First dose at last! – The vaccination procedure – Effects of the vaccine on short-term behavior and long-term travel plans – Evening statistics
I received the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine today. The procedure was somewhat different than what I had imagined it to be. When I took tests earlier to determine whether or not I was virus-free there generally was a bit of a wait. People were tested one at a time and that circumstance made for a waiting line – not a particularly troublesome one, but there was a delay between checking in and getting the test. On this occasion the bulk of the time was taken up by check-in to verify that I had a valid appointment and a 10-minute waiting time afterwards to ensure that I had no severe allergic reaction to the vaccine. The vaccination itself was completed in a couple of minutes. Once my appointment was verified I was directed to go to a large room containing several dozen stations, each of them manned by two nurses, one for administering the vaccine and one for entering data for the vaccination (name of patient, date of birth, time of vaccine, etc.) into the database. Nurses, in my experience, have become increasingly adept at administering vaccination shots, but the nurse I met today was simply amazing. I felt just the slightest possible touch on my arm and a faint tingle as the needle entered, so slight and so quickly injected that I couldn’t believe at first that she had completed the insertion. Afterwards I was sent to a waiting room and directed to wait for ten minutes. Then I left to return back home, where I immediately made an appointment for my second dose and scanned the vaccination card given to me at the time of the vaccine. The Pfizer doses are administered at slightly briefer intervals than the Moderna one. In this case it will be exactly three weeks: my next appointment is for the 28th. I had no sense of fatigue or feverishness afterwards; only a slight soreness on my arm, so mild that there was no need to take aspirin or Tylenol (which was recommended if I were to feel significant pain).
To what extent this experience is typical remains to be seen. I know of others who have received their vaccinations under considerably more chaotic considerations. My vaccination occurred at an INOVA hospital and medical research center, and the appointment was made through Fairfax County (as opposed to pharmacies such as CVS or Safeway), so those may be factors in the streamlining of the process I witnessed today.
Daily habits will not be much affected by the inoculation. I will still be wearing a mask in public places such as grocery stores and in heavily frequented areas out of doors. The Pfizer vaccine is the most affective of the three vaccines currently in circulation, but a 95% efficacy rate means that there is a 1-in-20 chance of getting infected even after the vaccination. More importantly, it is quite possible to get exposed to the disease and to have all symptoms suppressed by the vaccine, in which case I could conceivably be a source of danger to others without knowing it if I go unmasked in public areas. But visiting friends who have been inoculated will become much easier – it will no longer be necessary, for example, to hold all friendly calls out of doors.
After I receive the second dose I will feel easier in my mind about traveling, so I hope to see my aunt next month and celebrate her 90th birthday in person, which is long overdue; her birthday is in July. Also I can stay overnight in places so that I can attempt certain hikes without driving three or four hours each way – for instance, the hike at Spruce Knob and Seneca Creek. My goal of hiking the Appalachian Trail through New Jersey is more problematic; at this date; the state applies quarantine requirements for all out-of-state travelers, even if they have been vaccinated. Pennsylvania has recently rescinded its quarantine requirements, so at the worst I could stay for a night or so in Delaware Water Gap while pursuing this project.
More ambitious travel is planned for later in the year. LM has organized two trips, one to King’s Canyon and Sequoia National Park in June (this trip was originally scheduled for 2020 and had to be abandoned on account of the travel restrictions) and one in the French Alps during September. The John Muir Lodge and the Grant Cove Cabins, where we are supposed to be staying for the King’s Canyon/Sequoia trip, are scheduled to re-open on April 2nd, so our group will be among its earliest visitors. Each of us will bring a supply of masks, whether vaccinated or not; the masks are, thankfully, required in the airport and on the airplane.
Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide: 117,431,172; # of deaths worldwide: 2,604,787; # of cases U.S.: 29,693,959; # of deaths; U.S.: 537,827. Less than 40,000 new cases today and a little over 700 deaths, the lowest amounts seen in days. As Napoleon’s mother would say, “Pourvu que ça dure!” (If only it lasts.)