Not much news today, but then not much time. Working early voting this afternoon calls. The German Health Minister has called for the reintroduction of mask mandates, citing the "sharp increase" in the number of covid cases there. That said, "called for" means just that: He'd like to see them reinstated but does not have the authority to do so himself.
We people on the north side of the age of 65 know that we should get the bivalent booster, but what's the deal for younger people? There are both risks and benefits to consider in making the choice. For males between the ages of 18 and 39, there is a very low risk of myocarditis or the inflammation of the heart muscle. Cases of myocarditis after vaccination tend to be mild ones, and there are only five to 10 cases per one million doses administered. Getting boosted may also involve some inconvenience. Some people experience side effects such as fever and fatigue. Not everyone can afford to miss work to get boosted either.
Then there are the benefits, the first one being that the booster will help prevent hospitalization and death. It will also potentially prevent myocarditis, a possible side effect of a case of covid as well as vaccination. The myocarditis after infection is usually more severe than that after vaccination. There is also some evidence that vaccination may help reduce the risk of long covid. Besides offering broader protection, the booster helps prevent infection and transmission and shorten the duration of the illness.
1 comment:
Vaccination is a no-brainer for me. Sadly, I got Covid days before I was planning to get the omicron booster, and now have to wait.
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