Having had the vaccine now, I anticipate that if I do happen to catch a case of Covid it will be much less devastating than it otherwise would have been. I have been under no illusions that the shots would prevent me from catching it or being a carrier (hence the both of us getting vaccinated at the same time, so as to avoid the situation of the vaccinated one inadvertently bringing it home to the other).
We both had some significant side-effects after both shots - the strength of the first one really does make me wonder if we hadn't been exposed to the virus previously (probably in Glasgow) and not been aware of that. The second shot's reaction was not as strong for either of us, and primarily consisted of brain fog, sore arms, serious fatigue, and for the Daughter, fever. I got "Covid Arm" the second time, but not the first.
We are now both over almost all of the side effects - the Daughter is still tired, but improving. I was well enough to dig up a goodly patch of garden in my allotment this morning. I'm still a little mentally fuzzy, but I can't prove it isn't from the stress of the last year. It does feel like a huge weight is lifted - the chances of either of us dying from Covid is now greatly reduced, as are the chances of giving it to each other.
Our upstairs neighbor was out on her balcony the other day, saying that she'd had several people over recently who had just tested positive and so she was off to get a test herself. Even having been vaccinated, I'm avoiding touching anything in the close and am sure to wear a mask while transiting it. (There are mutated strains, after all.) But I don't have the sense of dread that I think I would have had if I'd heard about that conversation prior to getting vaccinated.
I've missed two relatives' and three friends' sudden funerals because of Covid... so far. Hearing the guy who worked at the Home Depot the other day saying he wasn't sure he was going to go get vaccinated or not just floored me. I told him I'd recently been vaccinated and that we'd buried people long before their time because of this disease, and to not think he was ten feet tall and bulletproof. If he walks in a room after someone contagious coughs, he might get to find out what life in the ICU is like. And that not getting vaccinated was a really poor way to treat his loved ones, who would have to pick up the pieces if the ICU didn't work. (Or even if it did.) I may have come on a bit strong, but he really did upset me. I imagine he'll just chalk me up as a crazy old lady and go on as he was.
But hopefully he'll get the vaccine.
40% of the US military has refused it. Eventually they do need to make that vaccination an order.
People are nuts.
