COVID news (good for a change)

[dreamshark]

This could be big, although the findings are preliminary. The study is not peer-reviewed yet, but Mayo decided to release it now because, as they point out, it can't possibly HURT to encourage people to get the vaccinations they should be getting anyway. 

Non-COVID vaccines offer some COVID protection, Mayo Clinic reports

More complete story here, but possibly behind a pay wall.

There are two really interesting takeaways here.

• This could be part of the answer to the puzzle of why young children have proved much less likely to get infected with this coronavirus: all those childhood vaccinations.  
• But it's not just children. In fact, the correlation was apparently noticed first in ADULTS. Most astonishingly, a 43% reduction in risk for adults who got a polio booster before traveling abroad. At least, I presume they are talking about adults, since children still get polio vaccinations routinely in the US so they wouldn't need additional protection before traveling abroad.

My personal takeaway?  I guess I'll not only get a flu shot this year, I might consider the pneumonia shot too. I don't think adults need MMR boosters, but I should check on my TDAP status as well. This kind of balances out my skittishness about even walking NEAR a medical facility at this point in time. I've been putting off getting routine lab testing for my two prescription meds because I feel more threatened by the idea of entering a clinic than by the remote possibility that my blood pressure medication has suddenly thrown my blood chemistry out of whack after working fine for years. But if I can get a potentially protective vaccine at the same time... might be worth it. 

Comments

[redbird]

I saw an article a while ago that said that specifically the MMR vaccine is protective, and that other live, attenuated virus vaccines might also help. Measles vaccine is known to reduce all-cause mortality for a few years after a child is vaccinated, but if I recall correctly they thought the benefit here was largely from the rubella vaccine.

Adults in general don't need MMR boosters, but I got one about a year ago--they were willing to give it to me because I wasn't sure if I'd had two doses or only one, and it was easier and cheaper than blood testing to see if I had measles antibodies.

[davidwilford]

Interesting, and of course it doesn't hurt to get vaccinated for flu yearly, which I myself do. I had a TDAP booster shot (tetanus, pertussis, and diphtheria) back in 2013 after seeing someone I know get whooping cough and figured it couldn't hurt.

[minnehaha]

Get the MMR booster. I was tested for immunity to measles and had little. Or maybe that was to rubella. I've had the mumps so they know I cannot get it again. When I said I only wanted the vaccine for the thing I'd lost immunity to, they said I needed to take the whole MMR shot because it does not come in separate doses. I then said, why did you test, then?

I'm up-to-date on all shots, anyway.

K.

[dreamshark]

So you went to the doctor and said, "I'd like to be tested for measles immunity?" Why? Because you had never had measles and weren't sure about the vaccination?

I have never had an MMR because I'm too old for that. I've definitely had measles and rubella and definitely have not had mumps. But nobody ever talks about resurgences of mumps, for some reason, just measles. Which is odd, because mumps is definitely one of the childhood diseases that is more serious in adults. My little brothers got mumps in the mid-60's, but I did not catch it. However, my mother did and was scary sick. Sicker than I had ever seen her. High fever and a lot of her hair fell out, like Victorian brain fever. But shortly after that the vaccine appeared and mumps kind of disappeared and I pretty much forgot about it.

[minnehaha]

I don't recall why I got tested. I think it was to see if I needed a booster.

As for your likelihood of getting the mumps, the CDC notes that it does keep coming around in a small way.

K.

[dreamshark]

Looks like 2006 was a bad year. Not a huge threat right now I guess. But it does say on the CDC site that adults should get MMR shots. I don't remember any doctor ever suggesting that, but if I ask for one (or two, which seems to be the drill) they should say yes.

[mizzlaurajean]

Ask the clinic/lab a lot of questions about how they are handling patients to help you determine if you are comfortable with going. Some places seem to be more cautious than others. For example I had to go see the endodontist and had to call from car when I arrived. I was the only person in the waiting room and possibly the clinic but my dentist's office while very segregated had more people than I'd be comfortable with experiencing again in the near future. We scheduled the kids for their spring cleanings in fall (subject to change) and were told we'd be expected to wait in the car instead of the waiting room. I've not gone to my chiropractor since March but he's suggested if I need to come I try to come first thing in the morning and I imagine you could ask to go at the least busy time for a lab. Health care workers are well adorned so the chances of them breathing on you are super low it's just the other patients you really need to worry about. With our adoptions we are probably more up to date on shots than many adults. I know I've had the TDAP at least twice as an adult. Fingers crossed.