COVID Vaccine: False sense of security or green light?
After perusing the posts I have seen much discussion about getting the COVID-19 vaccine/or not. This isn't one of those posts. I wanted to have a discussion with those who DID get the vaccine.
My parents cried, they were so elated to finally get the vaccine. "We can finally not worry anymore and have the whole family over!" My Mom said this with such enthusiasm and it was the first time over the last 10 months she seemed carefree. I wanted to immediately correct her since she had this "I am untouchable now I got the vaccine" way of thinking but I will let her revel in it until the 2nd Vaccine. Instead, I politely reminded her full immunity comes a week or so after the 2nd shot. If she starts planning an Easter party, I may need to have a discussion sooner.
I thought to myself, how many people are thinking this way? Is this much anticipated, solution to our problems vaccine giving too many of us a false sense of security? (Of course, I'm exaggerating a little) After experiencing a similar emotion after my 2nd injection I sort of understand. I had a moment when I thought this changes everything, but does it really? As a nurse I already researched the vaccine, coming to the realization we don't know enough about the vaccine, and we can't to go back to regular life. I had to mourn the loss of my old life just like everyone else. Had to go thru the 5 stages of grief. The stages went something like this-
1-Denial
This isn't happening! Covid Must be like another flu. (Boy were we wrong)
2- Anger
Stay at Home! Can't tell me what to do...what, everything is closed...guess I will just stay home then.
3-Bargaining- Viva Las Vegas
If I just wear my mask, stay far apart then my 2020 Vegas trip will be just like before...nope, not the same. Life just is not the same.
4-Depression
My kids never going back to school, I am going out of my mind stuck in this house! On the super depressing side, I see patients, coworkers and friends dying. None of us have ever seen so much death. No time to dwell on this, no time to process these pesky emotions, back to work. I Will schedule appt with a therapist after all this is over... I.e. who knows when.
5- Acceptance
Not sure I have reached this one yet. Is tolerating something the same as acceptance? If so then I wavier between this stage and the last three depending on the day.
We all have our own version of this I assume. Every one of us going through this loss together but separately, not to mention the loved ones lost.
I feel encouraged by the vaccine, all the while black clouds of uncertainty loom overhead. I read things like this and feel again like we have a long road ahead.
Quote
If I get a coronavirus vaccination, do I still have to wear a mask? Physical distance?
Yes. It may take time for everyone who wants a COVID-19 vaccination to get one. A vaccine that is 95% effective means that about 1 out of 20 people who get it may not have protection from getting the illness.
Also, while the vaccine may prevent you from getting sick, it is unknown at this time if you can still carry and transmit the virus to others. That is why, until more is understood about how well the vaccine works, continuing with precautions such as mask-wearing and physical distancing will be important.
What I mean is this, after I got the vaccine I felt relief knowing I am less likely to get COVID. Unfortunately, studies haven't been done yet to determine if I could still carry and transmit it. I think that's the part so many of us are forgetting, which is easy to do. Maybe they will do studies and find otherwise but until then I am considering every risk I take. Am I wearing a mask at home? Obviously not, but when my friends say to me we should go out now since I have the vaccine and my parents say come over, I think not yet. I am in the thick of this, working with COVID + patients every shift and the risk is still too great. I would rather not even think about it, any of it. Alas everywhere I turn these thoughts invade my mind, situations bring up these questions and others.
I want to get out there so badly. I was even less cautious for maybe 4 months, back when things slowed down. Part of me wants to go out with them but wear a mask and be outside? I try to rationalize that if others see their extended families, then so could I. That's when my logical side kicks in and for me, at this point it's worth waiting a little while before a family reunion. I would feel horrible if I unknowingly brought an uninvited "guest".
So, thanks for letting me say my piece (sometimes wondering off topic but will bring it full circle here?) Now that you know my inner struggle on this topic (sometimes hopeful, sometimes reality gets too real), I am wondering about others point of view who have been vaccinated, are you staying away for now or is the vaccine a green light for you to be around others? I know it's a personal choice but want to see other nurses' inner dialogue to see the reasons behind those choices.
I see you’re blaming the public and The poor response! I would love to know how people would’ve managed this pandemic better? 20/20 Hindsight Always makes it easier to place blame. And I responded with my opinion, which is what this forum is for. I am going to live my life, not cower in fear.
Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.
11 minutes ago, PsychNurse24 said:
I see you’re blaming the public and The poor response! I would love to know how people would’ve managed this pandemic better? 20/20 Hindsight Always makes it easier to place blame. And I responded with my opinion, which is what this forum is for. I am going to live my life, not cower in fear.
I simply asked you to clarify your opinion while providing context for the request. That's also what these forums are for. I don't want to misunderstand your position.
People could have done better by wearing masks, social distancing and not whining about how it was a violation of some "right" to follow the recommendations.
Are you suggesting that those of us who are practicing social distancing, masking and and caution in public settings are cowering in fear? It sounds like it. Maybe I understood your original point better than I thought.
Specializes in Mental health, substance abuse, geriatrics, PCU.
1 hour ago, PsychNurse24 said:
I see you’re blaming the public and The poor response! I would love to know how people would’ve managed this pandemic better? 20/20 Hindsight Always makes it easier to place blame. And I responded with my opinion, which is what this forum is for. I am going to live my life, not cower in fear.
Let's see, the CDC has been predicting a major pandemic for decades, this didn't just fall out of the sky. Most major hospital systems, governmental agencies have people who's sole purpose is disaster planning and emergency management and yet still we were completely unprepared.
I thought..and maybe im wrong...the whole reason I was on the fence about it (the vaccine)..was it stops you from getting it really bad and dying but it doesnt stop you from transmitting it person to person.
I don't think 'hindsight' has anything to do with the national pandemic and the US reaction and employment of strategies that would have helped limit the spread, if our leadership had been at all effective, used all the resources smarter people than he had created and if he/his family would have been role models for how to mask and social distance. We had a national nightmare happen and we are now left to pick up the pieces. I do agree our people's mental health has taken a big hit. We will learn more in the future when we start to really see what develops when people are limited in social and family connections for 11 months.
2 hours ago, toomuchbaloney said:
The devastation of the effects of this poorly managed pandemic extend far and wide beyond the death toll, which is impressive on its own.
2 hours ago, toomuchbaloney said:
People could have done better by wearing masks, social distancing and not whining about how it was a violation of some "right" to follow the recommendations.
2 hours ago, PsychNurse24 said:
I am going to live my life, not cower in fear.
I am not cowering in fear but very mindful that poor leadership led us very astray.
But if we all work together, we may come out of this okay
I simply asked you to clarify your opinion while providing context for the request. That's also what these forums are for. I don't want to misunderstand your position.
People could have done better by wearing masks, social distancing and not whining about how it was a violation of some "right" to follow the recommendations.
Are you suggesting that those of us who are practicing social distancing, masking and and caution in public settings are cowering in fear? It sounds like it. Maybe I understood your original point better than I thought.
I also am following social distancing, and wearing a mask, and practicing hand hygiene. At some point we have got to start living our lives again. I live in a rural farming community; not many people have Covid. Lockdowns are affecting peoples’ mental health and destroying businesses which causes people to go bankrupt, breaks up marriages and families, results in more drinking and overdoses, etc. We will not know the effects on mental health for years to come. Lockdowns, in our community, Are more deadly and dangerous than coronavirus. And preventing people from leaving their houses, by mandatory lockdowns, is a violation of our rights!
I don't think 'hindsight' has anything to do with the national pandemic and the US reaction and employment of strategies that would have helped limit the spread, if our leadership had been at all effective, used all the resources smarter people than he had created and if he/his family would have been role models for how to mask and social distance. We had a national nightmare happen and we are now left to pick up the pieces. I do agree our people's mental health has taken a big hit. We will learn more in the future when we start to really see what develops when people are limited in social and family connections for 11 months.
I am not cowering in fear but very mindful that poor leadership led us very astray.
But if we all work together, we may come out of this
I see that you’re not mentioning people by name, but obviously blaming the former president. I think it is amazing that we have vaccines so quickly. I also believe he stopped flights from China and Europe into our country far sooner than the other side would have done. I think there was a tremendous effort, by everyone, to treat this illness. I believe there have also been great successes in discovering medications to fight coronavirus. So sad people politicize this issue.
Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.
28 minutes ago, PsychNurse24 said:
I see that you’re not mentioning people by name, but obviously blaming the former president. I think it is amazing that we have vaccines so quickly. I also believe he stopped flights from China and Europe into our country far sooner than the other side would have done. I think there was a tremendous effort, by everyone, to treat this illness. I believe there have also been great successes in discovering medications to fight coronavirus. So sad people politicize this issue.
Trump politicized the issue. Trump lied about the pandemic. Trump failed the country with his inability to lead.
You may think there was tremendous effort by "everyone" to treat covid, but that ignores the evidence that Trump's federal response was a failure and Trump essentially made no effort at all beyond trying to create a narrative about his heroic leadership or something.
The response of our nation’s leaders has been consistently inadequate. The federal government has largely abandoned disease control to the states. Governors have varied in their responses, not so much by party as by competence. But whatever their competence, governors do not have the tools that Washington controls. Instead of using those tools, the federal government has undermined them. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which was the world’s leading disease response organization, has been eviscerated and has suffered dramatic testing and policy failures. The National Institutes of Health have played a key role in vaccine development but have been excluded from much crucial government decision making. And the Food and Drug Administration has been shamefully politicized,3 appearing to respond to pressure from the administration rather than scientific evidence. Our current leaders have undercut trust in science and in government,4 causing damage that will certainly outlast them. Instead of relying on expertise, the administration has turned to uninformed “opinion leaders” and charlatans who obscure the truth and facilitate the promulgation of outright lies.
It will be interesting to discover how much grifting and opportunism influenced the Trump pandemic actions. Kushner was involved with the team...he's a special kind of crooked. He thought the national stockpile wasn't for the citizens of the states...
Trump politicized the issue. Trump lied about the pandemic. Trump failed the country with his inability to lead.
You may think there was tremendous effort by "everyone" to treat covid, but that ignores the evidence that Trump's federal response was a failure and Trump essentially made no effort at all beyond trying to create a narrative about his heroic leadership or something.
It will be interesting to discover how much grifting and opportunism influenced the Trump pandemic actions. Kushner was involved with the team...he's a special kind of crooked. He thought the national stockpile wasn't for the citizens of the states...
You’re blind hatred renders your opinions useless!!
Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
Hello all! Please remember to stick to the topic of the effect of the COVID vaccine and what it means for returning to a state of “normal”. For discussions regarding the government response, there are several threads in the Politics forum found by clicking on the link to the Breakroom.
Specializes in Mental health, substance abuse, geriatrics, PCU.
41 minutes ago, PsychNurse24 said:
I see that you’re not mentioning people by name, but obviously blaming the former president. I think it is amazing that we have vaccines so quickly. I also believe he stopped flights from China and Europe into our country far sooner than the other side would have done. I think there was a tremendous effort, by everyone, to treat this illness. I believe there have also been great successes in discovering medications to fight coronavirus. So sad people politicize this issue.
I think you might have a different outlook if you zipped up some of the body bags of people who have died from this disease.
Your statement that there have been "great successes" for medications to treat Covid is simply invalid, the few things approved for Covid thus far have had mediocre or even inconclusive results against Covid, the FDA's attitude seems to be "well, it's better than nothing" which is a far cry from a great success. The only medication that has actually decreased the chance of dying is dexamethasone, and that's only if started in the pulmonary phase of the disease which by then is when people start running into trouble.
Go to the CDC's website, read the guidelines, read the literature behind the use of Rendesivir, monoclonals, dexamethasone. I'll even include the link for you.
While you’re patronizing me why don’t you tell me what the survival rate is for Covid? I am on the CDC site every week. To stick to the topic of the thread, yes I think vaccines are going to be a greenlight for getting back to normal. It might be a year, but again I think the vaccines will be a huge success.
PsychNurse24, BSN, RN
143 Posts
I see you’re blaming the public and The poor response! I would love to know how people would’ve managed this pandemic better? 20/20 Hindsight Always makes it easier to place blame. And I responded with my opinion, which is what this forum is for. I am going to live my life, not cower in fear.