Covid test: Swab in nose or mouth?

Hi @mgibson24 I can’t speak for every Mayo campus or each patient’s situation, but I have a Covid test scheduled the day before a procedure coming up at Mayo-Rochester in October. I asked about the covid test and it will be the long swab to the back of the nose. It’s the most accurate collection site for the fluid/cells in the back of the nose. I’ve had one before, it’s pretty quick and painless. Just tickled and made me want to sneeze!

Do you have a procedure coming up at Mayo Clinic where you need to be tested or do you feel you have Covid?

By the way, Welcome to Connect. We’re a community of members who share our stories and experiences to help each other find answers, offer suggestions or have great conversations. May I ask what you were searching for when you found us?

Would like clarification/understanding of what is the connection between the variants and the covid we're all getting vaccines for---sounds like variants are covered by the vaccines as much as they are for the covid #1. Or what? Thanks--I think it's confusing---and if variants are all directly or even semi-directly connected to the origin, are we assuming vaccines will procisew a lesser reaction when a variant occurs in anyway.

my last sentence will "produce" a lesser reaction--

We would all like to know this, including the scientists. It is being studied as we speak, and every few days more is known and released.

Remember that in terms of studying a disease, seeking effective vaccines and treatments, and understanding the mutations, more has been done on Covid in 20 months than in many years on other illnesses.

People are confused about many aspects, especially surrounding vaccination.

The current science, as reported, shows that SOME immuno compromised people did not have a full immune response to 2 cases, and a 3rd injection is recommended now. These are largely people who have had a transplant or take immune suppressing meds for another condition.

There is also emerging evidence that immunity begins to decrease after a period of time, currentl estimated to be about 8 months, and a booster may be in order for some people. The plan for this is not final.

Infections of immunized people are constantly being monitored and studied. Depending upon whose numbers you use, vaccination is 95% effective against early forms of Covid and 65-90% against the Delta variant.

However, the vaccines are more effective than that at preventing serious illness or death. The percentage of people hospitalized for Covid in Minnesota in recent weeks is 10% vaccinated, 90% unvaccinated.

Mayo Clinic produces podcasts each week by Dr Poland on Covid topics, where he shares the latest info. I can't link you from this browser, but just search for Dr Poland and Mayo
Sue

Good morning- I'm not sure what are asking. I think that you are asking if current vaccines protect as well against Delta as it does for the other variants and covid-19.. The CDC has written:

"The COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the United States are highly effective at preventing severe disease and death, including against the Delta variant. But they are not 100% effective and some fully vaccinated people will become infected (called a breakthrough infection) and experience illness. For such people, the vaccine still provides them strong protection against serious illness and death."

Since there is not an approved test as yet to see how protected we are it's hard to answer that question, if that is also a concern. But it would be great to know, right?

Please mask along with vaccinating! "Although vaccines are highly effective, they are not perfect and there will be vaccine breakthrough infections"

I second what Sue reports that there is ongoing research to see how the Delta variant holds up. But, remember, it has been a short time. I tend to forget that. Just not enough time has passed to know or have an answer.

I guess a primary question is how did a variant come to be---i.e. the Covid somehow decided I'll have a child and then another and then another-?--sorry, simplified---but it sounds like the vaccines for Covid aren't that efficient lessening a tough case of something we used to call the flu. Why is each variant related to the Covid---isn't each a flu, like mosts of us have had at one time or another? We didn't feel great, felt lousy at times---we drank fluids, at chicken noodle soup, sometimes were given an antibiotic or got a shot in the rear because we had a significant temp. So, why is there ongoing variants---basicall what caused them and why are we not calling them "the flu" and dealing with them like we always have. One report (not sure from where) said this past week "there were more deaths from the flu than there were from covid" which makes me question just about everything related to the covid and its "children".

Here’s a little light reading for you.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-
conditions/coronavirus/expert-answers/covid-variant/faq-20505779

Many covid discussion in this group:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/covid-19/

All viruses mutate! Viruses aren’t living things. They need a host to survive – like the cells in your body. Once a virus enters your body, it reproduces and spreads. The more a virus circulates in a population of people, the more it changes (mutates).

When viruses infect you, they attach to your cells, get inside them, and make copies of their RNA, which helps them spread. If there’s a copying mistake, the RNA gets changed. Scientists call those changes mutations.

Lori has given excellent sites. Mine is just a simple explaination.

@merpreb thank you for the explanation. Sounds like this will be an ongoing battle. With each vaccine i.e. each resistance the virus will have to mutate for survival. Mutation has been a way for survival for many years in living things. Unfortunately flu cases still exist and illnesses return with viruses we thought were completely wiped out. I know no vaccine is completely effective but how effective is the covid vaccine when there are surges of infection going on in this country and others? If the majority of the population has been vaccinated in some countries, why the surges? The unvaccinated are a small portion of the population. I would think there would be less cases. Has it really succeeded when vaccinated individuals can contract the infection and give it to others vaccinated or not? It may decrease the severity with symptoms but it doesn’t prevent the spread. It is scary to think that if one person out of 99 people did not get vaccinated that everyone is at risk for contracting covid infection. How effective is that vaccine? Even if everyone( all the population) was to get vaccinated that is no guarantee the virus won’t come back more aggressively with a variant. So where does it end?

You ask a valid question and one that I feel is answered quite well in the article I found below.

"The best way to prevent the virus from mutating is to prevent hosts, people, from getting sick with it," he says. "That's why it's so important people should get immunized and wear masks."

- 'A Few Mutations Away': The Threat of a Vaccine-Proof Variant:
https://www.webmd.com/vaccines/covid-19-vaccine/news/20210730/threat-of-vaccine-proof-covid-variant