Any advice on how soon to retest after attending a large, indoor gathering in which all were vax’d, boosted and passed same day home tests?

[Vinnie]

@TJO

Most immunologists consider having been infected with SARS-CoV-2 to provide substantial future protection from severe disease, though like vaccination does not make re-infection impossible.

I thought I saw some expert on tv saying prior infection doesn’t do much vs omicron.

@beaglelady

@TJO

Keep in mind that ‘breakthrough case’ is defined by CDC/public health as anyone who tests positive regardless of whether they have Covid symptoms or not.

Not true. A “vaccine breakthrough infection.” is the infection of a fully vaccinated person.
See this CDC info

I thought that was implied in his comment but on the internet you never know these days.

[Vinnie]

@MarkD

Probably should have mentioned that we followed @glipsnort ‘s advice and retested (negative) four days after the party. I find a lot of peace in knowing I’m not passing it along to anyone else and we were able to have a pretty normal social event. Don’t think we’ll look to maximize such events but we are going to a performance of a friend’s chorus Saturday at which both the chorus and audience will be masked and carded.

I’m considering whether to rely on my preferred surgical masks which never fog my glasses or look for a better fitting N95.

I was at Bible study Monday night and a friend what was there tested positive yesterday. I am not worried but we were all in the same area for a couple of hours. Now I need to test because Christmas is coming. Its going to be horrible if I am positive and can’t host Christmas and have to tell 20-25 people its off but I guess that is still far greater than what could happen if I hosted Christmas while positive for Covid. Everyone there will be vaccinated but but my grandparents are 90ish.

Vinnie

[beaglelady]

@Vinnie

I thought that was implied in his comment but on the internet you never know these days.

Not implied at all.

[MarkD (A Whateverist, not a Christian)]

The self administered tests now are pretty convenient though pricey when you want same day results.

I envy you still having grandparents around. We always had Christmas Eve dinner and breakfast with my wife Lia’s parents where we’d be joined by her mother’s only sister, cousins and siblings. Christmas dinner would be at Lia’s father’s only brother’s house. Then that generation above us started melting away until only Lia’s father remained. We became the holiday destination for those who remained. It was happy work as I’m sure you know. Hopefully you’ll get the green light to do it again. This year it will just be my brother his kids joining us and they barely qualify as kids anymore but cousins won’t be traveling here as happened prepandemic.

[glipsnort (Steve Schaffner)]

One note: if you’re using rapid tests as a screen before an event, test as close to the event as possible. There was an Omicron superspreading event in Norway that’s been widely reported on. According to this report, all attendees used antigen tests one to two days prior. 74% ended up infected with Omicron (81 out of 110). Mostly mild to moderate symptoms, fortunately – roughly a cold to the flu.

[TJO]

I believe you may be referencing a study that looked a antibodies from previously infected people which should weak activity against omicron, i.e., a laboratory study that does not take into account T cell immunity. Of interest may be a report today by Blomberg News detailing plummeting rates of hospitalization due to Covid in South Africa. That may be due to what most experts now agree, that omcron may be more transmissible but it is less deadly, and also may be due South Africa having a younger population and a population with high levels of previous Covid infection.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-17/s-africa-says-hospitalizations-in-omicron-wave-much-lower

[bluebird1 (Robin)]

Mark…I had similar social interactions recently, and anyone who goes to a public event (indoors) will as well. At a Christmas party last Sunday afternoon, a man sat down next to me and handed me a bottle of water and then started talking about how he and his father just had COVID. His 78-year-old father still waiting for kidneys to improve but he – the son – was at this party discussing his recent COVID with every person he saw. Happy and chirpy and not knowing he was raising concerns with those around him. (We are all so paranoid these days!)
I got the same data off the internet — 5 to 7 days for perhaps symptoms to appear. I also called my doctor’s office and talked to two different people there. They seemed not at all concerned but told me that any COVID testing would be paid for out of my pocket. This will probably also be true for you.

So my advice to myself is to not worry unless I begin to feel ill…I am, probably like you, so well vaxx’d, boostered etc…and this happy chatty fellow said his symptoms had ended two weeks before …the only one at risk would be an un-vaxx’ed person exposed to this Omicron variety.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS … go to parties!!

[MarkD (A Whateverist, not a Christian)]

@bluebird1

the only one at risk would be an un-vaxx’ed person exposed to this Omicron variety.

Well there are break through cases and we can all pick up omicron and pass it around to the unvax’d/boosted as well as the unlucky breakthrough recipients. But I will continue being as careful as my wife feels the need to be as she is as old as the chirpy guy’s father and has a load of weird conditions. But I sure do want to do some more social things. I’m naturally fond of solitude , but not forever.

[glipsnort (Steve Schaffner)]

For those interested, here’s another video summary of the covid situation, now all about Omicron, from one of my colleagues: Broad Institute COVID-19 Community Update: Omicron, boosters and more (Roby Bhattacharyya) - YouTube

[bluebird1 (Robin)]

Understood…one of the women at the party put her mask back on when Chirpy Guy told her his story. She is caring for a 90-year-old aunt and likely did not want to pick up anything more than an extra slice of fruitcake at the Christmas party. I suppose that Chirpy Guy – who said COVID was “no big deal” was just happy to be over and done with it…and yes, you be careful.I heard on the news today that a former CDC director says something worse than Omicron will be coming in the next four months. I DO wish they had something more hopeful for us in all this.