Moderna Royalty
Tomorrow February 25, my husband Mike and I will get our second dose of Moderna COVID vaccine. We have both hitched a lot of things to that wagon. I’m not sure if it is wise to do that, but everybody has to have hope.
We think that after we are fully vaccinated (barring a need for a 3rd vaccine to cover new variants of COVID 19) we can plan. You see, we are 71 and 72 years old. We aren’t kids anymore if you get my drift. We know that we are headed into our twilight years. So, we don’t have all the time in the world ahead of us.
Since February 2020 we have not socialized with anyone except our sons. Even that makes us nervous sometimes. Andrew works at a business that makes masks and trade show displays. He was exposed to a co worker who tested positive for COVID. He quarantined for 10 days and tested negative. Andrew always wears a mask when he visits. Brian does some Ubering as a side line to his regular remote tech support job. He follows all the precautions when driving strangers in his car, but he doesn’t wear a mask here in my home. Mike and I don’t wear masks inside our home either. Even though I know this is possibly risky behavior, we have managed to stay uninfected. I love my kids, and they are great company, but I need to greet my public at some point.
So, we have planned to make plans. We feel that we will be protected from COVID after shot #2. We will give it a couple of weeks to rev up our immune systems, and then we want to do SOMETHING!….ANYTHING!
My weekly trips to Mardens, our local refuse/retail store, will resume! I always see people I know there. Will I recognized them with masks on? I’m not sure about that. But, I will buy something…anything just because I can. It will be nice to see my brother and his family, and my neighbors, up close enough to talk. We also like the Casino in town, and the one in CT. I have been bugging Mike to scope the local one out for us, but he won’t do that until he is fully vaccinated. So, in a few weeks he can do that. Once he is confident that it is safe, I will go in too. My planning also includes google searching campgrounds on the Gaspe Peninsula in Quebec. Right now the Canadian border is still closed to travelers. But, maybe once I have proof of vaccinations, like we have for our dogs, we can get in. I hope PM Trudeau looks at their rules and accommodates us and other Americans who admire and respect them and their ability to keep their own COVID cases and deaths at a minimum. Rolling our old travel trailer up the road and maybe into Canada will be a huge sign for us that things are looking up.
Later date…
Now we are a full week out from our second Moderna COVID vaccination. Admittedly, that was not a blast. I got very sick, with aching, joint pain, fever and headache. As I struggled to get up to use the bathroom, I was cheering on my new immune powers. I babied myself, drank a lot of liquids and took Tylenol and Advil. Then the morning of day 3 after the vaccine, I sweat it out, like any fever. Since then I have been feeling pretty powerful. I’m pretty sure I can feel my immunity building…my COVID fighting muscles. It is like a Superwoman power. In all seriousness, and in case you can’t tell, I am very excited and proud of my newfound immunity. I know I can still catch the beastly disease, but it will be a whimper of a virus instead of a raging killer virus. And, I know I can still spread it if I do contract it, so I will continue to wear my mask, distance and avoid crowds, until the experts give a green light to normalcy. The experts do not include the governor of Texas or Mississippi.
I also got a local reaction to the injection. My upper arm turned bright red and hard, and OMG, it itched. The reaction was a little larger than a softball in circumference, but every day it shrinks. Today, 8 days out, it is about the size of a 50 cent piece.
Hard red itchy local reaction to Moderna vaccination
When I was a little kid, I hated shots. I was scared to death of them. During a visit to relatives in Brooklyn NY, when I was about 5 years old, I got tricked into a trip to the doctors and a big shot of Penicillin. I was promised all sorts of fun and treats by my father and my uncle, to get me to that doctors office without a fuss. But, I will never forget that, and how betrayed and angry I was. Apparently, I had strep throat, and a shot was how it got treated back then. I learned then to hate shots.
This round of 2 vaccines were about as welcome as any shots could be. I LOVED my 2 Moderna shots. I know how the power of the shots can help me and my family to move forward after many months of isolation. I spent hours online competing with every other over 70 Mainer, to get clinic appointments for Mike and me. I was elated to find the jackpot at the ‘slots’ for shots for us, and driving to our appointments, I felt so excited. I was proud of our scientists for developing these vaccines, I was grateful for the efficient shipping and distribution, and people who organized the clinics and who administered the vaccinations, and I was relieved that I was getting the protection that every Mainer needs to pull us out of this pandemic threat. It is hard to describe how happy Mike and I were to get our Moderna super powers.
COVID is a public health problem, and the vaccinations are a public health solution. We have to cheer each other on while stumbling to our herd immunity. If we can help others to find or get to a clinic, we should do that. If we are able to volunteer in some capacity at a clinic, that would help too. In Maine we have tremendous and thoughtful leadership, who are making the vaccination rules. They are guided by science and population needs. The clinics are extremely well organized and they will operate for as long as there is a need. President Biden says there will be enough vaccine for every adult in the country by the end of May. That is very exciting and encouraging news.
As soon as you can, go get your superpowers at your local COVID vaccination clinic! And keep on keeping on with masks, distancing, hand washing and avoiding crowds. There is a light at the end of this tunnel.
Preserve your immunization card, but do not laminate it. There are lines to document future vaccines. You may need this for travel, and medical records.
