Oh yeah! Fully vaccinated kinda feels like this burger tastes. Comfort food. Filling. Taste laden with umami. It is my favorite simple culinary creation from my “go-to” restaurant. TED’s… which stands for Talk, Eat, Drink. Planning to eat more of these in the near future. Except now, with much more talk… joining the eat and drink. Talking with friends. Closer than six feet away. Without the fear.
With Israel having vaccinated over 1/2 their population, their covid rate is now only 8% of its peak. Just a few hot spot areas where vaccine hesitancy remains… ultra-orthodox Jews and Arab neighborhoods. The data so far shows… two weeks after the second dose… 100% protection from hospitalization. Not much in the world is 100%. Especially vaccines. Can’t imagine it stays at 100%… but it’s close enough.
What it was like
After our first shot on March 5th, my wife experienced a little sore arm and fatigue. I logged a slight fever and fatigue. After 36 hours, it was over. Girded by news that the second shot reaction would most probably be stronger, we nervously queued up for shot number two on March 26th. We had 9:15 am appointments. Only a few minutes in line this time. A virtually pain free poke. Then… nothing. For the rest of the day. I wondered if the second shot was real. Surely there should have been a sign my body was reacting positively to the shot. Building more immunity. But nothing… except my wife complained of a slightly sore arm.
The next day, my wife had the chills off and on. Some fatigue. I still had nothing. Then that night, a touch of fever. Strange dreams in the night. Exhaustion dreams. I was laying in a hospital bed. Paralyzed. My phone was next to me ringing. But I couldn’t reach it. Couldn’t move a muscle. Pulling myself slowly from this lucid dream…. I could barely move. But finally did. I still had a touch of fever. Yay! The vaccine had done its job.
Now we are back to normal. Small price to pay for protection from sever illness or possible death. And the freedom to now eat a terrific burger. Talk, eat drink… laugh maskless with friends in a couple weeks. Maybe even the return of hugs.