You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion
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Corona Chat
I know there are side effects of the vaccine but they are only temporary and not everyone gets them. My parents had the astrazeneca one and theey are both in their 70s. They both had a slight ache in their arm and my mum felt slightly nauseous and that's it. The week I had the pfizer jab, two friends of mine had it too. One had no side effects at all. The other just had a really achey arm and a slight headache. I had an achey arm, bad headache, nausea, light headed and slightly blurred vision. All went within 24-36hrs. So quite a range. The side effects are worth it in my opinion. Tthe research coming out on the vaccines on how it reduces transmisssion, hospitilisation and fatality is really positive. As for the astra one not being used for over 60s, it is here. The reason some countries arent is because that age range weren't included in the trials, not because of any adverse effects.
Sarah wrote: "The reason some countries arent is because that age range weren't included in the trials, not because of any adverse effects."This. This is really important that people understand.
Yes, I agree - any vaccine is better than no vaccine. Here it's looking like we'll be lucky to get the entire population done by 2022 - will we be into a fourth wave by then :(
In the States, I have mostly heard that folks are getting Moderna or Pfizer. There is talk about Johnson and Johnson (1 shot), but also concern that it isn’t as protective. My husband and I got our first of two shots yesterday (Moderna). The only side effects that we have seen are a bit of sore arms. I did feel a bit fatigued yesterday, but I have RA and it could be that. Mostly, here in the States, you hear about more side effects with the second shot, but again it is vastly different for different people. So far, vaccines are being given to folks over 65, full time caregivers to people over 65, healthcare workers and first responders. It has been very competitive to get a vaccine at all. That is starting to get better. Be well!
Good to hear you got your first shots Sharon. It does seem very competitive here as to who gets the vaccine first. In some cases "left over" shots have gone to family members of health care execs which has caused some controversy.
Starting Monday, some restrictions will be lifted here. We are moving from a red zone to an orange one. Curfew will be at 21h30 instead of 20h. I just may get my walk in before bed and have more than one good night of sleep in a row. Something I have not manage since January. *snoopy dance*I am getting a bit exhausted, very cranky, and distracted. (I almost put yogurt in my coffee this am.)
That is good, Esther. I hope the little changes have an impact in how you feel. This has lasted way too long.
Good news Esther! I wouldn't like the idea of a curfew even though I We bought a Nebuliser. I've been using it twice a day with saline solution and it works great for me. Now I just need to find a cure for the tiredness and general crankiness I'd be sorted!
Sarah, Rus and Saar, I must apologise, I was incorrect. There has been enough date generated to show an acceptable level of adverse events for the Astra vaccine in the over 60 age group. The only reason it's not being given here is because we don't have any. I'm still not sure this wasn't done in first place but there were a few mistakes made in that trial.Put my earlier comments down to covid (I've lost the last month of my life) or a simple brain fart!!!
Margo wrote: "Good news Esther! I wouldn't like the idea of a curfew even though I rarely never go out late these nights, if I thought I wasn't allowed to, it would drive me nuts! Don't think I fancy yogurt in ..."I thought that it would not be a problem but I had not realised how much my late walks helped me sleep. Whatever else just needed a bit more thinking ahead as shops closed at 19h or 19h30 so their employees could make it home.
Schools go back here on Monday and lockdown easing starts 12th April. Hopefully, cases won't rocket again.
Our final year classes went back on monday. I'm not sure if it's the right thing or not but I do feel for teens at this time. At least it's a step back towards normality for them. I think teachers need to be prioritied for shots, along with the at risk population.
Margo wrote: "Sarah, Rus and Saar, I must apologise, I was incorrect. There has been enough date generated to show an acceptable level of adverse events for the Astra vaccine in the over 60 age group. The only r..."All good, not worth an apology! Didn't think you were saying anything weird. We just got AstraVeneca here too but that's coz we are behind everyone else as we don't have outbreak issues here. Odd it's only just appearing in Ireland now though. But glad it is.
Thanks Rus 😀 I deleted most of what I'd said as I don't want to misinform people.It's not that the Astra is only just appearing, we only got a small fraction of what was ordered. We've only been able to do about 400k shots so far. Not good news when the 14 day incendane rate in my town is running at 496.
I don't understand what is happening as up to now the local numbers have been very low. I know the new strains are very infection but it's puzzling why a rural community with low density population has become a hotspot for the virus.
I've got another dose of tonsillitis and a UTI. This virus really messes up your immune system. This is my 4th course of antibiotics since early February -not good 🤒On a brighter not, my mum is getting her shot tomorrow!
I hope you get better soon, Margo, and this time for good!My mom is also getting her shot today, and my dad on the 25th. They are both getting the sinovac one. I'd like them to get another one, but Uruguay got only a few thousand of pfizer and others, since developed countries are getting all of them. It got 1.5 million of sinovac doses (and more coming) for a population of 3 millions, so it is obvious which one most of the people will get.
Wow that is really dragging on Margo. I hope you start to feel better soon. Have you had your jab yet?
@Sandra - glad to hear your parents are getting the vaccine. It's very unfair the way smaller countries are being allocated vaccine. And so much for Europe "increased bargaining power as a block" strategy. As our PM said, not their finest our! Ireland has given less than 10% of our population their first shot. @Sarah - No jab for me yet. No time line has been given for people with under conditions. My GP said yesterday that my Asthma would make it likely that I'll have breathing problems for about 8 weeks. More than 12 weeks would make it Long Covid" and all bets are off!
Hope you've had your jabs Sarah because this is not fun!
I have heard that people with long covid experience a reduction in symptoms when they are vaccinated. So hopefully your jab will come thrpugh soonish. I have had my first dose and due my second one at the end of April. It is a huge relief.
Glad you're doing okay Margo, although not perfect. I am sorry you guys aren't getting your jabs yet, although gald your mum's got one. I have thought that governments have been really overly optimistic with timelines on this though, so not overly surprised timelines are blowing out.Sorry to hear about the other infections. Hope you are drinking lots of yakult, and eating lots of yoghurt, kimchi, and saurkraut to get your gut bacteria back up and running. That's a massive beating with the antibiotics, but this is why we need them.
What's happening with shots in Aus Rusalka? Have they started or is it like the flu shot, a seasonal thing?
We've started. We are in stage 1a at the moment, which is essential healthcare and quarantine workers. We're behind, but we've had vaccines blocked in places like the EU from coming in. I personally do not mind as my life is vaguely normal here. I mean, I went to a protest at Parliament House on Monday with thousands of other pissed off women who are sick of being harassed and raped in their workplace, especially in Parliament House. We were told to check in via the contract tracing app, and asked to wear a mask. And I got to scream at society in mass. That was great. So I am happy to wait. But the Gov shouldn't make stupid promises that are unrealistic and unachievable. And I mean, even I saw that coming.
They announced yesterday that stage 1b will start on Monday. That's 6 million Aussies, who are over 70 or Indigenous or other healthcare/emergency workers or have a health condition like Lexx. They announced it without telling GPs who are administering it. They said you could book but then no GPs have a system set up as they didn't know it was happening. Their own health line run by public servants in the Dept of Health didn't know answers to the questions. And we don't have enough vaccines.
So I'm not bothered as we are okay in our little island hideaway. But the biggest vaccine program in Australia since smallpox or polio is being run by a government who couldn't organise a root in a brothel. So it's a cluster from a public health perspective by old men in suits who make stupid promises and have no consequences when the people on the ground can't deliver as hard as they try.
Rusalka wrote: "We've started. We are in stage 1a at the moment, which is essential healthcare and quarantine workers. We're behind, but we've had vaccines blocked in places like the EU from coming in. I persona..."
Ha ha, sounds like your government is about as organised as ours! The EU is making some questionable decisions these days. I say that as if we're not part of it but our voice is tiny against the big countries. It's not so long since they wanted to set up a hard border between Ireland and N.I. to stop vaccine getting to the U.K. that way. Hello - that's what all the negations were about before Brexit - to avoid a hard border! Yep, they've got their finger on the pulse all right!
Sad to hear that Aus is behind us in the program. Are you in your third wave? We've done most healthy care workers, nursing homes and we're currently doing over 70s. Hope Lexx gets his shot soon.
We find it very strange that my mum is getting her vaccine before her brother who has lung cancer.
Margo wrote: "Sad to hear that Aus is behind us in the program. Are you in your third wave? We've done most healthy care workers, nursing homes and we're currently doing over 70s. Hope Lexx gets his shot soon."Thanks. He's happy though as he can still work from home until he's vaccinated. He has a treadmill desk here now. I don't think he will ever go back full time.
Ummm... most of the country has had one wave. Melbourne had a second wave in July which lead to that second long lockdown, and Sydney had a very small second one over Christmas. Brisbane has had a couple of cases escape from quarantine, but community transmission has been contained within a day or two.
Here in Canberra we've hardly had any cases since May. Everyone we've had since then have been diplomats returning from their own countries. And the past 3 weeks due to us beginning to accept hotel quarantine people which have only been going to the big cities until now, so are contained.
This is what I mean though. I'd prefer you guys to take our doses while we carry on, and we just catch up later. We are very, very lucky.
Margo wrote: "We find it very strange that my mum is getting her vaccine before her brother who has lung cancer."Oh that's weird. Here they would be in the same bunch unless one was in aged care (which I forgot to say was in phase 1a).
My mum is in her 80s and my uncle is in his 60s, typical irish, big family! So yeah, that's the rational but he is so ill that I question their thinking. Should the seriously ill not have a higher priority? I guess it's a matter of ethics but it seems to me both groups are equally close to death.I hope you continue to have a low number of cases. In my area we had the lowest numbers in ireland until the UK variant arrived and now we're the highest. The worrying thing is that it doesn't present as people expect. It's more like sinus. I had hardly any symptoms the first week when I was at my most infectious. Some of the people in my street who had it didn't have any remarkable symptoms.
Anyway, the vaccine is coming which is a remarkable feat. From concept to product in 18 months. We should thank the gods for those scientists!
My nurse in the recovery room was telling me that none of the nurses in his unit have had their vaccines yet. I was shocked! I told him it was ridiculous that all nurses and medical staff have to wait. They should have gotten the shots regardless if they work in ICU, on a covid unit, or in Diagnostic Imagining Recovery Room. That's insane!Here in Alberta, it's a dog's breakfast. They have phases by age group. BUT you can kind of jump the queue if you book at a participating pharmacy. If I book online, my date to book is March 23rd. But, pharmacy..... so I went to the one near me and had just missed the last appointment. So she took my name and phone number and said they would call in the next 2-3 weeks when they received their next batch.
Yesterday, coming home from Edmonton, I received an email from the government saying I could book online now. (Things change daily.) So I started filling out the online form when I noticed I had a phone call coming in from the pharmacy. She told me they have an appointment for March 23, and did I want it. Duh!
Long story short - I'm booked for March 23. Woot! I'll be getting the Moderna vaccine.
Janice wrote: "My nurse in the recovery room was telling me that none of the nurses in his unit have had their vaccines yet. I was shocked! I told him it was ridiculous that all nurses and medical staff have to w..."That’s wonderful! It isn’t so different here in Georgia, USA. I am in the first tier (65 and older) and was having a heck of a time. I couldn’t find anything! My local pharmacy had us (my husband and I) on a waiting list. We were 450! On one day, the pharmacy called as did two other locations saying we had appointments. We get our second Moderna shot on March 31. Just seems so hapscabbard! I am so glad you were able to get an appointment! I have no idea why medical personnel anywhere weren’t first!
I had my first dose of Moderna on March 1. It took me a long time to get an appointment but I finally did by going online at 5 am. I just got lucky. But had to travel an hour to get to the pharmacy that was adminsitrating it. My second shot is on March 29. Not everyone has reactions to the shots outside of site pain. I had that and the next day I was so exhausted I couldn't get up. Just slept the day away. I'm not complaining though. I'm just glad to get the shots.
Yay for those who've had shots/dates for shots!My Mum had her first Pfizer shot and she's feeling v bad today. She's got vomiting, nausea and bad tummy pain, also some min or swelling at site. She won't let me report it though.
Hope she's feeling better soon, Margo, and it's just coincidence. Very glad she's got the shot though.
Thanks Rusalka, she's starting to feel a bit better. I had a chat with GP today and he said it was probably just a reaction to the shot. Mum has bad parkinsons and is on a lot of meds so her reation was always going to be unpredictable. It's been a stressful few days for us as she hasn't been able to do much for herself, that's been horrible for her.
I got my first shot today. My arm is quite sore. It's keeping my other arm company. Artery puncture on one, Covid jag on the other. Yay! There's no word on when I'll get the second shot. The government isn't allowing pharmacies to book 2nd shots. Apparently, they're prescribing to the idea that more people partially vaccinated is better than half the population vaccinated completely. Yet, I know people who've got dates for a 2nd shot. Maybe I should have booked online through the government and not through the pharmacy. It's all so confusing.
I'm going to get my second shot in May, if the delivery with Astra goes well.But...In a couple of hours there will be another crisis meeting as it's very sure we're going in a hard lockdown again.
It's very exhausting to stand up on the break, then release, then stand up again...The hairdressers are open since a week or 2 and now maybe they need to close yet again. Non - essential stores too. I mean, it's like the governement doesn't see what the social and mental impact is on people. All that counts, are numbers. Everytime thee governement is targetting the schools, but they do a huge job to handle the crisis, but still...
Sorry, but I've just got enough of it. *I'll finish my rant*
Here, people who got the AstraZeneca jab at makeshift immunisation centres (community centres, town halls etc) weren't given dates for second jabs but those who have it at the hospitals (and typically thr Pfizer jab) are assigned both dates when booking. All ours are done via the NHS booking system.
Yesterday was the 1 year anniversary of us first entering lockdown due to covid. 126,000 died in that time here in the UK. Crazy number.
I saw all the commemorations on tv Sarah. It was so sad. It's hard to understand why the uk deaths were so high. I think population density and ethnic population was part of it. Boris attitude at the start didn't help but he's making up for his mistakes. I never thought I'd say this but I'm impressed with him at the mo.@Saar, I hear you! We're in full lockdown, it feels like forever! Like most of Europe, it looks like we're headed for a 4th wave with only 10% of us vaccinated. I think most of the country is in a mental health crisis. You're not alone.
Our restrictions start being relaxed next week, and more widely mid April. I hope they are doingg it slow enough and we avoid another wave. I've well and truly had it with covid and 2020/1. I think I saw yesterday that just short of 50% of the population has been vaccinated here so that might help reduce the chance of another wave. I think we are heading for vaccine shortages next month though.
Margo wrote: "Thanks Rusalka, she's starting to feel a bit better. I had a chat with GP today and he said it was probably just a reaction to the shot. Mum has bad parkinsons and is on a lot of meds so her reatio..."Sorry to hear that she's been so unwell for a few days. But also good to hear it is to do with the vaccine, as at least she has a reason. Hope she's finally on the mend!
Janice wrote: "I got my first shot today. My arm is quite sore. It's keeping my other arm company. Artery puncture on one, Covid jag on the other. Yay! There's no word on when I'll get the second shot. The gove..."
You're just balancing :D
Sarah wrote: "Here, people who got the AstraZeneca jab at makeshift immunisation centres (community centres, town halls etc) weren't given dates for second jabs but those who have it at the hospitals (and typica..."It's because I work in a hospital that we get priority. Other people get vaccinated in community centre when they get their invitation. But it goes really slow for normal people. There are now 1 million people that got at least their first shot. So that's 11% of the adult population.
Well, there were restrictions that were planned to get relaxed in the Easter holiday that starts in 2 weeks, but now they are cancelled. So far as confirmed now: schools are closing 1 week earlier, so next week before Easter holiday ( the minister of Education guaranteed that that would never happen again, but here we are now yet again), hairdressers are closing again and they were now open for 3 weeks, shopping in non - essential shops is only on appointement (that's crazy).So, lockdown for at least 4 weeks.
But yet again, they don't take restrictions for the businessess and the numbers of contaminations are really high there.
The comment of one of the virologists was that we can whine, but we are whining to much and that we just need to endure. Belgium = pure Kafka.*I'm trying to stop ranting ;) *
Saar, is this new wave due to an specific strain, or it is still the same one?Uruguay have been doing remarkably well since the beginning of the pandemic, and it even never had an strict lockdown, but now number are skyrocketing. They found the Brazilian strain in 7 of the 19 departments and this seems to be the problem (plus people getting tired and not respecting the measures as carefully as before, of course). The Brazilian strain is much more contagious, since it needs less time of exposure.
Saar The Book owl wrote: "The comment of one of the virologists was that we can whine, but we are whining to much and that we just need to endure. Belgium = pure Kafka.*I'm trying to stop ranting ;) *"
It does us good to let off steam here 😵🥴🤬 It helps us stay calm in real life!
Our schools have started to back slowly over the last couple of weeks and there are already clusters cropping up in secondary and pre-schools. Up till now we've been told that that small kids rarely get the the virus but that seems to have changed with the newer variants.
Sandra wrote: "Saar, is this new wave due to an specific strain, or it is still the same one?Uruguay have been doing remarkably well since the beginning of the pandemic, and it even never had an strict lockdown..."
Here in Ireland we have lower incidence of the original strain, some cases of the Brazilian but higher levels of the UK strain. We weren't told which strain we got but most likely the UK one given how quickly it spread through the house.
No idea how we got infected but Pete has to go to (Research Lab) some days. The other possibilty is the supermarket. He has been complaining a lot about behavior in shops, - brushing past him in isles, coming too close behind him in queues etc so that's the other option. Like Saar says, covid fatigue.
Yes, covid fatigue is making people not caring about the most basic measures. Getting the vaccine is not easy. Using a mask and social distancing is super easy and it has proven to be effective. But people can help being people... :/My daughter in college is in isolation since Monday due to one of her housemates testing positive. Her test from Monday came back negative. She'll be tested again tomorrow and in another 6 days. Non of the other 7 housemates has tested positive so far. The positive one got it from his rowing team, which is supposed to be outdoors and safe... Still an assistant coach and a few teammates got it.
Oh no. I hope she stays well Sandra. As someone said already, all bets are off with the new variants.
You'll love this one...!! A book club & more
Books mentioned in this topic
Catch-22 (other topics)The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories (other topics)
I know the advice is differrent for different countries. Here in Ireland we've been left very short by Astra so it could be a bit of sour grapes ;-)