Post Vaccination Behavior

[Katsmeow]

I think that one post vaccination behavior will be trying to remember that I don't have to take all the same precaution. We are 12 days post 2nd vaccination.

For the past year we have had a mail procedure. When the mail arrives unless something in it is important (we have the email thing that shows us what we are getting), we leave the mail in the box 24 hours. Then we bring it in. I may open it that day but may not depending on what it is. When I do open it, my habit has generally been to open it and then wash my hands. I felt it might not be necessary, but it is a habit I developed over the last year.

So a little while ago I was looking at the pile of mail DH brought in this afternoon and I opened a piece of mail. Without thinking about it, afterwards I went and washed my hands. I immediately realized that I didn't really need to do that. One advantage of getting vaccinated is that I don't have to take that particular precaution (in my opinion). I will still mask in public and I'm not going to restaurants yet...but I should be able to open the mail 24+ hours after it is delivered without washing my hands.

The point is that you get used to precautions, even those you don't really like.

 

[ivinsfan]

I think that one post vaccination behavior will be trying to remember that I don't have to take all the same precaution. We are 12 days post 2nd vaccination.

For the past year we have had a mail procedure. When the mail arrives unless something in it is important (we have the email thing that shows us what we are getting), we leave the mail in the box 24 hours. Then we bring it in. I may open it that day but may not depending on what it is. When I do open it, my habit has generally been to open it and then wash my hands. I felt it might not be necessary, but it is a habit I developed over the last year.

So a little while ago I was looking at the pile of mail DH brought in this afternoon and I opened a piece of mail. Without thinking about it, afterwards I went and washed my hands. I immediately realized that I didn't really need to do that. One advantage of getting vaccinated is that I don't have to take that particular precaution (in my opinion). I will still mask in public and I'm not going to restaurants yet...but I should be able to open the mail 24+ hours after it is delivered without washing my hands.

The point is that you get used to precautions, even those you don't really like.

This is going to be a big issue for some people going forward. Last Sunday DH and I at 15 days past 1st Moderna shot, were out walking on the Hiway. Unfamiliar vehicle drives by and turns South. Turns around and rolls down the window it DH cousin and wife, who we are very fond of. They are 80 miles from home. Turns out they both had 2 shots of vaccine and really wanted to get out. Drove in our direction and then chickened out about calling/stopping to see us. We talk in the roadway and compare vaccine status. Decide we can visit with little risk. When we get to our house we are on the deck. The men want to go inside but the ladies want to stay outside. Stayed on the deck since it was sunny. Both of ladies agreed that we are still really unsettled about seeing people and say that we thought we'd be more relaxed , and that it's going to take some time to stop some ingrained covid habits.

 

[harllee]

I am post vaccination. I was quarantining all items that came into the house--mail, groceries, packages etc. I have now quit quarantining items so that is a step in the right direction for me.

 

[mystang52]

Since our 2nd vaccine shot, we've done 2 new things. That is, "new" since the lockdown. We've now seen both sets of grandkids in their homes, with hugging of course. And last night, we decided to try eating at a restaurant.
Restaurant we ate at was sort-of outdoors, sort of indoors. Still too cold here in NJ, so we dined in the restaurant's "outdoor" enclosed heated tent. We sat at table right at the outside boundary. The tent wall is not air tight, and there was a bit of air continually coming through. Plus, we ate at 4:30 so the area was not at the legal capacity. All in all, we felt comfortable at this set-up.
Frankly, it was nice to do one more pre-COVID "normal" thing.

 

[cbo111]

We get our second shot next week, and I already have flight travel planned in late April. I am a little concerned about becoming a basket case in the airport and onboard the plane, flinching and twitching every time someone comes near me.

 

[Katsmeow]

I am post vaccination. I was quarantining all items that came into the house--mail, groceries, packages etc. I have now quit quarantining items so that is a step in the right direction for me.

So today I had leftovers from take out the day before. I had a small container of powdered sugar from the restaurant (for French toast) and I was going to eat just a tiny bit of it. Normally I would sprinkle it out then wash my hands. Today, I decided to be risky and didn't wash my hands since we had had the container for over 24 hours.

 

[copyright1997reloaded]

Your story (as echoed by my MIL and SIL) gives me pause for the 2nd dose which is due in a couple of weeks (also Moderna). I had a lot of fatigue from the first one and I am not interested in these side effects. The couple of studies of the effectiveness of just one dose also pushes my thoughts of holding off.

I wouldn't stress it too much. I had lots of warnings before getting the 2nd shot (Pfizer), especially after seeing a friends sister the day after her 2nd shot (Moderna - fever, chills, looked like s**t). After I got my second, I went cross country skiing the next day. No headache, no fever, nothing. I did make it an "easy" day in terms of effort, but that was only because I was being cautious. My friend on the other hand did have one day of impact (chills/some fever).

It almost makes one think "Why didn't I have that (normal?) reaction"?

 

[copyright1997reloaded]

The few stories I’ve seen along these lines only further encourage me. I’m not scared of a cold. Just because it has the name Covid on it doesn’t change the fact it’s just a cold. IF you even get that. Thank goodness for the vaccine!

This.

I am not questioning the need to be a bit cautious in terms of variants, the ability to transfer COVID to others after getting the vaccine or other concerns that need to be understood. OTOH we as a society have lost all understanding of risk management and understanding that a lockdown, capacity restrictions, closings also have both economic, societal and health impacts. To put this in perspective, the Polio vaccine was 90% effective with two doses. Society didn't decide that it was still unsafe to have the children play outside and go to public pools or to not attend school after getting the polio vaccine. Life went on.

I would suspect that just like with polio and the Spanish flu long ago, we are getting close to that point. The best thing we can do is to get as many people voluntarily vaccinated as quickly as possible and then move on.

Early last February (while most we saying "no big deal", I was making sure I had adequate supplies and avoiding any travel or stores. I for one don't want a second year of isolation and no travel.

 

[garyt]

Well, my state is lifting its mask mandate and all restrictions. Many of the larger national businesses will keep their mask mandate (although usually they don't require employees to enforce it if people resist). Anyway, I will still wear a mask even in places that don't require it even though I am closing in on 2 weeks after the 2nd shot (I'm not going anywhere unnecessary until the 2 weeks are up. I will act more freely with vaccinated friends. But, until the virus level overall is down a bit (which I am not optimistic about now) I'll keep masking.

I am starting to finally realize I've been vaccinated. We get takeout a couple of times a week. I have been careful for the last year. DH opens up the containers and I get the food out without touching the containers (if I do I go wash my hands). Then once that is done DH throws away the containers and washes his hand. If the food has a sauce that is in a container or packet I will open it up and the sauce in a tiny bowl and use it from there. So I never touch the packet.

Well, today, we got Taco Bell and I started on all that and just forgot to put the hot sauce in a bowl (which I've done for the last year). I picked up the packets and was about to go get a bowl when I decided that 9 days after my second vaccination I could open the packet, squeeze out the hot sauce, without pouring it in a bowl and wash my hands after eating. It actually felt weird to me to do that. There is so much I have just avoided doing the last year. I am not going to go wild but handling the hot sauce packet is probably OK.



I was also quite tired after both doses. I had some arm soreness, especially the second night after the second shot. Bad enough that I took Tylenol which I rarely do.

The most dangerous thing you did in that post was eating at Taco Bell!

 

[garyt]

Unfortunately making it look long will probably defer some people. They should instead show that it is a very quick jab. Emphasizing that point can still make a good news clip.

They should have had Dolly saying - that was it?!?

I was thinking the same thing

 

[twaddle]

Post-vaccination guidelines from CDC are out.

If you’ve been fully vaccinated:

You can gather indoors with fully vaccinated people without wearing a mask.
You can gather indoors with unvaccinated people from one other household (for example, visiting with relatives who all live together) without masks, unless any of those people or anyone they live with has an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
If you’ve been around someone who has COVID-19, you do not need to stay away from others or get tested unless you have symptoms.
However, if you live in a group setting (like a correctional or detention facility or group home) and are around someone who has COVID-19, you should still stay away from others for 14 days and get tested, even if you don’t have symptoms.​

 

[Golden sunsets]

Post-vaccination guidelines from CDC are out.

If you’ve been fully vaccinated:

You can gather indoors with fully vaccinated people without wearing a mask.
You can gather indoors with unvaccinated people from one other household (for example, visiting with relatives who all live together) without masks, unless any of those people or anyone they live with has an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
If you’ve been around someone who has COVID-19, you do not need to stay away from others or get tested unless you have symptoms.
However, if you live in a group setting (like a correctional or detention facility or group home) and are around someone who has COVID-19, you should still stay away from others for 14 days and get tested, even if you don’t have symptoms.​

I was disappointed to see that resuming dining out is not included in the advisory. I also saw Dr. Faucci advising against it yesterday. Darn! I've been looking forward to eating out for soooooo long. Also we used to enjoy a late Friday afternoon happy hour cocktail. None of that yet either. Oh well..

 

[Ronstar]

I was disappointed to see that resuming dining out is not included in the advisory. I also saw Dr. Faucci advising against it yesterday. Darn! I've been looking forward to eating out for soooooo long. Also we used to enjoy a late Friday afternoon happy hour cocktail. None of that yet either. Oh well..

The CDC's position on masks has not been consistent.

https://www.npr.org/sections/health...in-public-health-experts-revisit-the-question

Due to Covid having little track record, the experts have little basis for their guidelines. So they now frequently change their guidelines based on recent info with a heavy dose of CYA.

Dr. Faucci advises with more caution as a CYA measure.

I doubt Dr. Faucci will ever say that it's ok to go back to bars and restaurants the way it was before Covid.

We'll have to use our own common sense in safely returning to normal.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

The CDC's position on masks has not been consistent.

https://www.npr.org/sections/health...in-public-health-experts-revisit-the-question

Due to Covid having little track record, the experts have little basis for their guidelines. So they now frequently change their guidelines based on recent info with a heavy dose of CYA.

Dr. Faucci advises with more caution as a CYA measure.

I doubt Dr. Faucci will ever say that it's ok to go back to bars and restaurants the way it was before Covid.

We'll have to use our own common sense in safely returning to normal.

There is so much that still isn't known, the guidance will continue to change. I think that is one of the more annoying things about how these developments are reported. Instead of owning up and saying, "we *think* this what the deal is, but we really aren't 100% certain" they preach it as though it's gospel and before too long, it falls on deaf ears. And throw in a dose of political posturing, then well... all bets are off.

Just a cursory review of news from one year, six months, two months, two weeks ago will show how very fluid the situation is. I am not sure the best way that this could be dealt with, but there are certainly a LOT of lessons being learned from it.

 

[explanade]

It's not the cold. If it was, people wouldn't be trying to get vaccinated for the cold.

Cold doesn't eat away at your lungs, heart and other organs.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

It's not the cold. If it was, people wouldn't be trying to get vaccinated for the cold.

Cold doesn't eat away at your lungs, heart and other organs.

Context? I don't see where anyone said COVID was a cold? The symptoms can certainly mimic cold like symptoms, though.

 

[CardsFan]

The CDC's position on masks has not been consistent.

https://www.npr.org/sections/health...in-public-health-experts-revisit-the-question

Due to Covid having little track record, the experts have little basis for their guidelines. So they now frequently change their guidelines based on recent info with a heavy dose of CYA.

Dr. Faucci advises with more caution as a CYA measure.

I doubt Dr. Faucci will ever say that it's ok to go back to bars and restaurants the way it was before Covid.

We'll have to use our own common sense in safely returning to normal.

^^^This.

CYA must be a required course in Med School. Have you ever really read through the forms you sign to authorize a procedure?

I seriously doubt anyone in the medical community will ever say "OK, you can go back to pre-Covid activities". It will just happen over time.

 

[disneysteve]

The symptoms can certainly mimic cold like symptoms, though.

Yeah, we're dreading the coming days when the nice weather rolls in and everyone's allergies kick in. We're going to be COVID testing everyone who walks into urgent care because we have to rule it out even if we're pretty sure it's allergies.

 

[truenorth418]

Now that the CDC has ruled that vaccinated people can meet together, does that mean they will finally allow the cruise industry to start up again, as long as passengers and crew have been vaccinated?

 

[twaddle]

Now that the CDC has ruled that vaccinated people can meet together, does that mean they will finally allow the cruise industry to start up again, as long as passengers and crew have been vaccinated?

But they probably can't even ask if you've been vaccinated due to HIPAA.

Apparently, they're considering it though:
https://www.cruisehive.com/where-the-three-major-cruise-lines-stand-on-vaccine-requirements/46319

 

[disneysteve]

But they probably can't even ask if you've been vaccinated due to HIPAA.

That wouldn't represent a HIPAA violation. It's not against the law for you to share your own medical information voluntarily.


I think proof of vaccination is going to become a common requirement for various things, especially travel-related and especially outside of the US where folks aren't so hung up on privacy issues.

 

[Ronstar]

There is so much that still isn't known, the guidance will continue to change. I think that is one of the more annoying things about how these developments are reported. Instead of owning up and saying, "we *think* this what the deal is, but we really aren't 100% certain" they preach it as though it's gospel and before too long, it falls on deaf ears. And throw in a dose of political posturing, then well... all bets are off....

Exactly! We will never see the experts say "we think". For some reason, they always have the "we know" attitude, even when they do not.

 

[Aerides]

Mod Note:

Perhaps we can refocus this thread onto our own behaviors, vs. continued ranting about media/medical experts/"them", etc., to allow a positive discussion to continue.

 

[24601NoMore]

We get our first shots (Pfizer) tomorrow (unless we chicken out, which at this point there's a 50/50 chance ) and the first thing I want to be able to do after 2 weeks post second shot is to go to the parks and trails again without having to worry about walking through a cloud of virus particles that someone near or ahead of me just may have exhaled..

Also want to go back and do my favorite mountain bike trail..used to do that at least 4-5 times a week and did not do it AT ALL in 2020.

That, and actually set foot in a store again (still wearing a good quality mask of course) to pick out my own fruits and veggies vs having to take whatever the curbside folks pick out for me..

 

[REWahoo]

That, and actually set foot in a store again (still wearing a good quality mask of course) to pick out my own fruits and veggies vs having to take whatever the curbside folks pick out for me..

^ Agreed - although I must say we have been very happy with the quality of fruits and veggies selected for us by the folks at both Walmart and HEB over the past year. Can think of only one occasion when we got a couple of tomatoes that were overripe. Notable only by the fact it was the only exception.