Whoop de do, shot #2!

We got our second Moderna shot yesterday afternoon. So far, we both have slightly sore arms, but no problems otherwise. Our local health department was very organized and we were in and out of there in about 20 minutes, including the 15 minutes wait time after. The folks who were walking around checking to make sure that everyone was ok, and then releasing us after our 15 minutes, offered to take anyone's picture who wanted one. I think it's a nice souvenir of a crazy time.

Good deal for you and Eric. Gotta’ hand it to the state of Florida!

Congratulations for having the good sense to get vaccinated. Hopefully everyone will follow this lead, and realize that this vaccine is truly a gift and many thanks are in order to our scientific communities for their dedication and hard work behind this. You would be amazed by the crazy questions and concerns that I have been trying to answer over the past few weeks from family members and former co-workers who are not sure they want to get the vaccine.

Pat--I am very happy that we have our shots. You and I differ greatly on our opinion of how Florida has handled this whole thing...

My friend in Florida would mirror your sentiments Carol. Congratulations and glad you're both doing good today.

Hmmmm, I wasn’t thinking of political viewpoints when I posted but you’re correct in our differing opinions. Happy you were both able to get your shots.😊😊

I was reading that reactions could come up to three days afterward but hopefully we're good..

Pat--yes, it is a major relief..

Don't you just feel a large cloud has been lifted? After our second shot our feelings of stress were diminished.

We had some champagne when we got home. I was really kind of worried about side effects, so relief is kind of slow setting in. I feel kind of 'blah', but nothing specific other than the arm being sore. Hanging out at home, trying to take it easy..

👍

That’s so great carol! And I love that they took your photo!

Congrats! I decided to go with the Johnson n Johnson vaccine since that is one being afforded at this time.

Congratulations Carol and Eric!

We are scheduled for Monday--2nd shot Moderna.
It seems that only the young are having the side effects, so I guess we (husband and I) are safe.

Pat, I don't believe that Carol's comment was political, it's just that it hasn't been easy for people living in Florida to schedule
these vaccines. My 84 year old brother-in-law just got his 1st!!!
And what my sister and bIL went through to schedule them, was very stressful.

Cathy--I thought it made a thoughtful and amusing coda to the saga..

Terri--She said she didn't consider it political. I am just too sensitive sometimes. And yes it has been very difficult for many here in Florida--and around the country---to get the shots. We are thankful.

Both of us have just felt a little off today, but nothing specific, and yes it does seem that younger people have had more problems with side effects.

Keep exercising your arm, drink plenty of water, stay hydrated, and take ibuprofen or tylenol if necessary. My wife got her first Pfizer dose this morning with her second injection set for April 2nd. What does all of this mean? It means on April 16th we're going out to our favorite restaurant that evening (if it is still open). Ditto to what Scubaman posted above. It's like getting a "Get out of Jail Free" card playing monopoly. I can't honestly say it was the most liberating experience I have ever had, but it's darn close. The first time on Club Orient Beach 'au naturale' many years ago still holds down the top spot for me.

We're trying to make arrangements to have dinner -- outside -- with friends of ours, after two weeks. We have not eaten at a restaurant since March of last year..

Carol...i think it was a perfect remembrance. I get my second shot March 29. Steve and I have booked a little get away for our 49th anniversary April 8.

The NEXT thing I am going to do after that is go see my parents. Mama is making chicken and dumplings and we can visit each other without masks and share a meal. My parents and Steve have already had both shots. I get to hug them for the first time since Thanksgiving 2019. We only saw them once in 2020...in September we visited for an hour...we all wore masks and stayed on opposite sides of the room.

I anticipate masks will be around for a long time and I can deal with that...but I am so glad vaccinated folks can be with other vaccinated folks.

Cathy--I did not see my mom at all in 2020. She lives in Indiana and is 94.. She hasn't gotten her second shot yet, but it is scheduled.

Meanwhile, both of us feel basically normal this morning, so looks like we are good to go!!

Here's a suggestion for those out there who have now received both doses, or the single dose J & J vaccine. Photograph your 'COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card' to your cell phone rather than carrying the card around with you so you'll have a back-up. This may come in handy for future travel, especially if the development of a COVID Vaccination Passport never comes to fruition. As Scubaman noted in a recent post vaccination passports may be forthcoming later this year, but I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for this. Hopefully, proof of COVID vaccination will be an acceptable alternative to a negative COVID test around the world.

Yes, the lady who gave us our shot did recommend that we take a picture of it, and we plan to upload it somewhere that we could access it down island if necessary. As for the actual cards, we are going to laminate them, although the lady also recommended that we use the kind that DOESN'T require heat to laminate, as someone did that, and the sticker that was on the card melted. We have bought the kind that you just lay over top of the item, at Wal-mart before.

I took a picture of Steve's card...he has had both vaccines...it is on my phone and on our computer...and I put the white card with his yellow vaccination card and put it in his passport. When we travel it will all be together...and if it is lost it is in my phone and in my computer

What yellow card. Only one we got was white CDC card with both vaccines listed.

Perhaps she is talking about a card for yellow fever? We certainly didn't get any yellow card.

Maybe she'll clarify that.

We have a yellow vaccination card we got for our shots to Africa. It is titled international certificate of vaccination. It was required to get into Zambia, Botswana and south Africa.

Congrats on your vaccines!

Thanks Beerman! I understand from Eric's brother in Virginia that things are going pretty slow there..

Yes slow! An example of how slow in most places....my 84yo mom (Delaware resident) was extended staying at my sisters in MD, tried to register there and was told only MD residents need apply...ok.. she was already on the Delaware registration since it opened....waiting....waiting...after making many calls we got an appointment in Dover a couple weeks ago (6 hour round trip drive) With her "underlying conditions" I walked her in, the nurse says "I'll help you, why haven't we seen you before now?...." my mom replied "Nobody invited me!". Hehee! In the big scheme of things I guess a 2 month wait should be expected, many of her friends are still waiting. I feel bad for older people who might not be so computer savy and need help trying to figure out the system. She just got her second shot and I'm grateful.

Yes, the only way to get a shot quickly most places is to be computer literate enough to register online. And even then, it often takes a while. We registered on January 15, which was the second day that online registration was open here--after spending the good part of TWO days trying to call in with their original phone call only registration system, which did NOT work at all. Registered on Jan 15, first shot February 12. My mom is 94 and is in Indiana. Supposed to get her second shot this Thursday.

LINK

There truly are some good young kids out there.

That is a great 14 year old! Wonderful story!

Carol my wife and I got our 1st shot yesterday! Small town where our cabin is. WV is going to start 30yo and older....they are really doing a great job there!

Wow, good for WV!!

Had a chance to talk to our youngest son last night and he apologized for not calling or texting in the last few weeks, but told us he's been slammed at work as the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine trials have been reaching their conclusion and told us his typical day in the lab has been roughly 14 to 15 hours! Now that's busy. This will also be a two shot vaccine, but it's a protein based vaccine that is a little different than those based on mRNA technology. Trial results have been encouraging with efficacy rates in the 89 to 90 percent range, and impressive generation of neutralizing antibodies. He believes the vaccine will eventually gain FDA approval in early May, and it may be available in ample quantities for the 16 and older groups who wish to get a COVID-19 vaccine. So, unless things go awry in the final stages here's another effective vaccine about to be introduced.

OK, any new effective shot is a good thing!!

According to the most recent press release there will be enough vaccine by May 1st for any one to get

I picked up a plastic sleeve labeled "ID Card Holder" at Staples. It was a package of 10 of them for under $10. I shared the extras with friends and family. It fits the card perfectly. I have a photo of my card saved in my Google Docs so I don't have to carry the card. There are spaces on the card for additional shots - in the good chance that we'll need annual booster shots.

Kathleen--got ours at Walleyworld for $2.44 for 5 of them.. We haven't put them in the holders yet, but they look to be the right size..

I was told to put a small piece of paper over the date of birth on the card before you snap a photo of it.
Carolyn

Frankly, I think the photo is useless without that information. Kind of like taking a picture of your passport and covering up the number....

I think that's only the case if you post a picture of your card on Social Media sites. You don't want your birthdate to show up on any Social Media site. And you should remove the year of your birth from any profile you have on Facebook, etc.

Kathleen--now, that makes sense.

Had to work like crazy back in January to get my COVID vaccinations on 2/1 and 2/22. Now, it seems like I'm getting calls daily about "do you still need a COVID vaccine?" So, when these places call I tell them that I'm all set, but I have other friends or family that need a COVID vaccine and I ask if they can call and schedule since there is availability. Some people are not real internet savvy, so helping them out is the right thing to do. So far, I got eleven others scheduled or already vaccinated by passing on a phone number to them and telling them "just make the call." Even if someone is not age 65 or older, there are other qualifications that they can mention to get vaccinated. Are they are full or part time caregiver to an elderly parent or relative? Some have even gotten the vaccine based on their BMI which indicated they are obese. So, just because we are all vaccinated or getting vaccinated let's not stop now, but instead try to draw in others that we know to do the same.

Sammy--that is really VERY state specific, as far as requirements. I was really surprised that a pharmacist friend of mine, who is well over 65, has not gotten his shots yet. He works full time and his wife does not work and he is depending on her to make the reservation and she hasn't done so. He asked where I got mine. I suggested a couple of places for them to check, as I think here they could get a shot pretty easily. I felt like asking if he wanted me to try to register him somewhere, but didn't want to interfere.

I see Florida is opening it up to most all ages.

I think it's still just 50 and up, plus those with underlying conditions, but it may have changed this week.

It has been interesting on a state-by-state basis, hasn't it? Our county borders with New York to the east and Ohio to the west. First, Ohio indicated the vaccine was for Ohio residents only. Sounds reasonable. But when the Rite Aid right across the Ohio state line wasn't filling up all their vacation slots they began to accept Pennsylvania residents including one of my friends about two weeks ago. It would appear that some of the more rural, conservative counties in PA were not matching vaccinations to the supplies they were being provided with and reaching out a bit more to fill those slots. Can't say for sure, but possibly vaccine hesitancy in some areas opened things up for others to step in and wisely get vaccinated. Hopefully, our country learns from this and when the next flu epidemic hits or worse yet another pandemic we'll have better national plans in place. I was only five when I got my polio sugar cube back in 1961 so I guess I don't remember things being quite as dysfunctional back then!

To be fair the population in the US in 1961 was just over 192 million versus 331 million today.

Fair point, NDFan. Also, the sugar cubes didn't have to be stored at negative 70 celsius either, I assume. But, what I do remember is going to the nearby high school gym that was a vaccination center for polio and on that particular Saturday those residents whose last names began with "L" or "M" needed to show up at noon and that was about it. I thought getting a sugar cube was a great idea because it hurt a lot less than a shot!

NDfaninnc ... I must ask Notre Dame grad or follower? My cousin played football at ND back in the 60's and my youngest son got his undergraduate degree their in 2014, so I'm a follower for sure.

SammyM, I remember the sugar cube. Probably because it was the only vaccine that didn't hurt!!

As for Notre Dame, My father played for the Irish in the late 50's when they sucked. Under Brennen I believe. I grew up 3 miles from the campus. I used to ride my bike over there during the summers to watch the football players practice. I had a spot in the woods that I could watch from through the fence. I was caught by ND security and brought to the coach's office for "interrogation". Once he realized I was not a threat and my father's connection, the rest of that summer I was allowed on the practice field as kind of a waterboy and shag balls with the QB's. The coach was Dan Devine. The QB I shagged balls for was Joe Montana. Once school started that fall I never saw them again. But a great childhood memory. I live near Charlotte now and try to go to any games near me that I can. I haven't gone to a game in South Bend in quite a while. But man, what a great place to see a football game!! Saturday afternoons on the campus are magical.

What nice stories. My wife and I miss traveling to South Bend and visiting our son and his friends, and taking in a football game (or two) each fall. He now lives California with his girlfriend so it's just not the same!