Mark Lane: Don’t listen to politicians, get vaccinated

I got my COVID-19 and flu shots last weekend, both in the same arm. No ill effects. Just a sore arm for a day and 48 hours of feeling especially lazy and listless. I don’t always require a medical reason for feeling lazy and listless on a weekend, so I don’t know if that was an actual side effect.

COVID, which so took over our lives only three years ago, has become more of a seasonal health worry. Late summer saw a gradual rise in cases, especially in Florida. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the week ending Sept. 23 saw 1,588 new hospitalizations of patients with COVID in Florida. The third-highest number in the nation, down from No. 1 two weeks ago. The virus accounted for 3.6% of Florida deaths over that week. In the past three months, 1,268 people in Florida died of COVID.

I came down with COVID this time last year. The second line on the test strip popped up so fast I could swear I heard it go “boing.” I would have been seriously laid up were it not for Paxlovid, an antiviral medication that worked its magic almost instantly. The bad part: After I finished taking it, the virus returned, albeit more mildly. This was the dreaded rebound effect you may have read about.

While taking it, the stuff also left a taste in my mouth. As though I had been munching on flashlight batteries. As a result, I lost an impressive amount of weight just in time for the holidays.

It took almost a month to get fully back on my feet. All-in-all, an experience I do not recommend to anybody. But hey, I’m in the over-65 age bracket most likely to end up in the hospital on contracting this. I was fortunate to endure no more than a little at-home downtime.

That experience had me running out this year to get the new, improved, designed-for-new-variants COVID vaccine as soon as it became available. My family is far-flung, from Los Angeles to England, so I see flight time in my near-term future. And boy, do microbes love the airport life.

I got the shot even though Gov. Ron DeSantis and Dr. Joseph Ladapo, Florida’s official vaccination critic, have lately discouraged Floridians from getting vaccinated.

More: Sorry, Gov. DeSantis, Count me out of your Florida death cult. I got COVID vax again.

More: Why COVID cases are rising and what the CDC is saying about vaccinations

The governor said the shots are unproven and ineffective — which is obviously untrue — and because they have harmful side effects. What harmful side effect? Approving of them might harm his standing in the Iowa Caucuses in his run for president. A most severe side effect.

But the governor did at least own up that taking this supposedly risky vaccine is OK for people over 65 because older people are particularly susceptible to the disease. Which is true. But that’s not to say this is strictly an old folks disease. Among people admitted to hospitals with COVID this month, 35% were under 65 years old, according to the CDC, a number Dr. Ladapo disputed in a snarky tweet.

Last year, only a little over 20% of adults got the booster. A shame because even if it won’t always prevent you from getting COVID over the long run, the booster still builds your defenses so you will get a less-nasty, shorter-lasting case should you contract it. Mainly, it helps keep you out of the hospital.

Among people over 65, people for whom the disease is deadlier, 43% got the booster last year. With more at stake, older people are more likely to listen to doctors than politicians and social media memes.

With people like the governor actively spreading vaccine disinformation, this year’s percentages are likely to be even lower, especially in Florida. And there have been some glitches in the rollout and distribution. I had to go to two pharmacies to get the booster because the first place had run out.

Still, a poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation, found 46% of adults plan to get the booster and 64% of people over 65. Promising numbers even if only a quarter of Republicans said they’d get it.

It’s troubling that this disease may spread more widely this fall and winter because of the demands of the governor’s presidential bid. But there’s still hope more people will get the booster than last year (and the flu shot, too!) because since when did Floridians listen closely to their politicians?

Mark Lane is a News-Journal columnist. His email is mlanewrites@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Mark Lane: Don’t listen to politicians, get vaccinated