After the Vaccine

Lanai (definition): a patio porch or veranda, typically off the rear of one's home.

As we might expect, one sees these all over the place in Florida:

https://www.bing.com/shop?q=lanai+enclosures&form=shoppa&originiguid=16a82439c13345abae7e731afad20a12

Assuming I can get the vaccine by August, I'll resume in person teaching. We will get together with other people who have been vaccinated. We are planning to have a family vacation in August, assuming we can all get the vaccine by then.

I had my second shot last week. In two more weeks I plan to visit my cousin Paul's barber shop for the first time in a year. I've always kept my hair a bit on the long side, but below the shoulders is ridiculous. Otherwise I will be masking and social distancing as usual.

There is still a lot to find out about how long immunity lasts, virus variants, if a booster is needed and available in the future. Our annual April trip to Merlefest in North Carolina was cancelled last year. This year they've rescheduled the festival to September. That is probably still too soon given the rate at which vaccines are rolling out and resistance to vaccinating by some people. But if the festival returns in the spring of '22 and the virus seems under control we might go.
Jim

The Missus and I endured shot #2 (Moderna) this past Saturday, 20 Feb. I got off with a 99.1 temp that lasted about five hours. The bride was knocked on her caboose with 99.9 (we are both age 72) and was in bed for two days. We both felt like our deltoid muscles (injection sites) were hot with a fast ball. We have both, since, recovered.

We are not and will not be cavalier. COVID-19 is still running amok worldwide. We are staying in Jersey for the remainder of winter, thus foregoing spending the coldest months in our Florida (Boynton Beach) snowbird paradise. Even though Florida's infection rate is somewhat low and enviable, we choose to err on the side of safety.

I usually drive while my wife flies with our kitty. No way are either of us comfortable aboard an aircraft or in a commercial airport.

We do have a few local eateries (in New Jersey) within which we have comfort zones.

NJ Fred

Wife got 1st shot this morning; I'm scheduled for Sunday (Pfizer). 3 weeks later will be shot #2, 2 weeks after that, we will gradually loosen up. We still plan to wear masks and socially distance indefinitely (well, until some things like the variants resolve).

Mel

I've gotta admit we were somewhat loose before...well, not by Florida standards but by ours. We have been having socially distanced cocktails and meals on our lanai throughout. Also going to restaurants and eating outside for several months...with close friends who we deemed as reasonably safe. Now that we are two weeks + post 2nd shot we are riding in a car with another 2-vaccine couple for the first time in a year, planning on our first indoor dining in a year and have a flight scheduled in a month. So, except for the fact that we still wear masks indoors and socially distance around less-than-2-vaccine folks, we are almost back to normal.

I was critical of our Florida governor early on but have got to say now that he has done a pretty decent job IMHO. Over 40% of seniors have at least one vaccine along with pretty much all front line health care workers who want the shot. He is opening four mega sites around the state to move to 50+ year old police and teachers. Most people 55+ with underlying conditions will be able to get the vaccine soon.

Today CVS starting vaccinating around the state; I was able to get local appointments tomorrow for two of our friends. Mid-afternoon today there were plenty of appointments still available on Florida's east coast, e.g. Hialeah, Miami, etc. Things are looking up in the Sunshine State.

Wayne, hopefully you will be able to talk your wife into getting the vaccine. At this point she is playing with fire.

Jim

I'm with Halbert. Still waiting as a 60-year-old. Hoping for April, but May or even June is probably more likely. Really glad that the numbers have come down around here, although they're still higher than they were in the summer. And being careful since I keep thinking how much it would suck to get covid in the month or two before I get vaccinated.

Glad to read about so many here that have the second shot under their belt.

Its heartening to see a number vaccinated!

Whats the issue with the long waits in PA?

At age 68, I am still on the waiting list and, here in Montana, my guess is that it will be this summer. I have younger friends who have already been vaccinated but traveled across state lines to get it done. I am not sure how I feel about that strategy.

Whether I am vaccinated or not, this has not impacted my lifestyle. We NEVER eat out so the closings and such have had no impact. I have always done our grocery shopping at sunrise to avoid crowds to that has remained the same. I do meet a friend for a beer at a brewery but we go early and stay away from others. My biggest risk is that I have continued taking my university classes which have continued to be held in person. They are art classes and masks are required, class sizes are small, and we are routine about disinfecting our spaces upon arrival and departure. The only non-mask activity I do there is lap swim in the pool.

My main group/social activity is running. I did take a break from that recently since I no longer have anything to prove and a -22 degree morning temp was dissuading.

clocknut said...
///
A few days after my first injection, I had an episode of atrial fibrillation that lasted for a little more than an hour. Chest pain, palpitations, weakness....all the bad symptoms that are associated with Afib. The cardiologist sees no connection with the vaccine, but as Jethro Gibbs likes to say, there's no such thing as coincidence. The cardiologist is probably right, but the Afib episode makes me a little apprehensive about the second dose...

Au contraire:

Addressing Atrial Fibrillation in the World of COVID-19 (2021)

"...
So, while it can be soothing to think of a world without COVID, we have to prepare and act now as though it will never go away. And this is especially important for those with or at-risk of atrial fibrillation (AFib).
...
Since then, the evidence of a tremendously problematic association has only mounted. In one study led by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, for instance, ICU-admitted patients with COVID were 10 times more likely to have a significant heart arrhythmias. Now, more than ever, it is vital to take action early, because by the time a patient gets COVID, it may be too late."

clocknut said...
Djin: The article you cited discusses the danger of actually contracting COVID for those of us with atrial fibrillation and diabetes...

Clocknut, true, but a couple of points. The first is just that, it doesn't mention any correlations or reported episodes triggered by a Covid vaccine. The second is, if the studies and data are correct, the relative risk of contracting Covid and having Afib complications is, especially compared to no evidence, rather large. Thirdly, we don't know how the current vaccines, when administered in the studies dosages, will fair with the Covid variants now on the rise in the US (i.e., a single dose may be even less effective and/or afford shorter-lasting protection against some variants). Lastly, at-risk populations, such as Afib, may be at even higher risk of complications against variant-caused Covid. But I don't fault you for being extra cautious.

Granting FDA emergency use approval based on trials with (only) tens of thousands is a calculated gamble, but as millions get vaccinated, we should soon know if the vaccine triggers any of the more common medical adverse events. (I saw one estimate that about 10% of the elderly are living with Afib.)

Djin

Post Edited (DjinTonic) : 2/25/2021 8:43:52 AM (GMT-7)

i get my second pfizer shot on sunday. remember you have almost full protection a couple of weeks after the first shot. i just got back from shooting firefall in Yosemite and it was packed.

i noticed that people were a lot more relaxed about social distancing, and i almost never wear a mask outside.

https://erader.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p4137664822-4.jpg

https://erader.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p4137658138-5.jpg