Covid Vaccine
 

Hello Neurotalk,

I said in a prior post on a different thread that I would update when I received the second dose. It has been a month since receiving the second dose of Moderna and I feel good. I didn't have any side effects from the second dose or the first except the sore arm. I have several loved ones who also have received the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine and all report the same thing too. I hope this helps anyone who may still worry about the side effects.

Best wishes,

Diamond Tiger<3

I went to see my pcp for a physical. I informed him I have been fully vaccinated. He told me despite being fully vaccinated, I still must go the extra mile and practice social distancing and wear a mask regardless of whether I'm indoors or outdoors because I'm immunocompromised. I must do it until herd immunity is reached. He also said anyone who comes around me also must mask too.

I was hoping once I was fully vaccinated I would have more freedom and enjoy my life again. :(

Diamond Tiger<3

I think the new rules vary according to your situation, your location, and the local rules.

For instance, yesterday residents in the building I live in received a memo from the management company. This is HUD rental housing,, and the management company has been issuing memos about the changing situation all during the pandemic. Yesterday's memo started like this:

The memo goes on to say that in this place everyone must still wear masks but they expect these rules to change soon.

Hello Agate,

Yes, here in the U.S.A. the mask mandate has been lifted in most states for people who have been fully vaccinated, my state included.
What my doctor was explaining to me is, despite being fully vaccinated I must still wear a mask and all those around me must do the same because I'm considered high risk as a result of being immunicompromised. I can't go eat inside restaurants or sit with family and friends without everyone being masked. Until my state and cimmunity reaches herd immunity. Though the vaccines are 90-95% effective, for someone like me I would fall into that 5-10% that it will not be as effective in and would get sick and the outcome may not be good.

Best wishes,

Diamond Tiger<3

I'm really frustrated being locked up in my house. I just celebrated my 40th birthday in March. My baby brother stopped by with a birthday cake and had my niece and nephew with him. I couldn't even invite them inside my house. I felt horrible about it. Instead, we all had to stay outside in my car garage.
I have a IGG deficiency subclass 1 and 3. I'm suppose to get monthly IVIG. I haven't had it done in a few years now. Overall I feel great and rarely get sick even without getting the IVIG. I questioned if the dx is correct and my doctor has checked my IGG levels several times over the last 5-6 years. Both subclass 1 and 3 is below normal. Also, my total number is below normal too. My immunologist says its genetics. He believes my mom was the same as me. Which helps to explain why she got emphysema in her early 30s and died at 41.
Because Covid-19 is new, nobody has aby natural immunity to it that would help me if I were to start getting IVIG again to help in case. The doctors are not confident that all donated blood would have Covid antibodies in it to help people like myself because, there still isn't enough infection or vaccinated people yet. Its not expected to possibly reach that until next year. Sadly, IVIG is the only treatment for my condition. Even then, IVIG is given 1 a month. And it only lasts up to 21 days in the body. The insurance will only cover the cost 1 a month. On average deoending on the number of days in the month, I would be going 9 days on average without any protection from bacteria and viral infections.

Diamond Tiger<3

Better safe than sorry. And with COVID, a person might be very very sorry. Though this isn't the bubonic plague, it's a lot more serious than the flu.

Anyone at special risk, like yourself, certainly should take every precaution unless herd immunity is reached, and it doesn't seem likely that that will happen any time soon.

Belated happy birthday--and maybe your next birthday will be more enjoyable.:)

Agate,

Yes, this is very true! In my state vaccinations is not even at 40% yet. My county has the highest number of cases in the entire state. I just wish more people would get vaccinated to help everyone else plus themselves. I also understand people's hesitancy too. I just wish people who choose to not get vaccinated to continue wearing mask at least. That's what is so scary is you don't know who is vaccinated and who isn't.
I have a loved one who was vaccinated and still got Covid. Unfortunately, she caught the South African variant and is in the hospital right now.

Thank you for the birthday wishes!! I hope we all can celebrate our birthdays, holidays, and any other special occasions with our loved ones like we use to before Covid hit. My baby brother is getting married next year around my birthday. I'm hoping things will be much better by then. If not, I will have to miss it and I don't want that to happen.

The doctors are saying any variants that arise will come from people like myself because of a weak immunity. It has the best change of evolving in people who are immunocompromised. As I have told my loved ones, I don't want to be the one respinsible for anyone else to get sick and lose a loved one as a result. I take all my doctors advice seriously. I will do everything in my power to help prevent that from happening.

Best wishes,


Diamond Tiger<3

This is a great thread. Thanks for sharing. I feel for you Diamond Tiger<3.

The real tragedy here is that they will probably discover retrospectively that masks have very little benefit if any, particularly outside. Most people I encounter at work can't wear a mask properly. Some wear old filthy masks that inevitably harbour more microorganisms and are more dangerous to health than non mask wear.

The advice and guidelines change all the time. These are difficult days.

Best wishes to you both.

Atty

Atticus,

Hi hun! It's been a while. I hope all is well with you?
I do understand and agree that some people do not wear masks properly or wear dirty ones. I do agree the mask wearing outdoors is probanly not as effective as it is indoors. I was kind of surprise that my doctor recommended to wear both outdoirs and indoors. I'm not as worried about people not wearing masks outdoors as I am indoors. The mask mandate was lifted for everyone who is vaccinated for both indoors and outdoors. Like when I went to the restaurant the other day, I had to go inside and wait for my food to be ready for me to take home. Nobody inside the restaurant was wearing a mask. That is what is troubling and scary.

You are right, these are challenging days.

Best wishes,

Diamond Tiger<3

Hey DT<3,

I am good, thanks for asking, no one on this board has asked that before! Thank you. You're the angel lady if I remember rightly. How are you? I hope you are well too.

Just some thoughts. Of course your doctor is going to give you the safest advice. The US is a highly litigious country. However you can choose to ignore that advice. Is it wholly appropriate advice given your vaccination record? Will it be the same advice in a month, a year, 5 years?
What does a mask actually do?

Best wishes,

Atty

Atticus,

Good to hear you are well! I'm good here, thanks for asking. :) Yes, I am the angel lady. Lol Great memory!:)

To answer your question about reason for still needing a mask despite being fully vaccinated, its because of me being immunocompromised. The vaccines are highly effective 90-95% in people with healthy strong immune systems. But, in people like myself who are immunocompromised or immunosuppressive the efficacy is not the same, its a lot less. There are even some people who have been vaccinated but still didn't produce any immune response. Therefore their bodies will not create any antibodies to help protect them from a Covid infection. Doctors still say to everyone get the vaccine despite it may not be as effective if it is at all. Its better to have some antibodies if your body produces some than none at all. Nobody can say who amongst this group of people will and will not produce a immune response. People who have a autoimmune disorder also fall into this group. The only indication that any doctor would have as to who may and may not is based on prior vaccinations and the efficacy those had.

Using me as a example: When I have received the flu and pneumonia vaccine my body didn't produce a healthy amount of antibodies to fight the flu and pneumonia if I were to ever get it. Because of this the doctors do not expect me to have a strong robust amount of antibodies for Covid. And taking into account I do have a weak immune system.

My doctors reccomended for me to wear a mask until herd immunity is reached. However long it takes for herd immunity to be reached is how long I will have to wear a mask for.

With all that being said, if I were to come in contact with someone with Covid the likely hood of me getting Covid is fairly high and the outcome for me could be lethal despite being vaccinated.

I hope this helps to answer your questions about it.

Best wishes,

Diamond Tiger<3

Yes thats a very thorough and comprehensive answer. Thank you for taking the time to write it.

Best wishes,

Atty.

Atticus,

You are welcome! I hope you understand it and it makes sense to you. Data has also shown breakthrough infections of right under 10k cases in the U.S.A. despite being fully vaccinated. Out of the breakthrough infection cases there has been 132 deaths reported. Although the cases are low and considered rare, it still has happened.


Best wishes,


Diamond Tiger<3

I trained as an immunologist.


In many countries getting vaccinated aginst Covid is free (it will happen to me next Monday).


I recommend it to everybody. This does not mean that the usual rules (wear a facemask, follow social isolation etc do not apply).

I hear of plenty of reports from those taking the jabs, from they are fine to some with slight reactions to major reactions. Just today a fellow on another group reported that his wife who has twin babies and had to take the vaccine or lose her job, has come down with MS like symptoms, she is in wheelchair and is being readied for a battery of tests. She has fear to breastfeed her babies. So would I. I've heard everything from major fatigue, seizures, blood clots, heart issues, nerve issues, tinnitus, and the MS symptoms.

Why some have no apparent issues and many have mild to severe issues. Hard to know WHY. We'll probably never know, we are not the developers.

The relatively few cases of severe side effects to the Covid vaccine versus the MILLIONS of deaths, plus all the other horrid effects for those with "long-Covid" or other bad side effects from the illness - make it a no brainer imo to get the vaccine and STOP the mutations and spread of this killer virus.

I have been vaxxed since March with no side effects other than sore arm a few days. I am still wearing a mask when around other people indoors, and practicing sanitization. Breakthrough infections are rare but no vaxx is 100% - however getting seriously ill once one is vaxxed is mitigated.

The serious resurgence of the Delta variant happening in predominantly unvaxxed communities should be a wake up call to anyone still spreading vaccine misinformation and conspiracy theories. Yes, some people have medical or other reasons not to be vaccinated, and I respect that. But not getting the vaccine due to believing the many myths that have spread about it is irresponsible, not only for oneself and one's family, but for the community as a whole. A higher vaxx rate = stronger herd immunity, and that gives less room for the virus to replicate and mutate. Simple, basic science of virology.

Some talk of government ineptitude;)
 

Lots of vaccine hesitancy here in Australia still. We're a mess right now. People in health related jobs are still on waiting lists here although I feel a sudden frantic change during the past week with other States having major problems with spreading of the Delta variant.

My daughter works in radiology and still hasn't been called up despite her being in a top level in the roll-out. People over 60 with serious illness are still on waiting lists and then having to play dice with Astrazeneca as it's the only one the GPs will give us because that's all the Federal government has given them with Pfizer being kept for the young.

I live in a regional area and it's not all that long ago that they put in the necessary refrigeration for storage of Pfizer. All this time later. (Mid winter day temp yesterday of 29C in my town). Pfizer and Astrazeneca are the only options we have and the latter has its own problems and Pfizer is in short supply.

The hesitancy here, in my opinion, has been mainly caused by government incompetency and mixed messaging and the usual misinformation. 'Too many cooks'.

For many of us who have serious health issues to begin with, it's actually been extremely difficult getting helpful information from our doctors even though that's where we should be getting it. It's been the usual blanket advice.

Here we have to sign a waiver. They're calling it "informed consent" but in fact, nobody is really giving individual health information for us to consent to and it's basically just paperwork covering legal indemnity for health professionals giving us the vaccines in case something does go wrong.

Everyone should be talking to their doctors and if they're not getting the information they need then they need to keep talking. In my situation I finally found out that my doses needed to be given at a certain point in time in the middle of my treatments.

So, I need to have the vaccine 1/2 way through my 3 week cycle of Immunotherapy. That's because my immune system is highly activated. Side effects for people on immunotherapy for example can include enlarged lymph nodes (as well as potential for the other possible side-effects, emphasis on possible) so if one is having regular 3 montly imaging such as I am then that has to be taken into account as well.

It's all extremely complicated for those with certain conditions and I plead with people to look for their own information and take it back to their doctors if they feel they're being given generic advice and there is anything that they don't understand. We have to look after ourselves. No one else can do that.

In my opinion, don't sign anything until you feel you can actually honestly give informed consent. Once you're in a position to do that then go for it asap.

I still and always have contended that strengthening our own immune systems is KEY and for me and my family and good friends that's our choice. And yes discuss with your doctors but as I see it, this is all so new they are not sure what to advise. This is all new technology and I'll stick with my old technology, my immune system. \

Make certain Vit D is optimal as I forever hear from my sources the value of D and all this.

Good luck with that.

It's not just ourselves we should be concerned about.
It's everyone else as well.

That's what the point of the whole thread from DiamondTiger was about. Having a highly activated immune system like myself puts me at risk. Having a immunocompromised system such as DiamondTiger puts her at risk even after vaccine. We rely on others to keep us safe. In the end, it doesn't matter how many vitamin precautions any of us take.

Just to put a few numbers out there for perspective and these are across the board, I don't think they take into account specific pre-existing illness. These figures actually helped me a lot in my own hesitancy as I am actually not someone to usually have a vaccine e.g. 'flu ---

Australia's New South Wales Health Minister stated on the ABC here Friday just past when speaking about the vaccine that so many of us are worried about...

"Understand for example that if you are over 60 and you get the virus you have a one in 200 chance of dying.

If you are over 50 you have a one in 500 chance of dying if you get the virus.

As opposed to that, if you have the vaccine, the AstraZeneca vaccine, it protects you to the extent that your chances of actually dying [from COVID] are one in 2 million."

And the statistics keep coming along--telling us that over 99% of those who are dying now from the delta variant are the unvaccinated.
Why the delta variant is causing an explosion of cases among the unvaccinated | PBS NewsHour

Yes, the vaccines are new and had to be made available under emergency provisions but this was a global emergency. The vaccines have been around for quite a while now and are proving their effectiveness and safety.

We have to go with what we have. Or put ourselves and others at considerable risk.