This Tarleton prof and local musician was vaccinated, but still got infected. Here's his message.
First things first.
I’m not trying to convince you to get the vaccine for Covid-19.
I did. My Husband did. And all three of our kids did. But that was our choice. You do you.
I will, however, continue to report new cases and hospitalizations across the area and quote medical experts on the disease because, well, that’s what journalists are supposed to do.
While scrolling through Facebook a few nights ago, I came across a post from my favorite former professor at Tarleton State University.
Dr. Craig Clifford almost failed me in his crazy statistics class, but I still love the guy.
We have remained friends all these years later, so I was worried when I saw his post about getting sick.
We caught up a couple of days ago by phone and I am happy to report that he is feeling better.
Unlike me, Craig is a little more apt to strongly suggest that people get the vaccine.
“Get the damn thing,” he said.
Because he truly believes that, if he hadn’t, the virus might have gotten him.
HIS FACEBOOK POST
“After a year of being the most cautious person on earth, I got Covid. I got my second Moderna shot in March.
“A month or so ago, the number of infections had fallen precipitously. It took a while to get used to going out in public again, but gradually I went back to ‘normal.’
“When the Delta variant surge took off, Mallory and I talked about what measures we should take to protect ourselves and others, but the vaccine was supposed to protect us, so we more or less went about our lives.
“Last Wednesday in the early morning, I woke up with an itchy throat. I had a doctor's appointment scheduled for other reasons for Thursday morning. I mentioned the itchy throat, but my doctor didn't think it was Covid because I had no other symptoms, but she said we could do the rapid test.
“It was positive.
“Over the next couple of days, I developed a fever of 100 and even a bit higher, congestion, a cough, a horrible headache and achy body.
“The bad symptoms only lasted a few days and I've been fever-free for a couple of days. The congestion is about gone (well, I'm sort of losing my voice, which will be a plus for some people). The aches are pretty much gone. I just took a 20-minute walk - OK, I also took a two-hour nap, but I'm not too far away from being back to normal.
“Over the last few days, I've heard of a half dozen other people I know, all vaccinated, who were sick with Covid. One of them had Covid a year ago and then got vaccinated. He only had symptoms for 24 hours. All are doing well. I may have infected some of them or one of them may have infected me.
But the point is, the Delta variant is infecting quite a few vaccinated people. We now know (and the Israelis warned us) that the original research on the vaccines which showed incredible efficacy at preventing any illness doesn't apply to the Delta variant.
“They are still relatively effective, but nothing like the original tests showed for the original Covid virus. On the positive side, and much more important, THE VACCINES IS INCREDIBLY EFFECTIVE AT PREVENTING SERIOUS ILLNESS AND DEATH.
“I am 70 years old and quite a bit overweight, i.e., ‘high risk.’
“Without the vaccine my chances of getting seriously ill or even dying would have been pretty damn high. What I went through wasn't fun - worse than a bad cold, not quite as bad as a bad flu - but it didn't last that long.
“You can't generalize from a sample of one, but my experience is the experience of almost all of the vaccinated people who've gotten Covid. My case by itself proves nothing, but the numbers are out there. Look at them from a reputable source.
“The vaccines are doing a great job of preventing serious illness, even for the high-risk folks.”
