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Post by Geo 🇺🇦 🌻 on Apr 11, 2021 8:43:11 GMT -5
There’s a lot of vaccine news this weekend. Here’s what I’ve seen so far. So there’s now an admission from Chinese officials that the Sinovac/Sinopharm vaccines are not very effective and the country is evaluating other vaccines such as mRNA based vaccines. apnews.com/article/beijing-immunizations-chengdu-coronavirus-pandemic-china-675bcb6b5710c7329823148ffbff6ef9This is going to have an ripple effect. China has pushed their vaccine around the world, partly to gain influence I’m sure. But on a personal level, my relatives live there and I want them to have access vaccines that will protect them so this is highly concerning for me beyond this being a setback for the world. The other news is that some countries are studying whether AstraZeneca can be mixed with a mRNA vaccine like Pfizer or Moderna and provide good protection still and if so, will we be able to reduce already super rare blood clot risk? Also, there is a probe into J&J’s vaccines and extremely rare blood clots as well. There were four reported instances. finance.yahoo.com/news/johnson-johnsons-covid-19-vaccine-155121803.htmlIt’s early, there’s nothing yet that points to a causal link. It is worthy to note both AstraZeneca and J&J rely on a virus vector to deliver the genetics of the spike protein rather than pure mRNA. Whether that has to do with anything also requires much further study and analysis. So I still think either vaccine carries much more benefit than risk. I do worry reports like this will erode confidence in vaccines, but I do think that more studying and analysis is better for future pandemics and especially future coronaviruses.
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Post by Twillie on Apr 11, 2021 18:51:14 GMT -5
I hope your relatives in China can get access to an effective vaccine soon, Geo. It indeed sounds even more stressful with the personal factor added in, be sure to take care of yourself and I wish your family the best~
It’s been well over 48 hours since I got my second dose of the Pfizer vaccine, and I can report basically no side effects for me personally. Right after getting it, I felt maybe slightly queasy, but I think that was just mild anxiety from my fear of side effects xD Other than that, though, I’ve felt totally normal these past couple days (even my arm was less sore than when I got my first dose).
My family is split 50/50 on second dose reactions. Both my mom and I had no symptoms, meanwhile my dad and sister felt more tired than usual with chills. Nothing severe for them though, thankfully. I’m just glad that overall second dose went smoothly!
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Post by Geo 🇺🇦 🌻 on Apr 13, 2021 7:21:03 GMT -5
This news is just breaking, but the US FDA and CDC have just recommended pausing vaccinations with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine due to the risk of rare, but severe blood clots similar to the ones that could result from the AstraZeneca vaccine. www.cnn.com/2021/04/13/health/johnson-vaccine-pause-cdc-fda/index.htmlJ&J was supposed to be the the vaccine that would be used to reach younger people as well as people who would be harder to reach with less means for transportation. So this would be a negative impact and like the AstraZeneca scenario, would surely increase vaccine hesitancy. Six is a very small number, but enough to cause some level of alarm. Ultimately, I wonder if guidance will be similar to AstraZeneca where people under a certain age will be recommended to take Pfizer or Moderna. One thing that I would like them to dig into is whether this is due to usage of an adenovirus vector or something else? Is there something we didn’t understand about the types of antibodies that would result? And why haven’t we seen this with mRNA vaccines? I’m sure they are looking into all of this.
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Post by Kat on Apr 13, 2021 8:46:47 GMT -5
Re: Sinovac, I understand wanting a vaccine for your family, Geo. But that's what my city is using for its vaccination drive and I went nope nope nope nope nope because I want to have my grandparents (Super Grandpa, 95 years old but with comorbidities, and his wife, 88 years old and can't quite walk or stand for long periods of time) vaccinated but the effectivity is making me side-eye the entire thing as well as my country accepting many doses of it from China when China has been occupying disputed islands and our exclusive economic zone. (Recently, Chinese ships even chased away our journalists.) I just wish the Philippines took the same stance as Indonesia, which, while accepting Sinovac doses, drew the line at their sovereignty and territory. So, the plan is, my grandpa will be asking his doctor first if he can be vaccinated with Sinovac before I make an appointment with the city hall, and I need to know as well if they do house calls as my grandma's knees give her difficulty in getting into a car to go to the venues. At our office, we're likely getting Covovax. An update, and something else (cw: death again but not in my family): As it turns out, my boss actually managed to recover from COVID-19 only to be hospitalized again when his oxygen levels dropped. He died of complications as he had a history of pneumonia and diabetes.
A pastor's wife died, however, and said pastor is now confined in a hospital. She was cancer-free for 18 years and spent that time reaching out to people who are terminally ill or who are struggling with chronic illnesses. When our online service last Sunday ran a couple of short tributes about her, I felt so sad especially for our pastor and their family. I can't imagine having to battle COVID while knowing that your significant other has already died from it.
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Post by Carolyn on Apr 13, 2021 18:06:17 GMT -5
KatCW: Loss Oh, my goodness, Kat. I'm so, so very sorry for your loss and for your pastor's loss. Grief is so hard, and knowing that it hit someone who had been reaching out to those who were suffering is a hard blow. u_u Take some time for yourself to grieve. Re: Sinovac, my stomach turned reading about how their government is using humanitarian need as an excuse to infringe on your nation's borders and rights. How can the Ph government be complacent in this? What are they gaining by allowing a global superpower to strongarm them? All the hugs. I just... 2021 can jump into a lake along with 2020.
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Post by Blueysicle on Apr 14, 2021 11:15:46 GMT -5
Got my first Moderna shot yesterday. I'm the last one of my immediate family to get it, since I'm not in any major risk category while my parents and grandparents are. I kind of figured that would be the case from the get-go, but my state just recently accelerated its vaccination rollout, so I'm getting mine way earlier than what I originally thought. (I was expecting June or July. Not complaining, of course) My grandparents said they didn't feel the needle, but my mom felt it and the spot started hurting right away. Annnd, that was more or less the case for me, too. I felt pretty crummy afterwards and basically slept the rest of the day. I'm feeling a little bit better today in that regard, but my arm is still sore. My mom gets her second shot next week, so I guess I can consider how she reacts to that one to be a preview of what I can expect from mine, lol.
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Post by Nat on Apr 14, 2021 19:30:57 GMT -5
So I got my first shot last Saturday. A few days of a sore shoulder, but otherwise, nothing too bad! The process was way smoother than I expected. I'm a little concerned about the second shot putting me out of commission for Mothers Day, but not enough to be deterred from doing what is obviously a necessary thing. There's another thing. I wasn't sure whether to put it here or in the Girly+ Talk thread, since it has to do with periods. Putting it under a spoiler cut just in case! Has the vaccine made anyone here's period heavier? Or brought it back, if you're on a medication that's supposed to stop it? I've been reading about it making people's menstrual cycles, uh, weird.
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Post by Rasaiu on Apr 16, 2021 9:55:13 GMT -5
Since the beginning of this thread, I've read every post with interest - what is the situation at your place, who got their shot, and how you feel afterward. To tell you the truth, it's a bit heartwarming to see that chaos and mess around vaccines and the vaccination process are everywhere, not only at my place.
Recently they opened up several places where people can get vaccinated. Last week for the first time people who don't classify as priority groups had an option to stand in a live queue to get the first shot. It was a test, so the advertisement for it was little. Today and tomorrow again people have a chance to stand in live queue but this time advertisement is louder and bigger. So only logical that also more people are using this opportunity.
This week the head of my work institution sent an email to invite employees to use the opportunity to get the shot before the actual queue comes for our professional field. Considering my age, health and occupation I'm nowhere close to priority groups so I didn't even bother myself with thoughts about getting vaccinated. Today my colleague who is a bit older than me, also without big health issues, asked if I wanted to join her in a live queue to get the first shot.
During the past year, I've got so used to avoiding people that I find it uninviting to use the opportunity to stand in a live queue to get a vaccine right now, even though I know I should. I go shopping to smaller shops in the evening when they are about to close because there are almost no customers, I ride with a bicycle to the work, I even take an extra km (0,6 miles?) to avoid streets where a lot of people walk, I spend my time outside in places where people don't usually go. It's amazing. Part of me doesn't want this lifestyle to change, even though I know that a lot of people suffer from this situation - financially, emotionally, etc.
Today management of our department sent an email asking us to answer by Monday if we want to be vaccinated or not, do we prefer any of the vaccines, have we already had Covid, do we want to be vaccinated individually or with everyone. In my ideal scenario, I'd have an appointment with a specific time and place where I could get my shot. I lean to skip the opportunity to get vaccinated right now.
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Post by Geo 🇺🇦 🌻 on Apr 16, 2021 10:36:37 GMT -5
My coworkers are all vaccinated or getting vaccinated now it seems. There are plenty of appointments now and the US is on track to having too many vaccines (part of which is due to hesitancy, but not all of it). www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/04/15/united-states-vaccine-sharing/ So I hope the US can learn to share here. Even after vaccination, my employer said the return to the office is still voluntary and if you choose to work from the office occasionally or all the time, you will have to wear a mask. After all, the vaccine only reduces the risk of catching COVID-19 by a lot, but it's not flawless, and we don't fully know if having the vaccine will totally prevent you from spreading the virus. Although, we do know that it reduces the risk of severe illness if you do get a breakthrough infection. Breakthrough infections are so far very rare, but it's also noteworthy that the Pfizer CEO mentioned that we may need annual COVID-19 booster shots. This is preliminary as there's just no data for what happens to the antibodies after six months. We may get lucky and not need a booster, or we may not get lucky. www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2021/04/15/covid-vaccine-variants-cdc-states/7228601002/
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Post by Ian Wolf-Park on Apr 16, 2021 17:38:51 GMT -5
After being shutdown back in December/January due to rising cases, that order was lifted a couple of weeks ago, but the city is at the highest stage, which is a lockdown, so most places are still shut and I'm working from home for the time being. Still, what's concerning is the variant cases, so it's quite possible that there may be another shutdown on the horizon. Here in Canada, the vaccine rollout has been slow, but is starting to pick up. I don't expect to be vaccinated until the summer at the earliest, so I just have to be patient. As expected, things are becoming worse where I live. Just how bad? Well, another shutdown that was implemented last week was extended to May and our health care system is reaching a critical point. I'm also living in an area that's considered a 'hotspot', meaning that I'm eligible to get the vaccine earlier than expected, but I have to yet to hear how that will happen, as there's a shortage of vaccines. Things are not looking good right now. More info on the restrictions
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Post by Kat on Apr 18, 2021 1:32:29 GMT -5
Take care, Ian Wolf-Park, I hope things start looking up for you guys soon. On a side note, I have to ask everyone: are face shields mandated for you when you go out on top of face masks? Most government offices and private establishments ask you to wear a face shield on top and even Grab won't give rides to people who aren't wearing both shields and masks. I don't mind mostly but it can be a drag when it's 33 degrees out, and after a while it can feel kinda clunky. (And other people are feeling the heat and go out with their shields up but masks in place.) In better news, community pantries are starting to pop up in some cities, and even in Boracay, which is struggling during this time as it's full of beaches and resorts and usually relies on tourism for its revenue. Aaaaand we know how tourism is right now. I want to also set one up in our subdivision if I can. Some people were skeptical about community pantries because they were like "what if people steal everything and run?" Guess what? People really do only take what they need even if they're in dire straits. Unfortunately with the nice news comes the not-so-nice: our vice president is now under quarantine after one of her security tested positive.
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Post by Gelquie on Apr 18, 2021 2:37:59 GMT -5
Kat - Regarding face masks and face shields, generally well-fitting face masks only are required here, where they're required. Some people add face shields (particularly in things like dental work where there's more risk) and there are a handful who just use a face shield. But generally just a face mask is common. And yeah, community pantries are great for this! I generally find at least one in the communities I visit, or at least college places. It generally goes as you say it did; no one really abuses it. There's really more concern about getting certain pantry items that aren't just someone cleaning out their cupboard. Best of luck to that team.
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Post by Kat on Apr 18, 2021 4:31:20 GMT -5
Yeah, I get using face shields for riskier work but I have to put one on when I just leave my house and go to my office. I don't think my line of work is risky, I travel to an office and actually most of my work can be done without leaving my house.
Social media is talking about this one homeless man who only took two oranges and he was encouraged to take more. Instead, he said that that was all he was going to eat.
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Post by Twillie on Apr 18, 2021 8:03:46 GMT -5
Face shields aren't required where I live either, but rather just face masks. Now and then I've seen people who choose to wear face shields, especially when I was recently in the hospital and going to various doctor's appointments, but for those specific places I couldn't say whether employees had to wear them or it was just their preference.
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Post by Carolyn on Apr 18, 2021 14:10:05 GMT -5
Where I live face shields are not required (and I've only seen them around rarely). There is a mask mandate in NJ though and places have the legal power to kick you out of a store if you're not wearing one. Some wear two (and I do this if I'm going to be in a crowded ShopRite or something). When I've been to the doctor's office, my doctor does wear a shield and mask for sure.
Honestly, that's more my concern, too, that people dump off their expired cans instead of donating for the good of their community. I think a community food pantry is a really, really good idea and am glad to see it gaining traction. People need to eat and it's okay for people to ask for help. That was hard for my family to accept when we were in high school, but... well, you know, resources are there for a reason.
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