I got my new Covid shot a week ago, as soon as it was available. Glad to have that out of the way. It seems that the wily virus is popping up everywhere, once again disrupting lives, albeit with less serious risks for most, thanks to progress with vaccines and a build-up of natural immunity.
Just one way Covid has caused disruptions, of late: I sing in a quintet at my synagogue for the Jewish High Holy Days. Just before Rosh Hashanah the weekend before last, the wife of one of our tenors tested positive, so he could not sing with us out of an abundance of caution and consideration for others. Then this past week another member, who also sings tenor and was covering for the first tenor, was exposed to Covid while traveling, so we were scrambling to figure out who could sing which solos and harmony.
Fortunately, our game of musical chairs resolved over the weekend. The first tenor’s wife is better and he never tested positive, and the other tenor remains negative and symptom free. So both could join us in song for Yom Kippur, although the second tenor wore a mask to be extra safe.
So it goes in this post-pandemic time, when we all wish Covid was behind us, but it still lurks. I got the Pfizer vaccine, since I’ve had rashes and aches from Moderna. While my arm was a little sore for a couple of days and I felt very tired by day’s end, that was it for side effects. A small price to pay for protection.
Next up, getting a flu shot in early October, and then I’ll get the RSV vaccine. I take them one at a time, to avoid a pile-on of side effects. Not so for Al, who got his Covid, flu, and second shingles vax all on one day last week and never felt the worse for wear. I admit, I’m jealous.
However you go about it, Dear Reader, I hope you take heed and get your Covid vax as soon as possible, if your medical condition allows—for your own well-being, and for that of those around you. While the worst Covid outcomes are limited by antiviral medications like Paxlovid, the risks of long Covid remain real and serious, and increase with repeated infections and lack of vaccination. Be well.
Evelyn Herwitz blogs weekly about living fully with chronic disease, the inside of baseballs, turtles and frogs, J.S. Bach, the meaning of life and whatever else she happens to be thinking about at livingwithscleroderma.com. Please view Privacy Policy here.
Image: Tim Mossholder
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