I Want My Shot
The scientists can’t get the COVID19 vaccine to me and mine fast enough
All five of us (spouse, son, and twin, preteen granddaughters) have been here in our townhouse for five days straight. I’ll have to put in another order of food from Amazon Fresh before too long. We never see the guy when he comes which is probably best. The doorbell rings and by the time we get downstairs, the food is waiting for us to put away. A friend of mine shopped for us last March and April — it was like torture not to hug her when she came by. This is more impersonal and businesslike.
When we're locked down, we see nobody. That’s how we roll.
Here in southern California, the sun is shining, but it feels cloudy. We’re all aware that we’ve fallen into the purple zone, which means that businesses have to close at 10 pm. There are other rules, but it's too many for me to keep track of. I want to go on a cruise (please don’t go away, Princess Cruises! I love you?) and dance and sing — I want to see buffets again. Are buffets gross now? I think not.
I remember beautiful, bountiful bowls and plates of food, like BBQ, macaroni and cheese, and cool, weird sushi! They’re laid out on the ship as far as the eye can see. I still like them. OK. Put plastic on them if you must.
I want to be free.
It’s great that vaccines are on their way — wonderful. But we’ve got to survive long enough to get them. It would be a terrible irony to fall ill, go under the vent, and die - right when the instruments of our freedom are on the plane flying out to us.
Please wear a mask.
John Hopkins reports that we will have up to 314,000 dead within the next couple of weeks. The U.S. Army is more specific; they estimate that we will reach 369,000 by December 19, 2020. Right now we’re at 270,509. How many more will die over the next few weeks? I’m too sad to do the math. No matter how you look at it, many of their deaths were unnecessary.
Most of them should still be alive.
The numbers tell it
If you look at the entire state of 40 million Californians, it doesn’t seem to be so bad. We’ve only lost 19,151 people this year to COVID19 that we know of —somehow, I never thought I could ever put the word “only” in front of death. But it comes out to .04%, right?
And yet, my friend's employee just died after a long stay in the ICU. And another friend has lost her brother and cousin. All three of these people were in their forties. And this week, my brother-in-law received a positive diagnosis for the COVID19. Luckily, he seems to be doing fine. He too is under the age of fifty.
My thirty-eight-year-old baby girl is in a COVID19 unit today. They going to remove blood clots today and tomorrow. She tested negative for COVID —but the doctors don’t believe it so they put her in a COVID bed. They have enough experience and know the signs. She’s in good hands. We just finished speaking to the surgeon a few minutes ago. He assured us that she’s doing fine.
She says the food is terrible so I know she’s feeling good. She won’t eat at all if she feels bad, so there’s that. They won’t let anyone visit anyway since, again, she’s in the COVID ward.
Here in our part of California, forty percent of the cases are young people between the ages of twenty and forty.
Fortunately, doctors have learned what techniques and medicines can help keep people alive. But they can’t save them all, which is why we are recording over 2000 deaths nationally…a day.
This doesn’t mean that COVID19 is acceptable for those over fifty. It’s not.
Some of my people are in their eighties. I’m not ready for them to roll their tents and go up yonder.
Comparisons tell what was and is possible
But I can’t help but compare the United States to other counties. For example, Vietnam has 95 million people. They had 1,347 cases and only 35 deaths.
The difference is 35/95000000 = 3.68421053e-7 which is almost but not quite incalculable.
If we applied this number to California (40,000,000 x 3.68421053e-7);
15 people would have died of the coronavirus in California this year…instead of 19,151.
So what are we doing wrong?
Turns out the Vietnamese were wearing masks even before the coronavirus arrived because of pollution. Therefore the disease did not hit them so violently. They inadvertently protected themselves from infectious diseases.
Wear a mask. They do.
It’s the complications
One can have the coronavirus and feel just fine. But the aftermath may not be what one expects. One can be asymptomatic. Yet thousands of patients experience shortness of breath long after the illness is gone. They develop mysterious blood clots and headaches. There’s also this;
the virus may cause heart damage or inflammation that could put you at risk for complications including heart arrhythmias, heart failure and sudden cardiac death.
Even more importantly, this can affect one in the long-term:
The study looked at 100 patients (median age of just 49) who recently recovered from Covid-19, most of whom were asymptomatic or had just mild symptoms. The researchers, who performed MRI scan of their hearts an average of 2 months after they first were diagnosed with Covid-19, uncovered some concerning findings: 78% of patients had ongoing heart abnormalities and 60 percent had myocarditis, inflammation of the heart muscle.
I know you’ve heard this before, but you don’t want this. No one should want to get the coronavirus — even if they just want to get it over with…negative effects can linger for years to come.
So I want my shot. I’ve sent a note to my doctor. I want us to be first in line. I’m more afraid of the COVID19 than the vaccine.
I wish more people were. Instead, we’re breaking records. We’re number one in coronavirus cases!
We’re also number one in death.
Something must change.
The research will help one’s confidence
I trust Dr. Fauci’s work over the last forty years — while serving under six presidents. He explains that the evaluation of the vaccines is politics-free. They must be cleared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Today, we trust these same professionals for the safety of our food and drugs.
Hundreds of thousands of us in the United States and millions all over the world survived our childhoods because of medical advances and vaccines for illnesses like polio, measles, and smallpox. No COVID vaccines are approved yet.
Below is the standard for the approval stage.
Regulators in each country review the trial results and decide whether to approve the vaccine or not. During a pandemic, a vaccine may receive emergency use authorization before getting formal approval. Once a vaccine is licensed, researchers continue to monitor people who receive it to make sure it’s safe and effective.
Until the vaccine arrives, please wear a mask, and keep your distance. If you can, stay at home.
They’re going to give this vaccine to doctors, nurses, and long-term care facilities. The average person may be able to receive this life-saving vaccine by the summer.
Thousands of volunteers have already received it and done well.
Thanks to the scientific and medical community — they are coming to the rescue once again.
And when the shots arrive, very soon I hope, we will be at the front of the line.
