COVID Vaccine

On Thursday April 1, 2021, my second COVID Vaccine shot took affect and my COVID protection was at 96%...  and, the Public Health Nurse who gave me my shot told me that I no longer (after April 1) had to wear a facemask or social distance unless I wanted or or unless it was required.

This is the SCIENCE and according to President Biden, we should follow the science... and, while that may or may not be true or factual to think that way, I am still concerned especially with my age and health condition that I should be especially careful...  and so, required or not required, I still plan to social distance and wear my facemask.

I am in my 14th year of receiving cancer treatments for non-Hodgkin's "B" cell Lymphoma while at the same time, I am in my 7th year of receiving treatment for metastatic Melanoma leaving me anemic and with an extremely low immune system...  so, it does not take much for me to get sick...  therefore, whether I like it or not, I MUST BE CAREFUL.

My cancer treatments have screwed up my THYROID and so I am taking medication to regulate that properly and recently I have been feeling more fatigued than usual so I am wondering if my medication needs to be increased...

Once you start treatment for one illness, other illnesses will somehow seek you out.

On Going Health

Just as my weight fluctuates fractions of a pound up and down so too does my overall health as I continue to take daily immunotherapy pills and month immunotherapy infusions to halt and contain my two types of cancers:  non Hodgkin's Lymphoma and Melanoma.  Up and down side effects include:  nausea, fatigue, night sweats, loss of appetite, anemia, sinus infections, and a low immune system.  At the end of this week, I will have an infusion of IVIG which will improve the way I feel, stop the infections, and boost my immune system...  that good feeling will last about 2-3 weeks and I will return to the way I was feeling before IVIG unless my Oncologist is approved for me receiving the infusion every month like before.

I also will be receiving my second COVID Vaccine later this week which will mentally improve my outlook on life especially since my overall health puts me into an extreme risk category for DEATH if I were to contract COVID.  It did not bother me that my health condition did not put me at the top of the vaccine list because I knew my age would put me high enough on the list that it would not make that much difference, especially since I rarely leave the house...  and when I do, I do not interact with people...

On March 31, 2021, I will be teaching (in the classroom) a class in PERSONAL FINANCIAL PLANNING for college students in Knoxville.  The classes are small and everyone is required to wear a facemask, but the fact that I will have had my second COVID Vaccine shot before the class begins gives me a lot of reassurance.

COVID Vaccine

In a couple of weeks, I will receive my 2nd COVID Vaccine at our local Health Department and will, at least theoretically, be 95% protected against the COVID Pandemic...  and, while that gives me a little comfort, I am still concerned about all the COVID Virus Varieties that could at some point in time, enter into the USA through unaware travelers.

Even though I will soon be protected, I will continue to wear my facemask in public and will continue to maintain a distance of 6 feet and will continue to wash my hands...  and, my reasoning for doing this is simple:::>  throughout this entire process, I have witness numerous individuals both male and female, foreigners, especially MEXICANS who have decided that they have no desire to protect other Americans and wear NO MASKS AT ALL...

However, with that said, I have also witnessed dozens of Americans who, for some reason, have decided that they are not going to wear the facemask properly...  and, I am not sure if they are arrogant and just plain stupid.

I understand that Americans don't like being told what to do but one would think that even if they don't agree they would be willing to protect other Americans.    

COVID Vaccine, continued

 

COVID Vaccine, continued

How COVID-19 Vaccines Work

COVID-19 vaccines help our bodies develop immunity to the virus that causes COVID-19 without us having to get the illness. Different types of vaccines work in different ways to offer protection, but with all types of vaccines, the body is left with a supply of “memory” T-lymphocytes as well as B-lymphocytes that will remember how to fight that virus in the future.

It typically takes a few weeks for the body to produce T-lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes after vaccination. Therefore, it is possible that a person could be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 just before or just after vaccination and then get sick because the vaccine did not have enough time to provide protection.

Sometimes after vaccination, the process of building immunity can cause symptoms, such as fever. These symptoms are normal and are a sign that the body is building immunity.

Types of Vaccines

Currently, there are three main types of COVID-19 vaccines that are or soon will be undergoing large-scale (Phase 3) clinical trials in the United States. Below is a description of how each type of vaccine prompts our bodies to recognize and protect us from the virus that causes COVID-19. None of these vaccines can give you COVID-19.

mRNA vaccines contain material from the virus that causes COVID-19 that gives our cells instructions for how to make a harmless protein that is unique to the virus. After our cells make copies of the protein, they destroy the genetic material from the vaccine. Our bodies recognize that the protein should not be there and build T-lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes that will remember how to fight the virus that causes COVID-19 if we are infected in the future.

Protein subunit vaccines include harmless pieces (proteins) of the virus that cause COVID-19 instead of the entire germ. Once vaccinated, our immune system recognizes that the proteins don’t belong in the body and begins making T-lymphocytes and antibodies. If we are ever infected in the future, memory cells will recognize and fight the virus.

Vector vaccines contain a weakened version of a live virus—a different virus than the one that causes COVID-19—that has genetic material from the virus that causes COVID-19 inserted in it (this is called a viral vector). Once the viral vector is inside our cells, the genetic material gives cells instructions to make a protein that is unique to the virus that causes COVID-19. Using these instructions, our cells make copies of the protein. This prompts our bodies to build T-lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes that will remember how to fight that virus if we are infected in the future.

Most COVID-19 Vaccines Require More Than One Shot

All but one of the COVID-19 vaccines that are currently in Phase 3 clinical trials in the United States use two shots. The first shot starts building protection. A second shot a few weeks later is needed to get the most protection the vaccine has to offer. One vaccine in Phase 3 clinical trials only needs one shot.

The Bottom Line

Getting vaccinated is one of many steps you can take to protect yourself and others from COVID-19. Protection from COVID-19 is critically important because for some people, it can cause severe illness or death.

Stopping a pandemic requires using all the tools available. Vaccines work with your immune system so your body will be ready to fight the virus if you are exposed. Other steps, like masks and social distancing, help reduce your chance of being exposed to the virus or spreading it to others. Together, COVID-19 vaccination and following CDC’s recommendations to protect yourself and others will offer the best protection from COVID-19.

COVID Vaccine

The Immune System—The Body’s Defense Against Infection

To understand how COVID-19 vaccines work, it helps to first look at how our bodies fight illness. When germs, such as the virus that causes COVID-19, invade our bodies, they attack and multiply. This invasion, called an infection, is what causes illness. Our immune system uses several tools to fight infection. Blood contains red cells, which carry oxygen to tissues and organs, and white or immune cells, which fight infection. Different types of white blood cells fight infection in different ways:

• Macrophages are white blood cells that swallow up and digest germs and dead or dying cells. The macrophages leave behind parts of the invading germs called antigens. The body identifies antigens as dangerous and stimulates antibodies to attack them.
• B-lymphocytes are defensive white blood cells. They produce antibodies that attack the pieces of the virus left behind by the macrophages.
• T-lymphocytes are another type of defensive white blood cell. They attack cells in the body that have already been infected.

The first time a person is infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, it can take several days or weeks for their body to make and use all the germ-fighting tools needed to get over the infection. After the infection, the person’s immune system remembers what it learned about how to protect the body against that disease.

The body keeps a few T-lymphocytes, called memory cells, that go into action quickly if the body encounters the same virus again. When the familiar antigens are detected, B-lymphocytes produce antibodies to attack them. Experts are still learning how long these memory cells protect a person against the virus that causes COVID-19.

MORE TOMORROW...

COVID Vaccine