KATY, Texas – Traci Brown of Katy sat at her kitchen table Thursday, scouring the internet for coronavirus vaccination appointments in cities from Houston to Galveston. As she did, she marveled at the surreal life she is living right now.
“Oh, we are not divided, but we are living divided within our own house”, she said.
Brown said her own family is divided in the fact that she and her 13-year-old son, Trevor, have not been vaccinated, but both her mother and father have received their first shot. Part one of a two-part vaccination.
“It is so strange,” she said. “We live in the same house and yet, we have to remain apart. My father spends most of his time in the opposite end of the house watching television, while me and my mom remain in the living room, but we sit like 12 feet apart, at least. My son knows he can’t go near his grandparents. So strange.”
Brown’s parents were able to get the first part of the vaccine about 10 days ago and that has made her battle to get herself vaccinated even more intense. That’s because her biggest fear is not that she or her son will get sick, but that they will infect her parents, even though they have already begun the vaccination process.
“Yes, they had the first part of the vaccine which is great, but they still need to get the second part of the vaccine in a couple weeks, and so I am worried we could still infect them, and so I am worried”, she said.
Dr. Linda Yancey, an infectious disease specialist at Memorial Hermann Hospital, said what Brown is doing is exactly the right thing to do.
“Just because a family member, or anyone, has received the first dose of the vaccine, that does not mean they are immune from the virus,” Yancey said. “They still have to get the second dose and they will not have real immunity until weeks from now.”
Yancey said everyone should keep their guard up even after they get the shot and follow the standard safety practices -- wear a mask, keep your distance from others and wash your hands.