I thought so initally, but it turns out you need to be immunocompromised (so post-transplant on anti-rejection drugs or going through chemo), not immunosuppressed (like biologicals/infusions or steroids) OR you need to have a condition like COPD or something that needs routine lifesaving treatment in person like dialysis. I’m wayyyyy back.
Although TECHNICALLY I meet this qualification: “Essential worker sectors recommended for vaccination in Phase 1c include those in transportation and logistics” - but I don’t interact with anyone even though I work in transportation.
I just remember when Oregon tried to launch its own health care exchange…and it was so bungled up that they ended up giving up after 3 years of working on it and had to move to healthcare.gov.
We ain’t great at this.
I remain a tiny bit hopeful that, when we have a new president, there will be some sort of national vaccine plan or at least federal guidance? Maybe some help? I don’t know, I suppose it depends largely on how tonight turns out.
The news is also reporting that the vaccine roll-out in NYC has been sluggish, with ~25% of delivered doses given. But I don’t think things are going all that badly. For one thing, hospitals are holding back second doses, and the very first people are just now getting their second doses, so these early numbers look particularly bad. It’s more like ~50% of available doses have been given.
This is the first week it’s been possible for people in 1a who aren’t affiliated with a hospital or certain congregate settings to get vaccinated. Yesterday, there were ~5 vaccination sites you could make an appointment at here. Today, I see on their page an additional 15-20 sites. According to the news, the plan is to have 160 sites by the end of the week, and ultimately 250 sites. The city is also planning 5 mass vaccination sites that will be giving shots 24/7, and 2 of them are supposed to start at the end of this week.
Part of the problem has also been vaccine hesitancy and doses held for people who decline. The public hospital system here reported that 30% of its healthcare workers who were offered vaccines said no.
Regardless, I expect that vaccine supply will soon be the limiting factor.
@Mariposa … So in a healthcare setting, as a medical professional, when a colleague mentions to you they are not getting the vaccine… I mean, how is that going over? With you or in general on teams? I am really dismayed that percentage is so large.
When a colleague says they haven’t signed up for the vaccine yet, I … try to have ongoing conversations between the, you know, screaming and medical emergencies. One nurse told me that her daughter became diagnosed with type 1 diabetes shortly after her HPV vaccine. All the studies say there’s no link, but for a 1 in 10M event, the studies won’t capture that. Type 1 diabetes is a completely life-changing condition to live with.
My own BFF (not a healthcare worker) is an anti-vaxxer. She’s concerned about the possible neuropsychiatric side effects of the polyethylene glycol in the mRNA vaccines on her kid. I think it’s important to listen to people’s concerns & not dismiss them out of hand if we are to have any hope of changing people’s minds. There’s also often particular distrust of the medical establishment in communities of color for historical reasons.
Also, I do see people’s attitudes shifting when they see more & more of their colleagues get vaccinated. One doc who had covid back in April initially told me she wanted to wait ~6mo to see what happens. But she ended up getting it the second day it became available.
Just an interesting one in my sphere being offered vaccines (mostly nurses, and most of my connections being young and female). There’s a lot of debate and unclear messaging around the vaccine and breastfeeding/TTC/pregnancy. I know a couple people holding off for reproduction related reasons. Not sure what % people that would constitute, but a pretty specific one I know is at play.
I now personally know 4-5 breastfeeding docs who got vaccinated. Today, I saw a pic of a pregnant doc I knew from my training get her shot; this was the first news I got of her pregnancy;)
Of course none of these groups were included in the clinical trial. Here’s the guidance I was emailed on the vaccine and pregnancy and breastfeeding:
Oh I know that’s where the advice is- but it isn’t as clear cut as if it had been in trials, and I know people choosing not to get it as a result. I was just sharing a reason I’m familiar with that a couple nurses I went to school with or worked with have chosen not to get it.
Ah, I see. It’s a tough decision when you’re also a frontline worker & have plenty of covid exposure. What is the concern over mRNA vaccines and fertility? I don’t think I’m close enough with anyone TTC in real life to have that conversation.
After meeting someone who seemed pretty level-headed who was also an anti-vaxxer, I did a bit of reading on the subject. My friend became an anti-vaxxer after her son developed autism. It’s changed both her and her son’s life dramatically and she spends a lot of time advocating and pursuing resources for him. Not only can the scientific community not explain why her son’s behavior changed the day or day after he got the shot, only say there’s no link, these parents are left to fend for themselves when it comes to getting the help that their children need. Unfortunately, I think the anti-vax movement is going to be with this country until the concerns of these parents are taken seriously. That means research into the causes of autism, not just saying it’s not caused by vaccines, and services, support, effective treatments, and money for children and parents of children with autism.
For the record, I’m not an anti-vaxxer and plan to get the vaccine as soon as I can.
Two more people in my extended local circle - a husband and wife - are now positive and have no idea how they got it.
Whoops, 3 people, their eldest child too, missed that. Younger 2 kids have no symptoms yet.
This just keeps getting closer and closer.
ETA: FUCK, they are pretty sure they got it from the grocery store. They live nearby and in the Before Times we likely shopped in the same places. Yikes.
My sister tested negative and her children did as well (they never tested positive).
So thankfully her bout was mild, and they did not leave the house at all during the two week run of it.
The local guidance for Denver straight-up says don’t get the shot if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, which doesn’t seem to match what I am hearing elsewhere.
So, a couple answers- for “normal people”, the TTC concern is because the CDC initially (and NHS still) say no vaccine if you’ll be trying to get pregnant within the next 3 months. From my infertility circles, the worry is immune activation stuff. There’s a lot of autoimmune causes for Repeat Pregnancy Loss, and so some of the unknowns (both by people themselves, but also the “newness” factor) around how the mRNA vaccine and covid itself interplay with immune stuff. The inflammatory cascade is a really big part of implantation, so both pro and anti inflammatory stuff is always fretted about among people trying to dive into the “why” of their own infertility/RPL issues.
That was a little wandering but I hope it made enough sense
Yes. Working in natural/alternative but still evidence based healthcare I meet a lot of anti vaxxers. The Canadian healthcare system is actively creating antivaxxers by ignoring real concerns of scared people.
Even very typical fatigue reactions to vaccines are downplayed - so then how do parents know what else is being downplayed. In addition to the large numbers of the population who know that the healthcare system has experimented on them or otherwise abused the trust.
I am enthusiastically pro most vaccines (chicken pox and I have a disagreement). But also believe that we need to support and understand concerns.
My Mom - currently undergoing immunotherapy - was originally told “yes vaccine for both chemo and immuno patients under X timing schedule” (it’s the Pfizer one) & then subsequently has been told “no vaccine for immuno patients, even though yes for chemo.”
They are vaccinating fast in their country (my Dad already got his just by being in the category of over 60, no health concerns, no essential work). So she cancelled her vaccine appointment this week and is on hold awaiting more info from her care team.
