“Exemption?”
I have a lifetime history of asthma, eczema, and anxiety. My mother had congenital heart disease and diabetes, which she died of in 2019. I am 64 years old and the meds I'm taking are occasionally for my asthma as needed. I do not feel I am a good candidate to take an experimental injection, or any experimental concoction that may cause clotting, lung problems, heart problems, seizures, tremors, etc. I am asking to be exempt because I also survived covid in Nov. 2019, therefore I have my own home-grown antibodies and as Cheech and Chong would say, "don't need no stinking vaccine" because I am covered. I am finding out that the world is slowly closing up to me, and if I have a certificate, or some document that states I am exempt, I won't be excluded any more. Can someone help me with this?
Female | 64 years old
Complaint duration: Present
Medications: Ventolin, Advair
Conditions: asthma, eczema, anxiety
2 Answers
AllergistandImmunologistAllergist-Immunologist
It is safe for you to get the Covid vaccine.
You say that you survived COVID-19 in November 2019. Did you mean November 2020? The vaccines are no longer experimental, although they are used in this country under an “emergency use authorization." This means that they have not gone through all of the analyses typically required under typical conditions. But the “experiments” have been done. We know they are effective in preventing infection and especially severe illnesses. While infection may still occur after two doses, the illness is much reduced. There is a cost: some persons experience feeling lousy for a few days. Over time, rare complications may occur that we have not recognized. But Covid-19 is often a severe disease. No vaccines are perfect, and we will learn more about how long protection lasts and which vaccine is best. That is true. If I were your doctor, I would urge you to be vaccinated now. In my opinion, you are served by vaccination against a vaccine preventable disease. I am an older physician, and all of my family has been vaccinated, including two who had Covid-19 infection.
G. Dickinson
G. Dickinson
