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Of course, this assumes that youHAVE been vaccinated.
I am 67, and some of my neighbors with whom I have been friendly (all in their mid-to-late 70's) have all been vaccinated and two of them have asked -- twice -- if I have been vaccinated.. (To which I replied, "Not yet -- I am waiting for more history on each of the vaccines before taking the plunge.") These ladies have been friends for years, whereas I just moved into the community last year.
However, now that we are in "walking season" -- we usually walked together for about 10-15 minutes until the weather turned cold -- I don't want to make them uncomfortable. (Last year, none of us were vaccinated, of course, and we were ALL unmasked.) However, now that vaccines are available, if you are an elderly vaccinated person, would you prefer that I absent myself from your company?
And how long of a time would you tolerate being around someone like me? (I am thinking about having a mid-summer birthday party barbecue for my husband and inviting the neighbors. -- probably about a dozen people in all.)
I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable, so what is your opinion and what is your advice? Thanks in advance.
Last edited by katharsis; 05-25-2021 at 09:48 AM..
Of course, this assumes that youHAVE been vaccinated.
I am 67, and some of my neighbors with whom I have been friendly (all in their mid-to-late 70's) have all been vaccinated and two of them have asked -- twice -- if I have been vaccinated.. (To which I replied, "Not yet -- I am waiting for more history on each of the vaccines before taking the plunge.") These ladies have been friends for years, whereas I just moved into the community last year.
However, now that we are in "walking season" -- we usually walked together for about 10-15 minutes until the weather turned cold -- I don't want to make them uncomfortable. (Last year, none of us were vaccinated, of course, and we were ALL unmasked.) However, now that vaccines are available, if you are an elderly vaccinated person, would you prefer that I absent myself from your company?
And how long would you tolerate being around someone like me. (I am thinking about having a mid-summer birthday party barbecue for my husband and inviting the neighbors. -- probably about a dozen people in all.)
I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable, so what is your opinion and what is your advice? Thanks in advance.
While I am not tremendously elderly (a healthy 61 year old), and I got vaccinated as soon as I could, I am aware that infection is still remotely possible, and covid is a bad actor... so, I do not plan to change my behavior substantially until the virus is reduced to the lowest reasonably possible level in the area where I hang out, ie, below 100 new daily cases per 8-10 million population. Due to the combination of pretty good vaccination rates and the summer ultraviolet light, I think many or most areas of the US will meet my criteria sometime after the 4th of July. Until then, I'll continue to wear the mask, and keep the distance, and until then, I would have to excuse myself from attending your party.
A couple of weeks ago, I had a plumber come to look at my late mother's water heater (in the process of selling the house and needed a permit she hadn't gotten in order to get the C.O.).
He came strolling up the driveway, and I saw him fumbling for a mask. I know he is 68, so I opened the door and said, "Don't worry about it, I'm vaccinated", and he said, "I'm not, but I'm not worried about it, either." I'd never met him before, but we have mutual FB friends and I've seen his page, so I was not surprised.
That was the extent of the conversation about that. We went into the basement together, he did what he had to do, we sat at the kitchen table while he helped me fill out the permit paperwork and chatted about people we both know from town, and he went on his merry way.
I know there's a bit of risk involved in those interactions, but I can live with a bit of risk. His risk is higher than mine. His choice.
ETA: I am 62, for informational purposes. I don't consider myself "elderly" but some people might categorize me that way. If it involves a senior discount, I'll do elderly.
We are both vaccinated and still wear masks in indoor public places.
There are so many COVID 19 variants around with some vaccines being less effective against certain variants. There are also not enough data to show that the vaccine which we had is effective against some new variants.
I would definitely be uncomfortable around people who are not vaccinated AND not wearing masks. If I am to be at a party with people whom I don't know for certain that they had been vaccinated, I would definitely wear masks indoor and keep a social distance (if it is possible. If not, I would not be indoor!). While outdoor in such event, I would not wear mask but still keep a social distance from people whom I don't know well or knowing that he/she has not been vaccinated.
To get the vaccine or not is a personal decision so I would not want to offer you any advice. However, I expect some of your birthday party guests may share my feeling about being around unvaccinated people.
P.S. Two questions: 1. Would you inform your guests that you have not been vaccinated? 2. How would you feel if there is a small COVID outbreak after your birthday party?
My husband and I are vaccinated. My husband is currently immune compromised and we were advised to stay away from those who are unvaccinated for Covid. So we wouldn’t walk with you. Not sure how I would feel if his health wasn’t challenged right now. I’ve been very careful throughout this plague and it will take some time for me to feel normal.
P.S. Two questions: 1. Would you inform your guests that you have not been vaccinated? 2. How would you feel if there is a small COVID outbreak after your birthday party?
Thanks to everyone for ALL the advice and opinions so far!
But to answer the above questions:
1. I am 99.99% sure that everyone already knows that we chose not vaccinate. (Our street is a very friendly one with only six homes having year-round residents.)
2. IF I choose to have an outdoor party, I would actually have written "fun" invitations with a note saying that masks would be optional, but welcomed. Therefore, it would be their choice whether or not to attend, so, no, I would not feel guilty if there was a small outbreak -- and especially because we live in a tourist destination where our county with a year-round population of about 29,000 receives over two million visitors per year, according to our local visitors bureau. (Btw, our county's COVID case peak was in mid-November, and we received relatively very few cases last summer.)
Thanks to everyone for ALL the advice and opinions so far!
But to answer the above questions:
1. I am 99.99% sure that everyone already knows that we chose not vaccinate. (Our street is a very friendly one with only six homes having year-round residents.)
2. IF I choose to have an outdoor party, I would actually have written "fun" invitations with a note saying that masks would be optional, but welcomed. Therefore, it would be their choice whether or not to attend, so, no, I would not feel guilty if there was a small outbreak -- and especially because we live in a tourist destination where our county with a year-round population of about 29,000 receives over two million visitors per year, according to our local visitors bureau.
Katharsis,
Thank you for answering my questions.
If I live in a tourist area, I would even be more cautious about catching a new Covid virus variant. From what I have read, some new variants are quite contagious.
I would not come to a birthday party if masks are optional knowing that the host/hostess and some guests are not vaccinated.
Last edited by volosong; 05-25-2021 at 11:05 AM..
Reason: fixed close quote hypertag
There is PLENTY of data showing the vaccines work against variants. Any info, here or otherwise, to the contrary is simply wishful thinking on someone's part. It's bunk. It's made up.
But - and I just realized this recently - when I see THIS type of comment: more history on each of the vaccines before taking the plunge
What you're saying, in essence, is: YOU, not me, go ahead and take it. Someone else. Anyone else. Just not ME.
You are basically asking lots of folks to take a risk - so that you, yourself, do not have to. Seems wrong.
Meantime, though, whether or not you had a vaccine affects me not-at-all. You'd have to catch COVID, be contagious for the few days that EXACTLY coincide with your party, then I'd have to be 5 percenter to catch it from you, after which I'd have to be a 1 percent of THAT group to get seriously ill.
If anyone is worried about that - I hope they're not driving to your house. Greater odds of dying that way.
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