I started this week wishing I were 70 so I would be eligible for COVID 19 vaccine.
The earth moved on Monday.
Our governor lowered the eligible age for vaccine to 65+, consistent with the new federal recommendations.
My husband, bless him, got right on it! He managed to figure out how to access vaccine appointments through our provider, the University of Washington. We used their medical record system to make our appointments and it worked slick. We are set for shots on Monday. My appointment is at 7:15 AM.
We are still on pins and needles for a couple of reasons.
The first being the fear of a cancellation because they won’t have the vaccine they need on Monday and will put us in the rescheduling queue. The second fear is that snow is in the forecast, wouldn’t you know it! Seattle grinds to a halt with a flake or two. And we need to get to Harborview, which is near downtown Seattle.
We have come up with a snow solution. There is a (somewhat fancy) pet friendly hotel near the hospital. We figure if the forecast comes true, we will treat ourselves to a night. We will trudge through the snow on Monday AM if needed.
NOTHING WILL STOP US FROM GETTING VACCINATED!
I will do a report back post-vaccine with the scoop.
Before I leave you for the week, I want to touch on masks again. I am like a broken record! We know that there are more contagious variants out there and they are becoming common. We need to be scrupulous about our mask wearing and physical distancing. This isn’t time for complacency.
Europe is now recommending medical grade masks, such as N-95 or surgical masks, for the public. This is in response to the more contagious variants and because supplies have improved there. They don’t think the homemade cloth masks are going to cut it.
Still, the World Health Organization advises that medical masks be restricted to medical workers, people who have coronavirus symptoms, those coming into contact with them, and those who are over 60 or at high risk. It recommends fabric masks for the general public.
It is still a source of great frustration that we don’t have a robust PPE supply in the U.S. I was able to order 3 ply medical grade disposal masks from Amazon. We need to up our game because we are over 60 and high risk.
Here is hoping that the new administration can turn things around. But as the President said on Thursday, it is going to get worse before it gets better!
Stay safe and I will see you on Monday.
Allene
Travels with Allene 