4th COVID Vaccine Shot

I received my 4th COVID-19 vaccine shot yesterday. After my last appointment with them, UCLA transplant clinic put a reminder in my records to schedule the booster. Since their clinics are all extremely far away, I ended up going to my local Albertsons pharmacy and got the shot there. I did call to make sure they were offering the fourth vaccine shot, but everything was fine. I even had the CDC page ready on my phone in case they asked.

Like the other three Moderna shots I have received already, I did/do not have any reactions or side-effects so far, other than a slightly sore arm. I was hoping for a bigger reaction as it may indicate the presence of antibodies.

At least the number of cases is decreasing in Orange County.

https://occovid.com/cases

Sudden Neuropathy Pain

I was just sitting here eating lunch when I was hit with a sudden jolt of pain. This time it is in my left foot insole, right under the bone to the big toe. These painful nerve attacks are happening every few days instead of weeks and months.

Now I have to call in to a meeting with my manager. This sucks.

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My boss did not show up to the meeting. I did have to talk to another manager while my foot was hurting every 30 seconds.

The Next COVID Crisis… is Here

I just posted about this three weeks ago. At the time, I was still hoping that this next wave/spike/whatever could still be contained. No chance of that now.

https://occovid.com/cases

If you look at the previous chart for Orange County from the December 9th post, the latest “spike” was only about one-half of the case count from last year. However, that is no longer the case. The new case rate is now higher than it has ever been. I just had an appointment with my nephrologist, and she said the hospitals are getting full again, and that I should stay home for the next two weeks. Here is a chart for total US and world new cases:

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/covid-cases.html

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/world/covid-cases.html

1.4 million new cases for the first day of 2022. Looks like this year will not be any better than last year. In the US, with all the New Year’s Eve parties last night, the numbers will get even worse over the next few weeks.

ESRD Post-Transplant?

I guess not.

I always wondered about this. It makes sense since a kidney transplant restores almost all the functions of the original kidneys. Likely why Medicare cancels ESRD coverage three years after transplant.

I saw this paper recently: Electronic health record analysis identifies kidney disease as the leading risk factor for hospitalization in confirmed COVID-19 patients

Even though kidney transplant recipients are no longer classified as ESRD patients, this study shows that they are still as susceptible to hospitalization as those with Stage 5 ESRD. Table 4 in the paper shows:

Additional analyses using eGFR and USRDS data confirmed our findings that patients with stage 4–5 CKD, ESRD on dialysis or with kidney transplant are at extremely high risk for severe complications due to COVID-19 (Table 4).

It appears that patients with eGFR < 15 are 13x more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 as compared to those without ESRD. The paper suggests that “physiological stress caused by excessive inflammatory response to SARS-COV-2 infection could destabilize organs already weakened by chronic disease” or “direct organ-specific injury from SARS-CoV-2 infection could act as a second-hit to these organs.” The article also mentions “consistent with this hypothesis, kidney and heart are among the tissues with the highest expression of ACE2, a SARS-CoV-2 receptor.”

So why is the results so high for kidney transplant patients? The n value is low at only seven cases, but the risk is about the same as Stage 5 ESRD or dialysis patients. The article does not discuss this finding, but my guess is the immunosuppressive medications weaking the patient’s immune system. That and a muted antibody response to COVID vaccines. This means even though I have a kidney transplant, the risks of COVID have not changed for me versus one-year ago while I was still on dialysis.

Neuropathy Update – December 2021

I wrote several times in the past that I feel my peripheral neuropathy has gotten worse, but I was a bit uncertain each time. However, 11-months post-transplant, I know it is worse than a year ago. If I had to guess, I think it is due to having higher blood sugar from having a working kidney and some of the medications I am taking.

For example, right now I have three areas of pain in my feet. They are not as intense as a normal attack, but each is a low-level background pain. I have never had three areas of my feet hurting at once. The overall numbness has increased as well. I can barely move my toes on my right foot, and the tingling sensation is occasionally preventing me from sleeping. Finally, the frequency of intense pain attacks have decreased from about monthly to multiple times per week. Of course, this is still better than being on dialysis, but the numbness and pain is really stressing me out.

The Next COVID Crisis

Sigh… it seems like this pandemic will never end.

https://covid19.who.int/

This is WHO data for the entire world. There are clear spikes from December 2020, April 2021, September 2021, and right now. For the US, the data is a bit different, but cases are also going up again.

https://covid19.who.int/region/amro/country/us

Finally, data from Orange Conty. It does look like cases are picking up here too. I do not know if that is because of the Omicron variant, or just the consequence of everyone meeting up for Thanksgiving.

For me, I still have not left the house that much. Other than doctor appointments, I am still only traveling to my sister’s house, the local Albertsons, and meeting some friends for lunch last Friday. Our department is still having a holiday party at a rented house in Hermosa Beach, but I have already declined the invitation. Likewise, our church cell group is having dinner at a local Korean shabu-shabu restaurant. I think the place will be super crowded, and everyone eating out of one pot is not a good option for me at this time.

The FDA did announce approving an antibody shot for immuno-compromised people. I think I will make a new post for that.

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Oops, forgot why I was posting about this topic in the first place. I have been seeing a lot of news about continued protests regarding vaccine mandates. With more people testing positive and death rates not going down, I really cannot understand these idiots. I also read that these anti-vaxxers want to get antibody shots if they get sick. Whatever happened to not putting anything “untested” into their bodies?

Kidney Ultrasound – Dec 2021

I finally got a kidney ultrasound two days ago. UCLA Transplant Center told me early on that I would need to get periodic kidney ultrasounds to check on the existing cyst in the donated kidney. This cyst was what held up my transplant for over three years.

I was scheduled to go in at 4:00 pm. By the time I checked in, the outpatient clinic building was deserted. The entire procedure took about 45 minutes, so I was out and home by 5:15 pm. Initially, there were some questions whether we were scanning the OG kidneys or the transplanted kidney. In looking up my records, the ultrasound technician mentioned that the last scan was five years ago, and she was the technician then as well; she has worked at the same clinic for 25 years. I have worked about 26 years since my last graduate degree, but it was spread over three (or four) companies.

My nephrologist called me up the next day and said the original cyst was fine. There were some other small cysts but nothing important. I am not sure if those were there before the transplant. There was also something that was a bit enlarged, but also nothing to worry about at this point. She will send the ultrasound to UCLA next week so they can evaluate the results as well.

So far so good after 10 months.

Next COVID Spike?

Here is the latest cases chart from occovid.com for Orange County:

The chart only shows eight months of data, but it has the recent delta spike. From the chart, the number of new cases is steady at ~20 per 100k people per day. That does not seem like a lot, but Orange County has 3.2 million people so this represents about 640 cases per day. If we look at the entire country, there are still ~1,000 people dying of COVID daily.

I went to Panini Kabob Grill in Santa Ana to pick up dinner last night. There was a line of people outside waiting for tables, and it was mostly full inside the restaurant. Other than me and the staff, no one had a mask on, even though multiple parties were standing right next to each other in line. Do people think we are back to normal now?

Looking at the numbers from last year, I am expecting another spike for Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Year’s Day. It probably will not be as bad since the vaccine was not available last year, but 1/3 of the population are still not vaccinated. I guess we will wait and sew what happens. If the case rate remains flat, then I would feel a lot better about going back to work in-person.

Federal Vaccine Mandate

Well, the shit has certainly hit the fan compared to three months ago. Back then, I make a post about how we were getting conflicting signals at work about the LA County mask mandate. How quickly things change. Since my company is considered a federal contractor, we are subject to Biden’s executive order 14042. That means everyone at work needs to be fully vaccinated, or get a medical or religious exemption.

Last week, our work put out a long email detailing the vaccination requirements, and instructions on how to get an exemption if qualified. If an employee does not follow the rules, they can be subject to termination. I hope the requirements for getting an exemption is fairly stringent, else every anti-vax idiot will just lie and get an exemption. I would be very disappointed if any of my department co-workers are in the anti-vax group without a valid medical/religious reason. Hopefully, with there will be very few exemptions and once everyone else is vaccinated, I can go back to the office a few days each week to work.

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Speaking of the federal vaccination mandate, we have a new member in my church cell group. I think he has been at the church for many years but just switching cell groups. Anyway, he is currently a federal employee and is adamantly opposed to getting the COVID vaccine. I assume he is vaccinated for everything else like MMR, diphtheria, tetanus, etc. He was seriously contemplating getting fired and losing pension, to moving to a more vaccination-lax state, to lying about needing a religious exemption. He also seems to be a MAGA kind of guy. I really do not understand the mentality. It does appear that people are incapable of admitting error anymore. Maybe there was some uncertainty when the vaccines were just released, but now billions of people have received the various COVID vaccines, and it has probably saved millions of lives.

Medical Issues 10/28/2021

Wow, time flies. I have not updated one of these posts since right after the kidney transplant. Since today is nine months post-transplant, I thought I would post an update. Here we go!

• ESRD: Things are still pretty good. My creatinine levels have gone up and down over the past nine month, and the last test came back at 1.34. Both my nephrologist and the transplant center are not concerned.
• Dialysis access: Fistula is still live and making noise. It is definitely less noticeable, but the bumps at each cannulation site are not longer there.
• Cardiac rehab: I am doing my own walking and bought some light free weights. Have not heard from the rehab center since mid-last year.
• Peripheral neuropathy: Ironically, I am in the middle of an attack right now. It started after dinner last night and has kept me up until now. I thought it was getting better at one point, but the pain level is increasing again. Probably a six on the pain scale currently.
• Back pain and pressure in chest: Back is okay now. That was likely an effect of the CABG surgery. I still have some minor pressure in my chest if I sleep to my left, but not really bothersome.
• Minimal urine production: All good. Peeing a lot each day.
• Insomnia: It was better for awhile but it is pretty bad again. My highly variable workload is not helping. Still taking lots of naps during the day and not sleeping well at night. It is 3:00 am right now.
• Dental issues: Sigh. A few more new and replacement crowns. I think I am pretty much done with major dental work, but need to decide whether I want a dental implant for one of my lower molars.
• Endocrinologist: Seen her a few times. Blood sugar is still not controlled so insulin amounts have been steadily increasing for each shot.
• Lump in left leg: Mostly gone. There is just a very small bump and barely noticeable.
• Constipation: No problem. Pooping every day almost.
• Ophthalmologist: Finally went and visited a retina specialist. After two appointments, there is nothing to treat but need bi-annual appointments. Regular ophthalmologist is still good with annual visits.
• Surgery recovery: Everything seems fine. Walking pretty well after surgery until now. There is occasional abdominal pain but not really near the transplanted kidney so doctors not worried.
• COVID-19: Got three Moderna vaccine shots but have not tested for antibodies. Still working from home and not venturing out that much. Basically been out of the house only once during the last two weeks; had to go to Albertsons to get some diet soda.
• Sore leg: That was purely physical pain from stupid fall at UCLA. Leg hurt for longer than I thought but no issues now.
• Not really a health issue but my podiatrist wants me to get fitted for new shoes. I did this many years ago and have been buying the same New Balance cross-trainers on Amazon. Probably need new shoe liners.

I think that is it. There are some other issues being watched due to test results like high hemoglobin and potassium. If I do any more of these updates, I will remove some of the items that are not applicable anymore.

Inconsistent Test Results

During the past three weeks, I had three separate lab tests. The first was for my regular nephrologist, the second was for my endocrinologist, and the third was for the UCLA Transplant Center. All the appointments were scheduled a week from each other. I tried moving the schedule to reduce the number of labs, but was unsuccessful. The first two were done at my local medical group’s labs in Orange, while the tests for UCLA were their Laguna Hills facility.

Each doctor wanted different tests done, but here are some common ones:

Test/Date	Nephrologist 9/24/2021	Endocrinologist 10/4/2021	Transplant Center 10/13/2021
Phosphorus	2.3 (low)		3.8
Glucose	156 (high)	122 (high)	102 (high)
Urea Nitrogen	29 (high)	36 (high)	31 (high)
Creatinine	1.41 (high)	1.52 (high)	1.34 (high)
eGFR	56 (low)	48 (low)	60
Potassium	4.3	4.8	5.5 (high)
Calcium	10.2	10.5 (high)	10.4
RBC Count	5.92 (high)		5.62
Hemoglobin	18.3 (high)		17.6 (high)
Hematocrit	56.1 (high)		54.8 (high)

I do not know if inconsistent is the right word when I do not know the accuracy of the tests. If the results are plus/minus 20%, then maybe the results are consistent within the error bars. My regular nephrologist did up my prescription for Losartan, which can lower hemoglobin but also lower blood pressure and increase potassium. Maybe that did have an effect since my potassium results do trend higher and blood pressure has been lower in the past few weeks.

My endocrinologist did ask for a bunch of other tests, mostly A1C/Fructosamine and a lipid panel. My cholesterol was fine, but from the test results and the readings journal from my glucose meter, she added more insulin: 28 units of Trujeo and 8/8/10 plus sliding scale for Humalog before meals. Good thing I have a large supply of insulin pens in my refrigerator.

Of course, four insulin shots daily means a lot of disposed pen needles. I filled up my first two gallon sharp container and just purchased two more from Amazon. Now I need to find a nearby hazardous waste disposal center.

Anti-vax Transplant

UCHealth Denies Kidney Transplant To Unvaccinated Woman & Donor

AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) – A Colorado woman with stage 5 renal failure was months away from getting a new kidney. Now, she and her donor are looking for another hospital after learning UCHealth’s new policy.

According to UCHealth, the majority of transplant recipients and living donors are now required to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Neither woman has received their shots.

https://denver.cbslocal.com/2021/10/07/uchealth-kidney-transplant-covid-vaccine/

So when my transplant was scheduled in late January, I was not yet eligible for a COVID shot. Unlike the two women in the article, I was super worried about getting COVID in the hospital and losing the kidney after waiting 4+ years. As I posted before, UCLA was basically out of ICU beds, and I had to share recovery with another patient, both of us crammed into a room designed for one bed.

Further down, the article says:

“It’s your choice on what treatment you have. In Leilani’s case, the choice has been taken from her. Her life has now been held hostage because of this mandate,” said Fougner.

Fougner says she hasn’t received the vaccine for religious reasons. Lutali hasn’t gotten the shot because she says there are too many unknowns. Until last week, neither woman thought they needed to be vaccinated for the transplant.

You can tell they are anti-vax idiots by their hyperbole. Really, “held hostage!?” Nobody is forcing them to do anything. They are free to find another transplant center (good luck!) that will do the procedure without requiring vaccinations. Both the reason they give is totally bullshit as well. What religion forbids a mRNA vaccine yet allows for a complex surgical procedure with lots and lots of different drugs. Is she not going to take anti-rejection medication post transplant? Those have more side-effects than any COVID vaccine. The donor is also stupid with the “too many unknowns” crap. There are hundreds of things that can go wrong with both donor and recipient post-transplant. I am pretty sure they had to follow a bunch of appointments and test to get to this point in the process; for sure me and my sister did. Are they going to reject what their doctors and surgeons are telling them at the very last step? Ugh.

Another thought. What if the recipient is willing to get a vaccine? Will the donor say “fuck you” and not go through with the donation if she needs to be vaccinated?

“Here I am, willing to be a direct donor to her. It does not affect any other patient on the transplant list,” said Fougner. “How can I sit here and allow them to murder my friend when I’ve got a perfectly good kidney and can save her life?”

The women haven’t been able to find a hospital in Colorado that will do the transplant while they’re unvaccinated. They’re now looking at other states.

More hyperbole. It is not murder. If the transplant recipient values anti-vax nonsense over her own life, then so be it. My prediction? They will come crawling back to the initial transplant center as they will not fine anyone else to do the procedure.

Apple Fitness Awards

Ever since I bought the Apple Watch, I have been using it to track workouts instead of a Fitbit. Every month, there is an award you can win on the iOS Fitness app if you beat some challenge, . I have been slacking in exercising but I have managed to pick up one award every three months… exactly.

That is March, June, and September. I think there are a few more too. I am not bragging since the challenges were trivial. September was just to do five workouts. The March one was harder since it was exercising > 43.7 miles. Such a randomly precise number.

I am going to try to walk on the treadmill every night. I downloaded some anime series and found that the time passes much faster if I am watching something interesting.

Labs and Doctor Appointments Galore

Sometimes it feels like I have a second job managing all the doctor appointments, labs, and medications. I previously posted about two stressful mail-order medication deliveries. It is pretty much the same with appointments. I just spent about a hour on the phone trying to line up various doctor appointments and corresponding labs.

So here is my schedule for the next few weeks:

Date	Appointment
9/24	Labs for nephrologist (no appointment; walk-in)
9/30	Nephrologist appointment
10/4	Labs for endocrinologist
10/11	Endocrinologist appointment
10/13	Labs for transplant center
10/15	UCLA Transplant Center video call

At least I do not have to drive to UCLA on a Friday afternoon since the appointment is a video call. Otherwise that will be a three+ hour roundtrip drive.

On top of all this, I need to make an appointment with my dentist. I chipped a tooth while flossing. Actually, there appears to be a large cavity and part of the tooth enamel just fell off. Good think I have a few hundred dollars on my FSA account that I need to burn before the end of the year. 😠

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That is also three labs in three weeks. Each one is likely 5-6 tubes plus urine. My left inner elbow is going to be hurting and bruising again.

Fluorescein Angiography

Not my eyeball

Since I am diabetic, I see an ophthalmologist every year. Several years ago, my ophthalmologist referred me to a retina specialist. I kept skipping the referral until last week, and fortunately everything seemed fairly normal. The specialist did want me back for a fluorescein angiography and the appointment was this morning. Basically, the test uses a dye and camera to examine the blood flow in your retina.

This was the camera that was used. First the technician dilated my eyes with eyedrops, then took a lot of photos using the above camera. The red LED was what I was supposed to look at, and he moved it around to orient my eyes properly. Next, the doctor came in to inject some dye into a vein, and then the technician took a bunch more photos. There was a flash on the camera to illuminate the back of your eyeball, but since I was dilated, it was super bright and I was mostly blinded after the first few photos.

After the technician was done, he then edited some of the images on a computer for the doctor to review. They brought me to another room where I met the doctor, and he said the effects of diabetes on my retina was mild. There was no need for any treatment right now, but I will need to follow-up every six months.

I do not know what drops they used to dilate my eyes, but my vision was blurry until a few hours ago. I think I also had some minor reaction to the dye, so I texted work and took the day off.

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There was some dye residue at the injection site, and I could tell the dye was yellow or orange. Since this morning, my urine has been florescent yellow. I guess that means my sister’s kidney is filtering the dye out of my bloodstream. The doctor assured me that the dye would not interact with any of my medications and would not impact my kidneys, but I am still a bit stressed seeing bright yellow pee for the entire day.

Mysterious Lab Test

I went into the lab this morning for my monthly blood draw for my nephrologist. I have been going to this lab for the past 10 years, and usually it is very quick once you get into the clinic. Sometimes the walk-in line gets pretty long, but I have been making appointments beforehand so the wait is minimal.

Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

After I sat down in the chair, the phlebotomist seemed puzzled at the paperwork. She then went to a computer terminal, and spent the next five minutes looking up codes. Since my nephrologist was using a different medical records system, the lab order only had text description instead of a common numeric code. The text probably did not match the clinic’s list of test and causing confusion. Another staff member finally came over and helped her find the right vial to use. It went smoothly after that. There were six vials to fill this time. Typically the blood draw is between five and eight vials.

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IIRC, I think the test was BK Virus Serum, and the word “serum” confused the phlebotomist. Even though the lab was part of St. Joseph hospital, they use Quest to analyst the blood samples. Quest shows a BK Virus DNA, Quantitative, Real-Time PCR, Plasma test, but no serum test. I think they just ended up using their existing BK Virus test instead.

Weight Gain 8/13/2021

It appears that I have gained back about 10 kg of weight from the low point after transplant surgery. However, I am still at around the same weight I was a year ago. The difference is that I was on dialysis, and had lots of excess fluid. IIRC, I had edema in both my lower legs and ankles, and even fluid in my chest cavity. I wanted to try and stay at around 80 kg, but due to the weird leg pain in my right hip joint, I have not been walking that much. Due to increased skin cancer risk from the anti-rejection medications, I have been walking on the treadmill in my garage. However, since the temperature in the garage stays at 80°F until late in the evening, I have been waiting until after 11:00 pm, and most nights I am asleep by then. I think the solution is to try and get on treadmill in the morning since I am usually up by 6:00 am anyway.

Legit Booster Shot

I knew it would happen. As soon as I find a way to finally get a third vaccine shot after weeks of trying, the FDA officially authorizes a booster shot for “certain immunocompromised people” today.

People who are immunocompromised in a manner similar to those who have undergone solid organ transplantation have a reduced ability to fight infections and other diseases, and they are especially vulnerable to infections, including COVID-19. The FDA evaluated information on the use of a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna Vaccines in these individuals and determined that the administration of third vaccine doses may increase protection in this population.

It is good news obviously, but I wished they moved a litter faster so we did not have to stress out over the recent delta variant surge. I believe the FDA and the CDC still needs to publish guidelines so it may be a while longer for people to get the booster shots, so I am still happy that I got mine last week.

I just checked the Digital COVID-19 Vaccine Record portal, and it has all three of my Moderna shots. I guess in the end, nobody really cared how many shots I received.

After the third shot, my arm hurt for about a day, but I did not experience any other side effects. Maybe I need to try and get a fourth shot?

3rd Moderna Shot

Yay! I got my third Moderna vaccine shot today. I did end up driving to work for the vaccination, and they did not reject me for having two previous shots. Of course, I see this on the news as soon as I get home from work:

Supposedly now the FDA and CDC are working on getting a booster shot approved for immunocompromised people. I would like to think my message to the CDC (and subsequent review) helped, but it is pretty unlikely.

Back to what happened today. As I mentioned before, I pre-registered online but did not get a rejection email so I went to our cafeteria at around 11:30 am. There was only one other person in front of me, and only about four people in the post-vaccination waiting area. The intake person followed up on some medical questions, but she did ask whether this was my first or second shot. I said second because I had to fill out the date of my “last” shot online. She then sent me to a nurse. While she was prepping my arm, she also asked about my vaccine card. Of course I did not have it, so she got out a blank card. She then asked the supervisor what to write, and also asked me where I got my first shot. When I said UCLA, they said they could look it up online. I thought you needed a PIN to access that data for individuals, but maybe they have different rights. Anyway, the supervisor sees that I already had two shots. I basically told them that my first shot was right before transplant surgery, and I was pumped full of immunosuppressive drugs right after. I also said (embellishing a little) that my doctor believes that shot was ineffective, and that I should get another shot ASAP. The supervisor looked at me in the eye, and said, “OK.” The nurse then gave me the shot, filled out the second line on the vaccine card while leaving the fist line blank, and sent me on my way. Easy peasy.

It’s been about 10 hours and no significant reaction year. My arm was okay right after the shot, but the injection area is more sore now. I also felt a bit lightheaded after climbing the stairs after dinner, but I experience that occasionally due to low blood pressure. Several people told me that the worst reaction will come tomorrow, if at all, so I am hoping I feel terrible when I wake up tomorrow. 😅

CDC Response

I contacted the CDC and all I got was this lousy form letter.

Thank you for contacting CDC-INFO. 

We hope you find the following information about the current guidelines for receiving an additional dose of the COVID-19 vaccine helpful.

People are not recommended to receive more than one complete COVID-19 vaccination series. The need for COVID-19 booster doses has not been established. No booster doses are recommended at this time for anyone, including immunocompromised people or any other group of people with underlying medical conditions. Revaccination is not recommended for people who received COVID-19 vaccines during chemotherapy or treatment with other immunosuppressive drugs.

Antibody testing is not recommended to check for immunity following COVID-19 vaccination. If you got an antibody test after you were fully vaccinated, you are not recommended to receive additional doses of the same or different COVID-19 vaccine, regardless of the antibody test results. If you got an antibody test after the first dose of an mRNA vaccine, you should still get your second dose on schedule regardless of the antibody test results.

This was followed by a bunch of links to pages on the CDC site. I am sure they get a lot of calls and emails, but the above reply basically says nothing. I can summarize in one sentence: Don’t get second vaccination and don’t test for antibodies. What is missing is why, and what the fuck am I supposed to do now? I will bet that my message was not even read by a human but processed by a computer. It was probably programmed to wait a day so it seems that someone looked at it instead of replying with the form letter right away.

There was a survey link at the end of their email reply. I basically gave them the lowest score possible. They also asked why and my reply was that there is no trust for the CDC. From the mixed mask message early on, to conflicting mask mandates, and treating the public like idiots by not explaining any of their recommendations.

In this case, there are several countries that are giving out third or booster vaccine shots. This article has a list: United Arab Emirates, Israel, Britain, Germany, Cambodia, Thailand, France, Russia, Switzerland, Singapore, and Indonesia. Are their country’s CDC wrong or taking irresponsible risks? No idea.

I am getting more and more pissed off every time I hear a “get vaccinated” PSA.

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Our work used to offer weekly vaccinations, but stopped awhile ago since the rate of vaccinations dropped. I remember seeing the email announcing the last vaccination opportunity at work. Today, another email came out offering vaccinations on-site again. I guess the case count is bad enough that we brought USC Pharmacy back to give employee vaccine shots this Friday. I signed up online to see if they will give me the vaccine or reject me. The form did ask for a lot of information, including whether I have had a vaccine shot, what type, and the last vaccination date. I am hoping that they will just give me the shot since it is just for our employees. If I do get rejected, hopefully they will tell me before Friday so I will not get rejected in-person after driving an hour to work.