Bivalent vaccines approved by FDA today (will likely get ACIP and CDC approval within next day or two).
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Yes!!! 
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Sweet. Having had Omicron I definitely want a shot that includes Omicron.
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Update: Fully approved - doses to be shipped soon. Most local health departments should see vaccine by ~ Sep. 15. Should be widely available from October on.
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Sweet. Now Japan just needs to get on the ball and have Takeda push this through approvals here.
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And at a time when our government is announcing relaxation of restrictions
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For folks looking for bivalent vaccine close to them (in US): Vaccines.gov - Search for COVID‑19 vaccine locations
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OK, it has been over two months since I had covid, and, despite me wanting to believe I don’t have any brain fog, I have to admit I really do.
At first I would just not be tracking with someone and doubt what they were saying, only to realize a few minutes later that I had no idea what I was talking about (simple things like directions).
Now I am realizing I am forgetting names, lots of them. Sure, I do this well normally, even better now.
And this is where it gets interesting.
I suck at memorizing.
Songs take me forever and a day to memorize.
Since covid I really can’t memorize a damn song.
Even an easy one is taking me 5-10x longer.
I remember things I already know, but new learning…eeesh.
I have been back at sax pretty hard of late and cannot memorize a song if my life depended on it.
Scales - pretty damn easy, but I knew them already
Bass - simple stuff is really a struggle learning new.
Old stuff, still have it.
So I think the fog, which seems to slowly be lifting, is two fold for me…
- Learning new things takes longer.
- Enhancing what I sucked at prior, making it even harder (names, memorizing)
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Is the fog supposed to pass?
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Sorry to hear that @john_e. I hope things pick up for you.
I don’t believe I’ve had Covid but recently I was getting pretty bad brain fog, forgetting stuff (and I’ve always had a sharp memory) and generally feeling terrible. Lots of negative Covid tests but it ended up being very low B12 after I had a full blood test done. I usually supplement but had slacked off and lost track of taking my tablets and before I knew it, I was in deficiency territory. My doctor gave me a B12 shot and I felt back to my old self a few days later.
I know it’s probably a long shot, but I did have very similar symptoms to what you’ve outlined. It’s a pretty horrible feeling to know you’re forgetting stuff and just not able to absorb and retain information.
Edit to add: I know you asked specifically about Covid so I apologise for being ‘that person’ who replies with something likely unrelated. I do have family and friends who had the post-Covid brain fog as you describe and for some of them it ended up being due to other things that blood tests picked up on.
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supposedly it is, sometimes takes months.
It is weird, because its not effecting work very much, not like I am staring at the wall drooling or anything, just some very specific foggy parts.
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I had it bad while I had covid - I was literally useless except for bingeing YouTube.
Now I would say I don’t have excessive fog but I am definitely less… motivated? Energetic? Engaged? Something like that. Just generally a bit slower, like it stacked on five years of age or something.
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That’s how I feel these days too after having it twice. Some days, when I have it bad, I don’t give a **** about anything. It’s a really weird state of mind.
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I got my bivalent booster two days ago, along with a flu shot.
Had two sore arms for a while, but no side effects other than that.
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getting mine in two weeks. I figure that plus having had covid basically makes me superman.
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You will be able to levitate, guaranteed. 
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Doing the same convo cocktail tomorrow pm.
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“Long COVID”, scientifically called “Post COVID conditions” or “PCC” is a freaking mess.
CDC is estimating 1 in 5 people who have recovered from acute COVID infection have longer term effects. “Brain fog” and other neurological effects are one of 6 clusters that also includes respiratory, cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, renal and clotting/vascular disorders.
And with the sheer number of people who have had COVID, it’s hideously complex to determine if a particular condition is related, or would have occurred anyway. For example, PCC brain fog can look like early onset dementia - and early onset dementia already occurs at a rate of about 119 per 100k ages 35-65. So 40 million US residents in that age range have had COVID - and inside that group we would normally expect ~47,000 of them to maybe have early onset dementia - so how does a doctor know if it’s PCC or EOD? Short answer: they don’t. And some conditions in the cardio and respiratory clusters are even more common - making it even more difficult to tease apart.
Scientists are studying this in a huge way. 77 peer reviewed articles in 3 years just on PCC is a breakneck pace for science to move at.
My advice as a novice bassist (and not a medical professional) is 1) get positive test results documented in your medical record (not just in public health records) 2) if you think you’ve got a PCC and your doctor doesn’t - don’t be afraid to get a second opinion BUT 3) not every illness after COVID is caused by COVID - in fact it’s probably more likely it isn’t so don’t put on PCC blinders and 4) MOST importantly: if you have signs/symptoms of something that is bothering you - visit your doctor - don’t just assume it’s long COVID - it could be something unrelated and treatable - as I tell my extended family all the time, “for the love of God, stop googling crap and go talk to your doctor!”
FWIW: PCC is actually a disability under the ADA in the US.
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i am on day 17 of COVID and this is where i am - was pretty bad for the first 5 or 6 days, then felt like i got better - then it hit me again and have now had a basic headcold that will not go away, while also feeling weary and rundown. not awesome while trying to do a master’s thesis that i already lost 2 full weeks on. doc told me this was pretty normal especially after having been on 5 days of paxlovid but im so over it already. could have been a lot worse but this sucks.
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