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Post by Ian Wolf-Park on Mar 27, 2021 15:14:18 GMT -5
*sighs* Well, I won't be visiting my parents for the Easter long weekend, thanks to a confirmed case in the condo building that my parents are living in. Luckily, my mom and dad are not the ones who have it, but because of their age (they're both in their 60), it's a bit of a concern, so we're playing it safe.
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Post by Geo 🇺🇦 🌻 on Mar 27, 2021 16:19:50 GMT -5
*sighs* Well, I won't be visiting my parents for the Easter long weekend, thanks to a confirmed case in the condo building that my parents are living in. Luckily, my mom and dad are not the ones who have it, but because of their age (they're both in their 60), it's a bit of a concern, so we're playing it safe. I hope your parents remain healthy and you all stay safe. :/ It’s rough not being able to see friends and family. Really hoping that we can have a small gathering on 4th of July, but with cases overall on the rise, it’s going to be tricky. Locally though, cases are still declining and I hope the scramble to get everyone vaccinated will help prevent another wave.
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Post by Gelquie on Mar 27, 2021 21:12:58 GMT -5
*Grasps arm* I'm hit!!
...Voluntarily!!
It went alright! I did have to step inside a store to get it. But they found a nice isolated area to do the vaccines. The people setting up and doing the vaccines were really nice and had a really nice system going. I did also wear my temporary tattoo! I didn't get any comments on it, nor did it hinder anything. But hey, sometimes little joys are quiet and private, so either it maybe stuck with them, or if nothing else, having it there really helped me!
For those wondering about side effects (keeping in mind I got Moderna): It's only been a few hours, so I'll update again later, but here's my experience so far. The injection itself was practically painless, and the muscle soreness at the site is no worse than what you'd get for a flu shot; in fact I barely notice it. What I did instantly notice was a hint of nausea that's been building over time, and now my stomach hurts a little from time to time. This is coupled with a very mild headache that for now I don't need painkillers for (nor do I know if I can?). I'd say the nausea/stomach stuff is the worst of it. Keep in mind though: I half expected to have issues there due to the list of side effects and the fact that I have stomach issues, with a flare-up hinting (partially due to anxiety) that I've been warding off for a while. If it strikes where one is weakest, that'd be the spot.
But so far, nothing I can't distract myself from! Maybe it'll get worse later, I dunno. But at least I have a good idea of what's coming. And I know it's nothing compared to the real deal. I'm keeping my dinner to simple ramen and taking the rest of the day off, and then I'll see how I feel tomorrow.
As for the store itself: I noticed that even though the store isn't enforcing mask wearing (only suggesting), most people were wearing their masks. And the ratio of that seems to be determined by timing. (Towards the end of my time in the store, I noticed more people not waering masks wandering around, which prompted me to make my exit. xD ) That made me happy to see. I was worrying about how much I could trust other people in my area, and while it's not spotless, it's not as hopeless as I'd imagine either. Not even close.
Basically... yeah, people are right, don't trust Facebook comments sections; they're not representative. And I don't care if they're mask wearing because they get it or because they don't want qualms; point is they're doing it, and that's enough for me for now.
Still gonna hunker down, though. I got antibodies to make!
(Please don't let me have picked up anything while I was there. xD )
EDIT (to fix a typo and prevent double-posting): Things got worse through the day (mainly more headache-y and tired), drank a lot of tea to deal with it and then I went to bed early. The sleep helped a lot. Day 2 is a lot better than Day 1 for me, except for the site soreness (that got worse and makes things harder). Still had a gut-easy meal day for the sake of my stomach; you learn from gut disorders that you don't ignore warning signs to take it easy. I'll probably be okay tomorrow, though. Headache is basically gone; I only notice hints of it if I'm really looking for it. I'm already feeling close to normal and expect to be basically normal by tomorrow.
EDIT: And day 3, all I have is residual soreness at the site. So basically, the first night is eh but normally you can power through and/or sleep it off.
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Post by Geo 🇺🇦 🌻 on Mar 29, 2021 14:29:06 GMT -5
So now that the vaccine is more available and eligibility requirements are more relaxed. I've started encouraging my direct reports to get vaccinated if they can, but with the disclaimer that they should do it if they feel comfortable with it and that the company will not force them to get vaccinated (mainly so I don't get into trouble).
Fortunately, all of my direct reports are pretty much on board with getting vaccinated as many of them are eager to travel overseas to see family, and proof of vaccination might be required for international flights. Plus, some of them are eager to get some sense of normalcy and see vaccines as a way to do that. So maybe I lucked out there. I wonder how I would react if someone was very hesitant or straight up anti-vax and they were on my team.
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Post by Celestial on Mar 29, 2021 14:59:15 GMT -5
England has begun to unlock, with people being able to socialise outside. They also are opening up non-essential shops, leisure venues and outdoor hospitality in two weeks. Scotland are doing the first step one week from now, and then the next step on April 26th. As someone living in Scotland, I am feeling this meme at the moment. On the plus side, very close to getting all the vulnerable groups vaccinated. Scotland is lagging behind a little, but we should get ours done by mid-April, slowdown notwithstanding. So, yay. Let's hope that things are not jinxed and our hospitalisations and deaths keep falling, even if there is a rise in actual cases.
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Post by Geo 🇺🇦 🌻 on Mar 31, 2021 8:43:48 GMT -5
Question for everyone here: Are vaccine passports super controversial where you are? Would you be comfortable with such a system? Here's my definition of the passport: It would be a digital or physical credential for those without smartphones that you could use to prove to businesses that you are vaccinated and thus can gain entry or be exempted from stricter social distancing/masking rules. There’s a raging debate about them here now and it’s coming from the same people that don’t like lockdowns or mask mandates because they don’t like “government telling them what to do.” thehill.com/policy/healthcare/545670-battle-rages-over-vaccine-passportsPersonally, as soon as I get my vaccine card filled out with two doses, I am doing the following: * Laminating the CDC vaccine card because it’s a super unsophisticated thin piece of card stock that is easily damaged * scanning the vaccine card and sending it via a private message to my doctor, asking them to chart this into my medical chart (we don’t have a national healthcare system because... US shenanigans so the onus is on me to do this apparently >_>) Then if there is a vaccine passport that is widely accepted for travel and other activities, I will be comfortable signing up and using the above as proof. I do think there must be a provision or an exemption for those that medically cannot take a vaccine. They should be allowed an exemption to vaccine passport credential that they could show and it should be accepted unless extenuating circumstances like high case numbers prevent businesses from safely operating. So far, the federal government hasn’t weighed in much because they also fear backlash for suggesting a federal vaccine passport, and instead allowing the private sector to work with states and localities. I know the state of NY has a passport system underway. However, the fear-mongering about this is way over the top and the conspiracy theories around it are honestly dangerous and might prevent us from moving past the pandemic safely.
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Post by Geo 🇺🇦 🌻 on Mar 31, 2021 15:14:49 GMT -5
But on a lighter note, if you received a COVID-19 vaccine in the US, the CDC does provide a voluntary program for you to tell them about your post-vaccine experience such as side effects. vsafe.cdc.gov/en/You just have to have had the vaccine within the last 6 weeks. It does look like they will be doing some of this via text messaging so the usual msg and data rates may apply disclaimer goes here.
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Post by Ginz ❤ on Mar 31, 2021 15:54:28 GMT -5
My parents finally got their first dose of the vaccine today! \o/ I'm so happy! Everything went well and they haven't had any side effects or anything, so that's a relief. Just wanted to share some good news, especially cause I ranted here not long ago about being impatient for it. ^^;
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Post by Celestial on Mar 31, 2021 16:00:43 GMT -5
Regarding vaccine passports, they are quite controversial here in the UK. We are not sure if the government will implement them, but it seems like they will. There was a ton of backlash when it was said that one would require a vaccine passport to visit a pub. Backlash came from the public and pub owners alike, so that is definitely not happening. It would be unrealistic to enforce in that setting.
I am not sure how the government plans to implement it, if at all. I have also seen a whole bunch of fearmongering about it, both in and out of the country.
If it's required or leads to preferential treatment, sure, I'll get it. I don't see why I should not. Not like the government doesn't have a ton of info on me anyway.
(Incidentally, fearmongering right now is what is the big anxiety-inducing thing. Especially regarding A Certain Vaccine. I am worried that vaccine hesitancy will rise and that is what is going to keep us from moving out of the pandemic. Also the implication for more affordable medications for the future.)
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Post by Gelquie on Mar 31, 2021 16:23:57 GMT -5
Congratulations, Ginz! I'm glad your parents finally got it. ^^
As for vaccine passports, I'm not sure; I've only just started hearing about them. I think they may have their place, but I can understand why they may not be considered mandatory. I also think that maybe it might help in such desperate times as these, until we can get to a point where we can confidently say that we're past it. So I could see it working as a temporary thing. But I can understand the backlash, and why there may need to be exceptions in some cases, like if some medically can't have vaccines.
I'll keep my vaccine card handy just in case; Geo's idea of getting it laminated sounds like a good idea, though obviously I'd need to wait for dose 2 for that. Maybe there'll be some other card out there for that, since you never know what may happen to the original. (Though now I'm reminded of Papers Please. xD Makes sense, though.) Or maybe it'll be put into a database. I don't know about other states, but Alaska has a vaccine database program where vaccine providers input information, and any future medical provider can pull those records. (I found out about it after getting a flu shot at some obscure place, and a year later I was surprised to see the record there as I'd never reported it.) It's very convenient, in my opinion; saves me some trouble, as I can never remember my vaccination timelines. I wonder if they'll follow the same procedure for the Covid vaccine.
And yup, I've been participating in the v-safe program. I get concerns about privacy, but honestly, they probably could use the data, and I don't mind being a little bit of a guinea pig for that, if it helps. On one of the screens, they say that depending on your answers, you may get a call from the CDC. Probably more for anything weird and unexpected or serious, because I've never gotten a call. How it works is that you sign up for text messages from them to remind you to check in, but the check in process is done via browser. The steps are pretty easy, though I wish the injection site part had a segment about site soreness, as I don't quite know how to interpret the others. xD But yeah, they try to make it easy.
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Post by Geo 🇺🇦 🌻 on Mar 31, 2021 17:03:23 GMT -5
Congratulations, Ginz! I'm glad your parents finally got it. ^^ As for vaccine passports, I'm not sure; I've only just started hearing about them. I think they may have their place, but I can understand why they may not be considered mandatory. I also think that maybe it might help in such desperate times as these, until we can get to a point where we can confidently say that we're past it. So I could see it working as a temporary thing. But I can understand the backlash, and why there may need to be exceptions in some cases, like if some medically can't have vaccines. I'll keep my vaccine card handy just in case; Geo's idea of getting it laminated sounds like a good idea, though obviously I'd need to wait for dose 2 for that. Maybe there'll be some other card out there for that, since you never know what may happen to the original. (Though now I'm reminded of Papers Please. xD Makes sense, though.) Or maybe it'll be put into a database. I don't know about other states, but Alaska has a vaccine database program where vaccine providers input information, and any future medical provider can pull those records. (I found out about it after getting a flu shot at some obscure place, and a year later I was surprised to see the record there as I'd never reported it.) It's very convenient, in my opinion; saves me some trouble, as I can never remember my vaccination timelines. I wonder if they'll follow the same procedure for the Covid vaccine. And yup, I've been participating in the v-safe program. I get concerns about privacy, but honestly, they probably could use the data, and I don't mind being a little bit of a guinea pig for that, if it helps. On one of the screens, they say that depending on your answers, you may get a call from the CDC. Probably more for anything weird and unexpected or serious, because I've never gotten a call. How it works is that you sign up for text messages from them to remind you to check in, but the check in process is done via browser. The steps are pretty easy, though I wish the injection site part had a segment about site soreness, as I don't quite know how to interpret the others. xD But yeah, they try to make it easy. Found the Alaska vaccine database: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VacTrAKThat does sound pretty neat and a plus for medical records interoperability, even though it's a very small piece of said record. I'll just quietly pull my hair out thinking about the rest of electronic health interoperability like I do almost every day at work now xD. I think passports do have their place. I'm just concerned about states trying to ban them period because well, that sounds as extreme as forcing everyone to get one. I think the pandemic is an evolving situation here and we need to keep our options open.
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Post by Lizica on Mar 31, 2021 22:09:36 GMT -5
Yay Ginz! I'm glad your parents were able to get their vaccines. I hope you and everyone else can get your own really soon!!
I don't have much to add to the passport discussion, but I just wanted to note that some businesses here in the US (like Staples and Office Depot) are offering to laminate CDC vaccine cards for free, at least for the next few months. (But scanning or making copies of your card beforehand does sound like a good idea.)
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Post by Geo 🇺🇦 🌻 on Apr 2, 2021 19:43:21 GMT -5
My brother got his first dose of Pfizer yesterday and he generally feels miserable right now. Lots of muscle aches and overall discomfort without a fever though. He’s got a strong immune system though so I’m fairly certain it’s just reacting strongly. It seems quite unlikely he would have caught covid-19 previously.
My second dose is upcoming next Wednesday.
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Post by Carolyn on Apr 2, 2021 21:24:03 GMT -5
Tomorrow... I get my shot. Ahhhh kind of nervous, but also happy to be part of the solution. ~~I also really don't like needles dmfsdlfkdlsfdjfl~~
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Post by Thorn on Apr 2, 2021 23:40:24 GMT -5
Tomorrow... I get my shot. Ahhhh kind of nervous, but also happy to be part of the solution. ~~I also really don't like needles dmfsdlfkdlsfdjfl~~ I'm pretty scared of needles myself. Usually when I get a vaccine, I let the nurse know I don't want to see the needle at all. If possible, I also ask to be able to lie face down and looking to the right, because this is the way I lie when trying to sleep and it calms me. xD Is there anything like this you could try that would make you less worried during your appointment?
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