COVID Vaccine: False sense of security or green light?

[Schweet]

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.

- Safety and Effectiveness of a COVID-19 Vaccine

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. 

Thanks,

❤ Schweet

[TheMoonisMyLantern, ADN, LPN, RN]

1 minute ago, PsychNurse24 said:

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.

The survival rate doesn't change how many people have died from it.

Not to mention the long term effects and damage it can cause. There are worse things than death.

 

[toomuchbaloney]

31 minutes ago, PsychNurse24 said:

You’re blind hatred renders your opinions useless!!  

You've offered nothing to counter my well founded points.  What about my comments reflect hatred? Be specific, since you've made a personal claim about me rather than respond to the subject that YOU put front and center. 

[PsychNurse24, BSN, RN]

9 minutes ago, TheMoonisMyLantern said:

The survival rate doesn't change how many people have died from it.

Not to mention the long term effects and damage it can cause. There are worse things than death

6 minutes ago, toomuchbaloney said:

You've offered nothing to counter my well founded points.  What about my comments reflect hatred? Be specific, since you've made a personal claim about me rather than respond to the subject that YOU put front and center. 

Well founded points?!?!  Your opinions. Please cite the peer reviewed evidence-based research on your well-founded points!  Per the CDC the survival rate for Covid is in the upper 90’s.  And yes, I agree, there are worse things than death. My opinion, but I Believe research will confirm in the future , is that peoples lives are being destroyed from lockdowns. People are losing their businesses and going bankrupt.  I believe suicide rates are increasing, I believe addictions and overdoses are increasing, and anxiety and depression are increasing.  I believe that the vaccines, especially in our small community where we have very few coronavirus cases, will indeed be a greenlight to get somewhat back to normal.

[TheMoonisMyLantern, ADN, LPN, RN]

3 minutes ago, PsychNurse24 said:

 

I agree that there has been a lot of collateral damage from lockdowns and as to whether or not they've helped at all, I don't know, its possible that things could be worse but I feel that peoples continued skepticism towards the seriousness of covid and the importance of masking, social distancing, and hand hygiene pose a more serious threat to us going back to normal.

[toomuchbaloney]

 

17 minutes ago, PsychNurse24 said:

Well founded points?!?!  Your opinions. Please cite the peer reviewed evidence-based research on your well-founded points!

So you skipped the NEJM editorial board opinion that failed leadership is the cornerstone of the American covid experience? Or maybe you have a more comprehensive perspective than them, eh?

Of course there are mental health issues associated with the isolation and stresses of living during a pandemic.  Suggesting, without evidence or data, that those mental health issues surpass the traumas of the disease itself (as you did) is always going to get called out.

[NurseSpeedy, ADN, LPN, RN]

On 1/31/2021 at 11:44 PM, TheMoonisMyLantern said:

I think it is premature to throw out the masks, but that certainly isn't stopping people. I had Covid this past fall, I still got both shots and was very thankful to get them, I still wear an N95 on the covid units, I still practice aggressive hand hygiene, not just to reduce my slim chance of reinfection but to help reduce my chances of spreading it.

My true concern lies with the variants of COVID, it was shown this week that the vaccine confers less protection towards the South African variant of around 50%.

The Brazil variant is causing strife in a city where 70% of the population had already had COVID and in theory should not have experienced another outbreak. They're finding that the antibodies don't bind to this variant as well, and so it is infecting people. The fear is that if natural immunity doesn't provide protection, then immunity from the vaccine may not either. They are still investigating that though. 

Fresh data show toll South African virus variant takes on vaccine efficacy

Why Scientists Are Very Worried About The Variant From Brazil

The variants are what I’m having the hardest time with. I get my second Pfizer vaccine next week. 
 

I am less likely to die from COVID19-but how safe am I really? How safe is my family to be around me until they are vaccinated? And I have a 10 year old. Studies show she is not likely to become severely ill with the disease-she’s too young for the vaccine- but what long term health problems may children who were infected possibly face years later? Too many unknowns.
 

COVID sucks

 

[toomuchbaloney]

25 minutes ago, NurseSpeedy said:

The variants are what I’m having the hardest time with. I get my second Pfizer vaccine next week. 
 

I am less likely to die from COVID19-but how safe am I really? How safe is my family to be around me until they are vaccinated? And I have a 10 year old. Studies show she is not likely to become severely ill with the disease-she’s too young for the vaccine- but what long term health problems may children who were infected possibly face years later? Too many unknowns.
 

COVID sucks

 

Yeah.  It really does suck. 

I'm with you, the risks of the disease are still very poorly identified or tabulated.  The mutations are making it more, rather than less, contagious or dangerous...gah

[PsychNurse24, BSN, RN]

1 hour ago, toomuchbaloney said:

 

So you skipped the NEJM editorial board opinion that failed leadership is the cornerstone of the American covid experience? Or maybe you have a more comprehensive perspective than them, eh?

Of course there are mental health issues associated with the isolation and stresses of living during a pandemic.  Suggesting, without evidence or data, that those mental health issues surpass the traumas of the disease itself (as you did) is always going to get called out.

You’re talking about an editorial boards opinions!  I very clearly stated that we will not see the effects on mental health for years to come, Or the research to back that up.  And does your esteemed editorial board have recommendations about what they would’ve done?  Everyone criticizes but no one has any solutions.  

[Schweet]

1 hour ago, NurseSpeedy said:

I am less likely to die from COVID19-but how safe am I really? How safe is my family to be around me until they are vaccinated? And I have a 10 year old. Studies show she is not likely to become severely ill with the disease-she’s too young for the vaccine- but what long term health problems may children who were infected possibly face years later? Too many unknowns.

All things I think about also.

- Schweet❤

[toomuchbaloney]

14 hours ago, PsychNurse24 said:

You’re talking about an editorial boards opinions!  I very clearly stated that we will not see the effects on mental health for years to come, Or the research to back that up.  And does your esteemed editorial board have recommendations about what they would’ve done?  Everyone criticizes but no one has any solutions.  

Yeah, you said that...after you said that you believed the mental health impact was somehow worse than the actual disease, right? I asked you to clarify that notion, remember?

Yeah, the opinion of the NEJM is at least as interesting and informed as any of ours.  I offered up the link so that you could read the opinion. Did you read this part?

Quote

Although we tend to focus on technology, most of the interventions that have large effects are not complicated. The United States instituted quarantine and isolation measures late and inconsistently, often without any effort to enforce them, after the disease had spread substantially in many communities. Our rules on social distancing have in many places been lackadaisical at best, with loosening of restrictions long before adequate disease control had been achieved. And in much of the country, people simply don’t wear masks, largely because our leaders have stated outright that masks are political tools rather than effective infection control measures. The government has appropriately invested heavily in vaccine development, but its rhetoric has politicized the development process and led to growing public distrust.

We will have to wait and see what the combined costs of this epic failure of leadership will be for the American public.  We aren't even out of the pandemic red zone yet. There's no question that the mental health of tens of millions of Americans have been adversely affected by this disease and the prolonged mitigation that separates us from family and friends.  Our mental health has also been adversely affected by an abusive Chief Executive and his divisive and dishonest sycophants. 

[PsychNurse24, BSN, RN]

Do you remember that the current president did not believe there was a reason to stop incoming flights from China?  Do you recall the speaker telling people to come on down to San Francisco because they were open?  Most politicians who made fun of the president’s actions at the beginning of the pandemic now criticize and have conveniently forgotten that they were opposed to his actions.  And how would the editorial board have  enforced isolation and quarantine?  Lock people up?!?  And the states with the strictest lockdowns have the worst coronavirus numbers.  Compare California and Florida, compare Florida and New York. And again what are the specifics??  Lots of words, lots of hypocrisy, lots of articulate people spouting nonsense but with no solutions.  When hospitals determine that too many patients Are getting infections, they figure out why and implement very specific solutions.  Please fill in the blanks...  To enforce isolation I would blank blank blank blank blank. To enforce social distancing I would blank blank blank blank blank.  To enforce quarantines I would blank blank blank blank blank.  To ensure people wear facemasks I would blank blank blank blank blank.  Let’s hear your solutions!  And the editorial review board’s solutions.  And, please make sure the solutions are legal and constitutional.  And if you Watch the news you will see that more people are saying they will get vaccinated.  

 

[TheMoonisMyLantern, ADN, LPN, RN]

7 minutes ago, PsychNurse24 said:

Do you remember that the current president did not believe there was a reason to stop incoming flights from China?  Do you recall the speaker telling people to come on down to San Francisco because they were open?  Most politicians who made fun of the president’s actions at the beginning of the pandemic now criticize and have conveniently forgotten that they were opposed to his actions.  And how would the editorial board have  enforced isolation and quarantine?  Lock people up?!?  And the states with the strictest lockdowns have the worst coronavirus numbers.  Compare California and Florida, compare Florida and New York. And again what are the specifics??  Lots of words, lots of hypocrisy, lots of articulate people spouting nonsense but with no solutions.  When hospitals determine that too many patients Are getting infections, they figure out why and implement very specific solutions.  Please fill in the blanks...  To enforce isolation I would blank blank blank blank blank. To enforce social distancing I would blank blank blank blank blank.  To enforce quarantines I would blank blank blank blank blank.  To ensure people wear facemasks I would blank blank blank blank blank.  Let’s hear your solutions!  And the editorial review board’s solutions.  And, please make sure the solutions are legal and constitutional.  And if you Watch the news you will see that more people are saying they will get vaccinated.  

 

Pointing fingers at other politicians to excuse the inaction and incompetence of another politician with more power, influence, and authority is a poor argument. Yes, closing down flights to China was the right decision, but it was implemented too late.

When I was in LPN school back 06, we had a guest speaker from the department of health come and talk to us about disaster planning and what our community would do during a pandemic. I can't remember all the details, but basically there was a massive collboration between local hospitals, nursing homes, schools, etc to enact quarantines, do mass vaccinations, expand hospital space, get medications to the public. Later when I worked for one of the hospital systems in my area we would have disaster drills where we had a huge decontamination zone and tents, hazmat suits the whole nine yards.

Guess what? When the pandemic happened, none of that crap they planned was implemented they acted completely forlorn and perplexed that a pandemic was occurring. Hazmat suits? We were lucky to have gloves and a mask!

My point is the experts knew how we needed to respond, but the experts weren't in charge of the response, the GOP was, their cronyism and obsession with the economy torpedoed our early response to the pandemic.