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06-17-2021, 01:44 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 1969
Posts: 2,611
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Should I get a seasonal flu shot? Update
Last fall I asked a question:
https://www.irv2.com/forums/f296/sho...ot-508992.html
Thanks for the interesting replies. I do think anyone predicted what the flu season would be like.
I did not get a flu shot.
Since the family Thanksgiving gather had been cancelled, First leg of my trip was from Washington State to NYC to visit my daughter. Biggest risk of exposure was 4 hours in a truck tire shop waiting room.
Second leg was visiting my son in the Washington DC area and friends in Virginia. During the third leg to visit family in Shreveport and Dallas, found out BIL had untreatable cancer and was being sent home for hospice care. A different BIL and were an hour out when we got the bad news.
Lots of hugging family and was in the same room with at least 15 people that I had never met before.
I took my time on the final leg of the trip to Nevada self quarantine before being with the grandchildren. At one truck stop, had to hand my credit card to a cashier with no mask. Started the clock over again and dry camped at Lake Mead NRA before being with family.
DIL and new baby were in a high risk group. I had the 4 am feeding. So precautions for airborne virus continued.
Here was what I found interesting. If you look at the curves for cold and flu season, they had the same shape if you substituted covid-19 for the flu. There was one week in Las Vegas where they were opening emergency ICU.
So yes it is important to take precautions to reduce risk. The precautions you take are a personal choice. Keep enjoying living.
__________________
Kit & Rita (in memory)
37 foot ‘98 HolidayRambler Endeavor diesel pusher
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06-17-2021, 02:08 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Enjoying the Western States!
Posts: 19,637
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The reason for minimal flu this past year was because of masks, distancing and reminders to wash hands... and children not being in school. It will be interesting if flu comes back in full force next season.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/a...vid-pandemic1/
__________________
Full-timed for 16 Years . . .
Traveled 8 yr in a 2004 Newmar Dutch Star 40' Diesel
& 8 yr in a 33' Travel Supreme 5th wheel
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06-17-2021, 03:10 PM
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#3
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 434
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Regular flu season was cut short due to work from home, no schools and closed public spaces. It will be back with a vengeance once we fully open up, go back to work and restart our school systems. I'll get the flu shot like I've done every year since 1976. If the offer a covid booster, I'll get that as well. What I wont do, is wear a mask anymore. The media is reporting that folks have sent their masks into labs for testing and they are full of germs and bacteria. What you think is protecting you may be causing other illnesses.
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06-17-2021, 03:39 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Sarasota, FL
Posts: 5,228
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Quote:
The media is reporting that folks have sent their masks into labs for testing and they are full of germs and bacteria. What you think is protecting you may be causing other illnesses.
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I think the thousands of healthy healthcare workers that wear masks all the time and are still healthy, might disagree with this. They dispose of them regularly as should you and I.
__________________
Rick and Larrie Dee
1997 40' Newmar London Aire DP CTA 8.3 (Mechanical) 325 Spartan MM
Bringing her back to her glory.
'08 Jeep GC Overland.
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06-17-2021, 03:50 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Monaco Owners Club Forest River Owners Club
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 3,323
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Masks used in healthcare are ONE time use. Throw out and wash hands after EVERY patient. Not the cutesy homemade wear a week stuff or the wear it until it falls off because it cost a lot . People are pretty funny sometimes .
__________________
2023 Coachmen Encore 325SS
2002 Ford Escape toad
2020 GMC terrain
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06-17-2021, 04:16 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Winnebago Owners Club
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Meshoppen, PA
Posts: 1,993
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I am 60.. cardiac mess, bad genes...
Had early covid pre christmas... six weeks of hell and every antibiotic, pill around.. etc.. braved it out.. did found out 90% of where etc, CDC and local health , useless at that point..
I had flu shot that september.. doc said get it, it may help...
Agree with many here, flu went by the way side, no or limited contact and spread.... call it what you want.. the distancing, mask, etc,, etc did slow, colds and flus to lowest ever,, FACT..
I got antibody test, it was low.. my doc said yeah it was this new bug early on, it is nasty, you got by...
Got a pneumonia booster. as that would screw me bad..
Got covid vax
probably get a flu vax when out, but I gonna give it a bit since the virus will change and old vax may be useless...
In an odd response here about mask, there use etc.. luckily the covid seems a tad derailed even with moderate masking and not following the real guides of health and safety.. I worked in a nuke plant back in early 80's.. I had full plant access as a control room construction engineer..
wearing double suites , gloves. breathing in a 127+ degree wet well.. reactor .. took hours plus to suite up.. for 30 min stay, then unsuite.. and go hang out, exhausted.. I still take off regular gloves like they were "hot"...
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06-17-2021, 05:10 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Enjoying the Western States!
Posts: 19,637
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BillJinOR
Masks used in healthcare are ONE time use. Throw out and wash hands after EVERY patient. Not the cutesy homemade wear a week stuff or the wear it until it falls off because it cost a lot . People are pretty funny sometimes .
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Yes, those disposable masks are meant to wear once and be disposed of.
The 'cutesy' homemade masks are also meant to be worn once and then washed. It only takes a minute under a faucet with liquid soap. Easy, peasy.
I don't understand how people would think to wear them over and over again!
__________________
Full-timed for 16 Years . . .
Traveled 8 yr in a 2004 Newmar Dutch Star 40' Diesel
& 8 yr in a 33' Travel Supreme 5th wheel
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06-18-2021, 02:57 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: North America somewhere
Posts: 30,592
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Quote:
Originally Posted by twogypsies
Yes, those disposable masks are meant to wear once and be disposed of.
The 'cutesy' homemade masks are also meant to be worn once and then washed. It only takes a minute under a faucet with liquid soap. Easy, peasy.
I don't understand how people would think to wear them over and over again!
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Ya, that's why hospitals and Dr. offices here require patients and visitors to put on a new disposable mask at the door.
There are other options:
The local hospital re-uses N95 masks by hanging them in a small room, then turning on ultraviolet light remotely.
I have a UV-C wand that sanitizes small items in 20 seconds, and a 30W LED, UV-C bulb to sanitize a complete room.
BTW, we both get annual flu shots for seniors.
__________________
2000 Winnebago Ultimate Freedom USQ40JD , ISC 8.3 Cummins 350, Spartan MM Chassis. USA IN 1SG 11B5MX,Infantry retired;Good Sam Life member,FMCA. " My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country. John F. Kennedy
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06-18-2021, 03:00 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 1969
Posts: 2,611
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Quote:
Originally Posted by twogypsies
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That is not 'the reason, that is a theory.
"The reason, epidemiologists think, is that the public health measures taken to keep the coronavirus from spreading also stop the flu."
I have read several other theories but the science is too complex for me to explain.
Public health measure did not stop the the spread of covid-19. The hope was to slow it so it did not overwhelm hospitals.
Hindsight is great. It hindsight not getting a flu vaccine is the right choice for me. In hindsight, where I spent the winter; all the lockdown did was overwhelm the hospitals during cold and flu season.
__________________
Kit & Rita (in memory)
37 foot ‘98 HolidayRambler Endeavor diesel pusher
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06-18-2021, 04:08 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Enjoying the Western States!
Posts: 19,637
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Another possible reason for low flu cases is because more people got the flu vaccination this year because they didn't want to be able to get the flu and also Covid.
From Healthline: "Over 188 million doses of flu vaccine have been distributed so far this year.
That’s a sharp increase from the 169 million doses that had been sent out at this time last year, and 163 million doses that were distributed at this point in 2018".
We got both.
__________________
Full-timed for 16 Years . . .
Traveled 8 yr in a 2004 Newmar Dutch Star 40' Diesel
& 8 yr in a 33' Travel Supreme 5th wheel
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06-18-2021, 06:26 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 1969
Posts: 2,611
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ray,IN
Ya, that's why hospitals and Dr. offices here require patients and visitors to put on a new disposable mask at the door.
......
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While I have not visited any hospitals, this is the first I have heard about doctors offices requiring new masks.
The most dangerous thing I did during the lockdown was get routine blood tests and semi-annual doctor visits.
As a radiation worker, the navy trained me to properly don and take off personal protective clothing.
All i have observed is some rather silly precautions to provide a false sense of safety.
Read the report submitted to a medical journal by the navy concerning the covid outbreak on a nuclear aircraft carrier. Some reassuring information and some not.
First the not! It took a about 14 days before symptoms and things high temperature were infrequent. So taking my temperature everyday only provided a false sense of security.
The good news was that most infections were asymptomatic or mild.
So without taking any precautions, it was no big deal on a navy ship with a young healthy crew. On the other hand, it you are dealing with people in poor health more precautions should be taken.
My DIL who spent much more time where precautions should be taken because of her high risk pregnancy or taking children to the doctor, was very unhappy with the sloppy way precautions were done. From what she described, I would have to agree.
__________________
Kit & Rita (in memory)
37 foot ‘98 HolidayRambler Endeavor diesel pusher
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06-18-2021, 07:01 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 1969
Posts: 2,611
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Quote:
Originally Posted by twogypsies
Another possible reason for low flu cases is because more people got the flu vaccination .......
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A 10% increase vaccination would not account for decrease. Even with 100% vaccination, there are still cases because the vaccine is not 100% effective.
My best friend in high school had a theory that Fords were better than Chevys. We both had the same model of Ford and he cited that there were no '63 similar Chevys on the road.
Chevy did not start making a similar model till '64.
Since posting the orginal question, a lot has changed about how I think about vaccines. Still trying figure it out.
__________________
Kit & Rita (in memory)
37 foot ‘98 HolidayRambler Endeavor diesel pusher
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06-18-2021, 07:46 PM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: North America somewhere
Posts: 30,592
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quote: it was no big deal on a navy ship with a young healthy crew.
Ask the Navy commander who was relieved of command when he docked his ship because 1/3 of the crew had COVID19..
__________________
2000 Winnebago Ultimate Freedom USQ40JD , ISC 8.3 Cummins 350, Spartan MM Chassis. USA IN 1SG 11B5MX,Infantry retired;Good Sam Life member,FMCA. " My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country. John F. Kennedy
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06-18-2021, 07:52 PM
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#14
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Senior Member
Texas Boomers Club Forest River Owners Club Ford Super Duty Owner RV Trip Wizard
Join Date: Jun 2020
Location: Heart of Texas
Posts: 5,809
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A seasonal flu shot is a best-guess by the medical community as to which strain will be most-likely prevalent during that flu season. A lot of times they're right. Sometimes they miss the mark. Advice is generally to get the flu shot as it will help you get through flu season and if not prevent you from getting the flu, at least reduce the symptoms. Again, if they get it right.
For COVID, I don't know. I got both of mine. So did my wife. But then again I lost my aunt and brother to COVID and my brother a few days before he died told me himself that COVID is real. Don't mess with it. But the shots were rushed through production. Is there side-effects? Maybe, maybe not. I just don't know which way to advise you. For us, we decided the benefits outweighed the risk.
__________________
Jeff & Sharon Wise
2021 Forester 2151LE-<2020 Jeep Wrangler Sahara
Dripping Springs, TX
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