Chris ♾️Aug 16, 2023
Dr. Lucky Tran 
Some COVID minimizers keep saying we can ignore COVID because we have vaccines. Not only is that untrue because layers of protections are most effective, but due to the end of the public health emergency, and greed of pharma companies, many people can't even afford the vaccines.
Aug 16, 2023 at 7:32pmWeb
Show threadDr. Lucky Tran Aug 16, 2023
A common minimizer statement is that COVID isn't a big deal anymore because "we have the tools." I'm sorry but we DON'T "have the tools" unless critical public health resources like vaccines, masks, tests, and healthcare are free and accessible to EVERYONE.
Show threadOver ThereAug 16, 2023
@luckytran and strong public health advice and possibly mandates would be needed to get people to use the tools at this stage
Show threadShannonAug 16, 2023
@luckytran With millions kicked off medicaid, one assumes they probably have no insurance now. So, they have no access to any of the so called tools. Heartbreaking and ironic in a country that's pushing to be a Christian theocracy.
Show threadAll there is is hereAug 19, 2023
@Shan_is_sweet @luckytran or just a plain old Nazi plutocracy where the poor, disabled, the aged, the houseless, the incarcerated are all high on the roster for expedited death.
Show threadMadisonMonkeyAug 17, 2023
@luckytran but hey man, the poor can just die they can either force people to birth more or import more so why the hell should the rich & powerful care?
Show threadyoshAug 16, 2023
@luckytran in many places, including Denmark, vaccines aren’t even available for those who want them • regardless of cost
Show threadgirlfreddyAug 16, 2023

@yosh @luckytran

In Canada as well ... when provincial gov'ts decide to ofc. :/

Show threadHolly 🇨🇦Aug 16, 2023
@girlfreddy @yosh @luckytran Yeah. I think it depends on the province/territory. I was told that I could get a booster earlier in the summer but it would be the old school booster and I wouldn’t be eligible for the newer version when it rolls out in the fall, so I’ve waited. I guess the upside is that we don’t have to pay.
Show threadThought PunksAug 16, 2023

@luckytran

There's a legitimate general concern expressed by you, but that story doesn't add up right.

COVID vaccines still have no out of pocket cost. That program has not yet expired. That price point is the hypothetical cited in news articles about what pharma might set prices at when the federal vaccine program ends.

Adding to the off vibe, $68 is a common list price for the flu vaccine. With a small wrinkle: That's the price for over 65 patients, which is more expensive.

Show threadNick has moved to MathstodonAug 16, 2023
@thoughtpunks Don't underestimate the fractured, opaque, and chaotic nature of American healthcare. My wife and I had to pay 60-some dollars for flu vaccines out of pocket a few months ago. The pharmacy claimed that insurance refused to cover them. That seemed odd, but we had a reason that we needed them ASAP and had had problems finding them out of season, so we just paid the money. A month or two later we got paperwork from the insurance showing the pharmacy did bill the insurance, and the insurance *also* paid. My point: don't confuse how it's supposed to work with what people actually experience in practice. @luckytran
Show threadNick has moved to MathstodonAug 16, 2023
@thoughtpunks Oh, and just to add, we are *not* over 65. @luckytran
Show threadbeforewisdom Aug 16, 2023

@luckytran You may find this feed useful.

Each Friday the total number of Americans killed by Covid 19 is updated.

Each Friday the number of Americans killed in the last week by Covid 19 is posted.

https://mastodon.social/@WeeklyAmericanPandemicDeaths

Show threadBlanche7Aug 16, 2023
@luckytran
There is a vaccine for children program run by the CDC for underinsured kids.
Show threadEric LawtonAug 16, 2023

@luckytran

Since anyone who has been vaccinated is protecting others from infection, they should be paid at least a token $20 for their trouble, as well as getting the vaccination for free.

Show threadGatekeeper..Aug 16, 2023
@luckytran
Stop complaining and fuckin move to a better state.
Show threadKeepingMySanityAug 16, 2023
@luckytran Also, why am I hearing so many people going for their booster right now? The newest boosters won’t be available until mid month next month - why don’t people know this???
Show threadTexty the BardAug 16, 2023

@luckytran See also: Millions of babies who can't yet be vaxed. I should be getting my 5-month-old daughter out in the world--having new experiences, meeting new people--but she's not eligible until 6 months, and won't be done with the 3-dose protocol until Thanksgiving.

And no, I'm not going to take her out anyway and risk her getting sick. Anyone who would willingly let an INFANT get seriously ill should have their kids taken away.

Show threadMadhav MehraAug 17, 2023
@luckytran I would recommend verifying this information, the original poster has had troubles telling a straight story in the past.
Show threadInspiredAug 17, 2023
@madhavmehra @luckytran I don't understand what you're expecting should be verified. Do you doubt that the poster has kids? Do you doubt that the COVID booster costs $110? Yes, it is always good to verify before posting any information but it is trivial for you to verify it yourself in less time than it takes to say "you should verify" because there are tons of reputable news sites reporting it. I did it with the google search terms "covid vaccine cost 2023". It is true.
Show threadMadhav MehraAug 18, 2023

@inspired @luckytran The COVID shots are still free to public. The $110 price will be to Federal / State govt, and it's yet to be determined if the price to consumers will be $0 or much higher.

Ms Jones is unlikely to have been quoted that $110 price as a retail consumer, and she has misquoted other situations in the past. So "buyer beware" 🙏🏽

Show threadInspiredAug 18, 2023
@madhavmehra @luckytran Ok, I'm backing down since I agree it isn't as simple as "news articles mentioned this price" as I said above. I still find it very concerning that the bridge program mentioned here https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/programs/bridge/index.html is not even fully worked out so soon before it is needed. Also CVS is willing to quote $57 for COVID shots right on their website https://www.cvs.com/minuteclinic/services/price-lists
Bridge Access Program

This Program provides no-cost COVID-19 vaccines to adults. Learn how.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Show threadInspiredAug 18, 2023
@madhavmehra @luckytran The way I read the intersection of the CDC page and the CVS page is that the uninsured have to know where the free shots are. The buyer who should beware is the one who is uninsured and tries to go to a pharmacy the government hasn't worked out a deal with yet. They might try to charge you even if a free shot is available.
Show threadMadhav MehraAug 18, 2023

@inspired @luckytran thanks for digging and linking to the CDC and CVS sites.

Quite sneaky of CVS to charge $57 with a * hint scrolling down to explain *COVID-19 vaccine price is an administrative fee. The fee is the same for all brands and age groups.

Show threadInspiredAug 18, 2023
@madhavmehra @luckytran I understand and appreciate the skepticism about "is this person on twitter telling the truth?" and maybe different people took different things from it. What I took from it was "COVID vaccines are going to stop being free and/or get a lot more complicated for uninsured people, which will lead to lower uptake". There is definitely reason to be concerned on that front though the news in the short term is better than I feared assuming this bridge funding comes through.
Show threadTriciaAug 17, 2023
@luckytran
Thank you for speaking out about this
Show threadSimon Zerafa (Status:   😊)Aug 17, 2023

@luckytran

I hope we don't need to remind people about the Swiss cheese model all over again 😒

Show threadSusan Larson ♀️🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🌈Aug 17, 2023
@luckytran Now multiply it by 3 or 4 on a waitress's salary.
Show threadRDS (shawphd on Twitter)Aug 17, 2023

@luckytran I remember how they used the mere existence of adult vaccines to justify reopening schools and exposing all the unvaccinated children.

They’re still doing it.

Show threadWhichOne'sPink 🇫🇮Aug 18, 2023
@luckytran Somebody just discovered capitalism.
Show threadSLCW💥Aug 18, 2023
@luckytran Those prices seem high. Where I live, the COVID vaccine was free at my doctor's office, and $20 at the pharmacy. The flu vaccine is also $20 at both the doctor's office and pharmacy. I think vaccines should be free across the board, but these prices seem excessive.
Show threadnovatorine 🏴🏳️‍⚧️Aug 18, 2023
@luckytran also like these vaccines wear off after an incredibly short time compared to other vaccines right? Lake with the flu vaccine you have to keep getting it because there's a new strain every year but with the covid vaccine it just stops working? So it isn't even like... comparable to other vaccines.
Show threadFlemlightAug 18, 2023
@luckytran SO true. Sadly.
Show threadBRIAN GULLAug 18, 2023
@luckytran thank Republicans
Show threadBrodyrocksAug 18, 2023
@luckytran not free anymore???