I am looking forward to the day when these updates are no longer about COVID, but instead about other things. I imagine like you, I’m sick of this.
There is good news though. Case counts are falling, fast. The reason for the falling cases is likely attributable to several factors, including:
-warmer weather decreasing transmission
-large numbers of people have been infected, so transmission for the virus is harder. Moreover, these people are not randomly distributed, so people more at risk of catching the virus are more likely to have had it at this point
-public health interventions, such as mask wearing
-lack of holiday driven social gatherings (some of the December-January spike was related to family gatherings)
-vaccine administration
The roll-out of the vaccine has been disappointing, to say the least. I think one of the biggest challenges with COVID over the past year has been the degree to which our governments and institutions have failed us. Unfortunately, this has continued into the vaccine distribution. Many major pharmacy chains, along with major healthcare systems, are giving the vaccine, and if you are eligible to receive it, I’d urge you to do so. I have gotten vaccinated, which I think is the strongest endorsement I can make regarding safety.
Unfortunately, its hard for me to say WHERE to get it, again, because roll-out has been so uneven. UC Davis, Sutter, Mercy, Kaiser, Safeway, Walgreens, have all been offering it at various times, but how to get it, when its available, etc changes not only by the day, but also depending on where you live. I’m sorry I cannot be more helpful around this.
I have not been able to get it in my office for you. I do feel like I’m in good company, however, as most of my colleagues have also been unable to get it for their patients. The vaccine roll-out has generally bypassed primary care offices generally, and we have not been a part of vaccine administration. Go figure, or go read: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/10/health/covid-doctors-vaccine.html
I do want to add a quick note on vaccine side effects— while serious vaccine side effects remain quite rare, feeling unwell after receiving the vaccine is fairly common for a day or so. Things like minor fevers, body aches, headaches, or nausea are all signs your immune system is responding to the vaccine, and is ramping up to fight COVID if you were were to get exposed.
However, I am hopeful, and greatly looking forward to the time when this is no longer running our lives.