28 Comments
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Bree Styart's avatar

Frankly, I'll take whatever vaccines are offered to me. Much smarter people than I developed them, tested them, and believe they'd be beneficial to me? Bet. Also, the picture of you and your friend is lovely!

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Jeremy Faust, MD's avatar

Thanks :)

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Susan's avatar

Am 65 with well controlled asthma and have been getting Covid vaccinations every 6 mths since they were developed. Have had Covid twice with good recoveries.

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Jeremy Faust, MD's avatar

Avoiding Covid is really, really hard. Avoiding severe illness is much more doable. We are lucky in that way.

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Craig Spencer's avatar

You're the best Jeremy!!!

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Pam's avatar

Love the photo...just off a plane and no mask on either of you. You have given up, lost credibility. With all the other concerns about long term neuro damage, now we have to wonder if the info you put out is being influenced by ability of Covid to destroy a person's risk judgement ability just as you reported. You have now joined the ranks of those who continue to spread, sicken, kill and perpetuate this pandemic.

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Jeremy Faust, MD's avatar

I am sorry you feel this way and obviously my sense of the risk is different. I will write about why I do still mask in some situations (Sunday's post), including for large parts of the event that the photo is from. Being out in the world, I can say that the amount of masking I do is more than 99% of people do at this point, including a room full of special pathogens experts who attended that event, many whom have repeatedly risked their own lives to help others. That said, I do want to know what you think we should do. Close all indoor restaurants forever? In all sincerity, what would you have us do at this point? I invite you to read my Sunday post and let me know. thx

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Nurse Jenny's avatar

WOW! Pam, what you fail to realize and understand is that, what you don’t know is that, maybe they took their masks off for a photo and then put their N95 mask back on. And/or they both took a rapid antigen covid19 test, where they were both negative which means they don’t need to mask while they are visiting with each other. Many health care workers will test before visiting with family or friends so we don’t have to mask. I do this whenever I am going to visit with family or friends. My family and friends also test that way we don’t need to mask during our visit. I have also attended conferences where everyone tests before attending. Anyone testing positive can’t attend the conference.

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Jeremy Faust, MD's avatar

thanks Jenny

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Rick's avatar

That's great to hear! I'm not in healthcare but am trying to gently remind my family of the idea of testing to be more comfortable in shared space.

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Lyn Horan's avatar

I'm certainly hoping that all you said was true of Dr. Faust.

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Jeremy Faust, MD's avatar

Lyn, I wore a mask for much but not all of the event (Sunday's post explains my current thinking about this) which is more than I can say for 90-95% of the people in that room--and these were literally people who have put their lives on the line by treating Ebola patients (let alone Covid and other pathogens). I think we need to keep masking in some situations, but I don't think we should be expecting people to mask in all indoor settings. What do you think about restaurants and bars?

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Nurse Jenny's avatar

Lyn

Why would I not speak the truth? Not just in my personal life, but especially in my profession as an RN for over 25 years I always speak the truth. I don’t take peoples lives lightly. I’ve also worked the front lines of the global pandemic covid-19 from the very beginning, I don’t take anything related to covid-19 lightly. It took the lives of a massive amount of people unfortunately. Thanks to the vaccines we don’t see the mass amount of lives being lost now, although lives are still lost at times from covid-19. I have the utmost respect for Dr. Faust as a physician, for his writing and research! I am proud to have crossed his path in the very beginning of the global pandemic. He also knows what it was like to work those frontlines of covid-19. We take covid-19 extremely seriously.

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Lyn Horan's avatar

Jenny, I didn't question YOUR truth and actually "liked" what you said. I agree with you on many of your assessments about Jeremy Faust or I wouldn't be a stalwart reader of his. But we don't know what he did and he hasn't told us.

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Jeremy Faust, MD's avatar

Hi again :) I do appreciate you being a big supporter of my work, Lyn! I want to hear what you think we can reasonably expect from the public these days. Obviously, I mask when I'm at work. But I don't make my kid mask at school and I think it's reasonable. What do you think?

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Lyn Horan's avatar

Just seeing this now. Not an ER doc who spends massive amounts of time researching data and getting it out to public (much needed) while raising little ones, but I'm never not busy or overwhelmed...this week two MA legislative bills on important disability issues had sudden hearings, a number of important issues in my municipal Disability Commission, and mtg as I was asked to be on Holyoke's Advisory Committee for our Master plan (healthcare, equity, and disability access are on the docket). And then, of course that's when all my needed doc appts and med procedures became available as well. I think we may share the same "virus" of the dire importance of community participation and education. Sorry I missed these much appreciated replies from you in your schedule, but definitely "wowed" by your expansive and detailed response to everyone on your masking approach which I will be using as my "go to" sensible reference. I did comment there. Thanks!

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Nurse Jenny's avatar

You questioned my truth about Dr. Faust. So I responded. I know exactly what he did. He was safe regarding covid-19. Like he has always been. That includes masking with an N95 and testing for covid-19. Not sure why you would think he would not be safe.

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John Fontaine, Phm's avatar

Dr Faust

I can only imagine the volume of material you read & analytize in a given week.

I stand corrected & apologize if MedPage is not a form you contribute to.

There is a new study looking at the association between the levonorgestrel IUD and breast cancer, and, as expected, it has spawned many headlines, some that are accurate and some that are absolute click-bait (come on New York Times and MedPage Today, like WTF?).(1)

Taken from Dr. Jen Gunter Substack post.

I offer this as an FYI, myself albeit a practicing Phm for many yr's all too often the "media" contributes the ever expanding challenge of "misinformation" due to their lack of context for what they put out there.

I also did not search out the MedPage article.

Respectfully & appreciatively yours, JJF

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Jeremy Faust, MD's avatar

Hey John,

I have not had a chance to dive into that story. My role with MedPage Today is "editor in chief," but that title sometimes feels misleading to me; I'm more like "chief medical consultant" and the wonderful journalists and editors there bring some issues to my attention, but not all (and not that one). I don't know whether that study has major issues or not, but if it does, I'm always open to hearing why and course correcting. I can offer MedPage writers my views and they take my input seriously.

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Lyn Horan's avatar

Thanks for the update for immune-compromised people on second COVID vax. And my husband says, yes, real men do like receiving flowers.

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Jeremy Faust, MD's avatar

haha yes we do :)

And I am SO glad that the immune-compromised can get doses when needed, under the care of their docs.

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Nancy Westvan's avatar

I’m thinking that with the presidential election coming up soon, maybe next Friday’s poll could be something about which stance the candidates have taken has influenced your decision the most. Topics such as abortion, healthcare expenses, immigration or science. (Or think of your own. 😎) Thanks for your great work!

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Jeremy Faust, MD's avatar

Good idea! Thanks! I'll try to limit it to healthcare stances, but I like it.

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Chris Henshaw's avatar

I picked "no" even though I'm just 3 weeks shy of 69. I'm getting my first Covid shot of the season next week (delayed for peak effectiveness for Thanksgiving cross-country travel) and 6 months later would be end of April. I'd be concerned a vaccine at that point would interfere with fall vaccine season.

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Jeremy Faust, MD's avatar

I was thinking about a post talking about how to time these. I think that it's likely that whatever you choose, it won't hurt 2025-2026, but I can lay out that argument more if you're interested. I may pitch another publication on a piece about that as well.

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Nancy Westvan's avatar

Hi Chris,

I voted yes for a 6 month vaccine interval. I received a vaccine in April and also got one mid-September of this year for international travel. The guidelines for last fall were that if it had been at least 4 months after your last vaccine and you were 65+ or immunocompromised you could receive another one). The summer wave was very high in my state and many people were getting Covid. I want to keep my record of never having Covid intact.

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John Fontaine, Phm's avatar

Generally no vaccines given simultaneously alter the response of the other(s). Couple minor recommendations as to seperating the administration of certain vaccines 4 wk's when not administrated at the same time e.g. MMR & Yellow Fever each attenuated or "tired" forms of " live vaccines".

I stand **corrected** if new information is available, however there was data that showed a reduced response for the pertussis component of the "tetanus" shot...Tdap when given simultaneously with the RSV vaccine.

There are dramatic increased # cases coast to coast in the USA and Canada of pertussis...100 day cough for the adults.

This being said the "ap" pertussis immunity wains 3-5 yr's post administration & the recommended Interval in the USA & Canada is 10 yr's.

My advice (certified travel medicine consultant) if you are 3-5 yr since your last "tetanus" shot or don't recall your last vaccination ask you Dr for a booster dose.

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Jeremy Faust, MD's avatar

That sounds right to me, but I have not reviewed the latest on this

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