Vaccine Info

 

COVID VACCINE INFO

(Jan 2021; herondragon acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine)

Here’s what I know about the vaccines and what you should expect afterwards:

·        The technology used to make the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines isn’t a new one, it’s been around for more than 15 years. It was originally developed to try to make an HIV vaccine – for many reasons that wasn’t possible, but it’s been used since for other things, and that’s why these vaccines could be developed so quickly.

·        You are not protected from catching the virus with either vaccine after the first shot. What’s expected is that if you do catch it, your immune system will have been goosed enough that you may not get a severe case of the virus. You must must must keep wearing your masks, washing your hands, maintaining social distance.

·        After you receive the 2^nd dose, you’re still not protected. With the Pfizer vaccine, it takes about a week before you reach top immunity; with the Moderna vaccine, it takes 2 weeks. Even then you aren’t completely protected – they’re only about 95% effective, which means you can still catch the virus if you’re unlucky.

·        No one knows at this time if the vaccines are as effective against the mutations of the virus – scientists believe so, but this won’t be known for some time, and the virus is continually mutating, so to some extent it’s all an experiment.

·        Even after the 2^nd shot, you can still be an asymptomatic carrier of the virus and pass it on to other people. So you must must must continue to wear your masks, wash your hands, use hand sanitizer, and maintain social distance. NO ONE will be allowed into Suite 230 maskless, even if you’ve received both shots of vaccine and two weeks have passed, until the CDC and the VT Department of Health say it’s ok to do so. Man up, it’s going to be months before they say so; we can handle this.

·        At home, after receiving both doses of your vaccine, it should be safe to spend maskless time with other family members and close  friends who have also received both doses of vaccine, keeping in mind that there’s still a risk, and so long as everyone is being careful out in the greater world.

·        No one yet knows how long the vaccine is effective for, so stay alert for updates about this and whether it proves effective against new variations of the virus.

·        Keep wearing your masks! Don’t freak everyone else out!

·        Should you take the vaccine? I think so. The long-term damage some people are experiencing from having even mild cases of the virus are horrible. Consider carefully whether you want to risk it; take the vaccine.