Anxiety over COVID not going away.

I forgot to add, I'm still trying to figure out if there is a way to go somewhere before we get vaccinated. I thought maybe we could go to VA because it is warm enough to camp and there are a few places we've wanted to visit, but then he started talking about visiting some friends along the way. The friend and his partner both have sort of high risk jobs but don't qualify for vaccines yet. Staying at their house and spending a day with them seems too risky. I can't tell if I am being irrational or cautious.

We are going to see family, not really a vacation. We didn’t buy tickets yet, we will wait to the last minute, but they do refund money in case of a new lockdown. I’d not go if it was just a vacation, I’d probably wait another year. We haven’t even been traveling at all and weren’t visited by family since this nonsense started. It’s terrible. And not common for us. Out of our 3 combined adult kids two live far away, especially mine. It’s been very terrible not to see kids due to pandemics but travel to some places either isn’t allowed at all or in some places very much not recommended. We don’t know how much longer we can take it. I am on edge about this.

@hvert - I don't think the vaccine passport will be related to the passport your country issues. I have had to get vaccines to travel like yellow fever to go to Bolivia in the past and it's a document that was designed by the WHO that shows what vaccines you have received. I'm guessing it will be something like that or they will ask to see your vaccine card.

I am kind of surprised. For some reason, I thought my husband was going to say I should get the vaccine I don't really want. He got his because he's a government employee and works with the public. They are doing telework but will have to go back to the office eventually. If he has to go back before better options are available, well, it's understandable he wants anything that may help from getting very sick, so he went when he qualified to get it. But he understood that I am lower risk than most since I always work from home (I do freelance writing) and that we may not be so far off from getting more Pfizer vaccines or other options.

Yes rechu is right, it’s not like a real passport. It’s a document showing you got a vaccine.

I am more concerned the protocols and restriction created for covid will be applied to other viruses .ppl will end on constant fight or flight mode indefinitely.

I don't think governments would seek to do that for every variety of influenza floating around every winter. Annually, we do see loss of lives in the thousands just from garden variety flu. However, we don't see the healthcare system being overburdened to the breaking point, like has happened with COVID-19. I understand your concern. But I don't see that happening. I base that on how hard it's been to get compliance with - and broad political support for - COVID restrictions, which I think were warranted.

Where I think your fear may be more substantiated is in how long we're going to be dealing with COVID restrictions. My original post in this thread is partly about that. The vaccines may not prove all that long-lasting. Some experts say protection may start to wear off in 5 months. Meanwhile, new COVID variants are spreading that may require new vaccine formulations. This may get to where we're chasing our tail trying to suppress this pandemic. How long can we make huge economic sacrifices? Death in an ICU isn't the only way that lives can be ruined.

I can partially confirm your fear in very personal terms. I intend to mask up in public during the winter season for the rest of my life - even if COVID were eradicated. I've had pneumonia as an adult. I now fear getting even garden variety flu. Now that I see how effective precautions are in reducing germ spread, I see no reason to not self-protect against all respiratory illness, when I reasonably can. I'll never be comfortable getting into a crowded elevator again. I'm done shaking hands forever. Why risk picking up anything? That is my personal choice. I agree that this level of fastidiousness should not be government mandated, except during a pandemic like COVID-19. However, I do think social norms regarding infection-avoidance have ratcheded up, and a lot of that will be permanent. That could be a good thing.

I know someone working in one of our nation's pre-eminent hospitals. (USA) She told me they're talking about re-vaccinating staff in 6 months. Apparently they're concerned about the vaccine protection wearing off. I couldn't find an article confirming that. It may just be workplace chatter at this hospital. We'll see.

Recently the health undersecretary was asked how long the vaccine being given here, Sinovac, will work. She said we can't be fully sure yet, but similar vaccines tend to be effective for only 6 months. They really got us a great vaccine, didn't they? 50% effective and it probably only lasts 6 months. There will still be community transmission and it will be used as a excuse for lockdowns.


I do worry about how these variants are going to affect the attempts to control the virus as well. Here, they say they have only found something like 28 cases of the Brazilian variant, but I have no clue how much they are looking for it. I have a feeling it is here and making the rounds. We have many daily flights between the two countries and they only recently instituted stricter quarantine requirements on arrivals from Brazil. From what I was reading about Brazil, doctors were saying that they used to see maybe 2 members of a family getting COVID, but with the Brazilian variant it's normally the whole family. It's that much more transmissible. We've had various mass contagion events lately - nearly a whole soccer team got it, and a whole theater group. The theater group was allowed to practice, because they were in an area in phase 3, which is less strict. In the theater group, one actor died and the hairdresser is intubated in the ICU. The man that died had received his first vaccine dose several weeks before. He was in his 80s, so high risk . The government also just closed down an entire market indefinitely due to an outbreak. These cases make me wonder if the Brazilian variant was involved.

My stupid house is the middle of busy intersection of soccer moms, horse trainers, nesting ducks, tree of blackbirds, landscape/nusery hubb, other wildlife and I think there is a business behind the neighboring residence. Living here has made me hate myself and explore dark corners of how people live. Stupid coronavirus has made it really easy to be afraid of everything different. I want to spit at the ceiling for this - LITERALLY. Stupid neighbors don't care about anything but covering their stupid faces. I hate you COVID-19, you really make the Spanish flu look like a healthy cough. Please go away and never come back.

I am angry about this, yes. The anxiety creeps into a full panic swoop. The energy I feel is stale and fierce. I feel traumatized to even think about it….

I am not sure, we don’t have these government protocols for flu. I mean vaccine is recommended every year and also just in general be careful kind of thing but no restrictions. But I think on personal levels people might consider applying these restrictions themselves like possibly wearing masks everywhere etc

Every 6 months is sheer insanity. So often! I hope that’s not the case. My husband works in the hospital of the relatively decent size chain of hospitals and there was no talk about that. I usually find medical kind of news (and gossip) from him. There was a talk about having to possibly do boosters, but that’s the same we do with flu, so likely annually and it might be doable.

Wearing masks everywhere is totally doable and is also one of the many precautions taken around the panic of Spanish flu.

…and as for vaccinating every six month. Yes, if there is still panic of obtaining coronavirus patients then vaccination is a must for health care workers and anyone else who feels they are in danger.

After the brutal virus effects the lives of millions of sick and innocent, we can go back to offering a flu shot twice per year to the general public, including frontline healthcare workers. I am not sure if a shot every six months is totally necessary but I do believe it is necessary to offer and have one available for those looking to build their immunity. Building immunity is the least that should be done to protect ourselves from flu season. Masks help drastically to contain and prevent the spread of potential virus particles. Face coverings should not be necessary to protect oneself, but they do help prevent unnecessary exposure from others. Get your shots people. Anxiuosly waiting for my turn to get mine.

Yes vaccination is a must. I just meant I haven’t heard about vaccinating every 6 months. Not saying it’s a bad idea, just that I haven’t heard. I did hear possible annual booster. Time will tell