I am 61 years old (turn 62 in early January) and have no known health conditions. The only issue I have is the fact I am almost 62 years old. I eat a healthy diet, have no chronic health issues, and have a pretty robust immune system. I have NEVER gotten the flu vaccine and I last had a case of the flu in 1991. The only drugs I take regularly are baby aspirin and Advil when I have a headache or sore muscles. A few weeks ago, I had a wisdom tooth removed (it had broken in half) and the surgeon prescribed an antibiotic, a strong dose of ibuprofen, and hydrocodone. I took a minimal number of the antibiotic prior to surgery (I have some allergies to a couple of antibiotics and am reluctant to take too many antibiotics) and I flushed the hydrocodone down the toilet. The pain would have to be pretty bad to get me to take anything stronger than an over-the-counter pill for pain. As you can tell, I am not a big fan of prescription drugs.
I was vaccinated in early April with the J&J vaccine and had minimal (very slight fever - arm was sore, but not so sore I could not sleep on my side) side-effects. At this point, I will consider getting a booster next April. I believe the immunity I received is robust and will last for years. I do have concerns about repeated vaccination, especially spaced so closely to previous vaccinations and this is part of why I am planning to wait one year. I do believe vaccines are the better way to acquire immunity, due the lower risk of hospitalization and death. I also have read multiple studies that demonstrate immunity through infection is also effective in preventing severe complications in the future. In my opinion, immunity through infection should be considered equivalent to vaccination when discussing health policy, but in the US, it seems to be something most of our health policy leaders and politicians have chosen to ignore. It is considered equivalent in other countries, including the EU. I am fundamentally opposed to the vaccine mandates being forced on us by the government and believe it is the wrong policy.
For the past year and a half-plus, I have worked from home. Even though I work from home, my wife does go to work outside of the house daily (has since the pandemic began), so I am susceptible to contracting the virus from her. I eat out in restaurants 3-4 times a week and have no issues eating indoors. I have attended multiple sporting events, indoors and outdoors. I have not worn a mask for any outdoor events, including the football games I photographed for this website. I wore a mask indoors to photograph basketball this week and when in the press box for football. I did so, since it was required.
I did have to wear a mask to attend my son's game at Syracuse - also had to present proof of vaccination to attend the game. Other than my Uber ride from the airport, the game at Syracuse as the only time I wore a mask while in Syracuse. All restaurants only required a mask if you were unvaccinated, but it was on the honor system. I did have to wear a mask when flying to and from Syracuse. For the game at Army two weeks ago, I only wore a mask on the shuttle bus on campus and a bus my wife and I took when we toured West Point. No other locations required a mask and the restaurant we ate in the first night in Suffern, NY did not require a mask to enter.
My view - I am vaccinated and have some protection against severe Covid. Could I still get infected? Yes. In fact, I believe at some point, we will all become infected with Covid. It is as prevalent as the common cold and it is easily transmitted in indoor environments. In outdoor environments, it is extremely difficult for the virus to be transmitted and multiple studies recently have demonstrated this fact. Look at all of the football games this Fall. Even with huge crowds, cases have continued to fall. I have said this before and I will say it again - if you have not been previously infected with Covid, you should consider being vaccinated. If you are vaccinated or have been previously infected, you should live your life as normally as possible.
I was vaccinated in early April with the J&J vaccine and had minimal (very slight fever - arm was sore, but not so sore I could not sleep on my side) side-effects. At this point, I will consider getting a booster next April. I believe the immunity I received is robust and will last for years. I do have concerns about repeated vaccination, especially spaced so closely to previous vaccinations and this is part of why I am planning to wait one year. I do believe vaccines are the better way to acquire immunity, due the lower risk of hospitalization and death. I also have read multiple studies that demonstrate immunity through infection is also effective in preventing severe complications in the future. In my opinion, immunity through infection should be considered equivalent to vaccination when discussing health policy, but in the US, it seems to be something most of our health policy leaders and politicians have chosen to ignore. It is considered equivalent in other countries, including the EU. I am fundamentally opposed to the vaccine mandates being forced on us by the government and believe it is the wrong policy.
For the past year and a half-plus, I have worked from home. Even though I work from home, my wife does go to work outside of the house daily (has since the pandemic began), so I am susceptible to contracting the virus from her. I eat out in restaurants 3-4 times a week and have no issues eating indoors. I have attended multiple sporting events, indoors and outdoors. I have not worn a mask for any outdoor events, including the football games I photographed for this website. I wore a mask indoors to photograph basketball this week and when in the press box for football. I did so, since it was required.
I did have to wear a mask to attend my son's game at Syracuse - also had to present proof of vaccination to attend the game. Other than my Uber ride from the airport, the game at Syracuse as the only time I wore a mask while in Syracuse. All restaurants only required a mask if you were unvaccinated, but it was on the honor system. I did have to wear a mask when flying to and from Syracuse. For the game at Army two weeks ago, I only wore a mask on the shuttle bus on campus and a bus my wife and I took when we toured West Point. No other locations required a mask and the restaurant we ate in the first night in Suffern, NY did not require a mask to enter.
My view - I am vaccinated and have some protection against severe Covid. Could I still get infected? Yes. In fact, I believe at some point, we will all become infected with Covid. It is as prevalent as the common cold and it is easily transmitted in indoor environments. In outdoor environments, it is extremely difficult for the virus to be transmitted and multiple studies recently have demonstrated this fact. Look at all of the football games this Fall. Even with huge crowds, cases have continued to fall. I have said this before and I will say it again - if you have not been previously infected with Covid, you should consider being vaccinated. If you are vaccinated or have been previously infected, you should live your life as normally as possible.
