Info and updates for friends and Loved Ones— It’s no joke, things are getting better! The older folks socially distanced, jibber-jabbering across two tables at the café this morning: A doctor, a fund manager, a former teacher, all retired, all extroverts. They have lots to say. Loudly. Covid and vaccines. They’ve all had at least one shot, most are fully vaccinated. Now they’re comparing notes about their children and grandchildren. Who got which vaccine? J&J? Pfizer? Moderna? “The stuff’s all the same,” says one fellow. “We’re hoping to get back to Europe in the Spring,” says another. “Not looking good for that,” says the female former pharma exec. They briefly debate why New Jersey’s infection rate is so high, why “certain people” won’t or can’t get vaccinated. Is there a genetic susceptability to Covid? “They’re gonna make you laminate your vaccine card, and then when you get the booster, you’ll get an official ‘passport’.” And so on. The tone is cautiously optimistic. Everyone agrees they will still wear masks, especially in public places, and with the important stuff covered… they move on to discussing Major League Baseball and the unusual architecture of Fenway Park.

551,638 (USA) dead at this writing.

Everything Has Changed, Sort of—At last! I’ve received an “invitation to schedule” my vaccine from every site where I was able to get on a list. Remarkably, even the pathetic, trundling, NJ State Program offered to schedule me. Some sites are even smart enough to make it easy to cancel, to free up the slot for someone else. There’s enough vaccine. Everyone I know who wanted the vaccine has received the first shot, or is about to. Next week the state makes even more groups eligible including Age 55+.

Communication has improved dramatically—We now have Newsletters, web site, blogs, Twitter feeds, and vastly improved tracking on pages of most major media. I won’t even list them here. (If you need help, see my previous posts.)

Which means, I can step back, I think, and stop trying to curate everything! Is it possible to get back to one page posts? I hope so!—Christo

Vaccines:

Interim public health recommendations describing the type of activities people who are fully vaccinated can do once fully vaccinated.
03/08/2021—Read on www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated-guidance.html

Covid vaccine side-effects: what to know and why you shouldn’t worry – Side-effects have been reported for all three vaccines approved for emergency use in the US but most are mild and short-lived
03/18/2021—Read on www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/18/covid-vaccine-side-effects-pfizer-moderna-johnson-is-it-safe

What Can You Do Once You’re Vaccinated? – You have to do your own risk assessment. Here’s how.
03/30/2021—Read on www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/03/30/opinion/coronavirus-vaccine-risks.html

Masks:

An Updated Guide to Face Masks Learn more about five types of masks — which ones offer the best protection, and how to avoid counterfeits.
02/19/2021—Read on www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/02/19/well/n95-kn94-medical-masks.html

How to Defog Glasses When Wearing a Mask – The New York Times Lens fog plagues glasses-wearers these days. Here are some things that can help.
03/11/2021— Read on www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/03/11/smarter-living/wirecutter/antifog-for-glasses.html

‘Masking works’: Austin fights back as Texas loosens Covid-19 restrictions Local jurisdictions have decided to keep their coronavirus safety protocols, drawing ire from state politicians.
03/14/2021—Read on www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/mar/14/austin-fights-texas-loosens-covid-19-restrictions-masks

Here’s an Easy Way to Do Double Masking Right – Two masks can increase your protection against the coronavirus. Just make sure you know the dos and don’ts.
03/28/2021—Read on www.nytimes.com/article/double-masking-tips-coronavirus.html

Long Covid:

Many ‘Long Covid’ Patients Had No Symptoms From Their Initial Infection – An analysis of electronic medical records in California found that 32 percent started with asymptomatic infections but reported troubling aftereffects weeks and months later.
03/08/2021— Read on www.nytimes.com/2021/03/08/health/long-covid-asymptomatic.html

Will vaccines protect us from ‘long-haul Covid’? We need answers – A recent study found that 30% of Covid patients surveyed still had persistent symptoms nine months later
03/12/2021—Read on www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/mar/12/vaccines-long-covid-health-answers

Find peace. Seek stillness. Practice your T’ai Chi. All you need to know is in my previous Covid updates: wash hands, (properly) wear a (multi-layer, well-sealed) mask, social distance, isolate, and quarantine if you’re sick or exposed to someone who is, and test – but don’t rely on tests because you can be sick and contagious for 3-5 days before you test positive.

Hang in there!! Stay Healthy and continue to #WearAMask!!

Custom Masks from my photos!

— Christo