My brother got J&J on Monday, just before they shut it down on Tuesday.
He had a much more severe reaction than any of the rest of us did (all other M or Pf), but he thinks (and always did) that he had covid last January. He’d just returned from Thailand and was pretty sick for a few weeks.
Now we’ll never know if he really had it or not.
It is at least theoretically possible to test whether one has antibodies from vaccine versus natural infection, since natural infection may result in production of antibodies to parts of SARS-CoV-2 other than the spike protein. Vaccine will result in production of antibodies to the spike protein (and possibly the carrier virus for the adenovirus carrier based vaccines) but not the rest of SARS-CoV-2.
Whether there is any existing test that makes this distinction is another question entirely.
@ucbalumnus as far as I know no official testing, but someone at my dh’s med school is running an experiment doing just that now. DH had antibodies from the vaccine, but no sign that he’d ever been infected, which was the result he expected to get.
When I was at the lanai party, I did wear my mask a good portion of the time (when I wasn’t eating/drinking). People were wearing masks sometimes and not at others; everyone seemed pretty comfortable.
We went out to dinner with our DD and SIL indoors at a restaurant. For most of the time we were there, we were the only customers in the place. About five minutes before we left, another couple came in.
It was very easy to distance😉
Thank goodness they were doing a brisk carry out business!
The library had a musical performance today on the outside plaza. Four High School girls from a local performing arts program sing and dancing to Broadway songs. There were around 45 people there (from little kids to seniors) and it was wonderful. It felt so normal - seeing live singing and dancing for the first time in over a year.
I played in a National 50 and over tennis tournament this weekend. I went down to the tournament with three girlfriends. We played teams from California,Texas, Illinois, North Carolina, etc… I was a little apprehensive. But it was so much fun!! We played tennis, played cards, laughed, etc… Life almost felt normal.
“…natural infection may result in production of antibodies to parts of SARS-CoV-2 other than the spike protein.”
This point is crucial and one that not many people like to talk about (or maybe they just don’t know about it?). Time will tell!
When will those with immunity gained naturally by recovering from the virus be treated like the “fully vaccinated” and be able to “attend in-person commencements”?
Also wanted to add I’m happy to see people feeling safe getting together with family and friends again (after their vaccine), even if only in small gatherings. I’m hoping J&J gets the green light this Friday so more people who want to get vaccinated can be! 
This just happened…in CT.
“ Connecticut will lift all COVID-19 restrictions with the exception of the mask mandate on May 19, Gov. Ned Lamont announced Monday.”
Will everyone in CT who wants vaccine be able to be fully vaccinated by May 19?
(i.e. need to get first dose of Moderna by 4/7, first dose of Pfizer by 4/14, or J&J by 5/5)
Everyone is eligible…and we have hundreds of clinics doing these vaccines. Will everyone be fully vaccinated by May 19? I’m guessing it’s going to be close.
So what exactly will be lifted? Opening restaurants fully at 100% in or out? All gyms open or anything else that hasn’t been open? Any bar time restrictions?
What about social distancing? - at least in schools?
The only mandate will be masks. No social distancing. Restaurants and bars fully open. Look for Governor Lamont news conference regarding Covid today!
That’s huge news, and – to me, a CT resident – scary, too. IMO, I think we should still be somewhat cautious. I’m not about to eat indoors at a restaurant!
ETA: Only 32% of CT residents are fully vaccinated. I don’t think lifting all regulations is the way to go. That said, Lamont didn’t ask my opinion.
In Colorado most counties have moved to Blue or Green, and are considered fully open. We still have a mask mandate and while restaurants and stores are considered open to 100% capacity, they still have to have 6’ between people/parties. Even the restaurants admit they can’t be open like they could in past years. Also, other venues like concerts, baseball, festivals are still at a lower capacity.
Many restaurants aren’t open for indoor seating yet because of corporate rules (McDonalds, Starbucks).
80% of folks over 65 are fully vaccinated in CT. They feel confident that other age groups will match or come very close to that %age being fully vaccinated.
It’s a two phase roll out. Some things are happening May 1 and others May 19.
This was just an FYI.
How will this change my routines in CT? Well…not much. Im glad warmer weather is approaching and we can do lots of things outdoors.
Re: indoor dining…we ate indoors yesterday with our DD and SIL…we were the only ones eating there until about 5 minutes before we left when another couple came in. It was VERY easy to maintain a huge distance between us and the other couple. All staff was masked.
The only thing I care about is NOT to have my office open. I am not ready to commute again.
