Woo-Hoo! COVID
 

Vaccination #2 is in the books! (OK...arm.)

No reaction outside of a sore arm, but it’s only been 90 minutes.

Congrats! I'll be first in line when my group is up!

I'm sorry, but I don't trust them. I don't trust the vaccine due to the lack of testing and time to see what kind of side effects come from it.(The FDA used to wait years before releasing new vaccines so they could do proper studies).
I don't trust the makers. Pfizer is in league with Bill Gates. Gates financed 5 vaccine manufacturing facilities. The Gates Foundation is the originator of the ID2020 plan. (Look it up)
Moderna has all sorts of trust issues. Look up Hydrogel.
I don't trust the Government push or the main stream media who have produced a level of fear in this country not seen since the 1930s in Europe. They have proven themselves unworthy of the name 'journalist'. Beware who you listen to and from where you get your information!!
I will join a large and growing segment of the population who will never let this vaccine enter my body.

Just so you know, I had the virus back in September. Mild fever, lack of energy, loss of taste/smell. Two weeks later I was back at work. I'm 66.

Got my 2nd one yesterday... no ill effect other than the mildly sore arm that comes from most shots. I do look forward to being able to go to go to the grocery store without feeling like I'm taking my life in my hands. Not a get-out-of-jail-free card, keeping my mask thank you very much, but odds of not getting really sick have improved, even with the variants. Some people don't get sick at all from this bug, some get mildly ill, and some die a horrid death... and it's unpredictable which will be which. (This isn't the first nasty bug with this pattern... polio also had a very high rate of asymptomatic infections... but devastating to those unlucky enough to get sick, also unpredictable. I am very grateful for the vaccine. I was a little kid when this was still a very scary disease)

I was little when we were given the polio vaccine. But the vaccine making process was far different then than it is today. Now there are questionable processes and ingredients added in the manufacture of vaccines. People react differently to Influenza. The range of symptoms varies with just about any virus. I haven't had a flu shot in years. I don't get sick often and the flu is rare. Wash your hands before eating. That is the biggest defense for these diseases. Speaking of the flu, have you noticed that no one is reporting flu numbers anymore? And the covid numbers are vastly bloated. They even include murders and auto accidents in the numbers, as long as the victims tested positive during the autopsy. One report I read, posted by WHO and subsequently taken down by the powers that be, concluded the actual numbers to be 6% of what has been reported. It doesn't help when hospitals are being paid for each new case reported.

It's pretty obvious why flu numbers are down... it's spread in exactly the same way as COVID - through the air, respiratory droplets. (Not so much from surfaces) If people mask up and don't breathe their germs on on each other both diseases get prevented (along with the common cold even) When this is over, maybe we will have learned something... countries in Asia where mask-wearing has been part of the culture for years, the infection rates and death rates were a teensy fraction of ours. However, I'm not hopeful. Where I live, there are plenty of maskholes and covidiots who don't give a !@#$% for anybody else.

Gonna have to go with D'olMan on this one overall, as far as not getting the vaccine. Lack of long-term testing for the vaccine, plus political and media hype of incredible dimensions not seen in my lifetime. The internet has certainly changed the face of both in the last fifteen to twenty years.

I took a flu shot once...swine flu vaccine in the mid 70s. I was in my early twenties. Then I read and researched flu vaccinations, and decided they weren't for me. Too much like taking target practice at hornets with a BB gun.

I've done a lot of research of vaccines since those days for personal reasons...husband was Special Forces. He was one of the military's elite guinea pigs for testing vaccinations, amongst other duties. Here's an interesting tidbit I learned while researching, paraphrased from several articles I have on file:

Polio viruses first reached epidemic proportions in the early 1900s, around the same time diseases like typhoid and diphtheria were declining. Many scientists believe the same advances in hygiene that led to the decline of those diseases paradoxically led to the increase of polio. Whereas infants had in years past been exposed to the polio virus at a very young age, most due to a contaminated water supply, but aided by maternal antibodies still circulating in their blood, infants developed a lasting immunity to the virus. Sanitary conditions meant the diseases like typhoid and cholera lowered the mortality rate, but meant that exposure to polio was delayed until later in life, and were more vulnerable to the most severe form of the disease.

Antibiotics have also given us some miraculous ways to treat in the bacterial world. And also SuperBugs, MRSA, etc. Something to think about. Nothing happens in a vacuum.

The technology of encapsulating a bit of RNA in lipids to make a vaccine is not new, and has been proven to be safe and effective for the flu and HIV, and probably others of which I'm not aware. It's solid and trustworthy science.

I'm glad your health effects were relatively mild. This virus has an extremely wide range of direct and side effects that run the gamut of impact.

My sister-in-law and her husband and two, college-aged kids went skiing last February and were unknowingly exposed.

• My brother-in-law (55 years old, a runner who takes very good care of himself) was sicker than hell for 3 weeks, then was recovering for another two months or so.
• My sister-in-law lost the senses of taste and smell. That's it.
• My niece had no symptoms whatsoever, but has tested positive for antibodies. All three of them donate regularly to help severely-infected folks.
• My nephew is the one who has done everything wrong - hangs out with his friends, went on Spring break to Florida, etc., etc. Him? Apparently nothing. No symptoms, no antibodies. Nothing.

Seemingly healthy, young people die from heart attacks. Some get lung damage that requires transplants. Neither Bill Gates, the pharmie companies, nor the media played any role in the deaths of almost a half-million people in this country.

I lived in England when the thalidomide tragedy hit the fan - drugs given to mothers-to-be to calm morning sickness led to the birth of thousands of babies with severe birth defects. Control is much better now.

I want to get it as soon as I am able.

You won’t find a greater opponent of big pharmaceutical that I, however the overwhelming majority of these vaccines will be free and the manufacturer will bear a significant amount of that

This is a strange world where we all live and I agree about being wary and source checking and always see who is getting paid. I am afraid none of those villains caused these deaths and this virus will either need to be countered with a vaccine or 50-60 % more people need to get it.

To have questions about the rushed pace of the vaccine is understandable but very sad to see people here fall victim to conspiracy theories and see them perpetuated on this forum. Sad to see the mass preservation of life politicized.

"First time we've seen this push in our lifetime". First global pandemic in your lifetime. 10 of my colleagues have died of covid, I have lost exactly zero to the flu in my 20 year career.

I get #2 on Monday and am happy to be getting it ahead of schedule. I will continue to wear mask when in a crowd -- just want to do my part to stop the spread.

Seasoned and trustworthy medical doctors in my own family have taken it and highly recommend it. That is good enough for me.

Where is your quote coming from Clawhammer? Curious, just because I don't find it here. Am I blind, or are you paraphrasing from more than one post? Truly not trying to be argumentative, but I don't understand. Wondering whether it's from my post or Dusty Old Man's posts? And thus, whether I should respond or not.

---------- Post added at 02:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:31 PM ----------

I also think it's a very loaded topic, and am sure not where Ray thought this thread would lead. I'm fine with it being addressed civilly, but let's remember we can have varying opinions and disagree without being disagreeable.

I was paraphrasing more than one post and suggesting the unprecedented nature of the vaccine push directly results from the unprecedented nature of the pandemic.

My reservoir of forced civility is running dry these days, I only am able to muster of modicum of it here because I like you people. I am holding back a rage at what I feel is a secondary pandemic of self-centeredness and ignorance.

Gotcha, and thank you for your response and attitude. And I like you too. :biggrin: I would agree the nature of the Covid virus and its mutations has been a key to the push for a vaccine. Frankly, it's irrelevant in my case as I've been told by my physicians to not take it. Not because they think it shouldn't be taken... has to do with my body and how medications and a lot of environmental schtuff already impact me. I'm not a candidate for much of anything these days.

At times it's very hard for me to muster civility as well. So I just have to step back and take a deep breath, or five, and sometimes just back away. Unfortunately, if we can't have civil conversation, there is no discourse. Which is also a societal problem now.

I don't think self-centeredness and ignorance is a secondary to the current pandemic. I think it's always been there, and the ways we have now of relating to so many more individuals with different ideas, thoughts, opinions, than we did even thirty years ago has made it more apparent. Communication moves at a much more rapid and wide-reaching pace than before. There is a much larger bully pulpit for those who choose to stand on them.

It's "us" vs the anti-vaxers or vaxers. It's "us" vs. conspiracy theorists, "us" vs. those who think we should or shouldn't legalize marijuana, etc. Maskers vs non-maskers. I could go on forever. Heck, my husband and I don't discuss politics, theories, etc, because we know it just ends in an argument. Life's too short for that.

It's why I said it's a loaded topic for the Orchid Board. We come together here to discuss orchids. All different walks of life. And yes, we get "off topic" often. But not usually in a bad way. Hopefully this ain't one of them.

Well said and agree WaterWitchin, glad to have you moderating this forum.

People without medical exemptions need to be vaccinated to protect those like you who cannot take the vaccine. Like you said, unless we get a high level of vaccination, potentially dangerous mutations will continue to occur.

I'll say two things here the no more. I don't want to fight about this, especially here. First, all viruses of this type mutate. For that reason last year's flu shot won't do much against this year's flu. It is different. Covid will also mutate. They've already been talking about it.
Second, it isn't theory if it can be proven. There is tons of evidence. Those few things I mentioned are just the tip of the iceberg. Whether you choose to believe it or not is up to you.
But, do your due diligence just like you do with your orchid care.

Ray posted his experience intending to make folks less intimidated by- or concerned about getting the vaccine. The second dose will likely give greater short-term side effects because the first dose already “primed” your immune system to be on the lookout.

To that end, I’m now a bit shy of 24 hours in. My arm was a little sorer (if contacted) than yesterday, but it has hurt worse when accidentally running into a doorway. Just sitting here, nothing.

My head felt a bit “puffy” when I woke up, but far less than a little excess wine the night before has done. Now that I’ve been awake a few minutes, it’s gone.

That’s it!

It might take some months for me to get the first dose.

Still waiting for my chance for the vaccination. Two of my offspring work at a hospital so they were vaccinated...they came here after the second dose just in case they had side effects but, fortunately, they did quite well. My father, thankfully, just got his first dose. I have been so worried he would get it.

Late to the party. I'm a counselor, you can only imagine what I hear. I've been cooped up for a year. I had my first shot Thursday. My arm is sore, as is normal, and I slept really well, through the news (mercifully) and all night. Thankfully, we live in a country where we can (for now) decide to take the shot or not.

That’s one of the most thoughtful and insightful posts I’ve seen here. Gracias Carol, and Amen!

I had an aunt die of Covid19 a few months ago. I had just gotten a nice note from my aunt when I was informed she had gone to the hospital with Covid. That was the last I heard from her. :(

I do respect everyone's choices but this is a nasty disease and I want everyone on our orchid board to stay healthy regardless of whether you vaccinate or do not. I care about everyone here. You matter!

This whole situation with COVID makes me feel anxious. I had it, but the form was light luckily. And I know a lot of people who got COVID and still haven't recovered fully.
And I can't trust the vaccine, because it takes years to create the quality product.

Many people are anxious, depressed and afraid.. Your best defense if you don't trust the shot, is to take proper care of yourself. Mask up, wash often, etc. But whether you trust the vaccine or not, you're putting your trust in something.

What folks fail to understand is that it has taken years to develop it.

None of the technology in this vaccine is new. The identification of- and “snipping” of the disease RNA is not. The development of a lipid carrier is not. The two combined to make a vaccine is not - there are both flu and HIV treatments using this proven technique.

One could use cars as an analogy. The basics of a car have been around for a long time, but as the needs arise, new engines are needed to supply the right combination of power, efficiency and fuel needed.

The accelerated nature of the availability of these vaccines came from the concerted efforts to identify the best snippet of RNA to use, that is, which piece is most effective at stimulating the immune system.

The FDA (and agencies worldwide) emergency use clearance is what has shortcut the start-to-release time frame the most, as that required less (not none) trial data than a full out approval would, but the risk/reward analysis favored that. There have been close to 200-million people vaccinated worldwide, so far, and the negative reaction rate is on-par, to slightly lower than it is with some other vaccines.

To add to this, I have indirect contacts in the vaccine development world which have said that a major difference is the money that has been thrown at this vaccine. In a usual situation the yearly allocated budget is smaller and you have fewer people working fewer hours, which stretches out the development work over a longer time period. For the covid vaccine money is pretty much a non issue and they've been working around the clock.

I just wish they currently had enough vaccine here in the USA for everyone that does wish to be vaccinated. They say that some of us will need to wait until at least June/July. The problem with this is that, by then, it will probably have mutated enough to require a booster shot. Perhaps if I need to wait that long, maybe I will get lucky and have an updated version.

Yes this vaccine was pushed faster than any vaccine before it but I don't think that is a matter for concern as technology has advanced faster than ever.

When cars were first being built it took over a week to build a single car and at least 10 people to build it.

These days cars are built in factories on production lines and a car can be built in no time, probably less than an hour.

Does that mean cars are less safe? No, they are far safer now..

Same with the vaccine. It has been tested on thousands already.

It will cause side effects - even long term side-effects is not ruled out from the vaccine alone but it will be a fraction of the people that would die otherwise..

I remember as a child I had to vaccinated for something that I can't really remember before travelling to a third world country and I passed out for 5 minutes afterwards.

But I do know the world has gone Crazy since the pandemic, the longer it continues the more prices will start creeping up - we won't notice in the short run but in the long run things will become more expensive which i can not really afford.

So I am not a fan of vaccinations either but I am less a fan of a crazy world that is driving up crime because people are struggling.

So, if vaccination will turn the world sane again then I will be part of the guinnea pigs taking part in order for that to happen.

I am suspecting I have had covid twice already, once in February, then again in December so I am most likely already immune but if it is offered to me I'll take part as it is the only way to get society back on track. Everyone has turned very selfish in this pandemic - that has been the most noticeable effect on society so far.
So less selfish thinking, more cooperated effort to get back on track, even if one believes one of the made up stories about the vaccine.

I mean I have heard that 5G spread the virus. Telephone poles were set on fire here because of it!

I have heard that the vaccine contains cells of dead foetuses. Not really. I mean a building block or something was developed from an aborted foetus 60 years ago but there is no remnants of that 60 year old foetus in any vaccine, just the genetic information they learnt about was used.

I will add my own theory that alien bats landed in the Antarctic and set up a secret underground lab called the bat cave.
Here they worked on abducted foetuses to create a killer virus that they attached to storks and when these storks went to drop off the new born babies in china they dropped in some virus infected babies along with them. The virus spread from china to the rest of the world and the alien bats flew back home so it could never be traced back to them.
The alien bats were annoyed at how fast a vaccine was developed so they sent in some reptilian aliens to spread as much disinformation and rumours around the world to stop people vaccinating.

My wife and I have been diligently running 5 devices playing "vaccine bingo" every morning that Publix (grocery/pharmacy in Southeastern US) has had scheduling available. My wife scored an appointment last Friday morning and got her first shot this past Tuesday with no issues.

Unfortunately, the appointment website is like trying to score concert tickets and the odds of getting through are very long. She tried to add me once she had secured her appt. but unfortunately they were already gone anywhere within a couple hundred miles of us. Thus, I am still playing bingo. At least I will be once they have more available but they've been shut down the past few days because of supply issues caused by all the bad weather in the east.

We also both signed up on the Florida state health dept website a month ago but have heard nothing.

New Hampshire, on the other hand, has been awesome. We signed up there for April 30 which was last date they had as a back-up in case we didn't get one in FL (we are eligible in both states). NH has called both of us to ask if we wanted to move up and we just explained what we had done, why, and would cancel as soon as we had shots in FL. They said if we started to get concerned and wanted to come north for shots to just call them and they'd get us right in. At the end of my call I asked if I could request someone be considered to move up and I got my 78 yo brother and his wife moved up over a month. They are getting theirs today.

Just wanted to share that although it can be frustrating, it's not doom and gloom everywhere.

I noticed that we were open for 70 and older. I got online made my appointment although it was a month out. When I went in to get my first shot I asked him to put my husband on the list because we only live 5 minutes away. Maybe at the end of the day they have extra. Well they didn't call him that night but a week later they called in and said come on in and get it and he did. So compared to other people I guess I had very little trouble. And I felt fine afterwards except my arm was sore from the shot, which is to be expected.

Part of the issue here in my county is that we have the highest percentage of 65+ people in the entire state - higher in fact than Florida! - but the vaccine is allocated by county population.

Congratulations to everyone who's been able to get a vaccine so far. Very thankful to say I'll be getting my first shot tomorrow.

I got my second one yesterday morning. Like the first one, my arm started getting sore about 12 hours afterward. It will probably last three or four days, but it's not too bad. With my first one four weeks ago, I remember coming home and sleeping for several hours that day, which is unusual for me, because I'm not usually a daytime napper. This time, I wasn't tired yesterday when I got it, but today I do feel a bit of fatigue.

I got mine through my primary health care provider, a multi-practice group that is affiliated with a big local hospital system. My husband is with the same group but has a different primary doctor. We were told they were randomly selecting from all patients 65 and older, and that we just need to be patient, they will get to all of us. I was surprised to be among the first group of patients offered appointments. I really wish he had been contacted before me. I'm in my 60s, he's in his 70s. He really should have gotten it first, but it sounds like the computer is just drawing names out of the hat, so to speak.

Still, the experience of going for the shot was very well-managed. Everyone got an individual appointment, no long lines, no waiting in cars. I parked in the lot, walked into the building, was greeted and filled out a few quick forms, and was directed on where to go to get the shot. I then went to a designated location to sit for 15 minutes in case of allergic reactions, then was free to leave. No crowds, no confusion, no stress.

After my daughter's second shot, she had very mild flu type symptoms for a couple of days. Nothing severe, just achy, fatigue, slight headache. She's in medical field, so was one of the first up to bat.

FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Scored an appointment this morning for Saturday afternoon. It's going to be 120 mi round trip (x 2) up the Keys to Tavernier in stupid weekend traffic but I guess I'm happy that the annoyance of trying to get an appointment at all is worth it. Not to mention that soon maybe life will start to look more "normal".

My husband got his first dose yesterday. He ended up registering with our county health department because he was getting stressed waiting for his primary care practice to get in touch, and the county contacted him pretty quickly. Of course after he went to the county to get it yesterday, his primary care practice then contacted him by email today to let him know they had an appointment available for him. Figures. Oh well, now his spot there will go to someone else who has been waiting.

Mine was painless. Literally and figuratively.
Except for the 2 hours and 15 it took to make the 60 mile return trip.

They actually told me that when I go back in 4 weeks I don't need to wait till 3:30 and to come anytime after 8AM and they'd get me done and out before the traffic got bad. They said they never leave the store between 2 and 8 on Fridays or Saturdays.

I got my first one on the 20th around 1:30 PM and from the time of the shot it got sorer until that maxed out around 9 PM. The next day it was only half as sore, and by the following day all soreness was gone. Didn't get any other symptoms.

Enjoy your conspiracy theories.

[Blocked]

Got my first dose yesterday, precisely 90 days post covid +. Now about 20 hours later feels like I got hit by a freight train hahaha :biggrin: