Impact of the Coronavirus and Self-Isolation

[suspsy]

I received my second vaccination yesterday afternoon. Moderna, preceded by AstraZeneca back in April. First time around, I experienced chills, aching knee joints, and a very slight headache in addition to a sore arm. This time around, well, I had a sore arm, but other than that, today was fine. I exercised on my bike in the basement, went out and did a bunch of errands, picked up the kids from daycare, and cleaned up the bathtub after the youngest one defecated in it. Sure hope tomorrow won't bring about something different.

I lost a friend to COVID almost two months ago. Not gonna go into all the details, but I'll say that he was a good man, loved by his family and friends, possessed a real joie de vivre, and was only 41 years old. Died alone in agony and misery in a hospital bed with his poor family watching remotely. It breaks my heart to think of all the good people this pandemic has taken from us, and it angers me how so many reprobates get to keep on living and lying. If there really is a God, then God makes mistakes. Too many of them.

I'm still gonna keep right on wearing two masks whenever I go out, plus safety glasses when I'm at work. I'll do it for as long as necessary. But throughout all this struggle, I've made sure to remain hopeful and I feel more hopeful than ever. And just to steer this post further on topic, my hobbies have been of greater comfort than ever. The sheer pleasure experienced from hearing about an exciting new toy, looking forward to the release date, buying it, waiting for it, receiving it, tearing open the packaging and revelling in the joy of holding it in your hands at long last. And reviewing it if that's your bag as well. One really can't put a price on such simple yet solid joy. And we all need joy.


Get vaccinated if you haven't already. Do it for humanity as well as yourself. And stay strong, all of you.

[Shonisaurus]

I received my second Pfizer vaccine on July 1 and did not notice anything. I have pain in my arm where the two vaccines were given on June 28 and the recent one on July 1, but that pain is surely due to polyaltralgia or another disease that the doctors I have seen are evaluating.

Honestly in my case I take precautions but I am not obsessed, I can contract the coronavirus at any time but I have my own philosophy which is the following "enough for you to worry about contracting a disease so that you end up falling ill" you do not have to be afraid and I know this Pfizer vaccine has efficacy issues against the Delta variant of the coronavirus but you cannot live in a shielded safe. I take it with phlegm as I have taken everything from the pandemic and as the saying goes "may God distribute luck to everyone."

[Dusty Wren]

Congrats on getting your second shot, @suspsy. And I'm so sorry to hear about your friend. 

I got my second shot at the end of May and I'm still wearing a mask whenever I go out, too. It's going to be a long time before I feel comfortable going maskless around strangers.

[sauroid]

yes indeed, wearing mask (or double mask) is very advisable even after completing your shots. this pandemic will eventually end.

[RobinGoodfellow]

I too had my second shot of Pfizer at the end of June.
But I'm still wearing a mask.
Mainly because informations about Covid-19 disease are quite unclear since now.. 

[ceratopsian]

The UK government is removing all restrictions later in July, despite our swiftly rising infection figures, arguing that vaccination has broken the link between infection and death.  I shall carry on wearing a mask as a personal choice, to try to protect myself and the people around me.  I prefer caution and courtesy to  others.

[JohannesB]

I won't get into it further than to say, I am sorry for all your losses. I lost colleagues, friends and family members (both young and old) to other diseases in my life, but not yet to this particular virus (but I do have one colleague and family member who did catch it, but got over it quickly without any complications). I understand where the fear comes from for sure, and I won't belittle it at all. But to be honest, I only get a vaccine because it makes it possible to travel again 

[suspsy]

Congrats on getting your second shot, @suspsy. And I'm so sorry to hear about your friend. 

Thanks.

I won't get into it further than to say, I am sorry for all your losses. I lost colleagues, friends and family members (both young and old) to other diseases in my life, but not yet to this particular virus (but I do have one colleague and family member who did catch it, but got over it quickly without any complications). I understand where the fear comes from for sure, and I won't belittle it at all. But to be honest, I only get a vaccine because it makes it possible to travel again 

I frankly do not care what people's motives are so long as they actually get vaccinated.

I'll say this for face masks as well: I used to get at least one or two bad colds every single winter without fail. But I haven't had one at all since I started donning a face mask and constantly smearing sanitizer all over my hands. It's been quite nice that way.

[Faelrin]

I am so glad to see many here are able to be fully vaccinated soon enough, or have been by now.

I am so sorry to hear you lost someone close to you @suspsy. I came pretty close to it last year with my father, but I know as he survived it pales in comparison to what has befallen you. It's so tragic how many deaths could have been prevented if people were just responsible, but a lot of that is due to ignorance in combination with the rampant misinformation machine out there, which has been exacerbated by social media in particular. It makes me very angry at times, but there isn't one whole thing that can be blamed per se. Just reflective of modern society I suppose.

And now we are seeing that happen with the vaccine as well. Some of my own immediate family (though do not live with me) refuse to get it based on misinformation they've picked up somewhere about it, and I wish I knew of a way to convince them it is safe, other then just stating I've been fully vaccinated for over a month now, and have been absolutely fine, sending them information about the ingredients used, etc. Indeed being vaccinated so far seems much better then what having had covid-19 was like, and the arduous recovery process from it, and who knows what damage it could do to me and others as well in the future, like how having chicken pox can eventually lead to getting shingles (something I also have to fear, even more so after first hand witnessing what my grandmother suffered with before passing away in 2019).

My father is also messed up pretty badly from it still. It really has impacted/harmed his lungs. He has to be on an inhaler and special medication to help him even breathe properly. Again lucky he survived at all. Though it did take a lot of family pleading and pressure to convince him he was not handling it okay, and needed to be hospitalized. Had we left him go on the path he was set on, it probably would have taken him.


Anyways, as of like the last week or so, the mask mandate in PA has been lifted, for better or worse, as time will tell soon enough, with this Delta variant going around. In the meantime however new cases have been slowly but steadily decreasing. Over 50% of our state's population is now fully vaccinated, and over 75% adults have had at least one dose so far. Over 81% of the population aged 65 and older is now fully vaccinated (and over 99% with one dose). Doing much better then what I would have projected anyways.

[Shonisaurus]

@suspsy I am very sorry about your friend, the pandemic in many cases is taking away from us what we love the most, in your case a great friend for what you comment. I feel sorry for him and you.

@Faelrin I am very sorry about your father, I hope he recovers and convinces your relatives and relatives to get vaccinated, there is no other solution sincerely it has its risks like everything in life but at least you are more protected although not fully immunized. And above all, continue to use a mask even if many or almost all people remove it, use hydroalcolic gel and maintain distances with other people as much as possible for a reasonable time until the post-pandemic stabilizes definitively, we must take care not only those we love but also our health, which is a gift from holy mother nature.

[Kapitaenosavrvs]

I got my second shot of BioNtech on the 17th of June. No Problems. In Germany it is said, that you are "fully done" two Weeks after the second shot. Here, Masks are still the thing and i see no reason not to wear a Mask, since not everyone is vaccinated. Moreover i like to have a Mask while in the Stores, e.g. I will see how that will affect the Immune System short term or long term. Since i seldomly leave my Apartment, my immune System is not the best. I wear a long full Beard, so my Mask is not the most perfect way, but i really just go outside if it is necessary, or i am going to Places that are empty of Humans. Like into the Woods.

A Friend of mine recently was sailing to Denmark (I live in the far North of Germany so its quite near ~90km/56 Miles via Autobahn) and told be that almost none of the People there wear Masks. He said that this was an almost surreal Picture to him, because here in Germany, everyone has to wear a Mask when entering something or at Places that are crowded.

I am sorry for all the People here that lost someone due to the Pandemic.

[ITdactyl]

Oh my, this thread was a tough read. And yet, also comforting - seeing people talking about their experiences.

I've lost 26 friends and family to COVID, though I can't say I've gone through the grieving process yet. Most I've only found out belatedly through Facebook posts. Tough to process too because there were no funeral services.

I'm unable to enter the city (Manila) because I'm not yet vaxed. 'Can't go home as well because the volcano is still active. There are some comfy evacuation sites, but I don't do well in big crowds - so I'm camping in a friend's lot.

I feel like I'm trying to survive Isla Nublar, though the only dinosaur is that rooster crowing near my tent. Thankful for spotty internet and the distraction it provides.

[suspsy]

I've lost 26 friends and family to COVID, though I can't say I've gone through the grieving process yet. Most I've only found out belatedly through Facebook posts. Tough to process too because there were no funeral services.

26.

That is one of the most saddening and downright horrifying things I've read. 

[Kapitaenosavrvs]

@ITdactyl

I do not know what to say. This is a Situation i can't even imagine to experience.
I hope the Situation will get better soon for you and everyone else.

I did not know about Taal. Stay safe. I wish i could have given my Vax doses to you instead :(

[Faelrin]

@ITdactyl What @suspsy said is probably the best way to put it, otherwise I would have no words. My sincerest and deepest condolences to you both. In any case I am rooting for things to improve for you. Please take great care, and stay safe.

[ceratopsian]

@ITdactyl - I simply don't know what to say in the face of your losses and the danger from the volcano.  Thinking of you.

[Libraraptor]

If you are going to hell, keep going. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone struggling and mourning and grieving for someone.

[Gothmog the Baryonyx]

Oh that is just awful, and to only find out through Facebook as well. Condolences to your losses

[ITdactyl]

Thank you for the messages, and sorry for the previous downer post.

At risk of sounding preachy, do check on your family and friends. Some of the people I've lost, I never checked on; assuming they're well off and probably not at risk. How wrong I was.

And finally, hobby on! My hobbies helped me through the crisis, I hope it'd have a similar positive effect on everyone here as well.

[Creature]

Oh man, @ITdactyl I can't even imagine what you've been going through. You have my deepest condolences, and I hope you can get a vaccination and/or go home soon.


I got my second dose of the vaccine in April, and man did that suck. The first one made me sleepy and mildly nauseated, but the second one knocked me on my ass for a week. I feel like it helped my body figure out to do with some of the residual COVID symptoms I've been dealing with though, because I do feel a lot better than I did a couple months ago. Still not fully recovered, but so far I'm able to continue working with accommodations. Those will end later this fall, and I'll have to figure out how to keep working then, but that's a problem for future Creature.


We've mostly got restrictions lifted where I live, and while we haven't hit herd immunity with the vaccination levels, we're making progress. One of my BFFs lives in Canada, and now that she's vaccinated, it's looking like she'll be able to travel down to the states and make the rounds to all the US friends soon, so I might see her in a couple of weeks. She moved to Canada right when I was in the middle of my initial COVID infection, so I couldn't even hug her goodbye.


Hobbies help. Hobbies have kept me sane this year.