case study of a hyper-vaccinated individual

Here is a case report on someone in Germany who was vaccinated against covid 217 times. At some point after the public prosecutor decided not to file fraud charges, a team of researchers asked to study him, and he agreed.

Tests of blood and saliva samples found that his adaptive immune responses were larger than in a control group of people who had three doses of the covid vaccine. He reported no side effects from the vaccines, and there's no evidence of breakthrough covid infections. The paper says that they don't know whether the many extra vaccine doses are why he didn't get sick, and "Importantly, we do not endorse hypervaccination as a strategy to enhance adaptive immunity."

If the man in question told anyone why he wanted to be vaccinated so many times, it's not in this paper.

presidential primary

The Massachusetts presidential primary was today, as part of "Super Tuesday." Because Massachusetts has open primaries, I am registered as an "unenrolled" voter, meaning I can vote in whichever party's primary I like, and can decide that at the last minute.

I was dithering between asking for a Democratic primary ballot and voting for "uncommitted," as a message to Biden that I don't like his support of Netanyahu and think the US should be pushing (harder) for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, or a Republican ballot to vote against Trump, which at this point means for Nikki Haley. I made my decision at the last minute, when the poll worker asked me which ballot I wanted. I asked for a Republican ballot, meaning I voted in the Republican primary for the first time in my life.

Voting in the Republican primary feels weird; voting for a candidate I dislike and expect to lose also feels weird. I've often voted for candidates who I expected to lose, because I hoped they would win. Haley would be a horrible president, but not I think as bad as Trump. If the Massachusetts primary had been earlier, I would probably have gritted my teeth and voted for Chris Christie, who was running an anti-Trump campaign. Teeth gritted in part because I lived in New York City when Christie was governor of New Jersey.

The regular state primary will be in September, and I will happily take a Democratic ballot and vote for my incumbent congresswoman, Ayanna Pressley.