I like the idea of vaccine passports. I’ve always thought that proving vaccinations was a good idea for international travel. (When there was the measles outbreak at Disneyland it was linked to an unvaccinated person coming from the Philippines. I wrote then that I thought foreign visitors should have to show that they’ve been vaccinated). If a vaccination passport would open up travel to Europe, Canada and other places, I’d be all for it.
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I don’t think we’ve had enough persons vaccinated to “open” things up publicly. I think in the not too distant future all those who choose to get the vaccine will have the opportunity. If a person chooses not to get the vaccine then they can thank the millions of people who do for keeping them mostly safe and allowing them to have their freedoms back. The cost is the risk that they will still get the disease. Can this guarantee that it won’t manifest itself in some other form, no it won’t. However, as we check the disease we need to get over our fear and live. Because the only choice is to wait to die.
I keep hoping that they will get rid of the quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated people - particularly for domestic travel when you don’t use public transportation. According to the CDC, a fully vaccinated person doesn’t have to quarantine after being exposed to someone who actually has Covid. Why should a fully vaccinated person have to quarantine after returning from a trip two states away? It seems to me that the former situation presents a lot more risks than the latter.
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I’m getting my second shot today. I’ll soon be scheduling visits to the dentist and hairdresser for the first time in over a year. Those are both normally PITA chores that I never thought I’d be excited to do!
I also already got a great deal on a fantastic room in Vegas for late April where W and I plan to lounge by the pool sipping frozen margaritas by day and eat in fabulous restaurants by night.
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Perhaps the key issue here is whether everyone who wants a vaccine can get one. Right now, many people are unable to get the vaccine because of shortages / rationing, so fully opening everything up will impose involuntary risks on them.
However, the hoped-for situation in a few months is vaccine general availability, after which the risk becomes mostly a voluntary one taken by those who choose not to get vaccine.
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I will get a haircut, do some shopping in person, and will get on a plane to visit a beloved and elderly parent, who I haven’t seen in over a year. I’m not ready for indoor dining, but might test the waters at an outdoor venue. I’ll continue to mask and distance in public until there’s robust scientific evidence that I can do otherwise. Per CDC guidelines, I am looking forward to socializing in small groups with fully vaccinated friends.
The Israeli data is compelling! In round numbers, less than 1/10 of 1% of fully vaccinated folks contracted the virus. Otherwise stated, 99.9% did not! That’s about as good as it gets. Of the 0.1% that did get it (out of 620,000 only 608 were infected), only 21 were hospitalized. That’s roughly 3%. So 3% of 0.1% of 620,000 people had problems. To those 21, it was a big deal. To the remaining 619,979 it was nothing.
Small country and different methods of containment, but it’s lunacy to think it will ever be better than that. It’s even bigger lunacy to think we would change our lives to guard against being one of the 21 out of 620,000.
When this whole sting started, the constant drum beat was to shut things down in order to not overrun the health care system, primarily the hospitals. This has been achieved. Even in it’s height, NYC was not overrun. If you recall, the feds brought in a naval hospital and set up a pop up hospital to accommodate a large number of patients just in case. Was basically empty. It was the right thing to do because we didn’t know the severity of spread.
Look at the numbers. This is more contagious and lethal than the flu. However, applying the Israeli numbers to the US population means: 330,000,000 x.001 = 330,000 people getting covid. Of that miniscule subset, 3% have issues or 9,900. Yes that’s a big deal to those 9900 but that is such a tiny number it falls in the category of who cares?! If that’s all it was going forward it would fall well below the annual death rate of US citizens from the flu, cancer, heart disease, and many others.
Let’s assume we never get to those numbers here because of other variables. We’ll never have 100% vaccinations. Even if we’re 5X the number of fatalities, this is still nothing more than the annual flu (without the vaccine, it would be tragic an massive. But with it, it’s essentially nothing). As others have mentioned, this is never going away. Infectious disease does not go away. They’ll be new strains and bad yrs vs mild yrs. We’ll just have to learn to deal with that.
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My fully vaccinated daughter went to a crowded gym yesterday to work out and took public transportation to get there. This is a huge improvement to her life!
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I will be considered fully protected by the vaccine as of next Wednesday. I have already made a reservation in a hotel in San Antonio for that day so that I can finally go visit my Dad, who I haven’t seen in over a year. Can’t wait.
I will continue to mask up in public even though our governor inexplicably just opened everything up 100% and cancelled the mask mandate. I have gotten totally used to wearing a mask-and this year I did not get a bad cold like I usually do. Pre-Covid in 2019 early 2020 I had two REALLY bad viral respiratory illnesses and they were not fun. I have been in perfect health this year, and I know it’s due to masking and socially distancing, as well as improved handwashing/not touching my face so much.
The ONE THING I will miss once we get society fully vaccinated:
My built-in excuse to decline social invitations. I’m fairly introverted and don’t like being a social butterfly. It’s been very nice to be able to not have to explain myself or make excuses not to attend something I’m not enthusiastic about. Don’t get me wrong, I can’t wait to start seeing my friends again, but it’s the other stuff-functions with acquaintances, DH’s business colleagues, etc., that I enjoyed the break from.
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I am right there with you on declining social invitations, @Nrdsb4 ! DH is much more social and I’ve frankly enjoyed the break from people, also!
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I can’t remember if it was posted in this thread or the other thread but at the very end of this U Chicago interview (52:40) Dr. Fauci talks about the reconnection of society and that he wonders how long it will take us to “reactivate to being social beings.” That resonated with me. My entire office is fully vaccinated and everyone wears masks but I still find myself keeping my distance when talking to others. I wonder when that feeling will go away.
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I was listening to a podcast yesterday where a now fully vaccinated person was talking about 3 things she did last week that she hadn’t done in over a year, one was eating inside. Another unvaccinated person asked “and did you feel weird or uncomfortable doing all that?” - the person said “no, once you’re vaccinated all that fear goes away - you feel free to do what you want”.
Gosh, I so disagree!!! Returning to normal activities is NOT the flip of a switch for me. My mind was conditioned because of rules, fears, guidance to conform to a different lifestyle for the past 12 months. I cannot just flip the switch and mentally throw all that aside.
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I am visiting my sister in NC. Most of her friends are vaccinated. She is going to have a barbecue party tomorrow night by her pool. My mom is feeling perfectly comfortable with it. I am looking forward to some socialization after a year of not seeing people.
My 2 best friends will be fully vaccinated by early April. Looking forward to seeing them soon.
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My sister and I took my 83 year old mom (fully vaccinated) to see my 86 year old (fully vaccinated) aunt a couple days ago. My mom had not left the city in a year. My aunt has pancreatic cancer so and they had not seen each other in a year and a half, so this visit was important. I had Covid and have now had two vaccinations. We got to hug my aunt. We ate at their country club outside on the patio, and we stayed in a hotel over night. I was surprised but I felt very comfortable. It was really refreshing. Almost like we could see the light at the end of the tunnel.
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I agree with this. Watching older TV shows or movies where people are putting their faces really close to another’s makes me cringe. It’s going to take me awhile to get over that, and I don’t know when I’ll be comfortable myself with being physically close to non-family members.
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I agree! Tomorrow I will be 2 full weeks past shot #2. I have slowly been taking off the mask in my work cubicle. Everyone else in the office will be 1 week past shot #2 tomorrow. I was still running the air purifier, but it might be causing power surge issues in my computer, so I had that off yesterday. It did feel weird at first, but I’m getting used to it quickly. Sort of like wearing it all day. (I still wear it anytime I step outside of my cubicle.)
I am definitely not ready to eat inside a crowded restaurant or go anywhere with big crowds. I suppose part of it is habit, but part of me is not 100% confident in the vaccine yet. I’d LIKE to be. It looks like it will be all good and OK, but I’m not ready to test it out full throttle. For now, I’m enjoying doing a little more and just not being so anxious if every sniffle and headache (that I have 365 days/year) is the beginning of COVID.
And add me to the list who aren’t anxious to get back to social gatherings because I just don’t like them. Whenever I read “human beings are social creatures,” I think “Well, I guess I’m not human.” I’d be a great hermit. I like to get out and about and do things, but visiting in closed quarters, sitting around, eating/chatting - no thanks.
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My mother is in the hospital right now and nothing is ‘back to normal.’ My mother is vaccinated and I assume most of the hospital personnel are (they have all had the opportunity), but masks and full PPE are everywhere. Our state is returning to more normal store hours, restaurant capacities, even baseball, but there are still a lot of restrictions for masks, schools, gatherings. There are no special allowances for those who have been vaccinated so if the business requires masks or limits capacity, those who are vaccinated still have to comply.
My daughter works at a Starbucks in a state that has removed mask restrictions. Starbucks still requires masks for employees and customers. She has had altercations with people refusing to wear them, so I expect it will only get worse as the customers can now claim masks aren’t required by the state.
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It changes today! Hair cut. Yes, a real haircut. This afternoon!
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I have no idea why “we” think anything should stop in terms of precautions - only a small % of the population is fully vaccinated! I sure hope “we” don’t regret current decision making.
I just ran to our gift shop (hospital complex) to buy an extra mask because I seem to have lost one of a brand they carry. In chatting with the cashier she mentioned “I hear places are starting to clearance masks since we won’t need them soon” - I was appalled she said this - in a hospital as well!
I support some gradual changes and am happy to see people here posting about some increased traveling and time with loved ones under the recommended guidelines by the CDC. I hope to myself become a little more confident and not fearful. But America, let’s not spill the whole bucket of ping pong balls at once!!!
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I am going to continue to wear mask especially during the flu season. I love not having to smell bad breath and having people touch me. Mask wearing is very acceptable in Asia.
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