. I have never felt like more of a burden than I do now.

Before my brother died, my mom always told us "nurture your relationship with each other because when your dad and I are gone, you're only going to have each other". That was the future I'd prepared for. Now, when my parents are gone I will be alone. I'll have no one to grieve that loss with. Our future was supposed to be long and fruitful, with so many memories to be made... I was not prepared for the future I'm going to have.

Before my brother died, we were a family of 4. He was my big brother. Sure our family expanded as we got older. We had significant others and kids, but our family unit was 4. Now, it's only 3.

I'm no longer the little sister.

I'm the surviving sister.

Before my brother died, I was happy. Sure I dealt with some mental health issues, but he always helped to keep my grounded. He was who I called when I felt like I was losing my grip. He was my rock. He was my best friend. He always made sure I was ok, that his nieces and nephews were ok, that everyone had what they needed. He was my go-to person for everything.

I used to get so irritated because he'd always call me when bad weather was moving in. He'd give me all these instructions on things I needed to do to be prepared, he'd make sure I was making sure the kids had everything they needed.. it could be so exhausting sometimes.

God how I miss those phone calls.

Now that he's gone I find myself riddled with anxiety and anger. I have no idea who I am anymore because I do not feel like me anymore. I feel like a part of me went with him. The strong part went with him.

Now that he's gone I feel so alone, even with the rest of my family right beside me.

I try to grieve quietly. I try to do it alone as much as possible so that it doesn't make those around me sad.

Sibling grief is weird..

It's lonely

Unless you are the surviving sibling, you could never understand.

[a-typical]

Will these vaccines provide immediate protection?

Vaccines contain an active ingredient used to trigger generation of immune memory. That active ingredient, the antigen, is what initiates the immune response, starting with innate immune recognition and ending with adaptive immunity generation (read here for a more detailed summary on viral immunology).

Adaptive immune response leads to antibody by plasma cells, activation of helper T cells and cytotoxic T cells, and generation of memory B and T cells.

This process takes time, roughly 2 weeks after we encounter the foreign invader (either the vaccine antigen or an actual pathogen). Once memory B and T cells are created, the response to a second encounter is much quicker because all the preparation is already done. The adaptive immune system is ready to go: B cells can start spitting out antibodies, helper T cells can augment the B cell responses, and cytotoxic T cells can directly kill infected cells to limit the spread of infection.

Vaccines train the immune system in advance of an infection.

The ability to immediately respond means that even if virus infects you after vaccination, your body can fight it more quickly, reducing viral load, lessening disease severity, and decreasing the likelihood of more serious illness or death.

[three--rings]

I know because this site skews so young that we always focus on the idea that you have so much time, and you DO.

But also the thing about being in my now mid-40s is that you start losing people. One of my friends from high school died of brain cancer a couple years ago. One of my friends who is a little older died of a stroke last year. Another friend is in recovery from a major stroke. Found out a guy I vaguely knew died a few weeks ago. Just got news another friend from high school had a massive near-fatal heart attack and she's very fit, thin, and previously healthy.

Not even counting the "minor" cancer diagnoses and other major health events. (And let's not talk about my own spouse's multiple and my recent near-death experiences.)

Just, it sucks. Tell people you love them.

[tiefighter]

this fucking idiot has been missing for three days, because my delightful mother can't remember to lock a door and ninjago legoman used the one fucking braincell he has to figure out how to open sliding doors. I know he'll be fine, but facebook people (all the lost pet pages are on there) are being SUPREMELY unhelpful telling me about their poor cats who got out for two days and were found on the side of the road who the fuck sAYS that to someone worried about their missing pet? The fuck?

[princesssarisa]

Thinking again about one aspect of "Little Women"

I've posted about this before, but that was long ago, so I'll do it again.

I've been briefly looking over the various modernized adaptations of Little Women: the 2018 film, the two web series The March Family Letters and The Attic, the graphic novels Jo and Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy, and the middle grade novel More to the Story.

Of course, all these modernized adaptations change Beth's illness, since scarlet fever is now easily cured with antibiotics. The 2018 film, the two graphic novels, and More to the Story all give her cancer instead, while in The March Family Letters she has anemia, and in The Attic she was born with a heart condition.

All these changes leave out some important aspects of the original Beth's scarlet fever:

(1) It could have been prevented.

(2) She contracts it from the children of a poor single immigrant mother, who didn't seek medical attention because she couldn't afford to. So there's social commentary in it.

(3) In a case of tragic irony, it's Beth's kindness that causes her illness, because she contracts it while caring for a family in need, whom the other sisters don't bother to visit while Marmee is away.

(4) It's framed as being partly Meg and Jo's fault. They had scarlet fever as children, so they're immune. If they had been the ones to visit the Hummels instead of Beth (which they probably should have anyway, as the two eldest – it shouldn't have been their little 14-year-old sister's job), she would have been safe. So her illness teaches them the ultimate lesson in responsibility.

So is there a way to modernize it that doesn't lose those aspects?

In an especially modern setting (that is, within the last three years), Beth could catch COVID-19 from the Hummels. Meg and Jo could have already had mild cases and recovered, or already be vaccinated while Beth isn't yet. Then Beth could have long COVID.

But that wouldn't be a perfect fit. In the first place, having COVID once doesn't grant permanent immunity, nor do vaccines grant full immunity, so it still would be a risk to Meg and Jo too. Secondly, it would be kind but also very irresponsible of Beth to expose herself to COVID that way, and even worse of Meg and Jo to let her do it. At least in the original Little Women, there's no pandemic of scarlet fever going on, and neither Beth nor the others realize that the Hummels' sickness is scarlet fever and not just a commonplace sore throat until the baby dies.

Maybe another alternative could be to omit any sickness. Beth just goes to babysit the Hummel children because their mother has to work long hours. She asks Meg and Jo to do it, but they make excuses out of laziness. While she's there, the baby crawls into the street and is almost hit by a car; Beth runs out to save him and is hit by the car instead and permanently paralyzed.

But maybe that would be too melodramatic.

Maybe it's not really so bad to substitute cancer, anemia, or a congenital heart defect for the scarlet fever and to leave out the aspects described above.

In the first place, while the social commentary about disease and poverty is valuable, the fact that it's mainly used to get Beth sick has unfortunate implications: i.e. "Save the lives of the very poor, or those of us in middle-class genteel poverty could catch their diseases too."

Secondly, the tragic irony that Beth is doomed by her kindness might be a bit too much 19th century sentimentality and melodrama for a modern setting. It's also led to some terrible commentary about Beth. "She's too selfless and self-effacing to survive," "This shows that domesticity and nurturing destroy women's lives," etc.

Third, personally, I've always disliked the fact that it's framed as Meg and Jo's fault for not going to the Hummels instead. To me, that feels so heavy-handedly preachy, and too terrible a burden of guilt to put on Meg and Jo for the rest of their lives just for teenage laziness. As far as I've read, it doesn't reflect real life either: Elizabeth Alcott caught scarlet fever while caring for the poor with May (Amy) and their mother, not alone. Anna and Louisa were adults by then, not teenagers, and I've never read any suggestion that they could have gone instead but refused. Louisa presumably just rewrote the situation as "moral pap" for child readers.

Maybe in a modern retelling, for readers or viewers who want less sentimentality than they did in the 19th century and who don't want to be preached to as much, it's better to give Beth a disease that's purely a whim of fate.

@littlewomenpodcast, @thatscarletflycatcher