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Third vaccine experiences


TravelingChris
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So far the only "side effect" I'm having is a headache from the extremely odoriferous hand sanitizer that was available for use at Walgreens' pharmacy counter. It's some horrid floral scent that seems to be able to withstand large quantities of hand soap and Dawn. Ick.

Edited by Pawz4me
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2 hours ago, Not_a_Number said:

Please do report side effects, if you don’t mind… I’m doing my usual anecdata gathering!

Comparisons with the other doses are super helpful.

DH 30 hours out now from Moderna #3 and no reaction other than a sore arm overnight. Same as doses one and two. 

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At about 32 hours out from his third shot (Moderna all three times), DH developed a low-grade fever (100.4) with chills and sweats, which lasted about 8-10 hours. He had a headache all day and night yesterday and "ran out of energy" a couple of times. He felt fine by 4:15 a.m. this morning when he got up for work. And, of course, he has a sore arm. We are ecstatic, as we're hoping this indicates an immune response this time. He had no side effects after the first two shots (beside a sore arm).

Edited by pitterpatter
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Within the last hour I've developed a mildly achy arm. It's definitely more than it was with either of the first two doses. With both of those I really had to almost stop everything and concentrate to realize I was feeling a little something at the injection site. This is definitely a more noticeable achy type feeling that's affecting a larger area. I'm glad.

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My dh will be getting his booster vaccine next Wednesday, and our city health department will be sending someone to our house to give it to him. Yay!!! He called to ask where he could get it, and they volunteered to come to the house, just like when he got his first shot. 

He can choose either Pfizer or Moderna, and I’m seeing pros and cons to each, but nothing concrete. Has anyone read anything that says one is better than the other?

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9 minutes ago, Catwoman said:

My dh will be getting his booster vaccine next Wednesday, and our city health department will be sending someone to our house to give it to him. Yay!!! He called to ask where he could get it, and they volunteered to come to the house, just like when he got his first shot. 

He can choose either Pfizer or Moderna, and I’m seeing pros and cons to each, but nothing concrete. Has anyone read anything that says one is better than the other?

Probably Moderna just because it’s a much larger dose of vaccine than Pfizer.

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1 hour ago, Catwoman said:

My dh will be getting his booster vaccine next Wednesday, and our city health department will be sending someone to our house to give it to him. Yay!!! He called to ask where he could get it, and they volunteered to come to the house, just like when he got his first shot. 

He can choose either Pfizer or Moderna, and I’m seeing pros and cons to each, but nothing concrete. Has anyone read anything that says one is better than the other?

Someone I know who had not gotten vaccinated yet just asked me last week which vaccine I would recommend.  I recommended Moderna because it seems to be doing better against Delta.

I got Pfizer for my first two doses, but I will probably try to get Moderna when I get my third.

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1 hour ago, Catwoman said:

My dh will be getting his booster vaccine next Wednesday, and our city health department will be sending someone to our house to give it to him. Yay!!! He called to ask where he could get it, and they volunteered to come to the house, just like when he got his first shot. 

He can choose either Pfizer or Moderna, and I’m seeing pros and cons to each, but nothing concrete. Has anyone read anything that says one is better than the other?

If the lastest Mayo Clinic number are correct--and some like Dr Fauci are pushing back--Moderna is at 76% effective for preventing infection against Delta and Pfister is 42%

We will see if that hold and if so why (bigger dose w/ Moderna a possibility).

Given a choice I'd opt for Moderna at this moment.

Bill

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14 minutes ago, Spy Car said:

If the lastest Mayo Clinic number are correct--and some like Dr Fauci are pushing back--Moderna is at 76% effective for preventing infection against Delta and Pfister is 42%

We will see if that hold and if so why (bigger dose w/ Moderna a possibility).

Given a choice I'd opt for Moderna at this moment.

Bill

I believe Catwoman’s husband is an organ transplant recipient? Heart, I think? Their numbers are not quite as good but boosters will definitely help.

I don’t know if transplant recipients need to consider other factors. Intervals between vaccines might be very important, too.

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1 hour ago, BeachGal said:

I believe Catwoman’s husband is an organ transplant recipient? Heart, I think? Their numbers are not quite as good but boosters will definitely help.

I don’t know if transplant recipients need to consider other factors. Intervals between vaccines might be very important, too.

I would certainly seek to get advice from medical professionals about contraindications or other considerations over the choices were I a transplant patient.

Bill

 

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7 hours ago, KSera said:

I’m noticing that it sounds like those eligible for a third shot didn’t tend to have side effects from either of the first two. That’s interesting to me. I hope this third one gives everyone excellent, lasting immunity. 

I was nervous when my husband didn't have any real reaction to his first two...except that no one in our family of 6 did, and he's the only one on medication that could interfere with immunity. His blood work showed antibodies from the vaccine a few weeks after his second shot, so we're fairly confident it worked fine despite his meds. That said, I've been really frustrated with how his doctor's reacted to his questions about how his meds might affect the vaccine; basically he completely brushed him off and acted like it wasn't worth worrying about. DH stopped taking his biologic for a couple of months while he was getting vaccinated, but he decided on his own; his doctor didn't suggest it (prescribing doctor is a dermatologist, not an immunologist). I can only imagine how very frustrating this is for people at higher risk from covid (and people who don't have the option of stopping their medications for any length of time).

Edited by kokotg
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My daughter  really wants her third shot.  I  not sure she meets the criteria though.  She does have IgA and IgG deficiencies and a history of becoming very ill along with 3 mitochondrial myopathies, but the past few years she have been very healthy.   I need to talk to her doctor and see.

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@Catwoman You might have already seen this article from UC San Diego showing that vaccination helps prevent symptoms and deaths (although not necessarily infection). Not all in the study were fully vaccinated and some were not yet vaccinated. Of the vaccinated, about 70% received the Moderna vaccine.

Another point to keep in mind is which variant was dominant during the period when they tested. They don't mention it in the article.

Quote

... a team of physician-scientists at University of California San Diego School of Medicine found that solid organ transplant recipients who were vaccinated experienced an almost 80 percent reduction in the incidence of symptomatic COVID-19 compared to unvaccinated counterparts during the same time.

https://health.ucsd.edu/news/releases/Pages/2021-08-05-organ-transplant-recipients-significantly-protected-by-covid-19-vaccination.aspx

Besides vaccines, better masks and home filters might be worth considering if you haven't.

The Sonovia mask, developed in Israel, "neutralizes 99.97% of COVID-19 particles with excellent antiviral efficacy." The mask's material is embedded with nanoparticles that can deactivate viruses, bacteria & fungi with over 99% efficacy.

https://sonoviatech.com/testresults/?utm_source=sonoviastore.com

Because Covid can remain airborn for so long, an air filter made by the Finnish company Genano might be worth buying. They design air filters for clean rooms, hospitals and research facilities. However, they do cost a lot and might be hard to find. China has been buying a lot of them. I wanted to buy one at the beginning of the pandemic but there was only one distributor in the US in Texas and he didn't have any inventory at the time. That might have changed since then. You might also be able to buy from a distributor in Canada. We ended up buying an IQAir air filter which is a hyperHEPA. Not as good as Genano but probably good enough. I ordered ours from Amazon for about $900.

https://www.genano.com/genano-distributors-0?hsCtaTracking=ef0d27fb-54e8-4196-aae5-41218d219514|327f2b19-c4fb-49e3-9dcc-4c352b9b2927

https://www.iqair.com/us/blog/air-cleaning-technology/do-air-purifiers-work

 

Anyway, I'm very glad your husband is getting vaccinated!

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I'm almost exactly 24 hours out from the third dose. Arm is still achy, about the same as last night. I have a tiny bit of a headache but there's no way to know if that's from the vaccine. It's been a busy morning and it's very humid and damp here. It feels kind of like a cross between a sinus headache and a stress headache, so . . IDK. In any event, it's not a big deal. Just there.

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I'm 22 hours out from #3 with Moderna.

My deltoid muscle is somewhat tender this morning.

Last night I felt "sleepy" about an hour earlier than usual--not "exhausted" feeling--just ready to sleep. Slept well.

No headaches. The morning after #2 I woke up with a considerable headache (after a thrashed night's sleep) so this round has been more mild in my case. Not sure I'm feeling anything unusual outside the tender arm.

Bill

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1 hour ago, Ottakee said:

My daughter  really wants her third shot.  I  not sure she meets the criteria though.  She does have IgA and IgG deficiencies and a history of becoming very ill along with 3 mitochondrial myopathies, but the past few years she have been very healthy.   I need to talk to her doctor and see.

I think she qualifies.  She has moderate immunodeficiency.

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17 minutes ago, Spy Car said:

I'm 22 hours out from #3 with Moderna.

My deltoid muscle is somewhat tender this morning.

Last night I felt "sleepy" about an hour earlier than usual--not "exhausted" feeling--just ready to sleep. Slept well.

No headaches. The morning after #2 I woke up with a considerable headache (after a thrashed night's sleep) so this round has been more mild in my case. Not sure I'm feeling anything unusual outside the tender arm.

Bill

I am day 4, sort of, and also have a mild headache which I had yesterday too.  But I am in a autoimmune flare ( at least not my asthma)  and Fred 8s nearby so I don't think it is due to shot.

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5 minutes ago, TravelingChris said:

I am day 4, sort of, and also have a mild headache which I had yesterday too.  But I am in a autoimmune flare ( at least not my asthma)  and Fred 8s nearby so I don't think it is due to shot.

I hope you feel better soon. 

Bill

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I, too, got my 3rd dose of Pfizer yesterday (Monday) at my local Walgreens.  Walgreens turned away two older ladies for their 3rd booster because they did NOT have any of the conditions listed on the form.  Unfortunately I have two of the conditions/ongoing treatments listed on form. 

The ladies who did not qualify had hypertension and controlled diabetes.

Same as with the first and second injections, I had no side effects.

Edited by annandatje
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15 hours ago, BeachGal said:

Probably Moderna just because it’s a much larger dose of vaccine than Pfizer.

Also, Moderna is less fragile, from what I remember reading earlier on. Less sensitive to temperature differences and being shaken, etc supposedly. I got my Pfizer at a FEMA site run by the military and was pretty confident in their ability to handle it properly, there is a reason the phrase "military precision" exists, but if getting it elsewhere, with low paid low skill workers I'd feel happier with Moderna's more robust nature I think. 

2 hours ago, Ottakee said:

My daughter  really wants her third shot.  I  not sure she meets the criteria though.  She does have IgA and IgG deficiencies and a history of becoming very ill along with 3 mitochondrial myopathies, but the past few years she have been very healthy.   I need to talk to her doctor and see.

She has an immunodeficiency, she qualifies. Also, I want to say IgA is specifically in regards to respiratory viruses, so definitely an issue if that is the case. (my ex had a kidney disease where IgA built up in the kidneys...and he was warned he'd have flares after respiratory viruses as those activate IgA)

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13 hours ago, BeachGal said:

I believe Catwoman’s husband is an organ transplant recipient? Heart, I think? Their numbers are not quite as good but boosters will definitely help.

I don’t know if transplant recipients need to consider other factors. Intervals between vaccines might be very important, too.

My dh had a liver transplant 5 years ago. We are trying to follow the transplant center guidelines, but we are getting very frustrated with the mixed messaging. We were told yesterday that getting a Pfizer or Moderna booster after the original J&J shot (that they recommended he get,) was absolutely fine… but this morning, they left a voicemail saying that because he got J&J, they are not recommending the booster at this time because of concerns about mixing the vaccine types. It is maddening!

So now my dh is stuck in limbo again and we are waiting for a callback from his transplant coordinator to try to figure out what’s going on. Our biggest issue with the whole thing is that the transplant center isn’t doing or recommending antibody testing, so we don’t know whether or not the J&J vaccine worked at all, or if it might have actually worked pretty well for dh. It is extremely frustrating.

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2 hours ago, BeachGal said:

@Catwoman You might have already seen this article from UC San Diego showing that vaccination helps prevent symptoms and deaths (although not necessarily infection). Not all in the study were fully vaccinated and some were not yet vaccinated. Of the vaccinated, about 70% received the Moderna vaccine.

Another point to keep in mind is which variant was dominant during the period when they tested. They don't mention it in the article.

https://health.ucsd.edu/news/releases/Pages/2021-08-05-organ-transplant-recipients-significantly-protected-by-covid-19-vaccination.aspx

Besides vaccines, better masks and home filters might be worth considering if you haven't.

The Sonovia mask, developed in Israel, "neutralizes 99.97% of COVID-19 particles with excellent antiviral efficacy." The mask's material is embedded with nanoparticles that can deactivate viruses, bacteria & fungi with over 99% efficacy.

https://sonoviatech.com/testresults/?utm_source=sonoviastore.com

Because Covid can remain airborn for so long, an air filter made by the Finnish company Genano might be worth buying. They design air filters for clean rooms, hospitals and research facilities. However, they do cost a lot and might be hard to find. China has been buying a lot of them. I wanted to buy one at the beginning of the pandemic but there was only one distributor in the US in Texas and he didn't have any inventory at the time. That might have changed since then. You might also be able to buy from a distributor in Canada. We ended up buying an IQAir air filter which is a hyperHEPA. Not as good as Genano but probably good enough. I ordered ours from Amazon for about $900.

https://www.genano.com/genano-distributors-0?hsCtaTracking=ef0d27fb-54e8-4196-aae5-41218d219514|327f2b19-c4fb-49e3-9dcc-4c352b9b2927

https://www.iqair.com/us/blog/air-cleaning-technology/do-air-purifiers-work

 

Anyway, I'm very glad your husband is getting vaccinated!

Thank you for all of this — I really appreciate your finding and posting all of the info and links for me!!!!

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23 hours ago, Pawz4me said:

So far the only "side effect" I'm having is a headache from the extremely odoriferous hand sanitizer that was available for use at Walgreens' pharmacy counter. It's some horrid floral scent that seems to be able to withstand large quantities of hand soap and Dawn. Ick.

Lemon water soak or rub a paste of vinegar and baking soda?

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3 hours ago, Ottakee said:

My daughter  really wants her third shot.  I  not sure she meets the criteria though.  She does have IgA and IgG deficiencies and a history of becoming very ill along with 3 mitochondrial myopathies, but the past few years she have been very healthy.   I need to talk to her doctor and see.

There seem to be two different approaches in pharmacies that are dispensing shots.

One: An absolute adherence to listed illnesses and/or the taking of listed  immunosuppressive drugs. If one doesn't qualify, it is "sorry."

Two: Pharmacist will ask about conditions and if the answer shows that the person has a  legitimate condition that could make them high-risk from Delta, they will give the paperwork where one declares themselves "immunocompromised" and they deliver the shot.

Bill

 

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New and encouraging report on J&J vaccine effectiveness:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/06/science/johnson-delta-vaccine-booster.html

The basic gist is that South Africa studied 500,000 healthcare workers who received the J&J vaccine, and the vaccine was shown to be up to 95% effective against death from the Delta variant, and up to 71% effective against hospitalization. The study showed the vaccine was somewhat less effective against the Beta variant, but didn’t list any numbers. When breakthrough infections did occur, they were considered mild in 96% of the cases, and severe illness or death occurred in less than .05%.

The study hasn’t been peer-reviewed yet and the results are considered preliminary, but this is very encouraging news for those of us who received the J&J vaccine. Obviously, these results don’t apply to immunosuppressed people like my dh, but if he happens to be one of the people for whom the vaccine was effective, it’s potentially good news.

 

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6 minutes ago, BeachGal said:

Ugh!! I can see why you’re upset. That is just maddening. I’m sure they are trying to do what is optimal but still…

I hope you get some solid advice soon. 🤞🏼

Thanks! It’s like a roller coaster. We are reaching the point where it’s hard to feel hopeful. 😞 

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51 minutes ago, Catwoman said:

My dh had a liver transplant 5 years ago. We are trying to follow the transplant center guidelines, but we are getting very frustrated with the mixed messaging. We were told yesterday that getting a Pfizer or Moderna booster after the original J&J shot (that they recommended he get,) was absolutely fine… but this morning, they left a voicemail saying that because he got J&J, they are not recommending the booster at this time because of concerns about mixing the vaccine types. It is maddening!

So now my dh is stuck in limbo again and we are waiting for a callback from his transplant coordinator to try to figure out what’s going on. Our biggest issue with the whole thing is that the transplant center isn’t doing or recommending antibody testing, so we don’t know whether or not the J&J vaccine worked at all, or if it might have actually worked pretty well for dh. It is extremely frustrating.

That is because the US has not finished official studies.  I was listening to hours of discussion about this.  The CDC is super cautious and in my view, too cautious. Look at other studies and preliminaries and decide.  If you have a personal doctor who knows the CDC is extremely cautious and knows your situation, the answer may be different.

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2 hours ago, annandatje said:

I, too, got my 3rd dose of Pfizer yesterday (Monday) at my local Walgreens.  Walgreens turned away two older ladies for their 3rd booster because they did NOT have any of the conditions listed on the form.  Unfortunately I have two of the conditions/ongoing treatments listed on form. 

The ladies who did not qualify had hypertension and controlled diabetes.

Hopefully they will open it to hypertension and diabetes soon. I read a recent study listing those as two of the most common comorbidities for people with breakthrough infections (hypertension was the most common).  I’ve wondered if the reason they haven’t been including those is because so many Americans have one or both of those conditions (especially hypertension) that it would basically open it up to half of all adults. 

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54 minutes ago, TravelingChris said:

That is because the US has not finished official studies.  I was listening to hours of discussion about this.  The CDC is super cautious and in my view, too cautious. Look at other studies and preliminaries and decide.  If you have a personal doctor who knows the CDC is extremely cautious and knows your situation, the answer may be different.

I think they are being ridiculously "cautious" -- and I put that in quotation marks because it's not true caution when it's hyper-focused on one possible kind of harm and ignores a much larger kind of harm entirely!! 

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1 hour ago, Catwoman said:

New and encouraging report on J&J vaccine effectiveness:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/06/science/johnson-delta-vaccine-booster.html

The basic gist is that South Africa studied 500,000 healthcare workers who received the J&J vaccine, and the vaccine was shown to be up to 95% effective against death from the Delta variant, and up to 71% effective against hospitalization. The study showed the vaccine was somewhat less effective against the Beta variant, but didn’t list any numbers. When breakthrough infections did occur, they were considered mild in 96% of the cases, and severe illness or death occurred in less than .05%.

The study hasn’t been peer-reviewed yet and the results are considered preliminary, but this is very encouraging news for those of us who received the J&J vaccine. Obviously, these results don’t apply to immunosuppressed people like my dh, but if he happens to be one of the people for whom the vaccine was effective, it’s potentially good news.

 

How much time was there for the vaccine to wane? 

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2 minutes ago, Catwoman said:

That’s what I read. I wish I had saved the links. 

I'm seeing some stuff about the antibody response growing, but nothing about real-world efficacy. I remember seeing some "encouraging" things about Pfizer immunity 1.5 months ago, too, lol, so I'm not so sold on studies that aren't real-life efficacy studies... 

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54 minutes ago, Spy Car said:

Revising my "reactions" to say I did a little napping today. Quite atypical.

Not exhausted or knocked out feeling, just--as last night--feeling like a little sleep would be nice.

Bill

I've been just a little draggy, too. Nothing bad, and again--our weather could be contributing to it. Arm is still just a little achy, and I just noticed it's also swollen a wee bit. All good and welcome signs, IMO.

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On 8/16/2021 at 11:19 PM, Spy Car said:

If the lastest Mayo Clinic number are correct--and some like Dr Fauci are pushing back--Moderna is at 76% effective for preventing infection against Delta and Pfister is 42%

We will see if that hold and if so why (bigger dose w/ Moderna a possibility).

Given a choice I'd opt for Moderna at this moment.

Bill

The problem with the Mayo study is that they mention that they noticed a change in the numbers in breakthrough cases in Moderna in July, but didn't compare the breakthrough cases with the date of vaccination.  They admit it may be waning immunization because most of the earliest doses were Pfizer.  It has been mentioned that my bad reaction to Moderna may have been because of the higher dose related to my immune system and the current recommendation has been for me to cross over and get Pfizer.  So much is unknown.🤷‍♀️ I'm walking again and not willing to go off treatment right now, so it's moot for the time being for me.  I'm most concerned about getting my DH a third shot with his immunity waning at 6 months now so he's less likely to bring it home.

Edited by melmichigan
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12 minutes ago, melmichigan said:

The problem with the Mayo study is that they mention that they noticed a change in the numbers in breakthrough cases in Moderna in July, but didn't compare the breakthrough cases with the date of vaccination.  They admit it may be waning immunization because most of the earliest doses were Pfizer.  It has been mentioned that my bad reaction to Moderna may have been because of the higher dose related to my immune system and the current recommendation has been for me to cross over and get Pfizer.  So much is unknown.🤷‍♀️ I'm walking again and not willing to go off treatment right now, so it's moot for the time being for me.  I'm most concerned about getting my DH a third shot with his immunity waning at 6 months now so he's less likely to bring it home.

I think it seems reasonable to question whether the less optimal results for Pfizer against the Delta variant are reflective (in part or in whole) of it having been rolled out earlier than the similar Moderna vaccine. I don't have the expertise to know.

With my wife and son both having received Pfizer, I strongly hope it remains very effective against Delta and other variants. 

All the vaccines seem to be largely protective against hospitalization and death--thank goodness.

Best wishes in finding the vaccine that you best tolerate.

As to your husband, third doses can be had now. The "wink and a nod" aspect involved with getting a third dose with protections waning when people have family at high risk or jobs are high risk is off-putting to me, but my sense of ethics leads me to protect my loved ones and others as my highest duty. Public Health is acting too slowly IMO.

Bill

 

 

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