A pandemic diary: Not the A list, the V list
January 20, 2021
As of yesterday I’m officially in line for the vaccine. I don’t know when they’ll be able to schedule me but at least it’s a start, a first step out of the morass. I’m eligible because I’m over 65, though I don’t feel half as deserving as the others in Phase 1A: health care workers, long-term care facility residents and staff, law enforcement, firefighters, and first responders. We also need to prioritize people like teachers, bus drivers, meat plant workers, grocery clerks, and before tornado season comes along, power-line crews.
I’m not worried about side effects; I’m used to occasional aches from my allergy shots, and a temporary sore arm is a very small price to pay. My nightmare would be getting my first shot and the supply running out before I’m ready for the second round. Even with Moderna vaccine, which doesn’t have to be kept super-cold like Pfizer, too many problems are happening in storage and transport.
As tired as I am of hunkering down, I’m not fool enough to resurrect my old normal as soon as the needle comes out. According to my provider, the vaccine is effective, “as soon as one to two weeks after you receive the second dose,” which means the whole process, from first shot to immunity, could take a month and a half. No sweat: I can hold off on restaurants, haircuts, in-person shopping etc., for a while longer. The things I miss most, like jazz clubs, aren’t back yet, and with cases spiking and new variants loose, it’s not a good time to be out and about in Georgia. Yesterday: 8,201 cases, down slightly over seven days, but 212 deaths — up 208%.
We may not yet see light at the end of the tunnel, but for the first time in a year we have reason to believe it’s coming. Take care and be safe.
Originally published at http://davesswan.wordpress.com on January 21, 2021.
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