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Never, never, none.  Better if you don't stand too close to me!  (Seriously, I must have had it by now, but no symptoms that I recall.)

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  • South Austin
    South Austin

    My parents got their second shots on Friday, and as an added bonus my dad is cancer free.

  • Was 30 minutes late seeing your message, but got Mrs Brat a spot tomorrow morning. By the time I started looking for a time for me, Tuesday was all taken. But got a spot for next Monday. Thanks s

  • CooterBrown
    CooterBrown

    When my wife and daughter got back from the vaccine appointment, they said an elderly lady harassed my daughter about getting the vaccine and said "don't you know more people have died from the vaccin

Posted Images

4 minutes ago, DalTxHornFan said:

Never, never, none.  Better if you don't stand too close to me!  (Seriously, I must have had it by now, but no symptoms that I recall.)

Same. Have nc seroconverted but never have tipped a positive test. 

1 hour ago, Anastasis said:

You didn’t do Novavax did you?

No, I’m loyal to my Moderna vax.

On 10/1/2025 at 6:08 PM, Anastasis said:

Which one?

Kirkland

I got the pfizer about a month ago. I've had both over the past years. I may have gone to sleep a little early that night. My wife got it about the same time and she was in bed for about 2 days but she has responded poorly to the vaccine before. 

Anyway, good news for those who've participated:

 

mmr vaccine today

I get my 2nd shingles on dec 1 and i'm done (hopefully) 

16 hours ago, Chopper said:

I got the pfizer about a month ago. I've had both over the past years. I may have gone to sleep a little early that night. My wife got it about the same time and she was in bed for about 2 days but she has responded poorly to the vaccine before. 

Anyway, good news for those who've participated:

 

Even if you rule out any confounding or bias from the observational nature of the study and the demographics of a VA population, then you have to look at absolute risk reduction.

18.3 ER visits per 10,000

7.5 hospitalizations per 10,000

2.2 deaths per 10,000

This gives you a NNT (number needed to treat) or NNV of

546 to prevent one ER visit

1,333 to prevent one hospitalization

4,545 to prevent one death

We can go further into discussion, but these numbers appear to back up the current policy of 65 and up or with chronic health conditions getting the booster if they want. 

But I'm happy that you can all find it if you want.

Go on with your bad selves.

33 minutes ago, Screwed said:

Even if you rule out any confounding or bias from the observational nature of the study and the demographics of a VA population, then you have to look at absolute risk reduction.

Look, I'm very pleased you selected a user name that reflects your lot in life. However, I'm saddened you don't understand the ramifications of getting covid. But have a good day, clown. Also I think there's a thread for nonces like you who want to have this argument. You should go there. 

Edited by Chopper

12 minutes ago, Chopper said:

Look, I'm very pleased you selected a user name that reflects your lot in life. However, I'm saddened you don't understand the ramifications of getting covid. But have a good day, clown. Also I think there's a thread for nonces like you who want to have this argument. You should go there. 

Who's arguing anything? Just discussing the study you shared.

If you don't understand what I posted, maybe you don't know where the discussion should go?

18 minutes ago, Chopper said:

Look, I'm very pleased you selected a user name that reflects your lot in life. However, I'm saddened you don't understand the ramifications of getting covid. But have a good day, clown. Also I think there's a thread for nonces like you who want to have this argument. You should go there. 

What you don't get is any risk comparison.  Which, you know, is the relevant way to evaluate risk.

What is your risk of contracting COVID and having a negative outcome, stairstepping up in levels of severity, if unvaccinated?

What is your risk of an adverse vaccine reaction, stairstepping up in levels of severity?

In other words, what is my illness risk reduction if vaccinated, and what is my adverse reaction risk increase if vaccinated - which is greater?

5 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

What you don't get is any risk comparison.  Which, you know, is the relevant way to evaluate risk.

What is your risk of contracting COVID and having a negative outcome, stairstepping up in levels of severity, if unvaccinated?

I've read the study. The absolute risk reduction numbers are in my previous post.

1 hour ago, Screwed said:

Even if you rule out any confounding or bias from the observational nature of the study and the demographics of a VA population, then you have to look at absolute risk reduction.

18.3 ER visits per 10,000

7.5 hospitalizations per 10,000

2.2 deaths per 10,000

This gives you a NNT (number needed to treat) or NNV of

546 to prevent one ER visit

1,333 to prevent one hospitalization

4,545 to prevent one death

 

6 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

What is your risk of an adverse vaccine reaction, stairstepping up in levels of severity?

They did not look at adverse reactions in the study.

1 minute ago, Screwed said:

I've read the study. The absolute risk reduction numbers are in my previous post.

 

They did not look at adverse reactions in the study.

Sure.  That would be another, different study.  Which would give rates.  Then compare rates.

If I have a 1 in 1,000 chance of dying of disease X, and I have a 1 in 10,000 chance of dying of an adverse vaccine reaction (assuming arguendo that "death" is the primary adverse event in either case), then the math dictates the smarter choice.

Sincerely, it's great to see an observational study get published in NEJM. It's a pretty sophisticated analysis, and the VA has certain advantages wrt the data they collect. The limitations of an observational study, the constraints on generalizability, and the very modest absolute risk reduction have been discussed more than adequately up thread. But just to amplify the generalizability issue, mean age 71 years, over 90% male, obese on average. The results (esp some of the data in the supp appendix) strongly reinforce risk-based recommendations (age, comorbidities, etc.) rather than universal recommendations that include children, adolescents, and young healthy adults. 

 

It's amazing that instead of reviewing rounds of results from RCTs with each subsequent booster release we are digesting tweets related VA observational studies.  Hopefully the new FDA guidance incentivizes more of that kinda work.  

Are you really gonna believe science?

It's honestly sad that this is the line I still use most from Arrested Development:

tws5ckudcaa51.png?auto=webp&s=0c18355ec7

2 hours ago, SydneyCarton said:

Science has been debunked, sir. 

 

2 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

They don't call it science fiction for no good reason.

“Science” is derived from an old Indo-European word that meant, “to do your own research online”.

3 hours ago, Deej said:

Are you really gonna believe science?

The heroin addict lawyer who got a fucking literal brain worm from eating raw monkey would have you believe in your opinion and not the experts.

That Bishop's response is pretty solid:

This is a classic textbook example of rhetorical confusion, an attempt to sound anti-authoritarian while misunderstanding both science and faith.

Science at its best depends on disciplined expertise, peer review, and humility before evidence. Trusting experts does not mean blind obedience; it means recognizing the limits of one’s knowledge and valuing rigorous, tested inquiry.

Rejecting expertise outright is not democratic; it is anti-intellectual. Democracies function when informed citizens weigh evidence responsibly, not when everyone treats opinion as equal to informed understanding.

The comparison to religion is equally misguided. Mature faith is not credulous submission but trust grounded in relationship, conscience, and reason. The Christian tradition affirms that faith seeks understanding. It wrestles with truth; it does not suspend thought.

Equating trust in credible expertise with totalitarianism is not only false but dangerous, because it erodes the trust that makes both science and democracy possible. Such rhetoric reveals a crisis of epistemic humility, characterized by an inability to acknowledge that truth requires both personal integrity and communal wisdom.

When distrust becomes an identity, the result is not freedom but fragmentation, where no one can learn from anyone else.

Went to Walgreens, walked in and set up the flu and Covid vaccine.  When it asked me if I have any chronic illnesses, I checked the box that said "I don't know" and the system was like, Ok you're good to go.  God the flu shoot and the Pfizer vaccine.  Assuming my insurance will pay for it.  🤞🤞🤞

  • 2 weeks later...

COVID-19 mRNA vaccines can trigger the immune system to recognize and kill cancer, research finds
The researchers found that mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines could potentially help patients whose tumors don’t respond well to traditional immunotherapy.

The COVID-19 mRNA-based vaccines that saved 2.5 million lives globally during the pandemic could help spark the immune system to fight cancer. This is the surprising takeaway of a new study that we and our colleagues published in the journal Nature.

While developing mRNA vaccines for patients with brain tumors in 2016, our team, led by pediatric oncologist Elias Sayour, discovered that mRNA can train immune systems to kill tumors — even if the mRNA is not related to cancer.

Based on this finding, we hypothesized that mRNA vaccines designed to target the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 might also have antitumor effects.

So we looked at clinical outcomes for more than 1,000 late-stage melanoma and lung cancer patients treated with a type of immunotherapy called immune checkpoint inhibitors. This treatment is a common approach doctors use to train the immune system to kill cancer. It does this by blocking a protein that tumor cells make to turn off immune cells, enabling the immune system to continue killing cancer.

Remarkably, patients who received either the Pfizer or Moderna mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine within 100 days of starting immunotherapy were more than twice as likely to be alive after three years compared with those who didn't receive either vaccine. Surprisingly, patients with tumors that don't typically respond well to immunotherapy also saw very strong benefits, with nearly fivefold improvement in three-year overall survival. This link between improved survival and receiving a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine remained strong even after we controlled for factors like disease severity and co-occurring conditions.

To understand the underlying mechanism, we turned to animal models. We found that COVID-19 mRNA vaccines act like an alarm, triggering the body's immune system to recognize and kill tumor cells and overcome the cancer's ability to turn off immune cells. When combined, vaccines and immune checkpoint inhibitors coordinate to unleash the full power of the immune system to kill cancer cells.

 

Why it matters
Immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors has revolutionized cancer treatment over the past decade by producing cures in many patients who were previously considered incurable. However, these therapies are ineffective in patients with "cold" tumors that successfully evade immune detection.

Our findings suggest that mRNA vaccines may provide just the spark the immune system needs to turn these "cold" tumors "hot." If validated in our upcoming clinical trial, our hope is that this widely available, low-cost intervention could extend the benefits of immunotherapy to millions of patients who otherwise would not benefit from this therapy.

What other research is being done
Unlike vaccines for infectious diseases, which are used to prevent an infection, therapeutic cancer vaccines are used to help train the immune systems of cancer patients to better fight tumors.

We and many others are currently working hard to make personalized mRNA vaccines for patients with cancer. This involves taking a small sample of a patient's tumor and using machine learning algorithms to predict which proteins in the tumor would be the best targets for a vaccine. However, this approach can be costly and difficult to manufacture.

In contrast, COVID-19 mRNA vaccines do not need to be personalized, are already widely available at low or no cost around the globe, and could be administered at any time during a patient's treatment. Our findings that COVID-19 mRNA vaccines have substantial antitumor effects bring hope that they could help extend the anti-cancer benefits of mRNA vaccines to all.

What's next
In pursuit of this goal, we are preparing to test this treatment strategy in patients with a nationwide clinical trial in people with lung cancer. People receiving an immune checkpoint inhibitor will be randomized to either receive a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine during treatment or not.

This study will tell us whether COVID-19 mRNA vaccines should be included as part of the standard of care for patients receiving an immune checkpoint inhibitor. Ultimately, we hope that this approach will help many patients who are treated with immune therapy, and especially those who currently lack effective treatment options.

This work exemplifies how a tool born from a global pandemic may provide a new weapon against cancer and rapidly extend the benefits of existing treatments to millions of patients. By harnessing a familiar vaccine in a new way, we hope to extend the lifesaving benefits of immunotherapy to cancer patients who were previously left behind.

This could go in a lot of places, but our AG needs a new distraction and some red meat to throw to the *checks notes* batshit conspiracy types, so Texas is suing Tylenol because autism and ADHD.

Probably in Tyler, Texas.

G4WUHLva0AAhRdH?format=jpg&name=large

This fucking piece of shit state...

This is what happens when absolute fucking idiots run the asylum, and then have absolute fucking idiots keep voting for them regardless of the absolute idiot shit that they do.

Next we're going to sue little league baseball and soccer associations for causing an elevated risk for skin cancer.

“Children's soccer and baseball organizations betrayed America by profiting off of fun and forcing kids be in the sun regardless of the risks," Paxton said in a statement on Tuesday. "These organizations lied for decades, knowingly endangering millions to line their pockets. ... By holding somebody/anybody accountable for poisoning our children's skin, we will help Make America Healthy Again.”

 

6 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

This could go in a lot of places, but our AG needs a new distraction and some red meat to throw to the *checks notes* batshit conspiracy types, so Texas is suing Tylenol because autism and ADHD.

Probably in Tyler, Texas.

G4WUHLva0AAhRdH?format=jpg&name=large

How can any Texan take this piece of shit seriously?  I don't care what your political beliefs are, every Texan should be able to spot a bullshit artist that is this obvious, right?  Right‽‽‽ 

Edited by Samson's Wig

2025 you wild'n

https://www.actionnews5.com/2025/10/28/truck-hauling-aggressive-monkeys-carrying-herpes-covid-overturns-mississippi/

Authorities said the driver of the truck carrying the monkeys told law enforcement that the monkeys “were dangerous” and “posed a threat to humans.”

Authorities say they took the appropriate actions after being given that information.

The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office said all of the escaped monkeys, except for one, “have been destroyed.”

The sheriff’s department is still looking for one of the monkeys that is still on the loose.

32 minutes ago, Captainant said:

2025 you wild'n

https://www.actionnews5.com/2025/10/28/truck-hauling-aggressive-monkeys-carrying-herpes-covid-overturns-mississippi/

Authorities said the driver of the truck carrying the monkeys told law enforcement that the monkeys “were dangerous” and “posed a threat to humans.”

Authorities say they took the appropriate actions after being given that information.

The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office said all of the escaped monkeys, except for one, “have been destroyed.”

The sheriff’s department is still looking for one of the monkeys that is still on the loose.

Mississippi becomes infested with diseased monkeys.

Public health in Mississippi improves by 30%.

 

1 hour ago, Captainant said:

except for one

Enjoy your super herpes- Covid dick rot America 

3 hours ago, Navin R. Johnson said:

When RFK said Tylenol is bad, I started taking more Tylenol 

Are you a pregnant woman? 

16 minutes ago, Dennis Taylor said:

Are you a pregnant woman? 

Do you think that matters?

Even better is Paxton is using State tax funds to pay a private firm to lose a frivolous lawsuit.

Edited by pacman

19 minutes ago, pacman said:

Even better is Paxton is using State tax funds to pay a private firm to lose a frivolous lawsuit.

I hate it when the government wastes taxpayer dollars. Don’t we all…

I know rage cycle sells but that mRNA covid vaccine cancer article (I saw it earlier in my news feed) is really amazing. We are so close to so many breakthroughs (globally).

2 minutes ago, scramblyn said:

I know rage cycle sells but that mRNA covid vaccine cancer article (I saw it earlier in my news feed) is really amazing. We are so close to so many breakthroughs (globally).

Except that most of us are very cautiously optimistic.   Let's see if it really pans out.

As opposed to the Ivermectin crowd, who is pretty much to the point of "it cures everything: COVID, cancer, male pattern baldness, malaria, bent dick disease!"

12 hours ago, scramblyn said:

I know rage cycle sells but that mRNA covid vaccine cancer article (I saw it earlier in my news feed) is really amazing. We are so close to so many breakthroughs (globally).

Random thought that is really amazing also...I got into a rabbit hole of Charlie Sheen after his new documentary on netflix and didn't realize that Charlie Sheen had HIV. Maybe I knew but forgot. Either way, that lead me to some of his lawsuits (like not telling his partners) and apparently, someone correct me if I am wrong here, but there are vaccines or medicines you can take that has basically cured HIV. It's no longer a death sentence and people just do their thing and take their meds and they live a long, normal, healthy life. 

Talk about a miracle if you grew up or peaked in an era with the spectre of AIDS being the scary, killing thing that seemed to be incurable. 

13 minutes ago, Vegas64 said:

Random thought that is really amazing also...I got into a rabbit hole of Charlie Sheen after his new documentary on netflix and didn't realize that Charlie Sheen had HIV. Maybe I knew but forgot. Either way, that lead me to some of his lawsuits (like not telling his partners) and apparently, someone correct me if I am wrong here, but there are vaccines or medicines you can take that has basically cured HIV. It's no longer a death sentence and people just do their thing and take their meds and they live a long, normal, healthy life. 

Talk about a miracle if you grew up or peaked in an era with the spectre of AIDS being the scary, killing thing that seemed to be incurable. 

Yeah, I saw the Charlie Sheen documentary a couple weeks ago.  It was fascinating for a lot of reasons, but I also didn't know (or had forgotten) that he has HIV.  I say "has," because I didn't think there was still a cure to eliminate HIV, but the treatments have become so advanced that you can live a normal, healthy life, and I think Sheen touched on that briefly as a "no big deal" comment.  Although maybe not so normal a life, because someone with HIV might still be able to pass it on to someone else.

15 minutes ago, South Austin said:

Yeah, I saw the Charlie Sheen documentary a couple weeks ago.  It was fascinating for a lot of reasons, but I also didn't know (or had forgotten) that he has HIV.  I say "has," because I didn't think there was still a cure to eliminate HIV, but the treatments have become so advanced that you can live a normal, healthy life, and I think Sheen touched on that briefly as a "no big deal" comment.  Although maybe not so normal a life, because someone with HIV might still be able to pass it on to someone else.

Well, that seals it. I'm not fucking Charlie Sheen.

Austin Public Health says whooping cough likely spreading at Lamar Middle School
Austin Public Health has confirmed five cases of pertussis, better known as whooping cough, at Lamar Middle School this year. Those cases involve unrelated students from various grades and classes.

“It is difficult to confirm, but it is highly likely that pertussis is spreading at this middle school,” said Heather Cooks-Sinclair, epidemiology and disease surveillance manager for Austin Public Health.

Cooks-Sinclar noted that five other schools across various local districts also reported cases of pertussis this school year. She said cases in Travis County are rising — which she said could be due in part to increased local testing.

The illness is highly contagious. Its signature symptom is a persistent cough that lasts more than 10 days and often worsens at night. Patients may hear a distinctive “whoop” sound when coughing or vomit after coughing. They may also experience a runny nose, sneezing and fever. Severe cases are often treated with antibiotics.

Whooping cough can be dangerous to young children and babies, who may struggle to breathe. Around one in three babies who contract whooping cough end up hospitalized, according to APH and other health experts.

“If your physician suspects you or your child has pertussis, please do not attend school until you/your child has been cleared to return by the physician and health department,” said Austin-Travis County Health Authority Desmar Walkes in a letter to Lamar Middle School parents notifying them of a positive case this fall.

In Texas, students are required to receive the TDAP vaccine — which protects against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis — before enrolling, unless they apply for a conscientious exemption.

According to data from the Texas Department of State Health Services, only 74.31% of Austin ISD kindergartners had received their TDAP vaccine as of the 2024-25 school year. The exemption rate for Austin ISD was 2.19% — meaning some unvaccinated students did not have an exemption on file.

Cooks-Sinclair said the confirmed cases at Lamar Middle School underline the need for parents to get their children up to date on vaccines, including TDAP.

“If your child has not been vaccinated, get them vaccinated,” she said. “The effectiveness of the pertussis vaccine wanes over time. If your child is between 9 and 10 years of age or 15 and 16 years of age, they may need a booster.”

Late last year, Texas DSHS reported an increase in pertussis cases — around three times the number of cases in 2024 compared to the previous year. DSHS does not yet have provisional case counts for 2025.

KUT has reached out to Austin ISD and Lamar Middle School for comment.

16 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Well, that seals it. I'm not fucking Charlie Sheen.

Sorry for your loss.

13 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

As opposed to the Ivermectin crowd, who is pretty much to the point of "it cures everything: COVID, cancer, male pattern baldness, malaria, bent dick disease!"

 

IMG_6749.gif

44 minutes ago, bolverk said:

Austin Public Health says whooping cough likely spreading at Lamar Middle School
Austin Public Health has confirmed five cases of pertussis, better known as whooping cough, at Lamar Middle School this year. Those cases involve unrelated students from various grades and classes.

“It is difficult to confirm, but it is highly likely that pertussis is spreading at this middle school,” said Heather Cooks-Sinclair, epidemiology and disease surveillance manager for Austin Public Health.

Cooks-Sinclar noted that five other schools across various local districts also reported cases of pertussis this school year. She said cases in Travis County are rising — which she said could be due in part to increased local testing.

The illness is highly contagious. Its signature symptom is a persistent cough that lasts more than 10 days and often worsens at night. Patients may hear a distinctive “whoop” sound when coughing or vomit after coughing. They may also experience a runny nose, sneezing and fever. Severe cases are often treated with antibiotics.

Whooping cough can be dangerous to young children and babies, who may struggle to breathe. Around one in three babies who contract whooping cough end up hospitalized, according to APH and other health experts.

“If your physician suspects you or your child has pertussis, please do not attend school until you/your child has been cleared to return by the physician and health department,” said Austin-Travis County Health Authority Desmar Walkes in a letter to Lamar Middle School parents notifying them of a positive case this fall.

In Texas, students are required to receive the TDAP vaccine — which protects against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis — before enrolling, unless they apply for a conscientious exemption.

According to data from the Texas Department of State Health Services, only 74.31% of Austin ISD kindergartners had received their TDAP vaccine as of the 2024-25 school year. The exemption rate for Austin ISD was 2.19% — meaning some unvaccinated students did not have an exemption on file.

Cooks-Sinclair said the confirmed cases at Lamar Middle School underline the need for parents to get their children up to date on vaccines, including TDAP.

“If your child has not been vaccinated, get them vaccinated,” she said. “The effectiveness of the pertussis vaccine wanes over time. If your child is between 9 and 10 years of age or 15 and 16 years of age, they may need a booster.”

Late last year, Texas DSHS reported an increase in pertussis cases — around three times the number of cases in 2024 compared to the previous year. DSHS does not yet have provisional case counts for 2025.

KUT has reached out to Austin ISD and Lamar Middle School for comment.

Can confirm.  My kids are at Lamar.  We've been getting the warnings for weeks.  Fuck these dumbasses who don't vaccinate their children.  Fuck AISD for not enforcing it, as most of them would likely go get their child vaccinated if the kid wasn't allowed in school and they were forced to watch them all day at home.  And fuck the parents who willfully decide not to vaccinate and fill out the damn form the most.   You don't want to participate in society?  Great.  You can homeschool your disease-ridden children.

16 hours ago, Dennis Taylor said:

Are you a pregnant woman? 

its amazing how quickly folks fall in line to believe everything this administration tells them.

"ahh, RFK, the former drug dealer with no medical training said X. And Trump likes him. So it must be true."

5 minutes ago, Foosters said:

its amazing how quickly folks fall in line to believe everything this administration tells them.

"ahh, RFK, the former drug dealer with no medical training said X. And Trump likes him. So it must be true."

That was a joke. I don't believe anything any administration tells me. But you do you 

7 hours ago, Dennis Taylor said:

That was a joke. I don't believe anything any administration tells me. But you do you 

chill bro...have some ivermectin, Kennedy says it's good

 

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