January 09, 2021, 02:43 AM
V-Tailquote:
Originally posted by Lt CHEG:
hundreds of millions, billions actually, have had the flu vaccine over a period of years and it is clearly proven safe, with minimal to no weird side effects
I had annual flu shots for decades. Four years ago, while at my primary care doctor's office for routine check-up, he asked me whether I had received my annual flu shot. I told him "not yet," I usually stopped in at a minute clinic type place for the shot, and intended to do just that, later in the month. Doc said, "Why don't I have my nurse give you the shot, as long as you're here today?"
Fine with me, one-stop shopping, save me some time and avoid an extra trip to the minute clinic.
Six weeks later I was hit, hard, with Guillain Barré Syndrome. A week in hospital, IVIG transfusions, and when released from hospital I had to use a walker. Months of Physical Therapy to graduate to a cane. Getting out of hospital I could barely use my hands to grasp things. I had to ask strangers to unfasten the fuel cap on my vehicle when I stopped for gas. It was awkward to hold a pen; my handwriting looked like that of a spastic second grader. Even now, four years later, my fingers and toes are still numb, my balance is way off, and I have not recovered full former strength in my hands.
The doctor said that this disease, which causes a persons own immune system to destroy parts of the nerve sheath, is extremely rare and can occur in a very tiny portion of the population as a side effect of flu vaccine. The other side of that coin is, without the flu vaccine, if I had contracted flu, I could very well have had the same situation.
Right now, the doc has me on a "no fly" list for flu and pneumonia vaccines.
Will I get The Virus vaccine? Probably, I'm two days short of my 84th birthday right now and the doc indicates that the risks of The Virus are worse than the risks of adverse reaction to the vaccine, but I want to think this through, discuss it in detail with him, and tread carefully.
January 14, 2021, 05:55 AM
sns3guppySomeone asked about countries requiring a vaccination, and someone else commented on whether it's "right." It really doesn't matter if it's "right," if you go to those countries (which I do, frequently). Countries requiring proof of vaccination (may not be complete):
Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Christmas Island, Cocos Island, Colombia, Comoros Islands, Congo (Brazzaville), Congo (Democratic Republic, Kinshasha), Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Djibouti, Ecuador, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Macau, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nambia, Nauru, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Norfolk Island, Oman, Pakistan, Palau Islands, Panama, Papua New guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Russia, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sumatra, Suriname, Swaziland, Syria, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, timor, Togo, Trinidad, Tobago, Tunesia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, Uraguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Wallis and Futuna, Yemen, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
On the other end of the scale, at home, my wife messaged me to say that vaccinations are available. As I'm in high priority groups for several reasons, I should try to sign up. I went through the process on a state registry, including providing insurance information (so much for free to everyone), and immediately found that there is zero chance of signing up to get it. Every day that I'm home, it's not available anywhere in the state.
Same for getting tested. It would be nice, coming home from being on the road for 30-45 days, for my wife to know I've been tested. Good luck with that. Here, they take registrations for tests out to 72 hours, and those are always booked.
We have 35 guys out with Covid right now, quarrantined all over the world. I just talked to a friend who isn't quarrantined, but who just lost three close friends, all of whom died with Covid pneumonia (each of whom ended up on a ventilator, recovered, and was about to be discharged when they crashed and were gone within 3-4 hours). He was a big covid denier. Not now.
I will certainly take the vaccine if I can get it, but that may take some time. Given the constant exposure, it would be nice to get it, and I'm quite sure it will be required soon enough for many places I go and for travel, entry, etc.
I was just confined to quarters at NAS Sigonella this past week; the get-out-of-jail card was a negative test (which I didn't have), and I'm sure eventually for many places will be proof of vaccination.
NAS Sigonella just got it's first shipment of vaccine, incidentally. You're welcome, Sigonella.
I will absolutely get vaccinated when it's available. I can bring it and help supply it...just can't get in line to get it, apparently. Getting the vaccine also grounds me for 48 hours, which will be a problem going forward, given the workload since the whole Covid debacle got underway.