The Central Park Gardens Tenants’ Association
mourns the loss of our long-time neighbor and former board member, floor captain and treasurer of our tenant association
MARIA ACEVEDO
who passed away on January 18, 2021 at the age of 77 of kidney failure.
We extend our condolences to her brother Tom, with whom she lived.
There will be a short memorial on Friday, Jan. 22, 2021
from 9:30 to 10:30 AM
at the Riverside Memorial Chapel, 180 West 76th Street.
SUE’S VACCINE
EXPERIENCE
On Tuesday, I got vaccinated at a City site in the
Bronx. I was given the Moderna vaccine and although my arm was a bit sore and I
had a headache (it went away with Tylenol), I was fine on Wednesday. My
husband got vaccinated through his employer (Columbia) Wednesday morning with
the Pfizer vaccine, and he's had no reaction at all. You can schedule an
appointment at https://vaccinepod.nyc.gov/
The technology that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines use ("mRNA") has been studied for years and has gone through all the proper safety trials. These vaccines are NOT the virus itself, so you cannot get COVID from the shot. Instead, the vaccine primes your body to recognize (and then attack) just the spiky outside of the virus.
While many people have a 1- or 2-day
reaction to the second shot (you need
two shots to be protected about 95%), COVID is way worse. Many people
with COVID are hospitalized, and many of those die. Risks are higher for those
who are older - the very people for whom vaccines are now available. But
even younger people who have mild illness or are asymptomatic have experienced
heart and lung damage - as tested in some college athletes. Some
people are still sick from COVID months after.
Dr. Fauci estimates that about 70% to
85% of the population has to be vaccinated (or have had documented COVID) for
life to return to some semblance of normal. That's a lot higher than for
the flu shot. And vaccines work!
Viruses die out when there are not a lot of other people conveniently available to get infected. That's what "herd immunity" is about: when MOST people in a population are immune, the virus just dies out. The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines work for 95 out of 100 people. But you won't know whether you're one of the 5 unlucky ones. So even after you get vaccinated, wear a mask and observe social distancing until some 85% of us have been vaccinated and we get herd immunity. Then we'll all be able to breathe safely again! Click on "read more" to see if you're eligible.
Sue Susman
