Edit: I think I haven’t been clear.
So, uh, let me be clear: Let’s say you’re fully vaccinated, wearing an n95 in public, and living with children that are fully vaccinated, but the children cannot wear masks and they go to schools without mask or vaccine policies.

So, are you safer if you get exposed to small amounts of Covid? My thinking was that otherwise you’re letting your vaccine wear off just hoping the kids don’t bring it home.

I’m certainly no expert on immunity, but I think there’s something about increased response to something frequently seen. And I’m wondering if the immune system will sort of build a better sketch of the suspect with repeated viewings.

Original post: We want to avoid infection, and breakthroughs happen, but concentration and duration of exposure affect likelihood and severity of infection.

So should the vaccinated avoid all exposure? Or is there any benefit to letting your immune system see some Covid occasionally?

Is my immune system like “Oh hey, these look a little like those ones I was warned about, I’ll add them to the list and keep that whole family on my radar for a while longer”

  • happybadger [he/him]
    ·
    2 years ago

    https://news.arizona.edu/story/many-mild-covid-19-infections-experience-long-term-symptoms

    Data from a University of Arizona Health Sciences longitudinal study on COVID-19 shows that 67% of people with mild or moderate COVID-19 infection develop long COVID, with symptoms that last more than 30 days after a positive test.

    That's why I continue masking. Demographically I'm in great shape and would likely not get a severe case. If I did though, it'd shift my demographic hard in the other direction. If it was a mild case, it'd chip away at my demographic security and put another plague bullet in the chamber for the next round of Russian roulette. Long COVID is as much neurological as it is cardiovascular as it is pulmonary, and compromising any of those systems has compounding effects against the others.

    There's just no sense in risking it. Hoping for individual longterm immunity is the same thing as hoping for herd immunity. Sacrifice enough and maybe the survivors won't suffer consequences.

    • TheCaconym [any]
      ·
      2 years ago

      This exactly. This is a vascular, not respiratory, disease. It touches everything, and a shitton of publications lately suggest that thing is bad, potentially very bad, long term. The Chinese government's response always made sense; and now may be sadly about to shift mainly due to the rest of the world not giving a single fuck.

      Personally I've been religiously wearing properly-rotated N95s for like two years, and I plan on keeping doing it. Still haven't caught it (that I know of I guess) thus far.