Covid Update -- February

We are, plus or minus, at the point of being a year of the pandemic, that makes this a good time to once again post an update. How have you been coping? What's up with you all? Have you or loved ones had Covid? Have you had a vaccination? Have things improved or become worse in your area? Are you seeing light at the end of the tunnel?

I'm 3½ weeks out from receiving my second Pfizer-BioNTech SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, as I fall into Phase 1a of the vaccine distribution plan (frontline health care workers treating patients with COVID-19, and residents of long term care facilities). I've heard from at least 100 of my physician colleagues, including former medical school and residency classmates and professors, and the nurses I work with, and I would estimate that well over half of us, including me, developed systemic symptoms after the second jab, regardless of whether we received the Moderna or the Pfizer-BioNTech shots, which consisted of some or all of the following: low grade fevers, chills, muscle and/or joint aches, significant pain and tenderness at the injection site, headache, nausea, poor appetite, diarrhea and fatigue. These symptoms were generally mild to (more often) moderate, began roughly 16-20 hours post vaccination, and resolved in 12-36 hours. Several of us in Atlanta posted on our Facebook timelines about our experiences, and the only concerns were expressed by those who did not have those symptoms, with one major exception. Practically all of us had nothing more than a mildly sore arm after the first jab, but one or two people were quite ill, with higher fevers and moderate to severe symptoms that put them out of commission for several days. The most likely reason for this, we think, is that they were previously infected with SARS-CoV-2, and their immune systems mounted an even more brisk response to the virus's Spike protein produced by the vaccine, a phenomenon which has been reported in the medical literature.

I and my partners took care of many more children who required hospitalization related to COVID-19 over the past 2-3 weeks. Some were actively infected infants and young children who needed only routine supportive care such as IV fluids, antipyretics and antiemetics, but most had multisystem inflammatory syndrome of childhood (MIS-C), which is referred to as paediatric inflammatory multi-system syndrome (PIMS) in the UK. This is a post-viral syndrome that typically occurs 3-4 weeks after infection with SARS-CoV-2, often asymptomatic or mild cases, as the immune system of these kids goes haywire and starts attacking multiple organs, since the virus is able to infect most cell types in the body. These patients are MUCH sicker and can crash very quickly if they aren't diagnosed promptly and treated aggressively. I've sent four patients with MIS-C to our PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit) in the past 3-4 weeks, due to cardiac failure and hypotension that was refractory to IV fluids and required pressors, IV medications to maintain adequate blood pressure and cardiac function. All of my patients have survived, but at least two or three kids have died in our PICU so far this year, likely patients who were inadequately treated elsewhere or whose parents did not seek medical attention promptly.

CDC: Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

The Guardian: Up to 100 UK children a week hospitalised with rare post-COVID disease

A close cousin of mine was hospitalized 10 days with COVID-19. A Portuguese member of LT that I've become good friends with was just released from a hospital in Lisbon this past Friday, after an 18 day stay. Both are doing fine. Sadly, the 29 year old son of a nurse who worked at Children's for many years lost his battle with COVID-19 last month. He was a healthy and strong young man, and Pam's photos of him on a mechanical ventilator fighting for his life were surreal.

>2 kidzdoc: I have been thinking about you from time to time, and so glad you have been able to get the vax!

I am in 1b playing vaccine roulette with three distribution outlets, each of which has different priority criteria for that group. I don't expect to see a vaccine before April--which is fine. Would rather see teachers, my grocery store helpers, and pharmacy workers get theirs first.

Many family and friends have had COVID, three deaths. "They were old and going to die anyway" seems to be a common sentiment. I sense it comes less from callousness than a need to feel reassured that if you are under 65 and healthy, you'll be just fine.

Dealing with COVID is like living with an alcoholic family member--it's unpredictable, disruptive, sometimes destructive, and you have to take it a day at a time.

In Toronto, we are still on " Lockdown" but really, it isn't a total lockdown. Our Covid infection rate is going down. Some parts of the province will have restrictions relaxed later this week. Doctors are worried about the new strains and the speed of infection. Most of us are all a little grumpy about the speed of vaccine availability. Lesson learned ( I hope)- Never allow your country's essential services ( labs for vaccine production)to be bought by foreign companies. Canada now waits for vaccines that are produced in Europe. There will be Canadian facilities ready to produce vaccines in the fall- I guess in time for the next pandemic.

As we are in the 65+ group, we have appointments on the 24th for our first jab. No specification which of the vaccines it will be, but it will be either Pfizer or Moderna.

We are fairly tired and worn out during the weekdays. We have a 5-almost-6 year old here for several school days a week, which will become four days of remote school come March. But his parents are more stressed than we are (but much younger!) I hesitate to think of summer. Other family members are doing okay overall. We have a new granddaughter born in October we've only seen via Google Hangouts. Despite being introverts, the winter is hard, and thus I've come up with the occasional half-day drives to elsewhere - the ocean, a mountain vista (weather-permitting). It has really helped and we plan a few more.

We still try to check on a few friends and neighbors. We also continue to give to charities who are helping those in need during these tough times.

Here in France we are under curfew from 6pm, restaurants and bars are closed and border controls have been stepped up. Average of new cases per day is running at 20,000 and has been for the last three weeks. The government think that this figure although, high does not warrant a more strict shut down. It is half term over the next three weeks and we will see if the cases rise in mid March. If they do we will have another lockdown and school closures.

The vaccine roll out is slower in France and the rest of Europe when compared to some other country's this is because Europe wanted a more co-ordinated approach and they were slower in approving the vaccines to use. There has also been some supply problems, however it seems likely that things will pick up soon.

Locally all the old peoples homes have had the vaccine and many of our older friends (over 80's). Those that have had the first vaccine have dates, or been assured they will receive the second dose within a six week period. Most of the vaccinations have been with the Pfizer. The Astra Zeneca which has just been approved is also starting to be used BUT only for the workers under 65 in hospitals and care homes.

The Europeans are claiming that there are issues with the Astrazeneca (UK) vaccine, because of the lack of testing results for the over 65's - I am not sure how much this is scientific and how much it is political. However there is no doubt that the UK have outperformed Europe in getting the vaccines into peoples arms (they are claiming over 11 million) There is a but here also because they are stretching the gap between the first and second dose to up to 12 weeks and seem to be going for herd immunity in this fashion. I have doubts about this approach. I would rather wait a little longer for my vaccination with the assurance I would get my two shots within the manufacturers guidelines. There are also reports in the British press saying that Astrazeneca is less effective against the South African variation, which is gaining ground in the UK and if people are only receiving one dose then it will be less effective still.

I am hoping to get my first dose of the Pfizer vaccine at the end of March and the second dose in April.
Can't wait for the bars and restaurants to re-open especially with spring fast approaching.

I just had my first shot. My husband doesn't have an appointment yet. I go pretty much no where. Hubby does a little grocery shopping but the big orders we get using instacart. I have a neighbor down the street who is retired from the library too. We keep in close touch with her and she got her shot at the same time I did.

Meanwhile, here in southern Chinese Nanning, we live almost as before covid. All in all, only 53 cases were diagnosed, with no fatalities. Just 100 km south of Nanning, the city named Chongzuo is the only county in China which saw no single case ever. Late January there was one new local case, which is now rumored to have been a false-positive. So apart frm everyone wearing face masks and regular temperature checks, etc. life here is "normal" as in pre-covid.

I knew that I am too young and healthy enough to be anywhere but in the very last group for the vaccine so... patiently waiting. The way they are going, I doubt it will be before September but we shall see :) As it turned out, my Mom is in the same category (3 years too young to qualify based on age) so probably no trip back home this year either for me (I don't travel to Bulgaria during the winter unless it is an emergency or work related so if I do not go by mid October, it waits for April-May or later).

Meanwhile Arizona is Arizona - we swing between being on top of the charts and being in the good list. So I am working from home, trying not to go anywhere I do not need to be and just waiting it out.

>4 torontoc: I guess in time for the next pandemic.

Or to export south of the border ;)

Here in Western Australia we had been 10 months without community transmission when a hotel quarantine security guard contracted it. We immediately went into lockdown for 5 days to allow the contract tracers to do their job and minimise further transmission. Quite amazingly there were no more cases detected so lockdown was lifted though masks are still mandatory in public and we're back to 4m2/maximum 150 ppl rule in public venues. In total we've had just over 900 cases so we've been very lucky.

The vaccine rollout in pending approval by our Therapeutic Goods Administration, and the latest advice is that it's expected to commence in early March.

I'm probably in the last group of vaccines too—under 60, no underlying conditions, and I can work from home exclusively until New York sounds the all clear. But my son and his girlfriend, who both work in hospitals, have had both rounds of theirs, which makes me feel much better. And my husband is now eligible in a week because he's had cancer, so I'll be happy when he's gotten it to. Me, I can wait, I guess, though I'll be a lot happier about it when it warms up a bit and I can walk and garden—right now we have a good foot of snow sitting on the ground and no thaw in sight.

A friend and former coworker lost her longtime partner a few weeks ago, and quite a few friends of mine have lost parents. I'm sure my mom would have been among their number if she hadn't died of natural causes in January 2020—and at least I was able to be there with her then and in the months before (she was in a nursing home, so if she'd still been alive when COVID hit I wouldn't have been able to see her and she wouldn't have understood what was going on... so the timing, however sad, was a blessing).

A few friends have had it, but not badly—more flulike than anything else, and they were back on their feet in a week or so. We did some shopping for them, played with their small puppy (so selfless, right?). One Facebook friend had it early on and has been a long-hauler, with some really serious symptoms including a TIA (mini-stroke). We shopped for her and her husband too... amazing how critical having a car in a subway-reliant city has become.

My county in Virginia, Fairfax County, is through the 1a category (healthcare workers and 75+) and has done the first round of the vaccine for teachers who are in 1b. This means that the 65+ community is on hold til our teachers get vaccinated which means my mom is waiting a little longer. I'm very eager for her to get the vaccine! But the teachers getting vaccinated also means my kids will be going back to school under a hybrid model (3 days at home, 2 days in person) for the first time since March 12, 2020. It will be just over a year since they've set foot inside a school, if they actually go back this time on the proposed schedule. I feel that they need this. Virtual school for a 10 and 7 year old with two working parents has not been ideal.

My area is very good with mask and social distancing compliance. Our numbers are trending down significantly again after a very high spike after Thanksgiving and Christmas. I'm very hopeful that as more people get vaccinated, those case numbers and hospitalizations will continue to decline. My husband and I are active duty Marines and we've had no indication that we'll be getting the vaccine any time soon. This is fine as we are healthy and in our 40s, but a little annoying because my job as a musician requires me to work in person without a mask on. I wish they would take this into consideration and vaccinate us a little sooner. But, we've put as many measures in place as possible to reduce our exposure and our unit has only had 4 cases with no spread in the workplace, so I'll have to hope that keeps up!

I don't know anyone in my immediate circle who has had covid, though I've heard of a few "friends of friends" and a few people at work have had it. Actually, though 3 of those 4 work cases were asymptomatic and only caught through regular testing that our unit does. I've heard enough through the news, though, to feel extremely fortunate that I've had so little contact with this virus. I'm hoping it stays that way and my friends and family can be vaccinated by this fall.

>12 japaul22: I'm fascinated and horrified that you continue to rehearse and perform. My performing arts organization hasn't had a rehearsal or full performance since Mar. 12th (It took a couple months to coordinate the safety protocols in order to broadcast pay-per-view concerts with just singer(s) and a piano).

We actually think we could get an audience in (if people were willing, of course) safely and socially distanced, but what we can't do is make it safe enough for the orchestra in the pit.

>13 ELiz_M: Our performing group has not met since March 2020, no idea when we can meet again since our practice and performance spaces are inaccessible. My husband and I both qualified for our first dose of vaccines--he got Moderna in January, and I just got the Pfizer last Thursday. We have pretty much stayed at home other than church and the grocery store.

I’m a 56 year old computer programmer for a large health care organization. Early last month they started giving vaccines to any employee. I’m not high risk and have worked remotely since last March, but I still qualified. I’m not sure how or why since there are a lot of folk who should have gone ahead of me. The whole vaccine rollout seems haphazard. I hope the new administration does a better job of prioritizing.

>15 gsm235: Yes, very haphazard, different distribution sites have different critera. I think the reason they don't have more "filters" on the qualifying groups is because it takes time--time away from vaccination--to ensure that the right people are getting it. Plus it's fairly easy to cheat and jump the line because it's already taking too much time for some places to check.

>15 gsm235: Easier and safer to just allow everyone in a healthcare company to get vaccinated than to try to figure out which roles have the priority and miss someone...

>13 ELiz_M: yes, we are not the norm as far as performing! We did only virtual recordings (individual tracks from our homes) or virtual masterclasses with students from home through May. But then the Trump White House began hosting events again. We did many outdoor events for them and a few indoor events as well (most of those involved strings who can wear masks while they perform). Since the summer, we've been doing live streamed and recorded concerts of chamber groups. We have limits on the size of the group, have extra HEPA filters in our performing and rehearsal space, and have to clear the room to let aerosols disperse on a fixed timetable. Being military, we obviously don't have a union but I do feel our leadership is doing the best they can to keep us safe and still fulfill our mission. Luckily, we've had no outbreaks in our group of 160 members and only a handful of individual cases.

Most importantly, my mom (in the 65+ category) got an appointment at a local CVS in Virginia to get her first dose of the Moderna vaccine on Sunday! Second dose March 14. I am beyond excited!

Not much to report here except the my mother has had her second dose. Her assisted living facility, outside Philadelphia, has had a number of cases, and deaths. They had some transmissions about 5 days or so after the second dose, which is before the immunity window. But those cases after the second dose have been mild.

The vaccine roll-out here in SC has been a mess, with the only way to sign up for a shot has been through an overly complicated on-line sign up. I had to take care of it for my father who is perfectly able usually to do whatever he needs to do on-line without assistance.

That said, both he and my husband (again, roll out has been a mess with shots periodically available to anyone who negotiates the sign up) have had their second shots this week and I am grateful for that.

The SC governor, Henry McMaster, is using the vaccine to attack teachers. He changed the qualifications for the first category, so that instead of now moving to 1b, which would include teachers, grocery store workers and other front-line people, he lowered the age people qualify for 1a, postponing the move to 1b indefinitely. He has also insisted that schools now provide in person classes five days a week, then issued a statement about selfish teachers wanting to jump the line. This is in addition to deciding that instead of moving to 1b, when there are extra vaccines, they will go to anyone who signs up and not to those in category 1b. He really doesn't like public school teachers and a lot of people are being made to wait as a result of this.

I became ill with what was presumed to be covid on March 23 last year. I didn't qualify for testing at the time because I was 52 and otherwise healthy. I had a low-grade fever and severe fatigue every day for three months and a rib-breaking cough that lasted into September. In December I developed a heart arrhythmia that may be a last gift from covid. I now take a beta blocker. My 17-year-old daughter was also presumed to have had covid since we were quarantined together, although she only had minor cold-like symptoms. She now has chronic, systemic hives as a result of her autoimmune system overreacting.

My parents have gotten their first shots, thankfully.

>21 labfs39: I'm sorry to hear that your daughter is dealing with the aftereffects of COVID, too.

At the moment we are in lockdown in the U.K. Schools and universities are teaching online, non-essential shops are closed, as are pubs, restaurants, gyms, hairdressers, beauty salons etc. Everyone who can, is expected to work from home. There has been no indication as yet as to when the lockdown will lift, although there has been talk of schools reopening on 8 March.

The vaccine rollout is aiming to vaccinate everyone with a first dose in the top categories by 15 February, that includes medical staff, care home staff and residents, everyone 70 and over and people who are classified as extremely vulnerable. I am classified as extremely vulnerable, and had my first dose (Pfizer) last week.

Surprisingly (as everything else this government has done re COVID has been fairly disastrous), I have to admit that the vaccine programme seems to be progressing fairly well. I had a text alerting me to the fact that I was now eligible, with a link to the available appointment spots the following week, and then a text reminder the day before. My mother (who is 99 and does not use a mobile phone or internet) was phoned up when it was her turn. And the actual vaccination process was pretty well set up as well, with lots of volunteers directing parking and getting everyone in and out as soon as possible.

My son (age 20) had COVID in the autumn at University, and had flu-like symptoms for a few days, but has made a full recovery.

>23 SandDune: Have you received a date for your second Pfizer-BioNTech jab, Rhian? The manufacturer recommended that it be given three weeks after the first one, and I got mine exactly 21 days later. I understand (hopefully correctly) that the second Oxford/AstraZeneca jab is to be given 12 weeks after the first one in the UK, but it has not yet received Emergency Use Authorization by the Food & Drug Administration in the US, so it is not available here. It uses a different technology than the messenger RNA vaccines, Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech, so I'm not at all familiar with it.

I'm still doing well so far, knock on wood. We did have a case in my workplace last month, and my coworkers and I were shuffled off into a different building (one with terrible internet, which was a pretty serious problem) for a long weekend while everything was disinfected. But it doesn't seem to have spread among any of the other employees, thank goodness.

I've just been told today that, yes, the fact that we've been declared essential workers who are unable to work from home does put us in group 1B for vaccinations, even though we don't easily fall into any of the worker categories listed by the state as essential. I think I'm likely higher up in 1B that that already, anyway, though, thanks to the chronic kidney disease diagnosis I got last year, about two days before covid starting shutting things down.

But so far all I've gotten is a text message reassuring me that I have been registered and that the state is waiting on more vaccine and they will contact me when an appointment is available. So, I continue to wait.

Meanwhile, I am quite worried about my elderly relatives. Both my mother in California and my dad and stepmother in Florida have told me they're reluctant to go and get the vaccine because they don't think they're physically up to standing/sitting in a car in the very long lines they're apparently getting in both states. All of them have big risk factors, so I really, really want them to get vaccinated ASAP, but I certainly do see the problem here. I've seen other people in other places express worry, too, because they've been asked to stand in lines of too many people indoors too close together, and are afraid they might end up catching covid while waiting to be vaccinated against it.

It seems to me that there has to be a better way to make this work than requiring hordes of frail elderly people to queue up for hours...

>24 kidzdoc: Have you received a date for your second Pfizer-BioNTech jab No not yet. As you say they are going for a 12 week interval, and I expect they will call up for appointments in the same way, which worked pretty well.

My parents have both received their first vaccination in Northern Ireland. They got vaccinated on the first day of roll-out outside of NHS staff and care homes, which was an unexpected bonus. That was around a month ago, so it will be April before they get their second jab. As my husband is older than I am he'll likely get his first jab by May. I expect it may be the autumn, or at least end of summer, before I get mine, and of course children aren't getting vaccinated at all yet.

My sister has lived in South Africa for 30 years and decided last year she wanted to move back home for good, mostly driven by the fact that my parents are now in their 80s. It's been very difficult for her as she wasn't able to visit in 2020 at all, and now the UK has tightened up restrictions against the South African variant so she would have to pay £1,750 to come over now and quarantine in a hotel for 10 days. Her partner can't come at all until new restrictions are lifted (she can come as she still has a British passport). I feel for her; it must be very difficult when you've made a major life decision and then everything goes on hold for at least a couple of years.

We're still in lockdown until at least early March. There is definitely no lockdown novelty factor this time around. The kids are fed up working remotely on their schoolwork, and I think for everyone it's hard to accept that 2021 is likely to continue with some level of restrictions right through to the end of the year (according to recent news). It's my parents I feel for most. They're both very active for their age (despite my Dad having cancer), and at that stage in life every day is precious. It's now just a few weeks off a year since their grandkids were able to go to their house to hang out. Mine used to go every Monday after school, and also stayed over on occasion, and it just breaks my heart to even think about what has been lost in that time. But, I remind myself every day that we are the lucky ones, and everyone else is in the same position.

I read in the paper this morning that Massachusetts has come up with a new plan to get more seniors vaccinated. It was opened up to 75+ on February 1st, but apparently appointments are not being filled. So starting today, they are allowing younger companions, who accompany older residents, to receive vaccinations at the same time. I think it sounds like a good plan.

And my great news is that despite a giant mess of a vaccine rollout in Illinois, my sister was finally able to get my 90 year old grandparents the vaccine! They received their first dose last night at a Walgreens very close to their home. Every state has slightly different categories for vaccine eligibility. In Illinois where they are, our problem was that seniors in assisted living facilities were in group 1A, but anyone living on their own (which my grandparents still do) are just lumped into 1B with 65+. Add to that the fact that my grandparents don't own a computer or a smart phone and don't even have email addresses, and it's been a nightmare to try to get them vaccinated.

It makes me realize how many vulnerable people are being missed who might not have family who are willing or able to go through all of these hoops to get them the vaccine.

I just assigned an article to a freelancer about how libraries are helping people schedule their vaccines—seniors, folks who aren't tech-proficient, or those who don't have internet access. I'll post the link here when it goes up.

I wish I could get my husband an appointment.

I am doing well in Georgia, though, like everyone else am tired of not being able to gather in groups.

My 93 yo father has had both jabs (don't know which brand.) My niece & her husband both had COVID, but have fully recovered. My niece's job requires her to travel eastern Iowa, and fly to Arizona periodically, so I expect she picked it up somewhere.

In Iowa they are now vaccinating group 1b, so my sisters have both had vaccinations.

In Georgia we're still in 1a, and there isn't one place to sign up for a vaccine, there are many.

At work we have had about 15 out of 300+ get sick, but have not had spread from staff to staff, so that is good. We have had many staff with extended family members fall Ill, and a few deaths, including the spouse of one co worker.

I am quite glad I am participating in the Moderna trial here, as they unblinded the study and those of us who had placebo are getting vaccinated. They will still be following us a full two years, I assume to collect data on how long antibodies last, and how will we're protected. I have an appointment for the 2nd vaccine later this month.

>30 lisapeet: Will be interested to see that article Lisa. I started putting together a list of places to sign up online or call for an appointment, but I'm not sure how to get that info to people who aren't online.

>29 japaul22: Congratulations on your grandparents vaccinations! I'm glad your sister was able to work with them& get them to an appointment.

To my knowledge there is no plan in Georgia to have mobile vaccination drives to areas that don't have a local pharmacy giving vaccinations, homebound people, or the homeless. I hope there will be one down the road.

My parents, both age 90 and in a skilled care facility, got the 2nd shot of the Pfizer vaccine yesterday.

My grandmother, age 93, lives in an independent living facility here in MA, and she's had both shots already.

Vaccinations in the UK seem to be going at a good pace, although Northern Ireland is slightly behind. Our lockdown has been extended until after Easter, which feels harder for most people than last year's did. I think it's the time of year and the weather. The morning birdsong became noticeably more audible last week, and there's a whiff of spring in the air (although it's still cold). I think that will help people a lot, being able to get out in the garden again and having longer days.

Toronto has had its lockdown extended for another two weeks. Apparently vaccinations will start for 80 year olds in about two weeks. Family doctors and pharmacies will be involved as well as large centres.

My husband got his second shot on Feb 19 and I will get my second one on March 1. We are looking forward to getting out a bit more, and also looking for spring!

Here in France the vaccine roll out like the rest of Europe (not including UK of course) has been slower than I hoped and I am probably looking at early April to get a jab. France at the moment is not in lockdown, but is hovering on the edge of a third lockdown. The Astrazeneca vaccine is just starting to be be rolled out to Pharmacies and doctors, but after President Macron's comment on its effectiveness I am wondering what the take up will be. Although I am not eligible yet too be vaccinated (too young and healthy), I am thinking of visiting my local doctor, to see if he has any spare, if there is not much of an uptake.

Here in Georgia, in addition to the multiple ways to sign up for a vaccine from the state department of health's website, we now have myvaccinegeorgia.com where you can sign up and be notified when there are openings in your area & you are eligible.

I had my 2nd dose February 24, and was laid up in the bed for about a day with aches and fever. Drank lots of water and slept a lot. Back to normal this morning.

The rollout in Australia has just started. As I'm in group three I probably won't be vaccinated until June. But life is pretty much normal here so I don't expect there to be much difference pre- and post-vaccination.

>38 baswood: Germany is slightly ahead of France with the roll-out of the AstraZeneca vaccine, I think, and there are definitely already issues with people refusing it because of its reputation as being "inferior".

In addition to concerns about the possible lower efficacity, in Germany it is not approved for people over 65, so in many places the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna are reserved for the 65-pluses, while medical personnel and other eligible professionals are being offered the AstraZeneca one, which I think is adding fuel to existing resentments among nurses and care workers about the unfair burdens being placed on them during the pandemic. There were some early surveys which suggested that a surprising number of health care workers did not plan to get the vaccine, and the distrust of the AstraZeneca vaccine seems unlikely to do anything to counteract that.

As far as I'm concerned, the more vaccine going into people's arms, the better, and any vaccination is better than none right now. I'm among the last group to be eligible, which I'm OK with in principle (I can self-isolate fairly well, many others cannot), but given the glacially slow progress of vaccination, it's infuriating to see doses sitting in storage unused because those who are eligible won't take them.

I hope they start to do a better job informing people about the various vaccines -- i.e., that 70% efficacity doesn't mean 30% of those vaccinated are completely unprotected. It means that 30% may still get infected and have some symptoms, but they are unlikely to get seriously sick as they would if they had not been vaccinated.

AstraZeneca has just been approved for Canada. Our vaccine roll out in Ontario has not been organized well. Some of the local health units have set up their own sign up systems instead of waiting for Ontario's planned middle of March setup.

The Washington Post reported today about the varying and confusing vaccination response to high risk patients. Very distressing for some individuals. Attitude toward smokers and the obese also sad.

I know healthy people who have jumped the line by going to other states and municipalities. Doesn't make me think well of them as they take away a vax from a local.

Then there were those two dips from Florida who tried to lie about their ages and dress up like old ladies. A cop busted them, so yay him!

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/02/26/covid-vaccine-who-should-go-fir...

JanetMck I feel like I am very lucky. My husband and I are both 86 years old. We were registered at our health department by our nephew and we were called and given an appointment right away. We got our first shot on January 21 and then at that time we were given an appointment three weeks later for our second shots on February 11. I fell and broke my pelvis in the meantime and my husband went and got his second shot on the day of our 9 o'clock appointments. I did not think I would get out of the hospital so soon so I had called a few days earlier and given up my appointment. When I found out I was going to be able to go home that day I called and asked them to please reschedule me a soon as possible since I was going home that day. After I had been home about two hours we got a call form the health department and they said if my husband could bring me down to the community center I could still get my second shot that day. He asked them if they could come out to the car to give me my shot and they said yes. An hour later I was sitting in the parking lot and they came out and gave me my second shot. We had to sit in the parking lot for 20 minutes and then we could go on home if I had no adverse reactions. We live in Champaign County, a rural county in Ohio and I think they did very well by us. I read in the paper yesterday that they had vaccinated 9 % of the county so far. Ohio has vaccinated 12.5 % by now. I do not know if those figures reflect total population in Champaign County and Ohio or not which if it did would make the percentage higher than it appears to be since they are not planning to vaccinate children yet.

I think I will describe the space where we received our shots. It is a community center and quite large. It had been divided into two rooms. The first room had desks situated away from each other and you checked in and were given a number. Everyone was standing six feet apart and wearing masks. this took hardly any time at all as there were only a few people scheduled at a time. After you got your number you sat down in a chair. The chairs were all distanced from each other. In just a few minutes our numbers were called and we were taken individually into the other room and given to an inoculator. They asked us some questions and gave us our shots. Pfizer was the brand we were given. Then we went to another desk and were given our appointment cards for our next shot three weeks to the day. We then were told to sit down on the spaced out chairs provided in that area and wait until 20 minutes had passed and if we had no adverse reactions we were free to go home. We were given literature about the vaccine at that time to read and take with us.

We had our first shots last Wednesday (over 65 group) outside in February.

The site was the large parking lot of one of the area high schools. The National Guard seemed to be in charge of logistics, organization. We pulled our masks up while in line to get in. We were checked in at entry by one of two guardsmen, then guided to a parking spot (every other parking spot was used) by another, checked off a list again, and told to put our hazard lights on. Then we waited and watched others come and go. Eventually, one of the guard came back over, presented us with a vaccination card, noting the information on it (that it was the Pfizer vaccine, for example) and pointing out the assigned date a month in the future for the 2nd shot. Following that, a young, bundled-up nurse came over (twice) to gave us our shots. They had a temporary tent set up as their HQ and they were doing a huge amount of walking back and forth as most of the time they only carried one injection at a time. I chatted up the nurse in the few minutes she was with us, asked her about all the walking back and forth. She said she wasn't tired but she was cold (again, February in New England).

After we had the shots we were told to turn off the hazards and wait 15 minutes (in case of reactions) before leaving. We had arrived 20 minutes ahead of our appointment, and we were 40 minutes beyond when we got the shot, so all in all it was an hour in the parking lot (generally, I think, wait times were better than that, I think they kept missing us as we were further from the tent).

When we had signed up weeks before, there was some incongruity between the state sign-up and VAMS.gov. The state let my hubby sign up me as a "1+" (so I did not have to do another sign-up). The state's site said don't worry what the VAMS site says, we will remember the 2nd person. I'm not sure we entirely trusted the state, and we worried about that right up until we drove into that parking lot. I did get asked my age at the entry (I thanked him for that because clearly I did not look 65 or older, hahahaha).

There seemed to be a bit of optimism in the air as the guard and nurses walked back and forth and cars came and went. Something to hang on to.

(that was Wednesday, and here now on Saturday, we report that our arms have been a bit sore, but no more than a flu shot).

Indiana--My husband got his second shot on February 19 and I am due for my second shot on Monday, March 1. He did not have any reactions to the Moderna vaccine. I got the Pfizer and had a sore arm for a day. We had to go to a neighboring county because we live in a rural/forested area, no hospital or clinic in our county. Although there is supposed to be a site here, when I tried to register online, no appointment times showed up at all for our county. We have to drive about 35 miles one way to get our vaccines. The vaccine clinic is in a building that is part of a hospital and very organized and efficient, and we were treated with respect and kindness. Indiana is giving the shots according to age groups and first responder/medical personnel too.

My husband was eligible in NYC because he's had cancer, but there were no first doses in our neighborhood... and then all of a sudden there were. On Thursday I got an email via the Notify NYC app saying there were new appointments, and when I fed in our zip code I found a whole string of times at a high school near us—my son's alma mater, in fact. So he'll be going tomorrow, and I'm very happy about that. I probably won't be eligible until the late spring or early summer, depending on how many doses come into NYC, but... whatever. I can wait a little longer.

I'm participating in the Moderna study, and got my 2nd dose Wednesday. Was in the bed Thursday with aches & fever, but was fine by Friday.

In the UK they've widened who can get the vaccination now. I know several people who have now had it because they are caring for elderly parents, so I'm going to try tomorrow to get an appointment for myself and my husband. He should be getting his pretty soon anyway as he's over 50.

In England Boris has now announced the path out of restrictions, but N. Ireland remains more cautious and we're still in lockdown for another month. My husband's sister is getting married in England in August (postponed from last year), and unless something changes they'll be able to have however many people they want by then. I feel very nervous about it - I don't feel ready to get on a plane again yet, but my husband understandably wants to go, and wants to 'show off' the rest of the family to his family (they've not met our kids yet). Difficult one.

>49 AlisonY: That is a difficult call Alison. Guess you'll have to watch how the numbers pan out over the next couple of months and make a decision. How old are your kids?

>50 markon: They're 13 and 11, Ardene. Yep, it's a difficult one. I think my husband will be annoyed if I put the brakes on going (I expect he'll still go anyway), but the plane journey, loads of people drunkenly mixing at a wedding and shouting at each other over the music...

I got the second dose of the Moderna yesterday afternoon. I started to feel the chills about 7 o’clock and was in a full funk about midnight. It mostly went away by 2 or 3, but I’m still shagged out this morning. I slept in an extra two hours before logging in for work. The boss got his second dose at the same time and it looks like his is taking the whole day off.

>49 AlisonY: Is it possible to drive and take a ferry? You can take your own food for the travel part of the trip. The wedding itself will be an entirely different matter though. Tricky decision - I don't envy you.

I received the second Pfizer dose at noon yesterday. I got the chills around 1:30 p.m. and felt tired and chilly the rest of the day, also soreness at the injection site. However, I slept really well, and an over the counter pain killer took care of the pain. My arm was still sore this morning, but otherwise feeling good.

I had my second Moderna shot this morning. Other than feeling cold, which isn’t all that unusual for me, so far so good.

I get my second shot on Friday.

Next week should be fun. I get my shot Tuesday and a root canal on Wednesday. I know I should be grateful to get the m both. But I cannot wait for next week to be over with.

>53 SassyLassy: We could get the ferry, but it would be a 10 hour journey in the car from Scotland down to the wedding. My daughter suffers from migraines and gets bad car sickness really quickly, so that would be difficult. Plus we already paid for the flights last year pre-pandemic when the wedding was supposed to be taking place last summer and pushed then over into this year when she rescheduled the wedding.

Definitely an awkward one. I guess there's a good chance all the adults will have been vaccinated by then, but....

>58 AlisonY: Oof, that's a tough one, Alison. I guess by end of summer there should be a fair amount of herd immunity, or at least "vaccines in arms" as they say?

I found an appointment for my husband all of a sudden—the Notify NYC email that I get said there were a bunch of new doses, and I found one at my son's old high school, a 5 minute drive from the house. So he got his first vaccination, although typical Bronx fashion, which means the maximum discomfort and inconvenience for everyone, the lines were BLOCKS long, and he ended up standing on line out in the rain for close to two hours on Sunday afternoon/evening. I kept offering to drive back and come get him, but he stuck it out, and now he's done with his first round at least. His shoulder was a bit sore a couple of days after, but nothing worse. So at least one of us has gotten the shot, though I'm the one who does all the shopping etc. lately. But I'm not too worried about that—mask restrictions are strong in NYC, and Whole Foods doesn't feel like a threatening environment.

It's such a joy to see all of you sharing your vaccination stories! Every single one represents another small step towards the end of this terrible pandemic.

My three sisters have also gotten their first dose and are on deck for the second one. That means our family will all have been vaccinated by end of March. Two of them are planning to visit us in April at spring break time, and I am so excited to finally see them again. We have talked and texted, but not been together since October.

Sounds like the process is working... at least in most places.

A bit of a vent/rant from me because I am a tad annoyed just now.

Meanwhile in Bulgaria - as long as you are ok with AstraZeneca (Moderna and Pfizer is only for priority groups plus everyone who is going to work the elections in April), you can just line up for it and get it (well, for 4 days you could, they halted all that because they ran out of AZ vaccines which also slows down the priority ones because AZ was used there as well): https://www.dw.com/en/bulgaria-offers-covid-vaccinations-to-everyone/a-56710303 for the whole story.

Election is coming in April so the government is.. campaigning. They knew exactly how many vaccines are available and yet they decided to proceed with the green corridors...

Which according to Mom may be true for the capital (where the news cameras are) and the cities and towns where the government expects to win (cameras were there as well) but in my hometown, the hospital ran out of ANY vaccines earlier this week (they never got any AZ ones anyway so no green corridors at all despite the grandstanding from Sofia) and the hospital has no idea when they are getting any dozes again (including the ones needed for the second jabs)... Call me cynical but...

Now.. Mom is 63, retired and relatively healthy so we knew she is almost last in line (same as me :) ). But that whole thing is annoying - politicians playing games with people's health is always annoying.

Rant over :)

Had my second shot this morning. Just woke up from a nap and I'm freezing. Weirdest thing is I got the shot in my right arm and my left arm hurts.

Canada just gave the green light to a fourth vaccine but the roll out has been abysmal in Ontario.

Every joint in my body hurts.

>62 AnnieMod: Geesh, I'd like to think the political shenanigans don't happen elsewhere, but apparently it's the nature of the beast.

>59 lisapeet: I'm kind of hoping that there is still an upper limit on wedding attendees by August and so we don't make the cut. Is that mean? Glad your husband got his first jab, Lisa, although 2 hours in the rain is a tad miserable.

I got my first Pfizer injection on Thursday. I didn't expect to get vaccinated until the end of the summer given the priority group order, but they've opened it up in the UK so you can get it if you're caring for elderly parents. It's giving me peace of mind that I'll be safer around my Dad in particular with his advanced blood cancer. It was all very well organised, although there were a lot of people there so I was conscious that wouldn't it be a terrible irony if you picked up COVID in the vaccination holding pen. It took about an hour and twenty minutes queue-wise, including 15 minutes waiting after you'd had it done before they released you. Next one is booked for 10 weeks time - they were very strict about it having to be exactly 10 weeks to the day.

Haven't felt any ill effects at all with the first one, and feeling very blessed to have had it so early.

I am getting my Moderna vaccine (along with my entire military unit, which includes my husband - yay!) on Wednesday. 4 weeks after that will be our second dose. So we should have full vaccine efficacy by the end of April. I'm really happy because our pace at work is picking up and, like I said in a previous post, I can't wear an effective mask while I perform.

Actually everyone in my admittedly small family will be vaccinated by April. My grandparents who are in their 90s, my mom and my husband's parents who are over 65, and my sister and my brother-in-law who qualify under pre-existing conditions.

Of course, as Alison points out, the issue is my kids. They are 11 and 8 so no vaccine for them. THey are also finally going back to hybrid school. My 8 year old's first in person day of second grade will be March 11. His last day of school will have been almost exactly 1 year before. My 11 year old starts the next week. They will each have 10 kids in their class in person and 10 and home participating through the internet. They flip on a Tues/Wed and Thurs/Fri schedule. Our school district prioritized teacher vaccines. Every teacher has been vaccinated that accepted it. That makes me feel a lot better about sending them back, but there is obviously still risk that they've not been exposed to being at home the past year.

I have an appointment to get my first vaccination on Thursday!

And, man, am I so glad for how easy New Mexico has made this whole process. A couple of months ago, I registered at the state vaccination website, which was easy to do. Last week, I got a text saying a vaccination was now available for me, so I went back to the website to sign up for a timeslot for a vaccine clinic being held in my town. Took me all of thirty seconds.

Meanwhile, my mother in California keeps looking online for appointments over and over and over, only to be told that there are none available within 90 miles of her. And my sister in Oregon says she isn't considered eligible there yet (despite the fact that I'd think her asthma ought to put her as far up the list as my own crappy kidneys put me), but that people who are eligible find themselves spending hours on the website trying to make appointments. As if John and George were still alive and you were on Ticketmaster trying to get tickets to a Beatles reunion, is how she described it.

According to the governor's press conference earlier this month, NM is #1 in the nation for percentage of doses received that have already been dispensed, so being better organized is clearly paying off for us.

My husband and I are both fully vaccinated now, so we went out to dinner for the first time since October, 2020. Still masking upon entrance and still socially distanced seating, but it still seemed like a party!

>69 bragan: Sounds like your state is well-run and -organized! Good to hear.

Here in Michigan, the distribution is very fragmented. I get my shot tomorrow, but registered at seven outlets before I managed to snag a shot.

I can only imagine my mother, who would have been 87 this year and never learned how to work her email right, would have fared with this. She wouldn't have. She would have been calling me on the phone sobbing for help.

Never mind the folks who have no Internet access, or a phone that can receive text messages.

>71 nohrt4me2: Our governor used to be the state Secretary of Health, so she is mercifully clueful about how to handle this particular crisis. And the mayor of my town is a practicing doctor, so he is, as well. Believe me, I am very, very happy to be here instead of next door in Texas! (Well, I mean, I usually am, to be honest, but am even more so now. :))

Relevant to your other comment, here's another example of how well people here have thought this stuff through: the last time I was in the local Wal-Mart (where nearly everybody goes to shop, because it's a small town and there aren't many options), there were signs up directing anybody who doesn't have internet access or who needs help filling out the online form to go to the local firehouse, where people were set up to help them out. And when you do register, you can elect to receive a phone call instead of a text or e-mail, too. So technologically backwards old folks and people who live so far out in the desert they can't get decent internet, or who can't afford it, need not be left out in the cold!

First Moderna shot today. My calendar says that the first case of COVID was detected in Michigan a year ago tomorrow.

Anyhoo, the appt went like clockwork, and the pharmacist gave us our dates for the second shot on April 6. Tomorrow a root canal!

A friend in her early 60s and husband (mid-50s) was able to get signed up for shots Friday, so seems like more vaccines are available and are trickling down soon to the priority groups as defined by the state of Michigan.

Got my first shot (Moderna) on Thursday! And it was so easy it was almost anticlimactic. I didn't even have to get out of my car. Just drove up onto the rodeo/fairgrounds where the vaccine clinic was set up, stuck my arm out the window, got my jab, then went to sit in the parking lot for 15 minutes while people walked around making sure everyone was doing okay. And by the time I got to the parking lot, I already had a text telling me when to come back for my second shot. No fuss, no muss, no stress. Once again, I am very grateful for how efficient New Mexico is being about this whole process.

My arm was slightly sore afterward, but mildly enough that I mostly didn't notice it unless I touched it, and it's almost entirely better today.

>60 RidgewayGirl:
It's such a joy to see all of you sharing your vaccination stories! Every single one represents another small step towards the end of this terrible pandemic.

Yes, that's exactly how I see it too. I wasn't holding my breath that I'd get a vaccination here in Canada until at least 2024 or something, but they've actually started to pick up their game. My husband found out yesterday that he could get the first jab because he is the "designated visitor" to his aunt in a care home. So he grabbed the first appointment. He said it was very well organized and he was in and out in 10 min. Everyone else getting vaccinated along with him were health care workers. So the vaccine is coming and one day I'll get one too.

In Canada, we are delaying the second shot so that more people can get the first. So he's not scheduled to complete until July.

Maine has opened up the next phase ahead of schedule, and I am signed up to get my first shot next Monday. Yay! It was super easy. I had pre-registered via an automated phone call a couple of months ago. Every week I would get a recorded call updating me on whether I was eligible yet. Then last week I received a text (and email) saying I could now schedule an appointment. The link brought me to a page where I put in my name, DOB, and contact info and was given days and times to choose from. All total it took maybe five minutes. I will have my shot at a plaza about a half hour from here. I'm thrilled. Now to get my daughter vaccinated...

My family have all had their first jab now, with the exception of my husband who goes on Easter Monday for his, and the kids who aren't eligible yet. My parents have had both their vaccinations which is fantastic.

Today is the one year anniversary of the first lockdown. Wonderful as the UK vaccination progress is, there still remains a great deal of uncertainty about how this year (and beyond) will pan out. We've been warned that social distancing and mask wearing could continue for another couple of years, and Boris warned yesterday that the current third wave in Europe is likely to have repercussions in the UK.

I think COVID continues to teach us that we have to be thankful for the small, everyday pleasures of life. Holidays abroad have always been our big thing to look forward to every year and we're desperately missing those with no real idea of when a 'normal' holiday will take place again, but maybe it's taught us how to become more contented with the here and now rather than always looking forward to events in the future.

Just signed up for my first shot- this Friday!

>78 torontoc: Ha, so did I. Do you know which vaccine you are getting? :)

Congratulations, you two! I'm finally eligible, and I just scheduled my first dose for April 1—same date as my husband's second. I hope we aren't both laid up at the same time! Doubtful, though... I don't tend to have strong reactions to things so I'm banking on smooth sailing, at least from #1. He had no reaction from his first, so I'm hoping whatever he ends up with from #2 is minor. But Thursday seems like a good day—lay low Friday, if necessary, and then chill out over the weekend.

(Just remembered we're having my son and his girlfriend over for dinner the next day, heh. But I've already got the menu planned and it's an easy lift, so I'm just going to proceed full sail ahead.)

>79 AnnieMod: >80 lisapeet: Thank you- I think that I am getting Pfizer as the clinic is organized by a hospital( the pharmacies are giving the AstraZeneca.) Ontario roll out has not been well organized! I am finding out more information from friends.

>77 AlisonY: I think COVID continues to teach us that we have to be thankful for the small, everyday pleasures of life.

So true Alison. I am ridiculously happy to be going back to the gym for yoga after vaccinations. Who knew this couch potato could be excited about exercise?

>77 AlisonY: Yes, small things! I was excited that the starlings have returned. They are so busy and funny. I have also enjoyed watching the neighbor play with his 2-year-old granddaughter from a distance. I am knitting her an octopus.

Correspondent in Wales lives alone and has had quite a time with managing an illness. Elderly, lives alone, and second lockdown was very hard on him mentally because he couldn't have any visitors at all. Hoping that he has been able to get out in his garden and able to talk to someone besides the cat.

>77 AlisonY: Very well said, Alison.

I'm pleased and extremely relieved that my elderly mother, who lives with my father just north of Philadelphia, was able to get her first SARS-CoV-2 vaccination (Pfizer) on Tuesday; my father received his first dose last week. Pennsylvania has done a horrible job in managing the vaccine rollout, and two of my physician colleagues who are from Pennsylvania flew their parents to Atlanta to get them vaccinated here.

As of today, all Georgians eligible to receive the vaccine, i.e. anyone 16 years of age and older, can apply for their first dose.

>77 AlisonY: I find I'm extra invested in the coming of spring. Just looking out the window from my desk, or doing my morning walk, and tracking the tiny changes in the flora and fauna make me happy. And whenever my watch tells me to get up and stretch I try to just step outside for a minute. It's really a big deal right at this moment.

>84 kidzdoc: Darryl, so glad to hear that both of your folks have had their first. Yeah, PA has been pretty appalling with its rollout... makes NYC look positively robust.

France is finally getting going with its vaccination programme and I have a slot on 6th April. I am scheduled to get the pfizer. I also have a date for the booster 4 weeks after.

>82 markon:, >83 nohrt4me2:, >84 kidzdoc:, >85 lisapeet: Spring has been a big mental boost for me too, but I have to say I never look forward to the return of the starlings, who each year have are often successful at destroying yet another part of the fascia of my house!

>87 AlisonY: Oh, dear! I thought that's what my fascia was for!

Hubby and I are now fully vaccinated as of Weds afternoon. We went to the same high school parking lot as before (thankfully, it was not freezing out), but the process was much more streamlined.

We were both elated to have this completed. I thought I should have decorated our car with lipstick, balloons and streamers with "Just Vaccinated" written on the back window. Hubby was probably happy I never went through with it. LOL.

We had the Pfizer. No side affects to speak of. My injection site is a bit itchy and last evening I was cold for no reason (no fever, just cold).

NH will be signing up those ages 16+ come April 2nd. They have been signing up the 50+ before that (we were in the 65+ grouping)

There's talk in the UK that kids will start to get vaccinated from August if all goes as planned with the current clinical trials. Fingers crossed.

I wonder how much immunity we'll all get from our vaccines (or rather for how long). It will be a
Herculean effort to re-vaccinate everyone if it's only 3-6 months as some (completely unsubstantiated) reports have stated.

>89 avaland: You definitely should have gone for the lipstick and streamers on the car.

>85 lisapeet: I wouldn't go that far. From what I've seen on NextDoor and through eligible friends/co-workers, it is pretty much the same word of mouth situation as >81 torontoc:, with people spending hours refreshing multiple websites or on hold, trying to find available appointments. I am not looking forward to that process when I finally become eligible.

ETA:
Thank you for >77 AlisonY:. I must admit I've also been grumpy/jealous of so many other people's Spring mentions and photos in posts. We've had a few almost warm days, but other than abundant crocus blooms on the Brooklyn Botanic grounds, I haven't felt spring yet. I should probably invest in some vitamin d pills or something.

>91 ELiz_M: I was saying the same, but I became eligible this past Tuesday, and with minimal NYC.gov site-checking (because I'm only interested in sites that are within walking distance, or a super short drive) I found something on Thursday for 4/1. I think NYC may be learning from its mistakes... now let's see how long I have to stand on line once I get there.

Actually I got my first shot at a clinic organized by one of the Toronto hospitals- I was in and out in 40 minutes. I was very impressed by the set up. Once I knew that this hospital was accepting people in my age group-the sign up was relatively easy.

I heard on NPR that there is some push to give vaccines through dialysis centers--vulnerable population that is not very mobile. Seems smart, especially since flu shots are also distributed at dialysis centers each year.

My family doc's office had a notice saying it would be contacting all patients over age 70 by phone to receive vax. Was glad to see they're taking initiative with older people who might be more tech challenged and more likely to get a vaccine if it's from the doctor.

Michigan is seeing a big upswing in cases among young people and people with kids at home. Covid test positivity in my elder group is 3 percent. Given that the positivity rate statewide is about 12 percent, covid must be sky high among k-12 and college students.

Just a quick report on side effects, which they said might show up in 1-3 days after the vaccination. Hubby reports he had no problems except the sore arm. I had a sore arm but also some small red pinpoints that were very itchy around the injection site. I was very tired the 2nd 24 hours (but we had just had our grandson for four days....) and then on the 3rd day I had more energy than I've had in ages (which could be because of the lovely spring day....). So, take from all that what you will...:-)

NH has announced that 16+ can sign up beginning April 2nd!

>95 avaland: NH has announced that 16+ can sign up beginning April 2nd!

That's amazing. Here in Vancouver, today they announced people born in 1948 and earlier could sign up, so we are way behind. Also, we have sky rocketing variant cases, so we are still very much in the wood with this.

An aching arm (as if I had moved a lot of books around) and sleeping a lot (which may not be related - I had a hell of a week at work) here - 48 hours after the first Moderna shot.

>96 Nickelini:

Apparently the state-run facilities dropped to 16+ here midweek - with somewhat limited availability); mine was through one of the hospital systems which opened for 18+ For county residents at the same time).

Here in Maine I get my first shot tomorrow, and my daughter, who is 17, is eligible starting April 19. YAY!

>98 labfs39: What is the thinking with getting the vaccine after having the virus? Just to be sure?

>99 avaland: From everything I’ve heard, it can’t hurt, and may be more positive.

>99 avaland:
I’ve heard 100% you’re to get the vaccine even if you’ve had the virus

>99 avaland: My understanding is that because they don't know how long Covid antibodies remain in your system, it's wise to get the vaccine. Some people have gotten Covid a second time only months after their first bout. Perhaps a different strain, I'm not sure. I don't think anyone is. But it can't hurt, and I sure don't want it again. If the Covid vaccine becomes annual like the flu vaccine, I will definitely get it every year.

My first shot today went swimmingly. I got there early and was able to go right in. The space was an old, empty department store, so there was lots of room for the 60 or so people getting their shots when I was there. There were stations set up for pre-screening, registration, form completion, getting the shot, getting a date for your second shot, and a waiting area where you sat for 15 minutes afterwards. Lots of staff, well-organized, and efficient. I was impressed. We live in a rural area with small communities, so this particular station only did about 600-800 people per day, but they were doing it well in my estimation.

>102 labfs39: Sounds like my experience with the vaccine. I was very impressed with how well it was organized and how courteous and caring the people working there seemed to be.

After the 2nd shot, I had a 101 fever and slept for 3 days.

Yeah Diane, a lot of people have a reaction to the 2nd shot. I didn't get hit as hard as you did. I did run a fever and ached and slept for a day.

I'm very, very pleased to report that after having been eligible for ages, my 70-year-old mother was finally able to find somewhere to schedule her first shot. I think her appointment is today, actually! Mind you, she still has to drive something like 60 miles for it. Which seems insane to me. I mean, okay, she lives out in the Mojave, but it's a good-sized town. It's not like there aren't pharmacies there! I'm a heck of a lot more out-in-the-desert than she is here in New Mexico, in a tinier town, and at this point we have enough shots here for anybody who wants one and probably more than a few people who don't, and we don't have to drive any further than the rodeo grounds just outside town to get them.

Which is where I'm getting my second shot a week from today. Hooray!

>106 bragan: It had been weird. Here they had been opening different venues unevenly so most of my friends had to drive across town or to the suburbs/small towns on the other side of the big city compared to where they live (which in Phoenix is a long long way). When I got mine, it was in a hospital 4 miles down the road from where I live... Maybe I just got lucky that the facility that opened was the one close by (the hospital system has a lot of facilities in the valley)... My second one is there again 4 weeks later (3 now...). They were just scheduling your second for the same date/time as your first, just 4 weeks later when you booked the first one.

I just came across a piece of paper on which my mother wrote down all of my vaccinations and other shots, and I was surprised how many there were. Some were given at school, others at the doctor's office. I remember getting some of them (the polio one in the sugar cube...).

There seem to be 10 dates noted related to a Polio vaccine, 2 for Tetanus and Diphtheria (3 years apart). One? smallpox and several TB tests. There 3 shots for something she listed a "Comb" (which I assume is a combination of several, but what?) and flu shots annually from 1957 to 1969 when I seem to remember the doc telling my mother that new thinking was that we didn't need them anymore.

I had measles, rubella. mumps and chicken pox before the age of 8 (those last two when I was less than a year old). Now those were a few things my children were happy to miss. They did have chicken pox, but kids now have a vaccine. Amazing, isn't it?

I get my booster shot Thursday morning. My first shot involved a drive to the state capital (an hour and a half away), but the process was quick and easy. My booster is a five minute drive from the house.

And both my children are getting their first shots this week. My daughter, at college in NC, is eligible as she lives in a dorm and my teenage son as he works part-time.

I got my first on Thursday, with no real reaction—a bit of a sore arm that could have come from hitting it on the back of a chair, which I do approximately twice a day anyway. It was relatively organized, with a shortish waiting period beforehand and no corralled wait after to make sure I didn't have any strong reaction—I think Rite-Aid was hoping people will walk around and spend money, which is certainly what I did (because Easter candy).

My husband had his second the same day and had the same two-hour wait—they didn't get any better at getting people in and out, apparently. But at least it was sunny and warmer than the first time. He said he felt extra tired over the weekend and took a few long naps (me: "Are you sure this is different from how you usually are?" because it coincided neatly with my cleaning the house and cooking for Sunday's guests). But otherwise nothing major, and I'm hoping for the same in 2-1/2 weeks when I get my second. And then I am RUNNING out and getting a haircut, because I have entirely too much hair for my own happiness.

I hear you about haircuts. We still have no definitive date on when they're opening here. They've been shut since December. I missed getting a trim as COVID was getting bad again and I didn't want to risk it - I've had 1 haircut since December 2019!

Mind you, the first person I'll send when they reopen is my teenage son. I no longer recognise him.

>110 lisapeet: I bought a bunch of attachments for my husband's Wahl clippers and have been buzzing my own head since my last professional haircut in January 2020.

At first I just shaved it down to about an inch all over. Then I learned to taper the back and sides and trim the edges by looking in the mirror.

Once I have reached peak immunity and if Michigan's infection rates (no leading the nation) go down, I will go in for a professional clean-up and eyebrow job. But I sort of like being in charge of my own head.

Oh, man, hair. Every other pandemic-based restriction I've been able to take more or less in stride, being an introvert who never went much of anywhere anyway, but the fact that I either haven't been able to go in for a haircut or haven't felt comfortable with the idea of doing so... It's driving me crazy. I usually keep mine very short and get it cut once a month, and now it's been over a year. People I've known for decades are failing to recognize me, my own mother said I don't look like me, and I don't know what to do with any of this damn hair! I've never had it this long in my life. How on earth do people with long hair do it? Why on earth do people with long hair do it? The only plus side I can possibly see is that I needed a hat slightly less often when the weather was chilly, since the stupid stuff hangs down over my ears. Otherwise, it's nothing but a giant nuisance.

Two weeks after that second shot, I am gonna be on the phone to my hairdresser. I really, really hope she's still in business. She's going to get a giant bonus from me if she is.

I was thinking I should book my haircut appointment for the weekend after my second shot NOW, since I can't be the only person champing at the bit. My hair is thick and wavy, and I just don't trust myself to do anything to it—the woman who cuts it does something with layers that's pure genius. Plus because it's gray, it looks fabulous when cut and downright witchy when it's not. I'm approaching full-on Phyllis Diller at the moment.

My daughter’s hairdresser has been doing porch haircuts for the past year. We wear our masks and hold a microwaved heating thing for warmth. It’s a dry haircut, but at least it is trimmed. I think the first one I had was about eight months from my last. It was a few months after we moved to Massachusetts. I couldn’t wait.

>113 bragan: I agree! My hair hasn't been out of a ponytail for months because I don't know how else to keep it corralled.

>113 bragan: That was the thing that worried me the least when the quarantine started - I used to get a haircut once a year as it was so that did not bother me - I had had my hair down to my waist (going a bit shorter on a haircut, down to my hips before it) since the beginning of the century... But after 6 months of staying home and spending too much time dealing with my hair (or ignoring it for a few days and then paying for it), I decided it was time for a change so cut 2 feet in September, during one of the calmer periods in Arizona.

Now it is at that weird length that it is too short to stay up easily (well, now at least it can go into a ponytail again if I really want it to) but too long to stay down without annoying me. I am trying to decide if I want to leave it to grow again or cut it again... :)

>116 labfs39: Mine was so short to begin with that it still isn't easily corralled into a ponytail. At best, I can manage this weird awkward, uncomfortable thing sticking out from the back of my head that hair keeps escaping from, anyway.

>117 AnnieMod: My answer is always gonna be "Cut it off! Cut it all off!" :)

>118 bragan: That's what Mom says as well but... I let it grow when I was 14 and never cut it since besides the usual yearly split ends/length correction (I will be 40 in a bit over a month). I suspect I will cut it again once or twice (it helps it stay healthy) but had not decided yet it I am keeping it short(ish) after that. Mind you - even when I cut it, it was still brushing my shoulders when it was not curling and waiving(it has a tendency to do that even when long and when all the weight disappeared, it started doing a lot more. :) ).

I got my hair cut in December 2019, neglected to schedule an appointment when I should've 2 months later, and it went through a shaggy phase for 8 months, annoyingly in my eyes but too short to pull back. I don't dare get it cut again until this can be a regular thing.

I registered at the county mass vaccination center several weeks ago, wasn't expecting anything to happen for awhile yet, but this evening as I was talking to a neighbor about her experience there last week, my phone dinged with a notification that I can schedule an appointment. So Pfizer on Wednesday it is.

France is now cracking on with the vaccine schedule and I got my first shot of Pfizer today at the local vaccine centre. I have a rendezvous for the second shot in four weeks time. France is different from the UK and the USA, I believe because it places more onus on its citizens to look after their own health and so it is up to you to arrange an appointment. My wife will have to wait for release of the next tranche of appointments, probably in a couple of weeks time.

>113 bragan: I cannot speak for anyone else with long hair, but in my case, I keep my hair long (current length is...generally somewhere mid-thigh) because it is far easier for me to deal with it and style it long than it would be short. The last time I had a professional haircut was in 2014.

>122 shadrach_anki: Isn't it time-consuming, though, to wash it, dry it, and style it? And doesn't it take effort to keep it out of your eyes? I spend half an hour a month getting mine cut and maybe two minutes a day washing it, and then I don't even have to do so much as run a comb through it. Or at least, I didn't used to. Sigh.

Mind you, this is undoubtedly one of the myriad ways in which I completely fail to do any of the things women are expected to do/usually like to do with their appearances. A habit of a lifetime that may be coming back to bite me now, as I have zero experience with something as basically human as growing hair.

>123 bragan: At that length, unless it is very windy and it is down, it is nowhere near your eyes (the bigger risk is sitting on it :) - unless you have bangs out of control or something like that of course - mine used to be uniformly long)

>124 AnnieMod: Clearly I have so much to learn about hair! And I devoutly hope I don't have to learn any of it.

Although this does cause me to suddenly remember that I have Hair: A Human History sitting on my TBR shelves. Which at least brings the subject back around to books, if not actually to covid. Um.

>123 bragan: I happen to have very fine, straight hair, so even with it at the length it's at, it takes maybe five minutes to wash and condition it, and it air dries in about an hour (or overnight). I don't own a blow dryer (or a curling iron, or hair spray, or mousse...). As for styling, I don't have bangs or any sort of layers cut into my hair, so that makes it easier to manage. I usually will put it up in a twist or bun, or pull it back into a ponytail with a French barrette. I braid it at night, so brushing it out in the morning takes no more than a couple of minutes.

Edited to add: And yes, sitting on my hair is a far more common occurrence than having it get in my eyes.

>126 shadrach_anki: I think maybe a big part of my problem is that my hair is very ill-behaved. It's not quite curly, precisely, but it waves and kinks and sticks out at odd angles and generally refuses to lie down and leave me alone. Which, really, is a big part of the reason why I've always kept it cut short in the first place. It's also pretty thick and seems to just sop up water. And, man, an hour to air-dry still seems way too long to me! It's so arid here that when mine is short, it's basically dry in minutes. But these days, it's still damp when I leave the house forty minutes after a shower, and I do not like it.

(I think I do have a hair-dryer, which I bought to thaw out frozen pipes. It's in a cabinet somewhere with my tools, and it's staying there. I did have a period in my teens when I used to blow-dry my hair, and based on my memories of that experience, I cannot think of anything more tedious to spend my life doing. :))

>113 bragan: Neither of us here have had a haircut for over a year now. My husband and I have a 1972 sort of look....

We are officially fully vaccinated as yesterday was the two week mark from our 2nd shot. My 42 year old daughter and son-in-law had their first on Tuesday. My 36 year old son gets his first on the 11th and my 38 year old daughter is getting her first on the 24th (they are in the process of moving back to NH from the DC area, she needs a NH license to get a vaccine. Her husband was already vaccinated in VA, some deal for Veterans). Sounds like the whole family will be fully vaxxed by the end of May....except for the kiddos.

AND, my best bud, who lives 35 miles west of me, came over on Sunday and we hung out and gabbed both outside and INSIDE.... without masks!!!! It was so cool, so terribly retro normal! It was like we'd been captured animals released in to the wild...

I think hugging my family members is what I’ve missed most. We are a very “huggy” family. The hugs now — we’ve been making up for lost time. Only my three youngest grandchildren will not have been vaccinated until, hopefully, sometime this summer. They are all under sixteen. The youngest is twelve. Every time I see a report about grandparents hugging their grandchildren for the first time in a year, it makes me cry. I understand how they feel.

Had second Moderna Tuesday. Husband and I felt quite sick Wednesday. Better today, but sore joints and headache persist.

I have extensive oral surgery coming up next week, so am glad to have some protection. I hear that dentist and oral surgeries that do out-patient work have very low vax rates among staff.

Not worried about hugs and hair here in Michigan, where we lead the nation in infections (6,000 new cases yesterday). The dominant strain is now the more infectious and fatal strain first found in the UK.

Infections are highest in the groups aged 12 to 29. College parties, athletics, and daycare centers seem to be the biggest source of spread.

>128 avaland: I don't think I will be hugging anybody from outside the house for a while yet. Some friends from the North of France said on our last zoom meeting, that we will all be able to hug and bisous each other again in the summer when we are all vaccinated. I hope they did not see the look of horror on my and Lynn's faces. I am not sure that 'back to normal' is really going to be back to normal.

Glad you enjoyed your hugs though.

>131 baswood: Hugs with masks, Bas. And no kisses. Faces away. I’m very cautious. And only with my kids. When I was at my daughter’s in CT a week ago, I felt comfortable with masks on because they work from home. My grandson opted for remote school this, his senior year. His sister is graduating from northeastern university next month. But she opted for online classes this year, as well. In her words “college students are stupid”. And given northeastern’s issues at the beginning of the year, I think she was smart to stay at home. They both had their vaccines yesterday. CT is doing great with that. My son in NJ and his wife have still not been vaccinated. I haven’t seen them since my husband’s funeral in August. And there were no hugs then. I think it will be a long time before we will feel comfortable without masks. The more I hear about the variants, the more worried I am. I’ll be happy when we’ve all been vaccinated, but even then caution will be the word of the day.

>129 NanaCC: Awww. That is hard! We have done a lot of "Google Hangouts" visits over the past year. And yes, I can't wait to see my younger grandson and his NEW little sister, possibly tomorrow morning!

>131 baswood: I am not without realistic precautions, of course. It's all very limited and on a small scale, but feels like the clouds have parted, and angels are singing...if only for a moment before we are pulled back to reality.

This was posted by New Hampshire Public Radio on the 6th:

"New Hampshire is first in the nation for making use of its COVID-19 vaccine supply, an improvement over lagging performance compared to other states earlier this year.

As of Monday, New Hampshire administered about 95 percent of its available vaccine doses, according to federal data.

New Hampshire also leads the nation in getting at least one shot into residents’ arms. About 42 percent of Granite Staters have received at least one dose, which is ahead of every other state.

New Hampshire falls farther behind, however, on completing all recommended vaccine doses. Only about 20 percent of people have been fully vaccinated, putting us behind about half of states, including the rest of New England."

(Everyone I know who has had a 1st shot, was given at that time an appt for the 2nd shot).

>133 avaland: I wonder why people aren't getting shot #2. Maybe because people have heard the second can be nasty and that one shot gets you to about 70% immunity? #2 was unpleasant, but only for a couple days. We were given our second appt also, but the pharm said a fair number of people were not coming back. Could mean wasted vac.

>134 nohrt4me2: Some of it could be that at the point in time when the numbers were captured for the report, a lot of people had managed to get their first dose, but were still waiting for their second appointment to come around.

My husband had his second on Tuesday and had no side effects. I had a fever for 3 days and couldn’t stay awake.

Got my second shot yesterday morning and am having body aches and a headache today, but I've got my copy of Bring Up the Bodies and am feeling much better after taking some Tylenol.

>137 RidgewayGirl: Same here, Kay. 2nd dose of Moderna yesterday afternoon. I woke up fine, but have had an increasingly "foggy" feeling, slight headaches, and some body aches. But mixed with a ton of gratitude that I was able to get this vaccine!

>134 nohrt4me2: I have no idea....

I had my second Moderna shot on Thursday. I felt fine until that evening, then I got hit pretty quickly by the fever, aches, and chills, and the sense that it was almost more than I could manage to get out of bed even if I did desperately want a Tylenol. It made for a bad night, and I still felt ill, if not quite as badly so, pretty much all day Friday, although the fever was coming down by the end of it. But I was all better on Saturday, and by Sunday I was full of energy. I'm very glad to be done with that, but even gladder to be all vaccinated.

And I'm still very, very pleased with how New Mexico is doing. More than half of us have had at least the first shot now, with over a third having both, and we're not seeing a scary rise in cases like a lot of states.

I had my second shot of the Pfizer vaccine on Monday. I started feeling crumby by nightfall, and the next day I had a fever, chills, and terrible joint pain. I woke up this morning as fit as a fiddle.

My daughter is 17, and she had her first shot Friday. We were both nauseous and tired after our first shots. I've read that people who had covid can sometimes have symptoms with their first because their body already recognizes and fights covid antigens.

A contractor who was doing some work for my father went to the hospital Tuesday for respiratory issues. He tested positive for covid, despite having had his J&J vaccine. He unfortunately caught it a few days after getting the vaccine but before the two weeks waiting time were up. A reminder to us all to keep practicing good social hygiene even after getting vaccinated, especially for those key two weeks.

>141 labfs39: Yes, we know a few people who have sickened a few days after the J&J shot. Here in Michigan, the more contagious strain of the virus is dominant, and people are very sloppy with protocols, even if they are getting the vaccine.

>141 labfs39: Was it just one day of sickness? I have my second Pfizer in 3 weeks' time, and I'm nervous as I don't have time to feel sick at the moment.

>143 AlisonY: I'm getting Pfizer #2 in a couple of hours, so I'll report back. I have a feeling you can't generalize about these shots, though—I've had friends experience everything from two full days of flu-like misery to nothing at all.

>143 AlisonY: I had my shot Monday at 11:30 am and felt feverish by nightfall. I was ill all the next day, but was fine when I woke up Wednesday morning. So 24 hours or so.

I agree with Lisa that everyone seems to react differently, but I think more than 24 hrs is less common.

>141 labfs39: Unbelievable. Here in our small town in Maine, there has been a second case of someone getting covid after their second shot, but before the 14 day waiting period. And my sister had met with that person, because they said they were fully vaccinated. So now she's been exposed. I wish there were more awareness around this.

I have one Moderna shot (was feverish for evening). Second shot is next week, Friday, 122 miles away. My sister, who had Pfizer, was knocked out two days with a fever after the second. My wife barely noticed anything after her second, also Pfizer.

I had my second Pfizer on Thursday afternoon. Friday late morning I was feeling distinctly hung over—one of those 1990s varieties, with a head full of cotton stuffing but minus the fun or the youth. By evening I felt like crap, with chills and aches and a nodding exhaustion, but that weirdly lasted maybe three or four hours, and by the time I went to sleep I felt under the weather but nothing terrible. Today I'm a little foggy, but I'm going to force my sorry ass out the door to work in the garden, since I know for a fact I'm not actually sick and I can't make myself worse by pushing myself a bit.

I already have the haircut booked.

>143 AlisonY: My side effects from the 2nd Pfizer lasted sixteen hours. I was a little tired the day after that, but felt fine.

>146 labfs39: Yeah, we've been a little lax there, largely because the rest of South Carolina is behaving like it was all over (and a significant proportion never altered their behavior, including the governor). My son has had his first shot and went and spent a weekend at a friend's lake house. The boy came down with COVID symptoms the night he got back. My son thankfully didn't catch it, nor did the third boy there, who was also partway vaccinated. It's been over a week and we're waiting for the test results to show up negative again, the school lets him back in mid-week.

But, yes, carelessness on my part, letting him go. But the isolation for a socially-minded boy supposed to be enjoying his senior year of high had to be balanced in. Fortunately, every other family member is fully vaccinated.

>148 lisapeet: Like a 90s hangover? Wow - that is bad. I haven't had one of those since, well, the 90s. Now I'm really worried....

>150 AlisonY: Well, it was over pretty quickly...

>149 RidgewayGirl: Aw, poor kid (and poor you for all that worry). This has to be so hard on teenagers.

>149 RidgewayGirl: It is so hard. My daughter is also a high school senior, but she's a homebody and was already doing online school, so it didn't affect her as much. I wonder what the long-term effect of the pandemic on kids will be. High school students who missed out on events/sports/activities that they had looked forward to for years, college students who couldn't be on campus, kids like my four year old niece who can't remember not wearing a mask, and babies like my 14 month old niece who is growing up not being able to see adult's faces outside the home. At least people weren't walking around in cloaks and bird masks like during the plague. That would really be scary.

>152 labfs39: The "bird masks" worked! They were designed to hold medicinal herbs at the end of the "beak" (ineffective except in masking the odor of sickness), but did protect the nose and mouth from contact with contagion. Plague examiners also carried three-foot rods painted red to help enforce social distancing. And the cloaks were like surgical gowns that could be taken off and fumigated, though smoke used as fumigation was not very effective.

But yes, scary.

Probably the scariest part of the plague was being quarantined and having the examiners paint "may God have mercy on your soul" with a red cross on the door of your house.

It's all in Daniel Dafoe's A Journal of the Plague Year, which I read last year. It is harrowing, but the parallels between then and now are quite striking.

>153 nohrt4me2: I'd really like a social distancing rod to shove people backwards with at the grocery store.

>154 bragan: I find it hard to distance in grocery stores while walking through aisles. There just isn't six feet clearance to move around people trying to make up their mind about something. I can stop and wait six feet away, but inevitably, the person behind me gets antsy and moves around both of us at close distance. I shop at non-peak times and shop more frequently for fewer things. I do my best, but inevitably you're holding someone up or someone is holding you up.

I shop at 8 am - no one is in the grocery store at that time!

>155 nohrt4me2: The store I shop in has signs posted for one-way shopping down the aisles, which I think would help at least a tiny little bit if anybody but me ever payed any attention to it. What I really find upsetting, though, is when people crowd very close to me in the checkout aisle, despite having enough room and despite the helpful 6-foot markings on the floor. Especially that one time when an entire family chose to hover directly at my elbow, some of them with their masks pulled down below their noses, while I was trying to scan my stuff in the self-checkout.

>155 nohrt4me2: We shop first thing in the morning. I prefer Wednesday when our local store seems have completed re-stock from the weekend (the test is whether we can get any Ben & Jerry's nondairy ice cream, LOL). The store has 6 ft marking everywhere except the really large spaces, and one way aisles. They also don't let you unload your cart onto the belt until the other person & their groceries are on their way out.

Yesterday, my younger daughter and SIL got their first Moderna shot at a local small pharmacy in my town of 8,000 people. She said they were in and out, there seemed to be no lines, no waiting. Funny, though, the pharmacy (a notoriously, proudly, conservative one ) that was giving the shot has a fake news post on the wall about the dangers of the Covid vaccines. They were much amused. (this is the only "political" drug store I know of! I've been there once in 8 years in town)

Oh, yes, I shop early at a place that has arrows on the floor. But there are still awkward spots, especially since the grocery store workers like to restock at the off-hours.

I haven’t been in a grocery store in over a year. I’ve been using Stop n Shop’s delivery service called PeaPod. I place my order online, and for a $6 delivery fee the driver comes to my door and puts all of the bags inside. I do also tip the driver. I’m liking the convenience so much, that I think I’ll continue doing this even when we get back to normal.

>160 NanaCC: I suspect we have a less dense population than the south shore, and I may have done the same thing were I living where you are. Michael did most of the shopping. We did make to the wholesaler BJs three times over the last year. It was much more suited to pandemic shopping, as all of their aisles are very wide, and it can be self check out. We were able to get a lot of things there in bulk when we couldn't get it in the usual grocery stores (i.e. flour).

My children used a lot of delivery services for meats, "ugly" vegetables and other themed deliveries.

It was almost impossible to get a delivery in NY at the beginning of the pandemic—we did it a couple of times and then just went back to shopping in person, mostly at Whole Foods, which has been very good about limiting the number of shoppers and making sure everyone is masked. It still gets crowded, but people are relatively considerate.

This sobering post came from one of my dearest friends and medical school classmates, who is an adult pulmonologist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and has seen a dozen or more of her patients die from COVID-19 over the past year:

>163 kidzdoc: My pets' vet tech told me that she'd gotten a very mild case of COVID and now, months later, she's having lung issues her doctor told her may be permanent.

Being fully vaccinated is so liberating. While I still wear a mask in public buildings, being outside without one on and being able to go out to eat in a restaurant with other fully vaccinated family members is a giant treat. And the maskholes who insist on walking around stores unmasked no longer feel threatening, just idiotic.

My son gets his second shot today, and with that we are all fully vaccinated.

>164 RidgewayGirl: I'm becoming progressively more convinced there are few "mild" cases of COVID-19. Those asymptomatic or mild cases in children put them at risk for MIS-C, multiorgan inflammatory syndrome of childhood, which I've seen cause children to become critically ill with heart failure.

I'm deeply grateful that my elderly parents, brother, and closest neighbors are now fully protected, as my mother, the last one to get vaccinated, reached the two week mark after her second Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine this past Tuesday. I'll fly to Philadelphia to see my parents tomorrow, and everyone I'll see there, including some old high school chums, are all completely vaccinated.

There were two important releases from the CDC this week. The first was the Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People, which stated that:

Fully vaccinated people can:

*Visit with other fully vaccinated people indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing
*Visit with unvaccinated people (including children) from a single household who are at low risk for severe COVID-19 disease indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing
*Participate in outdoor activities and recreation without a mask, except in certain crowded settings and venues
*Resume domestic travel and refrain from testing before or after travel or self-quarantine after travel
*Refrain from testing before leaving the United States for international travel (unless required by the destination) and refrain from self-quarantine after arriving back in the United States
*Refrain from testing following a known exposure, if asymptomatic, with some exceptions for specific settings
*Refrain from quarantine following a known exposure if asymptomatic
*Refrain from routine screening testing if asymptomatic and feasible

For now, fully vaccinated people should continue to:

*Take precautions in indoor public settings like wearing a well-fitted mask
*Wear well-fitted masks when visiting indoors with unvaccinated people who are at increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease or who have an unvaccinated household member who is at increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease
*Wear well-fitted masks when visiting indoors with unvaccinated people from multiple households
*Avoid indoor large-sized in-person gatherings
*Get tested if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms
*Follow guidance issued by individual employers
*Follow CDC and health department travel requirements and recommendations.

This week's issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report contained an article titled Effectiveness of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna Vaccines Against COVID-19 Among Hospitalized Adults Aged ≥65 Years, which looked at 417 adults ≥65 Years who were hospitalized in 24 hospitals in 14 states from January 1 to March 26, 2021, 187 of whom were diagnosed with COVID-19 (the remaining 230 people served as controls for the study). The study found those who were fully vaccinated by one of the mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccines (defined as 14 days after receipt of the second vaccine) had 94% protection against hospitalization, whereas partial vaccination (anything less than 14 days after the second dose, including those who had only received one dose) were only 64% protected. This study emphasizes both the effectiveness of the mRNA vaccine in elderly people, and the necessity to get the second jab.

The other piece of good news came on Monday, as a high ranking official in the European Union said that its member countries would be open to tourists who are fully vaccinated sometime this summer, although a formal date was not set.

NPR: Vaccinated U.S. Travelers Will Be Allowed To Visit Europe Again Starting This Summer

>165 kidzdoc:
I read this earlier, and was feeling pretty bummed, because although all sorts of people around me have been vaccinated (and my UK and US friends have had both doses), it felt like I was never going to get mine. And then I looked at my phone and I had the text saying I could book my appointment here in western Canada. 5 min later, and I'm all set to get the Pfizer jab on Monday morning.

>165 kidzdoc: I agree, Darryl. We've been working on an app for tracking Long Covid symptoms, and as part of that research have joined lots of Long Covid groups. It's incredibly sobering. Even people who were not hospitalised with their Covid infection are struggling up to 12 months on with such a myriad of symptoms - extreme fatigue, breathing difficulties, IBS type issues, severe headaches, continued loss of smell / taste.... the list goes on.

Does Long Covid get much press in the States? I don't think in the UK people realise just how bad the ongoing symptoms can be. They seem to dwell on the danger of the initial infection itself only (and too many people seem to think that's not a thing either). The figures for Long Covid were revised a few weeks back, and it's now thought that as many as 1 in 10 go on to develop it, with 1.1 million people in the UK thought to have developed it.

1 in 10, wow. Based off what I know about longterm effects I would have guessed much much lower ratio. That’s scary. I have 2.5 hours, one way, in the rain, to reach my second dose today.

>168 dchaikin: And there is some research indicating it may be a much higher number. A small study at the University of Washington suggests up to 30% have lingering symptoms up to 9 months later. This open letter was published in JAMA Feb. 19, 2021. Why the higher numbers? I think because many people with mild covid have not been included in studies, whereas in this study 85% had had mild covid.

In this cohort of individuals with COVID-19 who were followed up for as long as 9 months after illness, approximately 30% reported persistent symptoms. A unique aspect of our cohort is the high proportion of outpatients with mild disease. Persistent symptoms were reported by one-third of outpatients in our study, consistent with a previously reported study in which 36% of outpatients had not returned to baseline health by 14 to 21 days following infection. However, this has not been previously described 9 months after infection.

Equally worrying to me is the age of those with long covid.

(26.6%) aged 18 to 39 continued to have symptoms
(30.1%) aged 40 to 64 years
(43.3%) aged 65 years and older

Clearly long-covid is not rare, nor is it restricted to the elderly. I'm glad the NIH received a $1 billion grant to study long-covid. I think it is going to have a significant impact on health worldwide for a long time to come.

I still have to a drive 2.5 drive home (hopefully with less of a blinding downpour of rain, oye), but shot two received!! Very relieved. (It’s Moderna)

>163 kidzdoc: This tallies with what my GP told me--lots of "long covid" cases who never had to go to the hospital but who are stuck with lingering disabilities.

She has a large elderly patient population and says she has to tread carefully with those balking at getting vaxed. She asks about their concerns. They give her a lot of conspiracy theories and misinformation.

When she asks where they heard this, they invariably say, "At church."

I am not hearing anti-vax messages at Mass (though some bishops are freaking out about the J&J, saying it was developed with aborted fetuses, untrue).

Our bishop is telling people that the general dispensation from Mass due to the pandemic is now over. I can only assume that's because parishes are hurting for money, and that's their way of guilt tripping everyone to get back in the doors and pay up.

They may have to do without my donations permanently.

>166 Nickelini: I felt exactly the same way! I head out for my first one this afternoon. I've never wanted to join a club this badly before.

>171 nohrt4me2: Wow - quite staggered to hear that this is the message from your Bishop. What a dangerous thing to tell people.

Don't get me started on conspiracy theories. We've been running an ad campaign on Facebook for our app and you wouldn't believe the conspiracy theory trolling we're getting. Apparently long Covid isn't real and we're part of a government machine trying to control the world. The number of likes those types of comments are getting is leaving me pretty disillusioned about the brain size of the population at large.

A colleague told me about relatives who refused to follow COVID protocols because God would protect them. Then the husband got COVID and recovered, and the wife got COVID and died. The husband has revised his thinking, and got vaccinated.

An acquaintance is vaccine-hesitant for understandable reasons. She got COVID when traveling to Europe in February of last year, before the shutdowns and before anyone locally had figured out what to do so she was given the runaround when she sought help. She was sick for over a month, and in the hospital for an overnight, and still has some residual symptoms so she's worried the vaccine will mess with her immune system. I've heard from a mutual acquaintance that she holds some weird conspiracy-adjacent views, but she told me that if her doctor says she should get vaccinated she will.

I am now fully vaccinated. Had a day of mild aches and lethargy after the 2nd dose. I've talked to several people who had no notable side effects, and several people who had the complete works of fever, chills, rash, etc.

>174 qebo: Interestingly, from what I've been following on the long COVID forums getting vaccinated seems to have actually improved many people's symptoms.

>175 AlisonY: Yeah, I've heard the same. And I'm sure this acquaintance has too, but she remains wary. I wasn't about to argue; I know her through a shared avocation, and she's in the medical loop with a doctor so who am I.

>174 qebo: It's unfortunate that some people need to personally experience tragedy before they will believe it. And who knows how many people they infected before they became believers.

>174 qebo: I am interested (and appalled) that many American Christians are actively working to thwart covid abatement. For some it's tied up with the Mark of the Beast at the End Times. For others it's distrust of the mainstream media, which is seen as hostile to faith. For still others, it's hatred of government, a threat to worship. And there seems to be some confused notion that mask-wearing and social distancing interferes with "abundant life" that seems tied up with the prosperity gospel. Vaccination generally is a contentious issue among anti-abortion factions where vaccines were developed with fetal stem cell lines that were established decades ago. Bishops ruled that taking such vaccines was not a sin, but I have heard some Catholic moms say that they will not "inject dead babies into my arm even if it keeps me alive."

Where states have cracked down on religious worship or religious schools for not following guidelines, there have been a flurry of First Amendment lawsuits.

Religious freedom comes with responsibilities, and navigating those lines has caused sometimes violent differences of opinion.

I wonder if countries outside the U.S. are struggling with similar issues.

>178 nohrt4me2: Isabella Wilkerson notes there is an element of US white entitlement in these perspectives. (In her book Caste.) It makes some sense is that these evangelical American organizations are mixed into that white entitlement/white is superior mentality. But also many of these people are not white.

I felt off last night, had weird thoughts all night, was low grade feverish from around 4-to-6 am, finally fell back asleep (with Tylenol). Now have a lingering resilient headache. 🙁 Not happy...can’t read... but not exactly tortuous.

>179 dchaikin: Caste sounds interesting. Evangelicals come in so many flavors that it is hard to classify them. I have heard African American evangelical pastors talk about the lack of interest in social justice among white counterparts.

I think " social justice" is defined by congregations in diff ways, often skewed to represent that congregation's interests and push their advantages. Happens among Catholics, even where social justice precepts are in the Catechism. Not all these issues are weighted equally in every parish.

Feel better soon.

Has anyone felt a bit down after their vax? I felt weirdly very emotionally low after my first Pfizer, and I swear it was the vaccine as it came out of nowhere, about 4 days after the vaccination and lasted a couple of days. Really hoping I don't get that again with vax #2.

Alison - I imagine feeling bad or tired can cause an emotional low. But I haven't heard of what you went through. I'm sorry.

>181 AlisonY: Not quite the same thing as you're describing, I think, but I've talked to a few friends who agree that there's a general feeling of anticlimax in the air right now—that people are getting vaccinated and restrictions are being lifted, but life is still looking a lot like it did. Barring really important reunions, of course. But otherwise... May is looking a whole lot like April, other than the fact that the weather's nicer.

>165 kidzdoc: Thanks for posting that, Darryl!

>183 lisapeet: Having kids who can't get the vaccine (ages 11 and 8), we feel the same way. My husband, the grandparents, and my sister and brother in law are all fully vaccinated along with most of our adult friends. But what do we do now with the kids? Do they have to wear masks even outside all summer? Still no travel? Still no restaurants? What am I going to do for childcare now that my husband and I are full time in person at work again?

It's very difficult to know what to do. Both of my kids have dealt very well with all this, but when they returned to hybrid school last month, some unexpected consequences came up. My 8 year old, in particular, is having severe anxiety at school. He's never had this before. And my 11 year old is having a hard time getting back to proper school behavior after doing all his work on his own schedule with no social distractions for the past year. We'll get there, but the path is still unclear.

>185 japaul22: I agree that it's hard to know what to do, especially as things start opening up. The guidelines are changing all the time. For instance, as of a few days ago, I believe the new CDC guidelines are no masks outside, even for unvaccinated, as long as you can safely distance (no crowded venues). My niece's t-ball team no longer has to mask. I chose to mask because the bleacher area was crowded, and I have a cold. One positive to come out of this is that perhaps more people will routinely wear masks when sick, and flu rates will stay lower.

NYC's mandate is no masks outside for fully vaccinated folks—I think that makes sense, given the fact that "outside" in NYC can still be pretty dense. Up here in my part of the Bronx, where it's more open than a lot of NYC areas, I've noticed on my daily walks that a lot of people are still wearing masks outdoors. Whether that's extra paranoia, because NYC was hit so badly at the beginning of the pandemic, or just people really sticking to the letter of the law, I don't know. But it's heartening to see people still taking mask wearing seriously. There's 100% compliance in the stores I go to—mostly Whole Foods, Walgreen's, and the occasional visit to Lowe's.

I'm four days away from my two weeks post-second-vax mark, and I have a feeling it's going to feel VERY weird to go walking without a mask.

>187 lisapeet: it’s a different world in tx. In the last six weeks I’ve been to Philadelphia briefly twice, and the different attitude between here (very lackadaisical, with low percentage mask wearing) and there (very concerned) is striking.

My sister lives in South Africa, and the last few months there have almost been like "Covid? What Covid?". As the same time as we've been in lockdown for 4 months she's been out and about at barbecues and having friends over. Speaking to her today, they are now in a third wave, which I think is hardly surprising.

Even more worrying, there seems to be a movement in SA around taking the animal drug Ivermectin to ward off Covid, with even many doctors advocating it on the QT. My sister and her partner are taking a small amount every few weeks which scares the life out of me. I forwarded her an article in the BMJ (British Medical Journal) which was talking about this wave of support for Ivermectin in SA, and how in the US multiple people have been hospitalised having taken it.

We were fully vaccinated back in February, and were getting ready to relax a bit seeing kids/grandkids, when we read an article (NYT I think) that reported that many immunosuppressed people--perhaps due to chemo, immunosuppressive drugs, blood cancers, or something else-have been found not to be protected by the vaccines. Since my husband is on immunosuppressive drugs he is in that category, so he was tested for antibodies. Turns out he has none--the vaccine did not take for him. And probably never will as long as he's on these drugs, which will probably be the rest of his life. So we are trying to figure out what to do. I feel fully protected, but I'm concerned I could be a carrier back to him. Assuming herd immunity is the only thing that will protect him, I can only urge everyone to get vaccinated as soon as they can!

>190 arubabookwoman:
Oh, that’s tough! Sorry you’re having to deal with this

>190 arubabookwoman: so sorry. I had heard that. With my mother in assisted living I hear lots of horror stories like places fully vaccinated that get covid runs. I think this might mean the vaccine doesn’t work on weak or compromised immune systems.

My 14 year old son will get his first Pfizer shot tomorrow, which is so exciting! My younger son will turn 12 in December, and then he will be able to get one also (if not sooner, if they expand the age range again). Yay!!

>190 arubabookwoman: what a pain!

My 15 year old grandson had cystic fibroses and wants to get a job this summer. Hope he gets vaccinated soon.

>193 karspeak: my son, also 14, is scheduled for short #1 today.

I hesitate to mention this, because I do not want to dissuade anyone from getting vaccinated, but my daughter (17) has had continued nausea since getting her first shot three weeks ago. Her doctor said that anecdotally she is hearing of patients for whom the vaccine seems to aggravate existing issues or simply persist. I have not found any literature to that effect though. Has anyone else?

My three youngest grandchildren, ages 12, 13, and 14, are all scheduled to get their vaccines. I think Ella got her first shot today, and Michael and Catherine are scheduled for Saturday. The older ones got theirs as soon as the 16+ group was released. So, very shortly, my entire family will be vaccinated. I feel relieved.

>196 labfs39: I have not heard of this, but I hope your daughter will feel better soon! Can the doctor give her an anti-emetic? Poor kid.

Just to add to the discussion of unexpected effects:

While I support vaccines and am very happy to have had both Moderna shots, I did notice that my platelet level dropped after shot #2. Several patients in my blood cancer discussion group also noticed this. We all had the normal sick-for-two-days reaction to the vaccine--which means our immune systems are not totally shot from the chemo, so yay that!--and if we weren't getting platelet checks frequently, we wouldn't have noticed the platelet drop.

The low-platelet effect is temporary, but a few people were concerned about big plunges in their counts and contacted oncologists to see if they should adjust their oral chemo doses. And all of us are hoping that researchers will look at the platelet drop as a possible avenue to explore for new treatment for blood cancers.

I do not know if the vax affects platelet counts in healthy people without the genetic mutation that drives our cancer and makes our systems work differently than most people.

The effects of the vax on those of us with underlying illnesses, known or unknown, are still a little hazy. And I understand why some people are hinky about getting the shots, especially for their kids.

I had my second shot of the Pfizer vaccine last week - I had no reaction at all - I hope it worked. Looking forward to the restaurants opening next week - terraces only, so sunny weather would be good.

>199 baswood: Where do you live?

>200 karspeak: South West France

>199 baswood: kudos

I’m fully vaccinated as of two days ago. I had my second shot on April 30 (Moderna). Yesterday I got a haircut, first professional one since February or March 2020. (It’s not much for me, just clippers.)

I'm in SC, so masking and distancing was never universal. Now that everyone in my family is fully vaccinated, I've found that my unease around the unmasked is gone. Not going back to those businesses that were careless with or hostile toward masking - not as punishment, but because if they don't care about public safety in the clear and obvious ways, what other corners are they cutting? But I'm also not wary of those who are unmasked and have begun to enjoy going out to get a meal or a drink again. So far it's been outside, but it's lovely doing so and feeling safe about it.

I got my second Pfizer on Thursday, and touch wood no illness to report. A couple of nights of really crazy dreams, though! I Googled it and apparently it's a thing - something to do with how your sleep is affected when your body thinks it's fighting off an illness.

My daughter (17) had fewer side effects with her second shot than with first one. Maybe because she had covid previously? It feels very strange going somewhere without a mask on.

There's a lot of concern in the UK about the Indian variant, which has taken hold in a few towns in England which have a high immigrant population.

Interested if it's hurting any other parts of the world? The cautious feeling here at the moment is that the current vaccinations should do the trick, but they are reducing the gap window from 12 weeks to 8 for some age groups, and have put a big effort into wide vaccinating in the hot spots.

In our area of Maine, it seems like vaccinations are slowing down. You can get walk-in appointments and some sites have closed. I worry that most of the people who will vaccinate have already done so. About 49% of Mainers have both doses and 59% have one. It's the fifth highest state in the US. But that's not enough...

>204 AlisonY: I had crazy dreams the first night. It was a wild experience!

My parents (both 91) have been in a pretty locked down retirement place - Mom in her own independent apartment, Dad in Assisted Living (Alzheimers). They are finally allowing fully vaccinated visitors. So my sister and I went last weekend. It was joyful, but also very emotional since we haven't been able to visit for a year and a half. They are 400+ miles away. We took my mom out to lunch (well actually she wanted to take US out...) and we went to Perkins. That felt very strange! I imagined my first restaurant visit would be somewhere with an outdoor patio. Also, my church choir got together IN PERSON for the first time since March of 2020. We all wore masks and stood six feet apart (well, more like 3 feet...) but we SANG! Now I am hoping that my local book clubs can meet outside this summer, and my Welsh class group (all vaccinated) is planning to meet in person next month. Life is slowly returning to something more normal.

In Ontario we are still in a lockdown ( until the beginning of June) but our Covid numbers are decreasing so we have been promised a better July-August. About 50% of our population has had one vaccine dose- we have been told that we need about 75% with one vaccine dose before more can open up. ( I am dying for a haircut and pedicure!) Curb side shopping pickup and delivery are pretty good. I am trying to keep all my book buying to independent bookstores.

>209 WelshBookworm: Welsh classes! Another Welsh-American friend and I took a night class one time. Fun but hard. Comic Rhod Gilbert has a funny schtick about trying to learn Welsh: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qvScUgHcA8Y&feature=emb_imp_woyt

>210 torontoc: Whereas here in the states, not only have we opened up, but the CDC now says fully vaccinated people don't need to wear masks at all. Which means, of course, that no one is going to wear a mask, because how can you tell who has and who hasn't? And nationwide only 37% of the population is fully vaccinated.

I'm in Vancouver, had my first Moderna shot 2 weeks ago, and my 21 year old was able to book her first shot appointment today (2 weeks in the future). We were looking at 4 months between shots, but there is a lot of vaccine arriving so it looks like the second doses will be speeding up now.

I hear that once you have both shots you no longer need your cell phone or computer to communicate, due to that super helpful chip.

(yes, this is a joke. I heard it on a podcast)

>211 nohrt4me2: That was fun! Diolch!

>209 WelshBookworm: Singing! I miss it.

>207 labfs39: Here in our area of NH, the big sites have or are being closed down and the vaccines are being given in pharmacies...etc. I am definitely looking forward to eating out somewhere, especially returning to our regular weekly breakfast gig at the local "country kitchen."

>216 avaland: I love eating out and have really missed it. My husband and I used to do breakfast every Saturday. I’ve been inside at restaurants four times in the past two weeks. My daughter and granddaughter stayed for a few days after my granddaughter’s graduation from Northeastern University on the eighth. We are all fully vaccinated, and we took advantage of going out. It was lovely. We chose restaurants that are big and not crowded.

On a side note, I want to be the bragging grandmother as Alice graduated summa cum laude. The ceremony was held at Fenway Park in Boston. The students were on the field, and since they were only allowed one ticket, my daughter watched from the bleachers while my son-in-law watched on his iPad in the car in the parking lot. I watched from my living room on my iPad. It seems a sad way to celebrate a special event.

>217 NanaCC: Was this one of Chris's girls? I've lost track of their ages. Either way, congrats to the whole family (it does seem a bit sad, but there will be a story attached to it forever more :-)

>218 avaland: Yes, Alice is the middle one. Emma graduated a couple of years ago. She’s living in Chicago right now, but hopes to move back to the east coast sometime near September I think. And, Owen graduates from high school this year. Time flies.

>217 NanaCC: Congratulations, Colleen. That is a wonderful achievement. My daughter is also graduating high school this year, but being an introvert, she doesn't mind the necessity of low-key celebrations. I feel sorry for those who are disappointed that their milestones cannot be feted as in the past, but like Lois says, years from now it will make for good stories.

>220 labfs39: thank you, Lisa. I think my grandson is much the same as your daughter. Low-key will be fine for him too. He has decided to do a gap year. He might take a couple of courses at a community college, but he really has no idea what he wants to do. He plans to work and save up some money.

>220 labfs39: I think back to '72 when my brother's graduation was suddenly and unexpectedly held outside due to a bomb scare.

>221 NanaCC: Those are my daughter's plans exactly.

>222 avaland: Wow, it must have taken some hustling to make that transition at the last minute.

>221 NanaCC: What a good idea. It's useful to take a break and give them time to consider what they want to do with their lives.

>223 labfs39:, >224 RidgewayGirl: I think that Covid had a lot to do with his decision as well. Not really being able to experience the college visits, and doing his senior year remotely were also factors. But it is a really good decision for him.

>225 NanaCC: My son graduates from high school next week and he's only visiting the college he already agreed to attend at the end of this month. It's been weird.

>223 labfs39: It wasn't even last minute. They were in the middle of handing out the diplomas when it happened and everyone filed out on the front lawn and somehow it all got done. I'm a bit hazy on the details after all this time.

>196 labfs39: Update: my daughter's nausea lasted several weeks after her first vaccine, but has ceased. Two different doctors said they have had patients whose vaccine symptoms persisted, but resolved within a month. Even better news: my daughter's hives, which she had almost every day for the last year as a result of having covid, have gone away since her vaccine, and I am off the beta-blocker for my heart! I had read that the vaccine reduced or eliminated symptoms in some long-covid patients, but I didn't dare hope too much. As a result we have halted plans to begin anti-IgE therapy for my daughter. Yay!

edited to add: I feel like these personal updates are TMI, but both my daughter and I believe it is important for people to understand the effects covid and long-covid can have on even non-hospitalized people. It's maddening every time we interact with a non-believer or "it's-only-a-cold" person.

>228 labfs39: I’m so glad that you both seem to be doing better.

>228 labfs39: Wow, that is a long haul. Glad the hives are gone, and you can go off the bet a blocker and things are generally going better for you. I agree with you regarding the importance of understanding the effects of covid....

>228 labfs39: So glad for you and your daughter. I was staggered with what I learnt on long COVID when researching it for our app. The stories in the Facebook long COVID forums are horrendous - people's lives are being totally devastated by it, and there is a general theme of lack of medical support. I was speaking with a physio who also got funding for a long COVID innovation, and he said he was staggered with the variation in symptoms presented and the severity of them (and as you say, these were mostly people who weren't hospitalised with their initial infection). He was telling me there is a general school of thought that the virus is affecting the sympathetic nervous symptom, hence why people are suffering with anything from IBS to fatigue to headaches.

I've seen desperate pleas for support from fit 30 year olds who are so fatigued they need to bring a chair to sit on in the shower, and this is months after the initial infection.

I'm not sure what it's like in the States, but certainly I don't feel people with long COVID are getting much press attention in the UK.

>231 AlisonY: For a long time, the mainstream press in the US seemed to ignore long covid. I remember reading my first article about it last June, when I had been sick for three months already. It was incredibly emotional to feel even anecdotally validated. At that point, not only were doctors sceptical, but family and friends. After all, we were being told by our government that it was nothing but a two-week flu. Since then there has been increasing awareness in the doctors we have dealt with, especially specialists like the cardiologist and the allergist. My primary care physician (PCP) is less believing, but my daughter's is very aware.

As you point out, the symptoms are so varied and persist for such different amounts of time that it is hard to even define long covid. In addition, like sufferers of chronic fatigue syndrome, it's hard to quantify. I was able to tell doctors: I had a fever for this many days (almost 100), my cough persisted until September, here are auto-dated photos of my daughter's hives. But symptoms like fatigue (and brain fog) are hard to quantify and thus difficult to prove. Fatigue was my worst symptom (I relate to the chair in the shower), but after it had persisted for a couple of months, I was reluctant to even mention it, because it sounded like an excuse.

In December the Institue of Health (NIH) was provided with $1.15 billion to study long covid. Grants are now being given to researchers and some initial studies are coming out. I hope awareness will increase as the news picks up the results of these studies and that treatments will be developed.

My nephew had a mild case of Covid last March. He lost his sense of taste and smell. Even now he has issues with taste. ( and he is lucky that is the only symptom that has remained)The good news- he was part of a Part three study for a new plant based vaccine and his results are very positive.

>233 torontoc: Plant-based... that's interesting.

>234 labfs39: -yes -a modified form of a tobacco plant

The beta blocker was for something covud related?

>233 torontoc: >234 labfs39: Found this - Phase 1 results: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-021-01370-1
Phase 1 randomized trial of a plant-derived virus-like vaccine for COVID-19

The plant is Nicotiana benthamiana originally native to Australia

>236 dianeham: Yes, heart problems are not uncommon among covid patients even months later (ie long haulers). The more serious problem is myocarditis and the more common is arrhythmias. I have never had heart issues, am otherwise healthy, and not overweight, yet I started having palpitations, sometimes dozens a minute. On ultrasound, my heart would sometimes pause beating and quiver. The treatment for it is beta blockers. The first one tried was too sedating, so I was put on a different one, which suppressed but did not stop the pvc and pacs (premature ventricular and atrial contractions). Although not harmful, pvcs are extremely distracting, especially when so frequent. Plus it's disconcerting. Fortunately, the vaccine seems to have rebooted my system, and I am no longer having them. I am fortunate. A couple of tragic stories have been in the press lately about young healthy people dying of covid-related heart complications.

>237 SassyLassy: Thank you, that is very interesting. I had no idea that there were so many different vaccines in trials, never mind this plant-based one.

>238 labfs39: I'm glad that the vaccine had a beneficial effect to your long haul symptoms. That's good news.

I just got my second vaccine shot-and a lot of my friends have appointments !

>240 torontoc:
YES! It's picked up quickly in Canada. I haven't had my 2nd yet, but my husband had his yesterday. They are very organized and have it all together in Vancouver. And I'm not meeting too many anti-vaxers. My office of 10 people (28-58) have all had theirs. My husband's cousin is a loon and a hold-out, but she's not typical.

My Welsh class is meeting in person on Sunday for the first time in over a year. We are all vaccinated now.

Everyone I know is fully vaccinated who wants to be, and that is starting to include the 12 and up crowd who are getting second shots now since they've been eligible in the US for about a month. My kids are still too young (11 and 8), but our community numbers are incredibly low so the fear has lessened quite a bit. Our very large county outside of D.C. (population of 1.15 million) only had 7 cases yesterday. 60% of our population has had the first dose of vaccine (and that's total population and includes kids who aren't eligible - our numbers for the more vulnerable age groups are about 88% vaccinated). My kids have done the last 6 weeks of school in person four days a week, which has been amazing after a whole year on the computer.

I'm back at work full force and we gave our first outdoor public concert this past Wednesday. It was amazing to play for a live audience again.

After being off work for a month I went back on hospital service on Friday. Nine of the patients on my list were teenagers and young adults with anorexia or unspecified eating disorders, which I'm sure is the most I've seen in one day in my 21 year career as a pediatric hospitalist, and I only saw roughly half of the eating disorders patients on our census. Before the pandemic we might have three or four patients at a time, but, as I've probably said before, this year has been absolutely horrific for these poor kids, many of whom have more intractable and lengthy cases of the disease. Atl least three of these patients were critically ill when they first showed up in our ED, and they required admission to our Pediatric ICU. We also had another half dozen or so patients who required inpatient medical stabilization after ingesting medications in suicide attempts, and there were roughly that same number in our Emergency Department who were awaiting placement in a psychiatric hospital for the same problem or something similar.

Despite what some in the media are saying the pandemic is far from over, as cases are beginning to rise, especially in states and regions with low vaccination rates, and I expect that there will be a significant surge in hospitalizations starting late next week, due in large part to social gatherings during this Independence Day weekend combined with the relaxation of mask wearing and social distancing mandates, and the increased infectivity of the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2.

In Ontario, our restrictions are still enforced- everyone has to wear a mask inside stores and buildings and there are only outdoor patios serving food. The US-Canadian border is still closed to all but essential travel- on July 6, I believe Canadian citizens and those with permanent resident cards can come into Canada and can avoid isolation if they have been vaccinated and two weeks have passed. People still need a negative Covid test as well.

My 14 year old son (who is fully vaccinated) flew out yesterday from Miami direct to Barcelona for a 2-week Spanish language camp. He flew as an unaccompanied minor. The requirements for traveling to Spain kept changing up until the day before his flight, which was very stressful! In the end, all he needed was a QR code that was emailed to him by the Spanish government after we filled out all of the online paperwork, and everything went smoothly.

>244 kidzdoc: Thanks for that update. Sad as it is, my sense is also that we in the U.S. are celebrating the end of COVID way too soon and setting ourselves up for a surge among young people. Questions still to be answered: When will we need boosters, will you need to stick with the same brand of vax as your original shot (or can a Moderna recipient get a J&J booster, for ex), where will we get them, and how much will they cost? If we need boosters six months after the first series of shots, elderly people who were fully vaccinated by February will start needing these shots next month. Nobody is talking about that as far as I know.

>247 nohrt4me2: Agreed. It seemed like everyone was traveling this long weekend, and I... just don't feel good about that yet.

Same in the UK. In England there is a push still for lifting of pretty much all restrictions come 19th July, including making face masks voluntary. This is despite COVID infections rising, but as deaths and people being hospitalised is on a slower trajectory due to vaccinations the economic argument is winning over health risk now. This makes me hugely anxious with my dad very much at risk. It seems like the need to drive the economy is more important than the 10% like him who are more at risk.

I'm NI there's not so much of a push as there is in England, and today it said on the news it's likely we'll have to keep wearing masks beyond the England date. However, I feel like a social leper amongst my friends as most are back to eating out, going to gyms, etc. and I'm not ready for that. Our news this morning said there's no doubt we're entering a 4th wave, so that's enough to put me off. Workplaces seem to be increasingly asking people to return part-time to the office.

All in all, it feels like decisions have been made at a government level to push on with getting everything open and accepting that some additional people will die as a result. We're all just statistics when it comes down to it.

>249 AlisonY: Yes, opening up by arbitrary dates rather than percentage of positive tests or people vaccinated seeems idiotic to me. Here in the U.S., it was "let's all celebrate our independence from the virus on July 4 whether it's gone or not!"

I am immune compromised, so I still wear a mask if I am going in a store somewhere. I did enjoy the outdoor market this Saturday without a mask, though I did watch distances.

Friends are bugging me to have coffee or lunch in restaurants, and I am not comfortable with that yet. As social groups re-form people will just get used to not inviting me places. They're not doing it on purpose, but when you're sick, you drop off people's radars. Just how it is.

In my corner of Canada (western edge), we are doing well with the vaccine, and our numbers look better, so they officially lifted the mask requirement, but say it's still recommended. We went away for the Canada Day long weekend, and almost everyone was still wearing masks indoors and in more crowded outside areas. A homeless man did say to my husband, "Hey, you don't have to wear those anymore," and he replied, "but I want to."

We have had a few meals inside restaurants. Our favorite local breakfast place still has the tables spread apart, which I appreciated. Other than some dining out, we've not done that much differently. Had a doc appointment, and we arrived masked, and that remains a total masked event. Otherwise, we make judgements re masks...etc according to the situation.

After maybe two years of not seeing them, I was supposed to drive up into Maine to my brothers' house but Wednesday evening I came down with a horrendous COLD! Remember those!!?? I haven't had one since late January 2020. They are just as miserable as you remember. Baby granddaughter passed it to me, after she and her family went to visit friends in Maine.

>252 avaland: There has been a huge surge in respiratory viruses that are normally seen in the late autumn to early spring months, most notably RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), the cause of most hospitalizations of infants and young toddlers for bronchiolitis, but also rhinovirus/enterovirus, adenovirus, and the parainfluenza viruses. Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, my employer, posts a weekly Virometer on Tuesdays, which provides the result of all positive test results for respiratory viruses in our system. Last week 92 kids tested positive for RSV, 74 for rhinovirus/enterovirus, 31 for adenovirus, and 21 for parainfluenza virus type 3.

I and the other hospitalists in my group have been inundated with sick babies with RSV bronchiolitis for the past several weeks, some of whom have been critically ill and requested admission or transfer to our PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit). The hospital is completely full, and several patients that we admitted from our ED had to stay there until an inpatient bed was available for them to move into.

What is even more concerning is the sharp uptick of positive SARS-CoV-2 cases in the system, which our Virometer also measures. Two weeks ago there were two per week, last week 10, and yesterday 28. I also saw my first patient with COVID-19 in months, a 20 day old who was admitted due to fever, who fortunately only had a mild cold (his mother was quite ill, though). My friends who are primary care pediatricians in metro Atlanta are also reporting a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases in their practices.

I anticipate that we'll see a surge in kids hospitalized due to MIS-C, multisystem inflammatory syndrome of childhood, by mid-August, as this syndrome follows an asymptomatic or mild case of COVID-19 by two or three weeks. As I mentioned on my Facebook post, it's winter in July.

>253 kidzdoc: I am not surprised, but am so sorry to hear this. The weekly rolling average in Michigan has doubled, though still low (about 250 cases per day). However the D variant is popping up, and as we saw earlier this year, those rolling averages can start to rise exponentially when people get careless.

When I was in the hospital for my TEE yesterday, there were three Code Pinks for pediatric ICU emergencies, and I was only there for a few hours (and under anesthesia for at least one of them). The nurse in charge of me said that pediatrics was full of respiratory cases.

When I asked the nurse why I had to drag myself down to the big hospital 30 miles away instead of having my TEE at our little satellite hospital where I usually get procedures, she said that they no longer have the staff at the little hospital to handle "regular" procedures. The problem is that a) too many staff are being pulled away from their regular areas to deal with COVID and other bugs that are circulating and b) many staff have quit because they are completely burned out from pandemic duty. I will not be able to get a consult with the cardiologist on the TEE results unnti August 18 because the cardiologist is not visiting my area as often due to staffing shortages.

I fear that the longer the pandemic drags on, the more we'll see more health care service disruptions like this.

As someone who needs a lot of monitoring, I am trying to understand what is going on and to be cheerful and express gratitude to those still willing to work through these hard times. They are trying so hard not to let people with routine chronic illnesses slip through the cracks. How they stay caring and nice is absolutely beyond me.

>253 kidzdoc: I am completely baffled by states like Texas, whose governor just signed an executive order stating "no student, teacher, parent, or other staff member or visitor can be required to wear a mask while on campus." Yet, like Darryl says, the numbers of children being hospitalized with covid are surging. Last week Johns Hopkins Children's Hospital admitted the most children with covid since the pandemic began. Governor Abbot goes on to say "The Lone Star State continues to defeat COVID-19 through the use of widely-available vaccines, antibody therapeutic drugs, and safe practices utilized by Texans in our communities," said Governor Abbott. "Texans, not government, should decide their best health practices, which is why masks will not be mandated by public school districts or government entities. We can continue to mitigate COVID-19 while defending Texans' liberty to choose whether or not they mask up." And yet "A Texas church network has announced that it is canceling a children’s camp event after around 80 participants of an earlier youth camp event tested positive for COVID-19 (in one week)." Do they not think this is going to happen in school???

A recent Twitter post by a mom was very affecting. She said that our kids have given up 18 months of their childhood and two school years have been effected, but because adults won't "grow up" and get vaccinated, all that these kids have gone through is in vain. Now they are continuing to pay with their health and yet another school year that will inevitably be broken up due to mass outbreaks. I thought more people would care about the kids over their God-given right not to get vaccinated.

Even though many children have "mild" or asymptomatic cases, I am very concerned about whether they will suffer from long covid. Estimates range as high as one-third of adults who have covid get long covid. And it's often younger adults with no underlying conditions and who are not sick enough to be hospitalized that get long covid. Will an entire cohort of children be ill for (potentially) years?

Sorry to carry on so, but it makes me very angry

>255 labfs39: Lisa, when Sandy Hook happened, everyone just shrugged and moved on. Children dying are not motivation for a significant number of Americans.

Children dying are not motivation for a significant number of Americans.

That certainly appears to be accurate

We've not had noticeable outbreaks of winter viruses in N. Ireland (yet...), but generally in the UK COVID cases are surging too. We've not had 'freedom day' in NI yet as England started this week, but I suspect it's coming soon as there will be too much pressure not to when the rest of the UK is heading that way. I've noticed that even though our restrictions haven't changed here yet in terms of mask wearing, etc., there are a lot more people simply not bothering any more. Even amongst friends who were generally very compliant with all restrictions for over a year I'm noticing a new mood of people being done with being restricted and being prepared to take a chance to get on with their lives.

My blood boiled when I read a thread on social media during the week amongst some 20 somethings who were all complaining about what was the point of getting vaccinated when that's what their immune systems are for, and they'd rather go down that route than take a vaccination we've all been "brainwashed" over. The me, me, me generation... A row also broke out around statistics and data - according to one young man who wasn't prepared to let the point go, there are more people dying of the vaccination than the virus. I don't know the stats, but I'm fairly certain that's not remotely true.

>258 AlisonY: At least here in the US, a large portion of the me, me, me generation are in their forties and fifties.

>259 RidgewayGirl: In Canada as well, or at least in Ontario where I am. Fifty/sixty year olds seems to be the most resistant (although not to the same degree as our friends down south). The youngsters seem to be all over vaccines and masks.

>258 AlisonY: Here's some stats about the vaccine and deaths in the US from the CDC.

As of July 12, 2021, more than 159 million people in the United States had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

During the same time, CDC received reports from 48 U.S. states and territories of 1,063 patients with COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough infection died. Of these 272 (26%) of the 1,063 fatal cases reported as asymptomatic or not related to COVID-19.

So out of 159 million vaccinated Americans, 791 caught covid and died. That does NOT mean that they died of the vaccine.

According to Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS):

The rate of anaphylaxis (severe allergic reaction) was less than 5 people per million vaccinated. (That's why you have to sit there for 15 minutes after being vaccinated. To see if you are one of the 5 per million. If you are you get an epipen or whatever, there is no evidence that anyone has actually died of anaphylaxis after the vaccine.)

About 23 people have developed thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) after more than 8.4 million doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccines had been given. I think 3 of them may have died. They would be the ONLY people to have died from the vaccine, and even that link is being investigated.

So where do conspiracy theorists find these scary numbers of post-vaccine deaths come from? Anyone, not just doctors, can report a death of a vaccinated person to VAERS. It is not fact checked. The data from the medical reports of those people is then crunched to determine how many of them died of car accidents, cancer, gun shot wounds, etc., which had nothing to do with the fact that they were vaccinated. Sensationalists however neglect to mention that and give the raw number, as though every death was caused by the vaccine just because they were vaccinated.

The same goes for unfounded claims that the vaccine causes any number of problems, such as miscarriage. Just because a vaccinated women miscarries, does NOT mean she miscarried because of the vaccine. Women miscarry. Statistically if the same number of vaccinated women miscarry as unvaccinated, being vaccinated is irrelevant. But anti-vaxxers are quick to claim "x number of women miscarried after being vaccinated!" What they neglect to say is sadly that number of women would have miscarried anyway.

>261 labfs39: I agree - I've no idea where they're finding these supposedly 'hidden' facts around the vaccine killing more people. The joys of internet garbage.

The Astra Zeneca vaccine has caused TSS too in very rare cases (I don't know the total number that died, but the rate of people getting TSS was 10.9 per million doses). The marginal risk was 1 in 100,000 if you are over 50 to 1 in 50,000 if you are between 18 and 49. As a result, the decision was made that no under 40s would receive the AZ vaccine, and there haven't been any instances of TSS with the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, so there's even less argument for vaccine hesitancy if you're in that age group. Vaccine hesitancy has been twice as high in 16 to 29 year olds in the UK as for older age groups, and it seems to be fear of side effects which is the main reason.

>253 kidzdoc: Thanks for the info, Darryl.

I appear to be wrong. The surge of patients admitted due to COVID-19 to my hospital won't be in mid-August; it's happening now. Three patients were admitted to our (hospitalist) service yesterday, two sick teenagers with multifocal COVID-19 pneumonia, according to an email one of my partners sent early yesterday evening, and a 5 week old baby with a fever and respiratory distress. We now have four COVID-19 patients on our service, which admittedly isn't many, but there are probably several critically ill kids in our PICU infected with SARS-CoV-2 who carry a primary diagnosis of acute respiratory failure, and perhaps others on the Pulmonology service.

Meanwhile, a former physician colleague who worked in our Emergency Department has apparently gone off the deep end, and is spouting his misguided beliefs on social media and one of the major news stations in Atlanta. He claims that children don't get sick with COVID-19, and says that there is no need for children to get vaccinated. I plan to invite him to round with me in the hospital next week, and I'm sure that my PICU colleagues would do likewise.

>254 nohrt4me2: When I asked the nurse why I had to drag myself down to the big hospital 30 miles away instead of having my TEE at our little satellite hospital where I usually get procedures, she said that they no longer have the staff at the little hospital to handle "regular" procedures. The problem is that a) too many staff are being pulled away from their regular areas to deal with COVID and other bugs that are circulating and b) many staff have quit because they are completely burned out from pandemic duty.

I fear that the longer the pandemic drags on, the more we'll see more health care service disruptions like this.

Staff burnout is a major sequela of the COVID-19 pandemic, in my hospital and across the country. Dozens of our best floor nurses have resigned or taken non-hospital positions, and fewer new graduates are willing to work in hospital settings. Now that we are extremely busy this has become a major crisis, as we are struggling to find enough nurses to care for the patients we have. Physician burnout, especially for critical care and emergency physicians but also for primary care pediatricians, is also on the rise, and I've certainly given some thought to finishing my career in a non-clinical position outside of the hospital setting, especially since it would mean that I could move closer to my elderly parents and help care for them in their home more effectively than I am able to do now.

To be continued...

>255 labfs39: Republican politicians and right wing media outlets appear to be twisting themselves into knots this week, presumably because they now understand that their base and viewers are at increased risk of significant illness and death from COVID-19; a study in June by the Kaiser Family Foundation, titled KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor: June 2021 showed statistically significant and rather large differences in the percentages of adults who identify as Democrat vs Republican who were fully vaccinated; who had received one vaccine; whose household was fully vaccinated; who intended to get vaccinated; and, most disturbingly, who said that they would refuse the vaccine. The Republican governor of Alabama, which has the lowest vaccination rate in the country (~33% of eligible Alabamans are fully vaccinated) said that it is “time to start blaming the unvaccinated folks” for the disease’s continued spread, and Sean Hannity of Fox News said that we must “take COVID seriously” and that he believes in the “science of vaccinations,” although Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham continue to spout lies about the pandemic and the effectiveness of vaccines and recommended public health measures. A conservative radio talk show host in Tennessee who previously spoke against vaccination is now seriously ill with COVID-19, and his family says that he is now encouraging everyone to get vaccinated. Hopefully these politicians and media personalities can now encourage Trump's flock to get vaccinated ASAP, so that this current wave (third? fourth?) of the pandemic can be significantly mitigated.

Even though many children have "mild" or asymptomatic cases, I am very concerned about whether they will suffer from long covid. Estimates range as high as one-third of adults who have covid get long covid. And it's often younger adults with no underlying conditions and who are not sick enough to be hospitalized that get long covid. Will an entire cohort of children be ill for (potentially) years?

Great point. We're concerned about that as well.

>257 Nickelini: Children dying are not motivation for a significant number of Americans.

Agreed. What didn't happen after the Sandy Hook massacre is a major reason why I've lost faith in the goodness and decency of that segment of the American population, and any hope that things will improve in this country significantly during my lifetime.

>258 AlisonY: I hope that the surge of winter viruses such as RSV and adenovirus doesn't come to Northern Ireland. However, the young granddaughter of one of my Dutch friends in the 75 Books group was hospitalized with RSV bronchiolitis for several days last week.

Several US cities, including Philadelphia, where I am now, are reinstituting indoor mask requirements for the general public. I suspect that there will be a great deal of resistance to these measures, especially by young people who view themselves as invulnerable. It's disappointing and infuriating that so many people, and not just millennials, only think of themselves and don't consider other individuals and populations at risk for becoming seriously ill due to COVID-19.

>259 RidgewayGirl: True. There are at least as many self-centered Americans in their 40s and 50s as in their 20s and 30s, although the only age group that seems to be consistently considerate of others are children under 10.

Darryl - are you seeing totally healthy kids mostly being admitted with COVID, or are they kids with underlying conditions?

This next stage really concerns me in the UK. It's hard to fathom everything opening up again and the wearing of masks become non-mandatory when the UK new infection rate was the highest in the world at the weekend.

>267 AlisonY: The vast majority of the inpatients I've seen with COVID-19 were previously healthy.

I'll work all seven days this week, after only working Monday and Tuesday last week, so I'll let y'all know how it is there.

This is a rant of exasperation, so skip if you want.

I'm in SC, which has a less than 50% vaccination rate and a governor who is trying to prevent any pushes to encourage more people to be vaccinated. And there is a woman I know who is absolutely against getting the vaccine (she watches all the far right "news" channels). Now she is sick with symptoms that sound COVIDy (fever, congestion, headache) but refuses to get tested but has made the concession that she'll wear a mask in public while she's ill. She is an ER nurse.

>269 RidgewayGirl: beyond infuriating

>269 RidgewayGirl:

"If I do not get tested, then I cannot have it." - it is absolutely maddening how many people seem to have that mentality - most people outgrow the "if I cannot see you, you cannot see me" phase before they are 5...

The fact that health professionals can have that mentality is even worse. :(

>271 AnnieMod: What's even more infuriating is that not wanting to have to walk back any of her hyperbolic statements is the only motivation I can see from her.

>269 RidgewayGirl: OMG! An ER nurse! (my brother is an ER nurse in Maine, they wear masks)

>269 RidgewayGirl: That is really awful, Kay. I really can’t understand the mentality. A healthcare worker with that attitude is dangerous.

On a more encouraging note, the Wash Post reported today that the AMA and Am Nurses Assn among others have called for mandated vaxes for all health care workers. Hoping this gets some traction.

>275 nohrt4me2: NYC's doing it for all municipal workers, including health care workers, first responders, and teachers, beginning in mid-September—either get vaxed or get tested weekly. I wish it were sooner, but I guess there's some infrastructure that'll need to get put in place, city-run testing centers, etc. And there will be union stuff to hash out, I'm sure. Still, it's encouraging. New York may be kind of a screwy place in many ways, but it's stepped up pretty well during the pandemic, and folks are generally paying attention. I know it helps to be a blue city in a bluish state that learned from some really freaking bad times in early 2020, but it still makes me feel a little better. The mentality of folks like those Kay is talking about in >269 RidgewayGirl: is just enraging to me.

>276 lisapeet: I live in a red rural county, but we have one of the highest vax rates in Michigan. Not sure how to explain it, though I have some theories--high elderly population, heavily Catholic with a bishop who offered sensible leadership thru spring (tho now he wants butts in pews because revenues are falling off), widespread support for teacher/student vax after big outbreak in the county's largest district, push by regional hospital system (major employer) for people to get vaccinated.

Conservatives here tend to be civic-minded and engaged, and less drawn in by conspiracy theories. Those who were resistant to the vaccine consulted their doctors, not Facebook memes.

My conservative neighbors do express skepticism about the severity of COVID for healthy people, and they grumble about media hysteria and what they see as the Dem governor's overreach in shutting down businesses.

But they also see covid as a public health problem that responsible citizens will try to tamp down, just like a bad flu season.

The next county over is a different story ...

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57869947

BBC: Canada's vaccination rate overtakes US

Due to bad government decisions years ago, Canada decided to rely on our allies to share vaccines with us rather than just making our own. That's why we were so slow off the mark. But now Canada has caught up.

"Of G20 countries, Canada is now at the head of the pack in vaccination rates. Worldwide, it is hovering around the 15th spot for percentage of the population fully vaccinated, with the US just behind, according to the New York Times global tracker."

I heard we were just behind Israel, and I thought Europe was behind the US (but also catching up quickly). In Canada, we focused on getting the first shot and delaying the second, so I was told to expect 4 months between, but in reality it was 7 weeks. My daughter in Switzerland got her first shot about a month after me, and her second shot about the same time as my second -- so less than a month between the two. Both fully vaxxed now.

My department at work has 10 people, and for various reasons, we qualified for our shots at different times. Often this didn't appear to make sense. I didn't care -- just get it when it was offered! I was enraged when a coworker came back to our unit last week and pretended to be an anti-vaxxer (I took him at face value until one of my friends told me he just wanted attention).

>278 Nickelini: ... pretended to be an anti vaxxer

Boy, you have to wonder what kind of psycho-social problems some people have, eh?

Glad that vaccines are more available for our Canadian friends. Lots of Canadians and Australians in my cancer group have been worried about vax availability.

In Australia and the UK, there were also lots of concerns over the reported clot risks with AstraZeneca early on. The nature of the cancer puts us all at higher risk for clots than the general population ... and the few autopsies done on people with our type of rare cancer showed we were at higher risk of clots if we get covid. For awhile, a lot of patients and oncologists felt at a loss to know what the best course of action was.

Fortunately, evidence now points toward covid being a much bigger threat to our group than the AZ vaccine, and no one in my group has had any problems with the AZ.

In the UK injection rates have remained high, although they dropped for 6 consecutive days recently so there were hopes that we've passed the peak of the latest wave. I think I heard this morning that it's gone up again, though. Last week the UK was certainly back at the top of the global table on infection rates.

I think I've reached the point where I don't really believe anything that I'm told now, as there are so many political and economic agendas at play. It certainly looks like a government strategy has been agreed where getting the economy going again and people back to normality again is worth sacrificing the lesser percentage of vulnerable people for. I find that difficult to swallow with a very vulnerable person in my family.

There's a chance my kids may be in the minority and get offered a vaccination because of my dad - he received a letter yesterday, and we're just clarifying as it seemed to suggest you had to live at the same address, but our surgery thought there was an argument still given my folks are carrying out child care duties over the summer. If they can I'm glad for my dad, but I'm a bit nervous about the kids getting it given that so few children have had it yet in the UK I don't know much about potential side effects in kids that age. Interested on any news on that front from the US where it's been happening for a while.

>280 AlisonY: all seven if my grandchildren have been vaccinated. Two of them had the one shot J&J. They both had fevers for a day. One worse than the other, but it was over pretty quickly. The others had either Pfizer or Moderna and other than sore arms, they didn’t really experience any side effects that they complained to me about. I think they were all excited to not feel as nervous as they had been. And it was lovely to be able to give them hugs.

>281 NanaCC: Thanks Colleen. I think here they're only giving kids the Pfizer injection.

I suspect that we'll end up with a 'computer says no' response even though my kids are down there 3 days a week during the summer, but we'll see.

>282 AlisonY: The two grandkids who had J&J are in the 16+ group, and they had them a day or two after that age group was released. I’m pretty sure that the youngest 12, 13, 14 all had Pfizer. And that was pretty much right after they were eligible.

>283 NanaCC: One's booked in for tomorrow. The other one has to wait a few months until she's 12.

>284 AlisonY: The biggest side effect I noticed when my kids were vaccinated was my own deep feeling of relief.

There was a covid outbreak at my youngest grandchild's daycare in Brooklyn. Yesterday he tested positive, but has no symptoms (so far). My son and daughter-in-law are vaccinated, both tested negative, but today my son was feeling a bit under the weather, altho' no covid-specific symptoms.
Here in Florida, DeSantis issued an executive order that kids can't be required to wear masks at school. What a jerk!
When my husband was recently hospitalized at a cancer hospital where ALL the patients are immune-compromised we were stunned to learn that his night nurse was not vaccinated. My husband asked to have only vaccinated staff enter his room, and was told they would try to accommodate that, but management was not permitted by Florida law to ask whether an employee was vaccinated. (Can that even be true?) I've heard on the news that up to 25% of health care workers are refusing to get vaccinated.
I simply can't believe the selfishness of people refusing to get vaccinated, and people refusing to wear masks because it infringes on their freedom are acting like toddlers refusing to eat vegetables b/c they don't want their parents telling them what to do. Except in the case of wearing a mask, their refusal can have deadly consequences for others. Your "freedom" doesn't mean you can choose to drive drunk. Mask-wearing is in the same category.

M Macron french president certainly understands how to get his countrymen vaccinated - impose the requirement for a health pass to eat in a restaurant. After the announcement the booking web site crashed three times through overload.

The Jazz festival in Marciac is now in full swing or one could say reduced swing as seats for the concerts have been reduced along with restaurant capacity. Mask wearing is compulsory and I have got seats for my first visit to a concert hall in two years. Not nearly so many people as is usual for the festival, but people who are here are glad to be out and about.

>287 baswood: I am curious as to how the numbers of vaccinated continue to change in France. I read that roughly 41% of the French population was vaccinated when he made the announcement, and now, three weeks later, 52% have both shots. According to one article I read,

An app that centralizes France's vaccine appointments, Doctolib, said Tuesday that 1.3 million people signed up for injections after Macron gave a televised address Monday night. It was a daily record since France rolled out coronavirus vaccines in December. People under age 35 made up most of the new appointments, Doctolib said.

Kudos to an incentivizing, though not completely popular, policy.

>286 arubabookwoman: I'm sorry to hear that your husband cannot be assured that his nurses are vaccinated, how awful. I saw an interview with four or five nurses in Florida who are refusing to get vaccinated and I was stunned by their rationale.

>286 arubabookwoman: As I understand it, when the FDA gives regular approval for the vaccines instead of just emergency approval, schools, hospitals, dental offices, etc. will be on firmer ground in requiring vax. That seems to be what my hospital system is waiting for, tho vax rates among staff there is very high.

Meantime, I understand your concerns. I have chronic cancer, and put off two rounds of oral surgery and periodic blood screening until I was fully vaccinated.

Update from my little slice of covid heaven in Maine:

An employee in the family's business has covid and developed pneumonia. My sister, brother-in-law, and father were all close contacts, but have so far tested negative (they are all vaccinated). We have all been sick though with a viral infection. My two nieces are too young for the vaccine, and we worry that if they were to get covid on top of their current illness, it would be devastating. The eighteen month old was just diagnosed with double ear infections and pneumonia in her right lung today.

My daughter is undergoing anti-iGe therapy for the urticaria that she developed post covid and now we've learned she is overproducing platelets, also most likely due to long covid. Her immune system is shot, and she has been sick for six weeks with back to back viruses. The one bright spot is that the covid-induced heart arrhythmia that I developed went away after I was vaccinated and has not returned.

I have been discouraged by the data coming out of Israel about the waning protectiveness of the vaccines over time and by Pfizer's lackluster performance vs infection by the delta variant (it remains very effective at preventing hospitalization and death). My armchair prediction from the beginning was that we would probably need annual covid vaccinations similar to flu vaccinations, and that may be the case, at least for a while. I am curious to follow Portugal's numbers, as that country has inoculated more than 85% of its population.