Vaccines are here! Have you started your series?

[mcdonner]

Fantastic news. My "immunity" day is this Friday. Linda has about a month to go for her "immunity".

[gbaglo]

Immunity is a bit strong a word for the reality. You can still pass it on, maybe contract it. Still need to keep your distance and mask up.

[UncleTim]

Colorado got a big wave of vaccine this week. I got my Pfizer first shot two days ago.

It is starting to become widely available now.

[camperbill]

We have our Johnson & Johnson vaccines scheduled for Friday this week.

[Losangeles]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Immunity is a bit strong a word for the reality. You can still pass it on, maybe contract it. Still need to keep your distance and mask up.

truth.

[brroberts]

The morning after the first Moderna and donating blood that afternoon, I still feel great. Now it”s just wait for the 2nd, but at least it’s started now.

[Donna D.]

After I got my jab, and am now waiting for my daughter and family to rotate into an allowable age group, I understand what my own Mother must have felt when I got the polio vaccine in the mid-1950s. Major relief!

[1200bruce]

Second one April 10th.

[Nindy]

I’m not eligible in MO for another couple of weeks but a friend alerted me of “extras” available on March 19 at a mass vaccination site and anyone was welcome! A short drive away and a short wait and my first Pfizer dose is done!

It was emotional for me too, Donna, not because the pandemic restrictions have been difficult for me because they haven’t and I’ve still been camping at my property monthly and hiking with friends at safe distances. But because I’m a former microbiologist and hospital laboratory manager and this is an historic occasion. I love science and am still fascinated by infectious diseases and immune processes and our journey in understanding and attempts to control and mitigate them.

I’m meeting up with four friends in the Great Smokies in late April and it’s working out that all five of us should be about two weeks past second inoculation! I’m sure we’ll still keep our distances. It’s probably going to be my habit for the rest of my life.

[Nindy]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

I understand what my own Mother must have felt when I got the polio vaccine in the mid-1950s. Major relief!

For sure! My daughter-in-law has been fully vaccinated for a while since she’s a teacher in OR and my son just received an appointment for his first this month.

[Bobbie54]

The youngest members of my local camping pod got first doses now-so that is a big relief. My family still needs to catch up but hopefully that will come soon.

[JeffreyG]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Immunity is a bit strong a word for the reality. You can still pass it on, maybe contract it. Still need to keep your distance and mask up.

That's not likely though. To be clear, a small number of people getting any vaccine fail to develop antibodies. That's why health care workers have to be tested for antibodies and not just show a vaccine record to work in many hospitals (I'm talking pre-pandemic here. My wife had to get the MMR again when she started at a hospital because her testing showed she was not immune to one of the three viruses).

I know the medical community has been pushing this line that people could be vaccinated, become safe from illness, and yet still potentially contagious. They are probably trying to keep people wearing masks while we work through the entire population. But we've never made a vaccine that worked like that (meaning a vaccine where you can still contract, incubate, and shed large amounts of virus but you no longer have any symptoms).

I think they should be careful not to sell these vaccines short. I'd rather they try to generate enthusiasm among those still on the fence while being honest with the rest of us who are already vaccinated. I don't mind playing along and continuing to wear my mask in public spaces.


Once we get to ~75% to 85% of the population vaccinated, we can put this pandemic in the rear view mirror. Excepting new variants, and probably a need for booster shots going forward much like flu now (but hopefully less variants and better effectiveness).

[gbaglo]

Mutation. Variations.

[GregandTeresa]

Originally Posted by JeffreyG

That's not likely though. To be clear, a small number of people getting any vaccine fail to develop antibodies. That's why health care workers have to be tested for antibodies and not just show a vaccine record to work in many hospitals (I'm talking pre-pandemic here. My wife had to get the MMR again when she started at a hospital because her testing showed she was not immune to one of the three viruses).

I know the medical community has been pushing this line that people could be vaccinated, become safe from illness, and yet still potentially contagious. They are probably trying to keep people wearing masks while we work through the entire population. But we've never made a vaccine that worked like that (meaning a vaccine where you can still contract, incubate, and shed large amounts of virus but you no longer have any symptoms).

I think they should be careful not to sell these vaccines short. I'd rather they try to generate enthusiasm among those still on the fence while being honest with the rest of us who are already vaccinated. I don't mind playing along and continuing to wear my mask in public spaces.


Once we get to ~75% to 85% of the population vaccinated, we can put this pandemic in the rear view mirror. Excepting new variants, and probably a need for booster shots going forward much like flu now (but hopefully less variants and better effectiveness).

Agree with this. Some folks may choose to wear a mask from now on, and thats fine, others of us, not so much.

[JeffreyG]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Mutation. Variations.

The vaccines we have are effective against the variants currently in circulation. Again.....I think a message that the vaccines are not going to end social distancing and mask use is very counterproductive. And also not correct. But that's my opinion.

As for mutations, that's the big risk down the road. The developed countries have made vaccines and are getting them to their own people. But if parts of the world continue to host and share this virus for a few more years because they don't get these vaccines, they will probably mutate new variants that all of us are no longer immune to.

Oh, and in keeping with the real subject of this thread, I got my second dose of the Phizer shot yesterday morning. I experienced little more that a sore arm at the injection site, really no big deal for me. A coworker got his shot same time, also no ill effects.

My parents got their second shots a couple weeks ago (also Phizer) and had almost no symptoms. In a conversation with their doctor, she said that no ill effects seemed to be more the norm with older people. That's anecdotal, but the doctor does see a lot of patients.

[NEWYORKHILLBILLY]

Had my second Moderna Wednesday . I felt great all day Wednesday. Thursday morning I was a little light headed and by 4 pm all of sudden very tired . Went to bed and this morning am feeling like myself again. It great felling knowing I have some immunity. My wife gets her second this afternoon.

[Mike Lewis]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

I understand what my own Mother must have felt when I got the polio vaccine in the mid-1950s. Major relief!

Indeed. I think polio was a lot scarier-- it killed and crippled young people and I believe it was more contagious than COVID.

When I was a child I was not allowed to take the polio or smallpox vaccines, among others. I don't recall why; it had something to do with allergies. I am rare among my age group for not having a smallpox vaccine scar on my arm.

[JeffreyG]

Originally Posted by Mike Lewis

Indeed. I think polio was a lot scarier-- it killed and crippled young people and I believe it was more contagious than COVID.

My aunt was affected by polio just a couple years before the inactivated vaccine became available. It permanently crippled one leg.

Polio is actually less communicable than Covid, and is quite different. The US saw polio oubreaks every summer until the late 1950's but the outbreaks tended to be regional or even local due to the very different mechanisms of transmission. Polio causes no symptoms in about 90% of infected people, but in some 1-2% of children who get it, it can proceed to a terrifying spinal infection that can cause permanent damage or even death.

Most Americans have not even seen what so many of these diseases (Polio, Measles, Mumps, Diptheria) are even like, they've been gone for so long.

[Bea]

Originally Posted by JeffreyG

Most Americans have not even seen what so many of these diseases (Polio, Measles, Mumps, Diptheria) are even like, they've been gone for so long.

So true JefferyG! I somehow missed contracting Chicken Pox as a child so when my sister brought it home, we were both in our young 20's. She was a Pre-school teacher (picked it up from one of her kids) and I was in college in nursing school doing our maternity rotation, no less. Ugh. What a scare for those young mothers I was just around, but thankfully, they were fine.

I however, had the absolute worst case for 3 very long weeks - extremely painful and awful - thought I was going to die at one point. Some of these 'childhood' diseases are much worse in adults. Also thought I would have to drop out of nursing school, but my dear friends recorded and hand wrote all the lecture notes for me and my instructors were very understanding and somehow I was able to continue when I recovered. Felt like a miracle all around.

That experience has made me truly thankful for what feels like the 'gift' of vaccinations in our day and age. One time in my career, I was the 'travel nurse' and would make sure all those traveling were up to date on required immunizations before traveling abroad. I enjoyed that. This week my Hubby and I just got our 2nd Covid shots - we are so very grateful. -Bea

[Greg A]

Second shot Tuesday. Son has both due to being employed at the University. AZ opened to everyone over 17 on Wed and wife and daughter got two appts with first shot last night.
We’re almost all done.
Pray that everyone can get through in each of ur states, but it’s looking good as promised that anyone who wants one should be able to get it by June.