The View from the Hermitage, Day 395

As I start the two-week countdown to full immunization, I'm feeling the same post-injection fatigue that I felt after the first shot. The location of the shot hurts a bit more than it did last time as well. The vaccinator did say that reactions could be delayed by a day or two, so I'll see what tomorrow holds. In the meantime, I'm glad I got a walk and a workout in first thing this morning before the fatigue really kicked in. 

While scientists are saying that temporarily halting administration of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is the safe thing to do, public health officials fear this could heighten vaccine hesitancy. The one in a million case rate may be too much for some people. There is also concern that the halt and extra study could be a boon for conspiracy theorists, and that the pause" might kill more people than it would have saved. In the related case of the AstraZeneca vaccine, Denmark is the first country to permanently stop administration, while France will use the Johnson & Johnson vaccine as planned. The EU is not cancelling its existing orders for the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, but will not place any new orders in the near future.

The Olympic Games are 100 days away as covid cases in Japan continue to surge. Parts of Tokyo and other cities are under a quasi-state of emergency. Over the last week, 3,200 new cases have been reported daily. Shots for people over 65 years old are just now beginning. Up until now, only frontline medical workers have been vaccinated, and they make up less than one percent of the population. In other words, Japan will be very far from being fully vaccinated by July 23 when the Games start. Seventy percent of the Japanese public would like to see the Games delayed again or cancelled outright. 

There is a new fatigue to go along with general pandemic fatigue, Zoom fatigue. Zoom fatigue is of five types: (1) general (overall tiredness); (2) social (desire to be alone); (3) emotional (feeling overwhelmed and drained); (4) visual (eyestrain); (5) motivational (lacking the drive to start new activities). Interestingly, women of all ages score higher than men on all five of those. Zoom also raises the issue of mirror anxiety, a psychological phenomenon where one's image in a mirror triggers heightened self-focus which in turn can contribute to anxiety and depression. Because of this, researchers urge Zoom users, especially women, to turn the self-view option off.

I think I've mentioned the Krispy Kreme incentive of a free doughnut daily for the rest of the year if you show them your vaccination card. Other incentives offered in parts of the US include Brazilian doughnuts, marijuana, beer, arcade tokens, vaccine card lamination, popcorn, free video games, water equipment rentals, and my personal favorite, cash. Some other incentives offered around the world include a gold nose pin for women or a stick blender for men in one Indian city. Other Indian cities are offering snacks, car repair discounts, stationery biryani, sweets, chicken dishes, and a five percent tax rebate. In parts of Beijing, an extra box of eggs, chicken wings, tissues, flour, and cash have been offered. Try ice cream in Russia or restaurant discounts in Dubai. And there's a variety of incentives in Israel as well: Coca-Cola, alcoholic or nonalcoholic beer, a loaf of challah, pizza, and pastries. If incentives work, might disincentives work also? In Indonesia, those who don't get vaccinated will face fines or have their welfare payments cut. 

A New York Times op-ed piece argues for making covid vaccinations mandatory in certain cases. The authors argue that "Vaccines should be required for health care workers and for all students who plan to attend in-person classes this fall--including younger children once the vaccine is authorized for them by the Food and Drug administration. Employers should also be prepared to make vaccines mandatory for prison guards, EMTs, police officers, firefighters, and teachers if overall vaccinations do not reach the level required for herd immunity." The authors also note that as of March 7, just under half of all frontline health care workers had not yet been vaccinated. For some, the employer had not yet offered vaccination. Still, 18 percent said they did not plan to get a shot, and 12 percent were undecided. Certain vaccinations are already required by K-12 schools and universities; why can't covid be added to those lists?

Finally, as someone who tries to at least get a walk in every day, it was gratifying to read that sedentary people are far more likely to be hospitalized and to die from covid than people who exercise regularly.