I received my two doses of the Pfizer COVID19 vaccine in early March and April 2021. I experienced no side effects, and felt no need for down time those days or the days after. On the advice of my primary care provider, I exercised almost immediately after each shot, which I was told would help work the vaccine immediately into my bloodstream and system. It worked.
A week ago, I received my third dose, a booster of the Pfizer vaccine, to both dial up my immune response to COVID19, and to compensate for me being immune-compromised, due to a chronic condition, specifically ulcerative colitis, and the drug regimens used to treat that disease. Took yoga practice just after, and again had no side effects.
Like all the rest of you, I hate the masks, but I also wear them every day when indoors in public places, around any sort of crowd, when picking Olivia up from her school, etc… I wash my hands to the point that my knuckles often get raw, and whenever possible, I socially distance myself. Common sense until this pandemic is a distant memory.
Prior to the availability of these life-saving vaccines, Covid19 nearly took our mother, dad also had a long road back, my daughter Barclay, her husband Cody and twin grandsons, the Mighty Mites, all had difficult cases and a lengthy recovery from the virus. Even after vaccination, we experienced a breakthrough case of the Delta variant in our family, which put a scare in another household, where all were vaccinated. But thankfully, by taking additional precautions and care, there was no case spread.
Thankfully, the Food and Drug Administration has issued full authorization and clearance for the Pfizer vaccine. The Moderna and J&J vaccines remain in the cue, as does emergency use of the Pfizer vaccine, with pediatric dosing, for infants to 12-year olds. And the full authorization for Pfizer at this point is only for ages 15 and up.
While awaiting my third dose, at a Walgreen’s walk-in pharmacy, less than a mile from home, the short line actually started to grow a little bit, as THAT was the day that full FDA authorization came through. I was glad to hear, just a few days later, that our Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Pentagon, will be requiring vaccination for all our men and women in uniform. Estimates are that roughly 800,000 across the globe and all service branches have yet to be vaccinated. This will better enable the troops to protect themselves as well as fulfill their various missions around the world.
So, for my friends and acquaintances still pushing back, the excuses and rationale for holding out are dropping like flies –
These are experimental drugs. The Pfizer drug has met the FDA’s review and approval standards, among the most stringent in the world
Bill Gates is going to ‘micro-chip’ me…just for a brief moment, consider the expense of making a tracker micro-chip small enough to go through that needle, and IF you are so concerned about being tracked, how about you put down your smart phone, or stop driving any car manufactured after 2012, which all have built in tracker devices.
I don’t like needles. Well, other than tattoo artists and a couple of masochists I have met, NO ONE likes needles. Grow a pair and look the other way. This needle is significantly smaller than the flu shot, and instead of a ‘jab’ should be referred to as a light ‘prick.’
It’s my body, my choice. I’m okay with this one, as long as that mantra applies to ALL medical procedures.
Now, not only is my own immunity supposedly boosted against the virus and its variants nearly five-fold, but I don’t have to worry about re-infecting a medically fragile mother, my younger immune-compromised daughter, my grand-twins who had COVID followed by para-influenza and then RSV. This booster helps me, potentially helps you and assists in protecting all of us.
The City of Decatur Schools has become one of the first in Georgia to mandate vaccinations for their staff. I hope that other school districts soon follow that example, and as soon as the pediatric dose of the vaccines are approved, we should mandate that vaccine for children, offering remote learning options for those families who don’t agree.
I’m sure for some of you this refrain from me is becoming a bit wearing, but as someone who really looks forward to seeing mask free smiles again, or even shaking hands…I have only one message. TAKE YOUR SHOT!
