We head to Europe on Saturday and had the updated Covid vaccine as well as flu and RSV a couple weeks ago. Crossing our fingers if we get sick it will be mild.
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At least we made it through the trip unscathed! Airports/airplanes seemed the worst. H tends to get hit hard by respiratory illnesses (he has asthma). We’ve had all the boosters + covid once each in 2021. He couldn’t get the RSV vax because of a medical procedure he had just before the trip. I did get it. He’s had the flu shot (over 65 version), I’ll get mine (regular one) late October.
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We got our boosters and flu shots today, timed to (hopefully) maximize protection during our road trip to Las Vegas at the end of the month. Seven hours in, just sore arms, like we’ve had for our previous five shots.
How frustrating. Did you guys by any chance wear a mask on the plane?
I did more than H. We flew first or business so had more space. We usually wear masks in TSA lines, boarding and until the airplane reaches cruising altitude, and have the vents open fully. Repeat on landing.
Here’s where I think he got it: one flight between cities late in the trip a lady in front of us was obviously ill (no mask). It was a smaller airplane. I wore my mask the whole time (it was a short flight). H did not. This was about 3 or 4 days before he got sick. There were very few masks being worn anywhere throughout the trip.
Masks are NOT being worn much these days. We flew hnl to BWI then to sfo and then to hnl. We were among the very few anywhere with masks while in transit. Even at a meeting we attended with lots of people with bad lung conditions, very few masked. Today when I was getting my hair cut, the only masks worn by hairdressers were on their chins! I was forced by hairdresser to remove my mask so I just held it in place without ear loops.
We are soon going to NYC and OKC. Again, we expect to see very few masks but will wear ours anyway. I like not getting sick.
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I don’t wear a mask anymore. I will if requested, but that hasn’t happened in awhile.
We wore them in the airport and in the planes recently, but not in the football stadium, though we did use the nasal spray. Got our Moderna boosters last Week
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We’ve been wearing masks while in the airport, especially the gate area which gets so crowded and during the boarding process. Once everyone is seated and the plane is en route, we will take off our masks. I’ve had too many instances where I came down with a bad cold at the start of a vacation, so anything I can do to minimize that risk is worth it to me.
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My plan tomorrow is to wear a mask in the airport before we board for our flight to London. When we arrive I plan to mask up too. Better safe than sorry as we begin our 16 day trip!
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I am lucky that I tolerate N95s well, specially while sitting motionless in a seat for 7 hours. So I do mask up from before I step into an airport, until I step out the arrival airport - other than security/meals as needed - and in the Uber/Cab.
Possibly overkill, but I figure it keeps all the other nasty bugs away as well, while my nasal passages are likely dried out.
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I have very low lung function. I find normally get sick 1-6x in a year. Since 2019, with masking and reducing crowd exposure I’ve only had one infection—covid in 7/2023 (and it cleared up almost immediately and without affecting my lungs with paxlovid). I have flown several times and was in a tour of Japan. Neither H nor I have gotten ill. We mask pretty regularly indoors and in crowds and while traveling and use antiviral Enovid nasal spray.
I’m convinced the masking and nasal spray have been protective of us and we plan to continue. Even with my low lung function, I can tolerate the highly breathable KF94 mask I regularly wear in enclosed public spaces and crowds for extended time periods.
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I am with you on the mask/Enovid protocol, as well as the new booster. Somehow DH and I have dodged Covid (at least as of today). I had major ortho surgery 3 months ago and recovery is very slow, with restricted mobility, so avoiding illness felt extra important. DH plays a horn in jazz ensembles (can’t mask then), so we use lots of Enovid. Fully expect to have Covid at some point, but like doing what we can to prevent it.
I am not high risk, and I plan to mask on crowded transport forever. I do take the mask off to eat, but I don’t find it that burdensome, and way more comfortable than having a cold.
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I do the same, but I am more extreme than you.
I wear a KN94 with ear loops until I get past security, then change to a KN95 with straps behind my head until I exit the airport at my destination. For short flights, I don’t eat or drink. On longer (5+ hour) flights. I bring a straw and tuck it under the bottom of my mask to drink. If I can’t tuck food under my mask, I wait until most people are asleep before I eat.
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Update: H tested negative today. We’ve stayed in different parts of the house and I did not get it from him 
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Maybe the booster helped him not be too sick and get over it quickly (5 days), and kept me from getting it. This strain is supposed to be milder, so it may have played out this way anyway. YMMV
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Pfizer trims expectations for 2023 with sales of COVID-19 vaccine, treatment, weaker than thought
I’m definitely not an anti vaxxer in any way but I get a day of fever, chills, and exhaustion from the shots and I get a stuffy nose and headache for a few days with Covid. I’m healthy, under 50, without any pre existing conditions, so I’ve decided to skip this one.
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Keep in mind that your next case of COVID could be worse. A colleague just went through his fourth bout. The first three times weren’t bad, but this one kicked his butt. He took Paxlovid and really thinks it kept him out of the hospital. He said he was very ill.
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Could happen. I’ve had it 3 times as well, each more mild than the time before. I just had it again a few weeks ago and wouldn’t have known except I shared dinner with someone who had a bad case. I had a stuffy nose for maybe 3 days. I’m not knocking anyone who feels they should get the vaccine, I think it’s important for many people. I’ve had three shots. I just feel like the cost/benefit analysis for me isn’t there. I had my yearly checkup last week and my doctor agreed. Obviously, I’m not alone in my thinking.
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