#I got jabbed with covid booster and flu vaccine today~

[sabrina-valerie]

Needles

S/I: Sabrina | F/O: Kamek | Pre-Relationship | WC: 1,431

Sabrina stared morosely at the missive she received in her mailbox. Flu season was coming up soon, and everyone in the castle was mandated to get a flu shot. She knew that something like this was coming - it made sense with so many people with less-than-stellar hygiene packed into one castle, but... 

She was distracted by Kamek approaching her. "Hey, Kam," she said, trying to smile. 

"Why the long face?" Kamek asked. "It doesn't suit you." 

"It's nothing," Sabrina said. She made to put the missive away. 

Kamek snatched it from her hand and read it. "Oh, the flu shots. I suppose I'll get mine today. When are you going?" 

"...Friday..." It was Wednesday now. Two days to psyche herself up, and then the weekend to decompress. Seemed reasonable. 

Kamek frowned at her. "Are you sure you're alright? You haven't already come down with something, have you?" 

"No." Sabrina smiled at his concern. "I'll be fine. Don't worry about me." 

"You can't tell me what to do," Kamek muttered and then looked surprised at himself. "Um." 

Sabrina giggled, squashing her errant feelings down. Yeah, she'd be fine. 

~~~

She wasn't fine. 

It was Friday afternoon, and she paced in the corridor leading to the flu vaccine center. Everything was fine, actually. She would just go in, sit down and get a shot. It'll be fine! The needle won't be in her for even a second. She can just walk in, get it over with, it'll be just a tiny pinch - she's done it before! And she survived every time! So it'll be fine! She was a grown woman who could 300% get a flu shot without being scared and crying like a baby so why can't she just walk through that door and do it what is wrong with her -  

"Sabrina?" 

She froze in the middle of the hall, tears in the corner of her eyes. "Kam?" 

"What's wrong?" Kamek asked, rushing toward her. He outstretched a hand almost as if to wipe the tears from her eyes, and then thought better of it, leaving it hovering awkwardly between them. 

"I - its nothing." Sabrina wiped her eyes, but to her horror the tears just kept coming. 

"That doesn't look like nothing," Kamek said, brow furrowed in worry. He stepped closer. 

"I - I just -" Sabrina swallowed thickly. "Gimme a minute." She lowered herself to the floor, head buried in her knees, shaking. 

Kamek knelt next to her and cautiously put an hand on her back, running his hand up and down in comfort. It was nice, Sabrina thought absently, and helped her attempts to regain control over her own breathing. 

Finally, she raised her head, face a mess of tears. "Sorry," she whispered, looking at the floor. 

"Why do you always apologize for trivial things like this?" Kamek waved a handkerchief in front of her. "Stop doing that." 

Sabrina giggled, wiping her face. What do you do with a used handkerchief anyway? Would it be creepy to keep it forever? 

"Sabrina..." Kamek said, drawing her attention. "Do you...want to talk about it?" 

Bless him, putting all that effort to be comforting even though he looks like he'd rather have his teeth pulled. But the reason for her outburst still sat in her throat like lead, and the after effects of it were robbing her of her words. "...The shot," she finally muttered, ears burning. 

"The flu shot? Have you gotten it yet? You're not having side effects are you?" 

Sabrina shook her head. 

"Er. Is that a no to getting the shot or a no to the side effects." 

She shook her head again. No to both. 

"You said you'd get it today, right? They're about to stop giving them out for the day." 

Sabrina paused. She could push it off until Monday...but then that's just extending the amount of stress she'd be under. She took a deep breath. "It's the needle," she admitted. "I'm not..." 

Kamek digested this. "You're afraid of needles? That's...you don't need to be, its just a little - " 

"I know," Sabrina interrupted, voice echoing down the hallway. "I know," she whispered, looking like she was going to cry again. Kamek panicked internally. Now he'd done it. His hands hovered uncertainly around her. 

"Um...excuse me?" 

They both looked up. One of the volunteers stood in the doorway, staring at them in confusion. "Are you here for a flu shot? Were just about to close..." 

Sabrina steeled herself. "I need one," she declared, standing up abruptly. 

"Perfect!" The volunteer held the door open. "Right this way!" 

It was times like these that Kamek really admired his friend (he still couldn't believe they were friends). Even with all the crying she had been doing earlier, she was still determined to push through her fears and get that shot, never mind that she looked like she was marching off to face a firing squad. Kamek trailed behind her. 

The room was largely empty, on account of it being the end of the day on a Friday. All but one of the vaccine stations was packed up for the weekend, and Sabrina sat stiffly on the chair beside it. 

"So how has your day been," the volunteer asked, prepping their workstation. 

"...Fine." She wore a smile like a mask, keeping her eyes on the volunteer's hands. 

The volunteer looked up again. "Right or left arm?" They asked. 

"........Left." 

The volunteer paused. "Scared, huh?" 

"A little." Sabrina laughed nervously. "I know it's stupid..." 

"Not at all!" The volunteer smiled. "You're not the only one we've given a shot today who's afraid of getting one." 

"...right." Sabrina looked miserable. Kamek wanted to wipe that look off her face somehow. 

"Well at least you're here! We've had to chase some folks down for their shots, can you believe it? You're doing great!" 

Sabrina stayed quiet, taking slow, measured breaths. The volunteer glanced meaningfully between Kamek, who was hovering arms length away from Sabrina, and Sabrina herself. As if he was supposed to do something. Unfortunately, he had absolutely no idea what he was supposed to be doing. 

Kamek stepped up to Sabrina's right, taking her hand in his. She squeezed it, a little too tightly. 

"Okay, you ready?" The volunteer asked. 

Ready as she could hope to be, under these circumstances. Sabrina rolled up her sleeve. Of course, when the volunteer touched the disinfecting pad to her arm, she almost jumped out of her seat. 

Sabrina sighed, settling back down. "Sorry." 

"I told you to stop apologizing," Kamek said, squeezing her hand again. Sabrina leaned against him, away from the syringe, burying her face in his chest. By some instinct, Kamek shielded her face with his arm. The volunteer looked like they had a front row seat to the latest gossip. They probably did, Kamek thought sourly, glaring back at them. They put their hands up in surrender, reaching back over to disinfect the injection site. 

They positioned the syringe. "Just a little pinch," they warned. Sabrina held her breath, and it was done. The realization came delayed, but when it did, Sabrina exhaled, slumping into Kamek momentarily. She sat up, rubbing her face with her hands. 

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Kamek jostled her. Sabrina laughed, wiping at her face, jostling him back. 

The volunteer put a bandaid on her arm. "You're free to go," they said, packing up their equipment. 

Sabrina wasted no time in getting up and out of there. She hadn't let go of Kamek's hand, though, and he had no intention of mentioning it to her. She was walking a bit fast, though...Kamek gave her arm a tug. She stopped short, looking at him. 

"Why don't we...why don't we go down to the mess hall for dinner? Together I mean," he added, uselessly. "I bet we can convince the cooks to make your favorite." 

Sabrina mulled over the suggestion. "That sounds fun, but...I'm not sure I have the spoons to be in public, right now." 

Spoons...? Oh, right. "That's not a problem." Kamek waved a hand in dismissal. "I can walk you to your quarters, and then I can convince them and bring the food back for you." 

"Okay," Sabrina smiled shyly, swinging their hands. Oh yeah, they were still holding hands. Kamek stood, stupefied. 

"Are we gonna...?" 

"Oh! Right. Yes." Kamek started down the hall, Sabrina falling into step beside him. 

"Thank you for earlier," Sabrina said. She was really lucky to know him. 

"Of course," Kamek replied. "What are friends for?" 

"Friends~" Sabrina hummed, still holding Kamek’s hand. Something twisted in Kamek's chest. Friends.

[randomrings]

Dorkiworld Sesh 6

7/28 Games complete (1 released) 3349/7583 checks done (70%)

Aydenja (my Messenger seed): 68% checks done Aydentale (my Undertale seed): 58% checks done Aydio (my Mario 64 seed): 52% checks done Aydow (my Sonic Adventure 2 seed): 64% checks done Lunayden (my Timespinner seed): 87% checks done

Today's progress:

The Messenger: I cleared a few more areas and beat a few bosses. Just kind of fucked around mostly since, at the time, I didn't have any pinged Messenger checks that I hadn't already grabbed. I now have 32 Power Seals out of the 47 I need to beat the game. Amazing how 8 games have released and collected their items and I'm still not go mode in any of my games.

Undertale: Got to the Core and beat Mettaton, which is hard required. I was pretty slap happy after getting my COVID booster and flu shot in one sitting so I fucked up a few times.

Super Mario 64: I don't recall playing Super Mario 64 this session. However, I do have 63 Power Stars so I can check a few more locations and am only 7 Power Stars away from go mode.

Sonic Adventure 2: I played this for a little and mostly just fumbled around looking for Omochaos. I still only have 97 Emblems. I need 105 to get people's required items and I need 135 to beat the game.

Timespinner: Didn't play Timespinner this session. I might crack it open now that I have the Tablet just because the library is such a check-dense area.

Session 6 was fun enough but I also probably shouldn't have went that late after getting jabbed with 2 vaccines. I'm probably going to start up Session 7 shortly after typing this. I am now mostly recovered and have a couple of important items to grab for other people.

[iraheinichen]

Day 3,354: T-minus…

The countdown to symptoms has begun, I suppose. I got both my flu and covid vaccine/booster today. About four hours ago. I think I’m due for a fever in about two-to-four hours if it’s like it was the first couple times I got the covid jab. We’ll see. Maybe this time I’ll feel nothing! Hope so. But, even if I do end up getting like achy and a fever, no biggie. It goes away super quick. Coco has…

[terorou]

why is the covid booster vaccine making me suffer more than the other two did

[jmtorres]

had a weird conversation today where I said Id gotten vaccinated for flu & covid (bivalent booster) and it knocked me flat and i slept for three days, and the guy i was chatting with thought i'd contracted the actual illnesses not been vaccinated

i think we have a reluctance to talk about normal vaccine effects--I don't even want to side effects, because you're deliberately setting off your immune system, this is what is supposed to happen. But because there's so much anti-vax bullshit we try to pretend vaccination is 100% positive and has no downsides and... I think that's actually more harmful in the long run, like people who may not have an opinion get a vaccine and the experience kinda sucks for a few days and they go "oh the anti-vaxxers were right!" well no they weren't, the vaccine is NOT worse than the disease, but it's not fun, that's true.

So it's always remotely possible you will have an allergic reaction to a vaccine, and this is why pharmacies ask you to hang around for 15 minutes after the jab to make sure you don't come down with hives or start having trouble breathing. This is really rare and if you've had all your childhood shots without a problem it's unlikely to affect you. But it's also why they ask you if you're allergic to any of the components of vaccines, like egg proteins, which, if you've got that allergy I'm sorry and you probably already know better than I do what vaccines you can have and what alternates are available to you. Anyway: an allergic reaction to a vaccine if you've never had one before is an abnormal problem and not one most people will ever deal with. But if you are worried, hang around the pharmacy for 15 minutes, they're equipped to help you if you do have an allergic reaction, and if you're going to have one it should happen in that time frame and you can stop worrying about it after.

But then: normal vaccine reactions. Many people get sore in the arm that was injected. This usually lasts a couple of days. I got two vaccines at once and opted to have them in the same arm so I only had one arm affected. It's really common to be fatigued the day or two after a vaccine, because your immune system is in overdrive. I ran a low-grade fever and flopped around adjusting my covers on and then off when it broke. Again, this is a normal immune response.

Some people are like that sounds like being sick, why bother getting vaccinated, why not just risk getting sick? Here's symptoms of the illnesses I got vaccinated for I got to skip the experience of:

runny nose, congestion, sore throat

headaches

full body aches

vomiting

diarrhea

fevers high enough to risk brain damage

difficulty breathing

hospitalization because you can't breathe

death

you think it won't happen to you but people do die of both covid and flu

not to mention long-term bullshit, I had a relatively mild case of covid a couple months ago and I'm still not up to my usual level of activity, plus I have scar tissue behaving super weirdly? and there are so many worse longterm covid effects ppl have reported. sense of taste or smell being permanently fucked up. lungs wonky for months. new blood pressure problems. worse fatigue.

so I got to avoid all that, and I got to choose when I wanted to deal with a couple of days of being too tired to do anything, so I could do it in a holiday weekend and not miss much.

Also, at no point was I contagious! I never risked giving even my minor miseries to other people!

And that's why I would rather get a vaccine and have a couple of sucky days while my immune system learns from it than get the actual disease.

Vaccines aren't fun. But in most cases they're better for you and for society than the disease they're preventing, and for those few people who have allergies or are immunocompromised in ways that prevent them from getting vaccinated, they're relying on as many of us who can get vaccinated to do so, to lower their risk of exposure. That's what herd immunity is and does--when the majority of a population is vaccinated, a disease can't spread through the population, so rare ppl who can't get vaccinated are protected.

Please get your vaccines! As of the beginning of September, 2022, in the US, this season's flu vaccine is out at pretty much all pharmacies, as well as the bivalent covid booster, which is supposed to protect against two common strains of omicron. Pharmacies can also handle all your standard childhood vaccinations and stuff like tetanus (you want a booster every ten years!) and HPV and others. Vaccines are preventative medicine so they're free under pretty much every insurance and government medical care.

[ID: "it's free real estate" meme edited to say "it's free healthcare!" end ID]

[dxmedstudent]

Today I got my covid-19 booster shot in one arm, and my flu jab in the other. I couldn't pass up that chance at efficiency.

So far the only effect is that both my arms ache too much for me to hold up my phone whilst lying on the sofa 😫

Still recommend getting vaccinated. Aches less than covid did.

[goingcheep]

Tuesday 21st September: Jabs

I know I try to keep these daily, with only the occasional slippage, but it feels like I’m skipping more than I actually am.

But since these are primarily for my own use, I don’t feel quite as guilty as I would if I skipped the blog itself.

Quick note today about being jabbed. Before this year, I can’t remember the last time I received a vaccination shot. Certainly years ago, almost certainly a tetanus booster.

But other than that? Not a clue.

Had never bothered having flu shots because a) I rarely got flu and b) when I did, I tended to have a couple of shitty days and then be ok.

Earlier this year, however, my GP wanted me to have one; if you get both covid and flu, it’s very VERY bad, she said. So in January, I had a flu jab.

then both my covid shots.

Today I had ‘this year’s’ flu shot.

And, in a month or so, I’ll likely have a covid booster.

Five. In a year.

Huh.

[covid19updater]

COVID19 Updates: 08/25/2021

Spain:  Houston, we have a problem. Deaths in Madrid by age. Summer 2021 vs summer 2020, as of 24 Aug. At least, we seem to have a vaxx problem: More deaths and growing especially in the older/vaccinated groups and residences.

Philippines:  St. Luke's Medical Center on Wednesday announces  that its COVID-19 wards and critical care units are at full capacity.

RUMINT (Arkansas):  My husband who is a physician in Arkansas has been giving me the smallest fraction of grim information. Y'all need to be careful just walking around.

New York:  ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Gov. Kathy Hochul acknowledges nearly 12,000 more COVID-19 fatalities in NY than publicized by Cuomo administration.

US:  Latest @AmerAcadPeds report shows an alarming 48% rise in Covid-19 cases in kids —  180,175 from August 12 to 9 (up from 121,427 the previous week). Kids were 22.4% of weekly reported total cases. There were 24 new pediatric deaths.

China:  Golf-LPGA Tour cancels Shanghai tournament due to COVID-19 LINK

Sweden:  Sweden Prime minister Loefven resigns "we have failed with our special-way with Corona"

Tennessee:  16 y.o. Azorean Tatum, vaccinated high school student & football player at Westwood High School in Memphis #Tennessee died from COVID August 22, 2021. Mom believes he caught the virus at school. #SoulsLostToCovid LINK

Japan:  Two more athletes have tested positive for Covid-19 in the Paralympic village, with officials awaiting information to confirm if a cluster of infection has broken out, after a first case was discovered on Tuesday;

China:  Meanwhile, despite serious concerns over the efficacy of its domestically-made jabs, authorities in at least 12 Chinese cities have warned those who refuse to be vaccinated could be punished if found responsible for spreading the virus;

Israel:  COVID: What we know about the new Delta strain could lock Israel down LINK

World:  Should Long Covid be recognised as a disability? LINK

Australia:  NSW COVID IMPORTANT WARNING for some of the thousands of people in NSW now with COVID. If you are at home, and become breathless and dizzy .. call an ambulance. That's the warning from a Lung Specialist at a media conf now on @abcnews channel.

US:  BREAKING: More than 25,000 Americans in ICU with COVID-19, highest since pandemic began

US:  U.S. COVID update: Number in ICU at highest level since pandemic began - New cases: 149,090 - Average: 154,281 (-3,957) - In hospital: 98,674 (+2,931) - In ICU: 25,034 (+1,343) - New deaths: 1,343

Maryland:  “All members of the governor's staff are fully vaccinated,..” It appears we have another cluster of “extremely rare” breakthrough infections as 4 have tested positive.

Illinois:  Only one ICU bed available in southern IL region LINK

US:  Delta Air Lines calling the Delta Variant the B.1.617.2 Variant in their statement is one of the funniest corporate decisions ever.

UK:  NHS bracing for perfect storm winter disaster amid "Mass Exodus" of burnt-out staff. LINK

Maine:  Maine sees sharp increase in people hospitalized with COVID-19 LINK

Oregon:  JUST IN  In Oregon, people will now have to wear masks outdoor even if vaccinated, Governor says

World:  Officials, experts warn against using COVID-19 vaccine in kids under 12 LINK

US:  Covid: 85-90% of the U.S. must be vaccinated ‘if we’re going to get past this,’ warns Dr. Peter Hotez LINK

Texas:  Right now, the state is averaging 1,797 new "lab-confirmed COVID" hospital admissions each day, a new record high. The record for a single day is 1,907, set last Thursday.

Ohio:  Ohio reports highest daily COVID cases, hospitalizations, ICU admissions in months LINK

Mississippi:  For the first time since the pandemic began, Mississippi confirmed more than 100 new COVID-19 deaths in a single day's report. Today's 111 deaths reported surpasses the prior record of 98 deaths on Jan. 12, 2021. LINK

California:  After signs of leveling, COVID-19 hospitalizations in L.A. County tick back up LINK

Texas:  ‘Healthy’ 19-year-old got COVID. Now he faces ‘long-term ventilation,’ Texas family says LINK

US:  As Covid-19 cases spike US orders for monoclonal antibodies up 1200% LINK

World:  31 vaccinated choir members went on tour in Italy - 22 contracted corona

US:  Long Covid limbo: some US patients wait months for diagnosis and treatment LINK

UK:  Our Wednesday summary of English hospital activity sees all metrics increasing over the last week. Admissions have increased by (a slightly slower) 7% over the last week, and are now broadly back to the level seen in mid-July at the peak of the Euro-fuelled surge.

World:  JUST IN - Data on the benefits and safety of a #COVID19 vaccine booster shot is "inconclusive," says WHO Director General Tedros.

Florida:  In Florida, crematories are so overwhelmed with the deceased that bodies are “stacked to the ceiling”. There’s an influx of bodies like never seen before—worse than last year. Crematoriums in Orange County are begging for Florida to “supply some refrigeration”. @WFLA #COVID19

South Africa:  South Africa Reports Emergence Of New Worrisome SARS-CoV-2 Variant C.1.2 That Has Enhanced Transmissibility And Immune Evasion! - Thailand Medical News LINK

US:  BREAKING: More than 100,000 Americans are hospitalized with COVID-19

Iowa:  “Dept of Public Health has classified Covid-19 as endemic. Marion County PH (Iowa) Director Kim Dorn says: ‘It is endemic in the popn. What that means is it’s just expected to be there, kind of like the flu during flu season.. it’s not going to go away.”

Iowa:  Iowa currently ranks 3rd in the nation for %-positive Covid-19 tests at nearly 37%

World:  Study finds recent or current COVID-19 infection linked to increased risk of dangerous blood clots during surgery LINK

UK:  A very worrying trend in the UK Since the beginning of July, all-cause deaths have risen 12% over 2020 and 9% over the 2015-2019 average: 59,877 (2021) 53,435 (2020) 54,716 (2015-19 average) And the gap is widening. For the newest available week (Aug. 13) it was 16% over 2020.  This gap is not due to Covid deaths - though those are now also higher than last summer. Mortality is VERY seasonally predictable (see how close the 2015-19 average is to the 2020 figure). Something bad is going on.

US:  Biden Administration Plans Covid-19 Vaccine Boosters At Six Months Instead Of Eight LINK

Iowa:  7112 new COVID+ Iowans. This should not be confused with positive tests. That number is higher = 7619 positive tests. Some of the tests coming back positive are Iowans who had COVID already earlier in the pandemic.

Florida:  Florida’s COVID-19 resurgence: State reports 26,203 new cases, highest daily total of the pandemic

US:  Formal U.S. approval of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine will make it nearly impossible to successfully challenge mandates by employers, according to legal experts LINK

California: Los Angeles:  6,500 students in isolation/quarantine during first week of school LINK

Kentucky: Gov Andy Beshear:  Today I am sad to announce 65 deaths and 4,849 newly reported cases of COVID-19, the third highest report since the pandemic began. Of those cases, 1,518 are kids. Our positivity rate is the highest it’s ever been at 13.16% and hospitalizations have hit another record.

Colorado:  “An Unvaccinated Fitness Coach Thought COVID Antibodies [from his previous #Covid19 infection] Would Protect Him [against a second #Covid19 infection]. He Almost Died.” LINK

Texas:  NEW from @texastribune: COVID hospitalizations in Texas are approaching 14,000 — and an all-time high

Florida:  Tampa is treating tap water with bleach instead of liquid oxygen because hospitals need the chemical to keep ventilated COVID patients alive. They're also asking customers to "eliminate non-essential water uses." LINK

US:  #BREAKING: Disney Cruise Line will require proof of vaccination against COVID-19 for passengers sailing to The Bahamas next month LINK

Michigan: "There's lot of good guys out there ready to do bad things soon" -- an anti-masker goes ballistic at a Board of Commissioners meeting in Ottawa County, Michigan    LINK

World:  Largest safety study ever of Pfizer covid19 vaccine by @RanBalicer @mlipsitch et al on @NEJM LINK

Israel:  Wow. New Israeli preprint shows natural immunity to #SARSCoV2 is FAR superior to the artificial kind - vaccinated people were 13x as likely to be infected and 27x to have symptomatic infections as a matched cohort that was previously infected. And this is with Delta dominant.

Australia:  Two major hospitals in Sydney's west, the epicentre of Australia's coronavirus outbreak, set up emergency outdoor tents on Thursday to help deal with an increase in patients as the city grapples with its worst flare-up in the pandemic. Sydney, Australia's largest city, is struggling to stamp out an outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant, with daily infections hitting record levels even after two months under a hard lockdown. LINK

World:  Human clinical trials begun for promising, llama-derived COVID antibodies LINK

New Zealand:  New Zealand reports 68 new coronavirus cases, the biggest one-day increase since April 2020.  NEW ZEALAND PM ARDERN: WE DON'T INTEND TO USE LOCKDOWNS FOREVER.

Australia:  Australia reports more than 1,000 new local Covid cases in 24 hours for the first time during the pandemic, as a Delta variant outbreak surges in Sydney

Texas:  Texas now within 300 patients of its all-time level of COVID hospitalizations. It has 306 ICU beds available in the entire state, per the Texas dashboard. 12 of the state's hospital regions have 5 or fewer ICU beds available; some have zero.

Israel:  Israel's grim COVID data suggests vaccines alone won't stop pandemic LINK

UK:  Covid in Scotland: Circuit-breaker lockdown among options to curb surge in cases LINK

US:  U.S. COVID update: Number in hospital reaches 100,000 - New cases: 186,782 - Average: 155,995 (+1,714) - In hospital: 100,592 (+1,918) - In ICU: 25,268 (+234) - New deaths: 1,340

California:  California Assembly members not vaccinated against COVID-19 should be suspended, lawmaker says LINK

Japan:  NEW  Japan halts use of 1.63 million Moderna vaccine doses over contamination — vaccine have been found to contain foreign materials. - The Japan Times