Covid Update #3
Game changing treatments alter vaccine calculus
My two previous updates covered my tepid and then more enthusiastic endorsement of Covid-19 vaccination after my terrible experience with the Delta variant. My thoughts have changed somewhat with more time passing:
After consulting with my doctor, he has convinced me that there is no rational, scientific reason to get vaccinated since I survived Covid and have natural immunity. Europe already treats medically verified recovery as equivalent to vaccination, and my doctor is part of a contingent of American primary care physicians seeking to have our own government take a non-dogmatic, scientific approach to Covid immunity. So, I have decided to not be vaccinated and rely on natural immunity. My advice to get vaccinated if you’ve never had Covid is still valid - again, you can’t know in advance if it will kill you before you achieve natural immunity. However, a new development in Covid treatment may be game-changing.
Fluvoxamine, a safe and generic SSRI, has now been validated by good quality studies to be as effective as the vaccine in preventing death from Covid (and admittedly, the Covid vaccine is relatively ineffective compared to other vaccines). Among those who were compliant in taking the medication, deaths were reduced by over 90% by preventing the cytokine storm associated with Covid infection. It appears fluvoxamine is what many people hoped ivermectin would be, and mainstream medicine is accepting the evidence, meaning it shouldn’t be difficult to procure a prescription in the event of infection. It’s not as exotic or “weird” to most Western doctors as ivermectin; most physicians dispense SSRIs like this almost daily to patients suffering from depression.
Based on the equivalent effectiveness of fluvoxamine, and the near zero odds of a serious adverse event with fluvoxamine, as a mid-40’s male in good shape with no comorbidities, I personally would no longer vaccinate even if I didn’t have natural immunity. I would probably still recommend vaccination to those over 60 or with any comorbidities. A breakthrough infection after vaccination would still benefit from fluvoxamine and for those most vulnerable you want multiple layers of protection, including vaccination. But new effective treatment options mean that the urgency to vaccinate as the only tool for those most vulnerable to Covid is no longer as compelling given the risk of an adverse reaction and only partial protection.
The good news is that because of rising herd immunity, fluvoxamine, and the pending Pfizer antiviral, the pandemic is nearly over. Of course, the perception of the pandemic will be over as soon as the media decides it’s over. After Republican wins in Virginia this month, look for word to go out shortly into the New Year that we have at long last defeated Covid, just as the 2022 races heat up. Conveniently for the incumbent party, it’s likely to also be true.