Tuesday, April 13th, 2021
Today EM received her first shot of two BioNTech vaccines. Both of us are now well on our way to becoming immortal! At least as far as COVID mortality is concerned.
Beyond this excitement it was a regular, but busy day in the life of Corona, so much so I even forgot to book my swim slot for next week Tuesday at 17:00. I did manage to get on the waitlist, so fingers crossed the slot will be confirmed.
We have also been offered a full season membership for the community pool at Little Falls, which would provide us with access to the pool just down the road from May 28th through October 6th and I am inclined to take up the offer, even if it is pricey. It would mean I could walk to the pool and swim outdoors all summer long. Of course, they also have a booking system in place, which is highly competitive. I have now managed to navigate the systems of two pools successfully, so am confident I shall manage to secure lanes daily with a third. I will probably pause my back-up pool membership over the summer then, I just need to figure out how best to do so.
Beyond work, my daily swim and practice in the park there were a number of house issues for me to deal with.
Strangely when I returned from the pool and the cleaning lady had left, I found my kitchen faucet broken. It was weird to hold half the faucet in my hand when trying to turn on the water. I called Nick and he will come by tomorrow to hopefully fix the issue alongside a few smaller things which need attention. Given I will likely put the house on the market later in the year though I do want everything in order.
Likewise, my apartment in Frankfurt needs some tender loving care. Both the bathroom and the kitchen need to be redone. I have found a kitchen advisor online who will seek quotes for me. The cost is EUR 10 and I think I will sign up for that. Even if I end up not contracting them it would mean I have details of what I need and then can shop around, possibly even IKEA. For the bathroom I called the plumber who has been maintaining the furnace in the apartment and he will go to have a look and make suggestions. I think it will end up being a nice big shower, rather than a full bath, and new washbasin. Looks like I am headed for a summer of remote construction.
Life goes on. Beyond work many little things keeping me busy.
Meanwhile, the virus is taking a foothold in 23 out of 27 States. Mainly the Midwest is seeing a significant increase in cases. Overall 77k new infections have been reported over the past twenty-four hours to bring the US total to 32 million. While infections increase, the vaccination effort is seeing a setback. The use of the JNJ inoculation was put on hold in the USA today amidst concerns over, yes, blood clotting. And so, another blood clotting hunt begins.
This time it is the FDA in the US going after the JNJ vaccine the use of which has temporarily been suspended. JNJ and AstraZeneca manufacture their vaccines in similar ways, so it is not a surprise that they would lead to similar side effects. However, these side effects are extremely rare (0,001%) and under normal circumstances would not receive much attention. Out of 6.8 million people vaccinated with JNJ six cases of a rare type of blood clot called a cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) were reported; in all cases, the clots were seen in combination with low levels of blood platelets, a condition known as thrombocytopenia. All occurred among women between the ages of 18 and 48, the statement said, and symptoms occurred between six and 13 days after vaccination.
The JNJ debacle has set back Europe’s vaccination efforts as JNJ has paused shipping until matters have been fully investigated. Meanwhile Pfizer says they can make up for the shortfall and deliver an extra 10million doses in May. Why can they not do so in Europe?
A study conducted in Israel shows that while a little less so, the BioNTech vaccine is still effective against the South African strain as the shot prevented the spread of B 1.5.3 in Israel.
As more people are vaccinated concerns around the durability of vaccine effectiveness are emerging. Both Pfizer and Moderna have conducted trials the results of which show strong antibodies after six months. It is as yet unclear when booster shots will become necessary and whether they need to be the same brand or maybe more effective if a different brand is used.
I am planning on a booster before Christmas, based on current research that is.