Curious to know for others. The answer for me is not at all, at least not this year. We have to wait four months for a second dose in Canada because of ongoing shortages. I can start calling for an appointment tomorrow, but it could be a couple of weeks before I get my slot. Even then, you don’t get maximum protection until the second shot which will be sometime in August, so that’s a second summer down the toilet.
And after that? We don’t know the long-term efficacy of the vaccines yet. The efficacy against the multitude of variants appearing now is also a big unknown. I’m expecting to mostly stay locked down for the next year. Not that I did much outside of my home before this, but… I miss volunteering. A lot.
I am confident about the vaccine…I am still going to wear a mask in public spaces but I feel fine to mingle with friends and family after the two week period after the second shot…?
The people responsible for the vaccine programs aren’t giving that guidance at all. They admit that efficacy is an unknown as is whether someone who is vaccinated can still be a carrier (there are known instances of this now). They’ll improve your odds, but we don’t know to what extent.
We’re now seeing a discouraging trend with rising cases in our most vaccinated cohort (80+ as the UK variant takes hold in my province).
There is no way I wanted it, but I think that my own wants and needs are not as important as the collective need for people to have the vaccine.
Understand your concerns about efficacy, but this is our main weapon against the virus, and we have to put our faith in it - for now.
Here in the UK I have not followed the story perhaps with as much attention as I should have done, but after watching the briefing yesterday - where they also talked about the other variants, it seems that the vaccine is proving to be effective.
They said yesterday we’ll have to have an adjusted booster vaccine each year for all vulnerable groups.
Not that I trust the government fully, but we have no choice but to follow the guidance at the moment.
With the UK, I must add we have been in Lockdown since January, so time will tell how much of the relative progress is due to vaccine, vs. Lockdown
Here they made the decision that getting as many people to have the first shot as possible would provide more protection for the population than if they did it slower due to people having the second sooner.
There was an outcry about this, but then the WHO said the extended period between the shots was actually ok
Can understand how frustrating this all is for you @shutterbug - I really hope you can get the shot soon
I think it’s early days yet even with vaccine as this pandemic we haven’t seen before. I think it will improve future outbreaks of other virus events for sure but we are still learning.
It won’t change my life because this vaccine is specific and it’s even questionable with mutations. Still. I’m booked in monday to get my first jab with my father. I’m pretty keen to do that!
If you’re someone who gets yearly flu shots you know that they don’t always get it right. Some years they have it loaded for the correct strains and some years they don’t. Gonna suck if they miss with something that is a lot more deadly, eh? (The Rona, that is.)
Because I think this will be our new normal. Or normal normal, if you will.
I think vaccination is a good bet and I will as soon as I can, but I’m not going to be partying like it’s 1999, if you will. Going back into my partial lockdown. Now I just have better odds in the case of an indavertent exposure.
I plan on eating at restaurants again, and not worrying about where I walk so much. I’ll still wear the mask of course. Mostly I won’t have to be afraid of it any more and I look forward to that.
The government in our province was still encouraging international travel when they became aware of the variants. They also turned a blind eye towards their own ministers traveling in defiance of health guidance until public outraged forced them to put on a big show of demoting a few of the more obvious lunkheads. I don’t trust this bunch to get it right.
I’m getting my first dose Friday I’m also worried about the long term side effects but my Mom is making me get it for the last 2 years I’ve been eating out and going places like normal and haven’t gotten the Coronavirus yet but I do have a brother who got it twice cousins and an Aunt who got it they live in my area
I have no concerns about vaccine safety, the risks of getting the vaccine are far outweighed by the risks of not getting it. The odds strongly favour those who get jabbed. It’s just unclear as to the extent of the protection and its length, particularly concerning variants. In any case, the beefed up provincial booking system worked well this morning and I’m scheduled for jab one on April 13th. Hoping it’s Pfizer, booking system doesn’t say. If not, it will be Moderna, which is a decent second choice.