WP on this coming winter:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/10/18/covid-variants-xbb-bq1-bq11/
Same article but link is a “gift”:
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I’m still comfortable wearing masks in public spaces and sanitizing everything as a habit. Sometimes I still get questions for doing that. I hope it will soon be a normal choice. The funny bit is I could walk in and get my latest booster & flu shot combo anytime, without an appointment, in DTLA… because people aren’t in line. Good or bad, winter is coming 
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Sanitizing is probably harmless but there has still not been a single confirmed case of Covid being transmitted by surface.
Seems likely that we haven’t seen the last surge.
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Recent experience unfortunately point in the other direction as for example mask wearing gets so rare even here in Bay Area with people looking at you strangely when you are doing it
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In Berkeley, Oakland, and the Richmond Costco a significant fraction of people are still wearing masks. Nobody looks at me strangely.
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Here in Sacramento, mask wearing seems down to about 25-30%, I’d say. At least, in the ‘hip’ young professional parts of town. As soon as you get out of the city, goes down, and the MOMENT you’re out of Sac. county to the east or south it plumets. In Placer, it’s mostly limited to service workers and the obviously elderly/infirm, from my very limited observation.
I’m frequently at movies (I choose the less crowded matinees) and there is little if any mask wearing by non-staff.
I’ve masked up in airports/planes, but admit I generally don’t these days. I’m as vaxxed and boosted as possible (or will be as of Thurs) and have tested positive for one relatively short stretch of a week or so near the end of May. Thankfully I work from home, so the inconvenience was relatively minor. I was sniffly and achey for a few days, and we did a contactless pickup at Target for a few grocery staples we ran out of while isolating for a bit. Then back to business.
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Got the bivalent booster a few weeks ago. Probably the strongest immune response out of all the boosters. Was tired the rest of the day and into the next morning. I thought I would wake up and feel fine in the morning. It still kicked my ass. Got some coffee and did some shopping. In the afternoon almost like a light switch I felt better. Go get the vaccine asap!
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Family in Amador County says there’s zero masking.
Yeah, that tracks…
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Did you get the combo vaccine and flu shot all together this time?
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you weren’t asking me, but I’m about to do exactly that this thursday evening. (new bivalent ‘omicron’ vax + flu).
My last booster made me (for the first time ever) slightly headache-y and generally un-fun for about 24 hours. I scheduled it for thursday so if it happens again, I can take friday off and claim the extra COVID-only leave time.
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I took it a week apart
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I had no noticeable reaction to the Pfizer bivalent booster. My wife had flu-like symptoms for several days.
My only noticeable reaction to any vaccine I can recall was getting Covid toe in response to the initial Pfizer shot.
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I did on Saturday morning— I was fine until about 5pm, then I got chills and body aches and just went to bed around 7. I didn’t start feeling significantly better until Sunday evening. I’ve gotten sick from every covid vaccine so far but I’m sure that’s better than getting covid. Also-- my sense of taste has been off since then (which doesn’t make me happy)-- it’s slightly better today but food and wine are not tasting 100% for me.
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Lots of interesting stuff here.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/10/19/covid-deaths-us-race/
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and then there’s this:
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The Washington Post article has some less obvious correlations.
officials in both Los Angeles County and the San Francisco Bay Area warn that a lengthy decline in new infections appears to be stalling.
I’m certainly not seeing that in LA yet. New cases dropped 29% from the previous week, the biggest drop of any week since the July peak.
SF Bay Area, varies from county to county. Alameda and SF went down 17% and 14% since the previous week. San Mateo is down only 1% and Contra Costa and Santa Clara are up 2% and 3%.
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Ugh. Did you have reactions to all of the shots?
I’m getting Pfizer tonight. I’ve had progressively stronger reactions w/ each shot (barely any w/ the first, aside from arm pain and the Moderna “rash”). We’ll see what I’m like tomorrow. 
I still mask pretty freq (def when indoors) and, if people are looking at me strangely, I’m thankfully not seeing it.
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The only reaction I got was a slight sorenes/stiffness right at the injection site. Mind you, I told work I felt crappy and took the day off anyway since they gave us extra COVID-only time off. It expires at year end, so…
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Oh, I think that’s fine (to take the time off). I’m self employed, so no such luck for me. Booster appts are in SUPER short supply at the facility where I receive my primary care (no appts for a month!), so I’m getting it at a nearby pharmacy (since I wanted to be boosted b/f the holidays).
Finger crossed.
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