I went to my aunts funeral yesterday. She was an extremely popular person and probably would have had as many as 500 people at her funeral. The church allowed 70. We sat in “household” groups. Masks were worn at the church service but not at the reception at the house (outdoors). It was so nice to be together with family during this difficult time. Everyone there was vaccinated.
Unfortunately, there seem to be no news or studies on this topic.
But that is different from the previous question, which is whether people who get vaccinated and then get a breakthrough infection are vulnerable to becoming long haulers.
Mr. and I got Pfizered today (second shot). Two more weeks… and we are going to live dangerously. Might even eat inside a restaurant… phew, that will be totally wild!
We have been eating out (inside) more and more. H is ready to go back to more packed places. I’m not quite there yet. But I have been staying at the gym longer and not upset if it is more crowded than before. I can tolerate 2 bars (out of 20) on the crowd o meter! Progress! (I still prefer my super early Saturday & Sunday mornings when it’s 0 bars. The 3rd person seems to trigger the first bar.)
How could they know this yet?
On a timeline, you’d have the first group vaccinated in Dec/Jan, and then wait 2 weeks after the second shot. Then they’d have to get covid, say even with bad luck that would mean Feb or March. Then they’d have to be given the time to recover, say 10-21 days.
When do you decide someone is a long hauler? Two weeks after they should have recovered? A month? We’re hardly there unless a whole bunch of those who were first to be vaccinated got covid in Feb or Mar.
We have not yet dined inside a restaurant, even though we had our second shots a month ago. Our church is starting in person, socially distanced services tomorrow, but we aren’t ready for that yet. We are not isolated - we see family & friends, and we go shopping without worrying. But there are just a few things we aren’t quite ready to do. Not sure when we’ll feel back to normal, but it will eventually happen.
I haven’t really noticed that many changes around here. Masks are still required anywhere inside and many outside places like sports venues. Restaurants and bars have a higher capacity allowed and later hours for bar closing, but masks still required for walking in, out, or around a restaurant. Stores still require masks. Many places have not reopened indoor dining (like McDonalds) and those that have may not be fully opened.
I do notice more people walking in the parks or on trails without masks, but I always did walk without a mask (had one in my pocket). It’s almost harder for me to remember a mask now when going into a store or business. I try to have a stack of them in my car or pocket, but since not wearing them now to meet friends for a walk or outdoor activity, it’s harder to remember.
Good news. While my sister’s rapid test was positive, her PCR test was negative (as were tests for my BIL, their kids, and my mother). Phew. She does have sore throat, laryngitis, but is already feeling better.
There is so much misinformation circulating out there. I like your timeline approach. Quite frankly, how could anyone (I don’t like saying “they”. We don’t really know who “they” are) know what long term effects exist when we’ve only been in this 15 months or so? Are the long haulers part of a certain demographic? Do they share any comorbidities, are those comorbidities the real issue? All kinds of unknowns.
There will be anecdotal events ( such as a fully vax getting covid) but those are in the vast minority, trending towards miniscule. Are we supposed to let that miniscule risk govern our actions and how we live our lives? Not for me. There’s likely never going to be a time when covid doesn’t exist. We’re never going to reach a time when there are no new cases. I fully anticipate this being similar to the annual flu strains going forward. I’ve never had a flu shot and have never had the flu. I did get eh covid vax and will get whatever annual boosters are required but that’s about it. This will just become another thing we live with.
Well, it seems like my husband’s family will all do everything they did prior to March 2020. We had Mother’s Day dinner at my SIL’s house tonight; she had tables set up inside and out, everyone was able to spread out. All adults and teens have been vaccinated; the only one there that was not was my 4 year old great niece.
Several people were sitting around the den, when someone said they were so glad the pandemic was over and it was so nice to have everything back to normal. I said the threat still wasn’t over, but no one seemed to listen or care. I decide to just keep quiet as this crowd is going to do what they want to do; I am just happy they all were vaccinated.
My husband and I chose not to hug and kiss everyone there, which we have always done prior to COVID. I am still in baby step mode, so just being in the house with 16 people was a leap in itself!
I realize many don’t care about possible long-hauler effects for those with mild breakthrough cases. You’ll be glad to read that the CDC doesn’t care, either, as they will now only be compiling statistics regarding people with breakthrough cases who have been hospitalized or died.
I have been fully vaccinated for longer than many, and I have hardly changed my covid routine at all. It will be a long time before I’ll be doing any indoor dining at restaurants or not trying to go to places when they are uncrowded.
My area of my state has the most vaccine hesitancy. And no, I don’t live in some rural redneck area. So I AM concerned. I have done all the right things during this pandemic; many in my area haven’t. So I am concerned if asymptomatic breakthrough cases can have long-hauler effects; regular asymptomatic cases can.
Not implying anything at all. Sorry if you took it that way. Just stating that so many sources (news organizations) are putting out a range of chatter from sound bites to studies that cloud the whole topic. There is no definitive, credible message. Partly because we just don’t know what the long term effects of this will be. Yet, without that clarity, there are many (not saying you - in general) who assume bad this, terrible that without putting all of this in context. Numbers in a vacuum can sound really scary. I feel they need to be contextualized from many angles. The whole constant drumbeat of the case count meter on CNN is an example. The vast majority of those are either asymps or require no medical care. Will some become “long haulers”? Sure. The vast majority won’t. I just don’t see the need to ask and expect the massive majority to change their day to day routine or habits because a small number of people (relative to the population) may or may not have future issues. We all have or will have health issues though life’s journey. You just deal with them.
Perfectly fine with those who want to remove themselves from the potential risk of a pre covid existence. They need to be perfectly fine with me not doing that. I’ve had health issues for over 50 yrs. I guess I’m a long hauler of multiple things and have just learned to live with them.
Maybe the CDC won’t care, but I bet countries in Europe will. They’ve been the source for many good studies regarding Covid already and are usually where I find my long hauler info.
Definitely there are folks who don’t care if they are long haulers, but with it being 20-33% or so of those who get it - even asymptomatically - and doctors are concerned with whether it’s going to be a significant health issue as these folks (in bulk) age, I can see where it’s a wee bit worrisome.
But H and I have decided we’re either going to trust the vaccine or not. Since we both now have antibodies discovered post vaccine via donating blood, we’ve decided we will. We’ll mask as long as it’s recommended to do so by the science folks (not state political folks and not local folks wanting their beliefs to be the norm), but other than that, we’re resuming life.
If folks don’t want to get vaccinated, that’s on them.
Fully vaccinated now for a month, as are all my friends except for two who had covid in March.
I’m with you on this. Unless my husband and I want to be hermits and live in fear, we are getting back to life. My area has a pretty high vaccination rate. On Saturday, we went to an indoor event with a lot of people. Food and drink was involved. I felt weird being around so many people, but it was a really fun night. We all stayed masked when not eating or drinking.
I’m going to wear masks everywhere I’m required to, and certainly on planes, while shopping, etc… Masks definitely work. Vaccines work too. I am 100% certain that covid is here to stay, and I can’t see myself ever flying again without a mask, for sure. I am also not prepared to give up totally on what makes life enjoyable. I understand and respect that many people are still fearful. I think people have to figure out at their own pace what they are comfortable with.
You’re technically correct. The parents that refuse to vaccinate their kids with the C19 vaccine will have to find schools that will allow “the unvaccinated” kids to attend.
So looking ahead, we’ll have schools for the vaccinated and schools for the unvaccinated. Sounds an awful lot like segregation to me! Do we really want to go (back) there? Where does it end?
The CDC has not done a good job from the beginning in getting the information out there (bowed down to political interests). Here’s their latest announcement re breakthrough cases and how interested they are in them:
[quote]
“You’re technically correct. The parents that refuse to vaccinate their kids with the C19 vaccine will have to find schools that will allow “the unvaccinated” kids to attend.” [/quote]
That’s no different than pre-covid. Most schools require proof of vaccination for attendance.
Doesn’t remotely sound like segregation to me, if by segregation you mean the once widespread practice of isolating kids to separate public schools based on race, with the students of color often receiving inferior services. No, that seems like a very false equivalency. Since most public schools already require proof of vaccination, what we’re talking about is kids finding an alternate private school or homeschooling rather than attending their current private school that likely already had vaccine requirements.
Oh, that is nothing like segregation based on race.
I don’t see the COVID vaccine requirement for schools as being any different from other vaccine requirements. Many of these rules are state laws and it is hard to find places that will bend these rules. In New York, several Religious Jewish schools in Rockland County don’t follow the state law (NY does allow medical exemptions - some states allow medical and religious exemptions). This area of NY state has had several outbreaks of childhood diseases in recent years (big measles one a few years ago.) because of this.
segregation
NOUN
- the action or state of setting someone or something apart from other people or things or being set apart.
“the segregation of pupils with learning difficulties”
What these schools are trying to do is segregate people based on their medical choices/decisions. How people are alright with this I’ll never understand.
My kids are fully vaccinated. The C19 vaccine is not even FDA-approved yet so I would like to wait for more information before making a decision. Unfortunately, for my kids who are not even at risk, I’m not afforded that opportunity and now may have to change my kids’ enrollment to an “alternate private school”. Guess that’s the breaks in America these days.