Mea culpa (sorta)
by ewillND (2021-04-15 14:33:41)
Edited on 2021-04-15 14:53:23

Very long story very short, our school's recent classification as a "Gesamtschule," meaning that we have primary and secondary students sharing facilities, means that our secondary teachers were reclassified as "high priority" along with the primary teachers. It makes sense, as I have to walk through swarms of unmasked 5 year olds to get to the nearest restroom every day (they aren't required to wear masks at that age).

I got an email notification yesterday afternoon and my first dose of Pfizer this morning. I have never been so happy to have a sore arm.

We are lucky, though. Most of the high school teachers in Germany are in classrooms full of teenagers every day, with no vaccine in sight yet. We supervise the students taking off their masks to swab their noses twice a week, hoping that they all come out negative. Cases are climbing fast, and while the vaccines are rolling in, they can't keep up. Everything except our schools, grocery stores, and gas stations, has been closed since December 1. It's April 15th.

I won't be fully vaxxed for a while, though. We delay the second dose--we are at 42 days, rather than 21. So two weeks after May 27th, I will hug everyone I can find. And in July I will fly home to see my family for the first time in 2 years. I might find a beach to go sit on for a few days first, though, because this has been brutal in ways that I can't even describe.

It's almost like the light at the end of the tunnel is no longer a train. I just hope it allows us to get all of our students back in school soon. We have only been totally shut for three weeks (right after Christmas) since we reopened for 7 weeks at the beginning of May 2020, but our middle school kids have only been in for two weeks since mid-December, and they are really suffering.

All of that said...travel is going to be difficult here for a while. Even with the current escalation, we are still behind, and still conservative. We aren't even beginning to relax restrictions until May 9. Maybe. And whatever you think your current restrictions are...they aren't like ours. And ours aren't like parts of Spain and Italy.

Book your trips if you want. But book the cancellation insurance.

F**k this stupid virus.


Great news! *
by Rockbrig97  (2021-04-16 09:12:16)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post


CONGRATS, WOOT! *
by Allumeuse  (2021-04-15 21:23:24)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post


Sehr goot...et non habes peccatum! *
by Kbyrnes  (2021-04-15 21:09:54)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post


Congrats E! *
by jennyb  (2021-04-15 19:41:47)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post


No fault to you; good news!
by knutesteen  (2021-04-15 19:35:20)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

You need to visit Austin when you and your spouse return to Texas, and while I may not be able to run, we can walk and enjoy some cold ones at Jester King.


Excellent news! *
by irishnyer  (2021-04-15 17:16:18)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post


What was the 1-dose Pfizer chart again?
by DakotaDomer  (2021-04-15 16:02:51)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

I think you’ll hit 50% immunity in a week, and will climb to like 75% by the time you get dose 2 then climb to 90% 2 weeks after that

So 1-dose this morning and waiting 42 days is still awesome


That’s great. And another reminder how indebted we are
by IAND75  (2021-04-15 15:31:33)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

to women in science. Specifically, Jennifer Doudna and Emanuelle Charpentier who developed the CRISP-Cas9 process on which the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are based. It is hard to imagine what things would be like if this pandemic had occurred ten or more years ago.


Happy for you, ewill! *
by ArasEra  (2021-04-15 15:25:43)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post


That's great news!
by reilly  (2021-04-15 15:24:07)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

Keep your chin up. You're almost there!


Nice! *
by squid  (2021-04-15 15:20:54)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post


Excellent! *
by The Holtz Room  (2021-04-15 15:15:09)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post


Great news
by backroads  (2021-04-15 15:14:10)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

My 90 year old mother in law near Duesseldorf got her first shot on Easter Sunday.

May the improving vaccination rate and the joys of spring weather lead to a summer of Gemuetlichkeit und Bier.


I might try to get to Houston while I am there.
by ewillND  (2021-04-15 15:22:13)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

Let’s go for a run...


That would be great
by backroads  (2021-04-15 15:34:25)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

I hope to be back in the groove by then. I've been missing running/cycling as I've been sidelined with apparently a rather nasty bacterial sinus infection for a while, but we have it heading in the right direction.


That's great news!
by BottleofRed  (2021-04-15 15:12:14)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

Hope it makes getting through the rest of the school year a little easier.


Just 2.5 months to go...
by ewillND  (2021-04-15 15:14:58)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

We are in until July 2nd. Hopefully...


Nice!
by potatohouse  (2021-04-15 14:58:28)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

Bout damn time.


I’m so happy for you!!! YAY!!! *
by kellykapowski  (2021-04-15 14:41:02)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post


That's good news
by ufl  (2021-04-15 14:40:22)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

I think the delay in the second dose is a second order matter. That seems to be the experience in the U.K. at least.


I think so, too.
by ewillND  (2021-04-15 14:48:02)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

I have seen some data that show that protection is really high two weeks after the first dose. I'm happy to wait on the second, and am looking forward to seeing my folks this summer.

My kids and my students are hitting a wall right now. I really hope that we ease outdoor contact restrictions based on new information about aerosols (that we kinda already knew, but in Germany, you have to wait for confirmation).

Mask up, everyone. We are almost there.


We went back to "normal" 2 weeks after first shot
by OrangeJubilee  (2021-04-15 14:59:57)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

Normal being eating inside restaurants, and hosting small groups of friends/neighbors inside.


Our restaurants aren't going to be open in two weeks.
by ewillND  (2021-04-15 15:07:42)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

Even outdoor dining is closed until at least May 9th. Probably longer. I hope not, though--I need to get back to the Biergartens soon.

Contact restrictions here say only one person may visit an additional household. That will probably be a friend of one of my kids.

G18 relayed a story to me yesterday of a friend who hosted an 18th birthday "party" with some friends of hers.

There were four people, all of whom work together all day. It was in a large barn. The neighbors called the police.

To be fair, the cop showed up, had a chuckle, told the other three to go home, and said he wouldn't come back if they promised not to do it again.

But there is no "back to normal" for us for a while. It's just rough here.


Congrats!
by ravenium  (2021-04-15 14:36:20)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

The Germans need a partial antonym for Schadenfreude, wherein one feels shameless joy for someone else's success.