Vaccinated older adults come out of their coronavirus hibernation

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) – Bill Griffin waited more than a year for this moment: Freshly vaccinated, he hugged his 3-year-old granddaughter for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

She came running right up. I picked her up and hugged her. It was great, ”said the 70-year-old after the reunion last weekend.

Spring has arrived with sunshine and warmer weather, and many older adults vaccinated, like Griffin, are emerging from hibernation imposed by COVID-19.

From shopping in person or going to the gym to bigger milestones like family visits, the people who were once most at risk from COVID-19 are starting to get their lives on track. More than 47% of Americans 65 and older are now fully vaccinated.

Visiting grandchildren is a top priority for many older adults. In Arizona, Gailen Krug has not yet held her first grandchild, who was born a month after the Minneapolis pandemic. Now fully vaccinated, Krug is making plans to travel for her granddaughter’s first birthday in April.

“I can’t wait,” said Krug, whose only interactions with the girl have been through Zoom and FaceTime. “It’s very strange not to have her in my life yet.”

However, the excitement she feels is tempered by grief. Her daughter-in-law’s mother, with whom she had been looking forward to sharing grandma duties, died of COVID-19 just hours after the baby was born. She contracted it in a nursing home.

Older people, isolated from the pandemic, were severely affected by loneliness caused by restrictions designed to protect people. Many of them sat outside of summer gatherings, canceled vacation plans, and missed family celebrations in November and December.

In states with an older population, such as Maine, Arizona, and Florida, health officials were concerned about the emotional and physical toll of loneliness, which is an added health risk on top of the virus.

But that’s changing, and more older people are reappearing in public after being among the first group to get vaccinated.

Those who are fully vaccinated are ready to get out of Dodge without worrying about putting themselves at risk amid a pandemic that has claimed more than 540,000 lives in the United States.

“Now there is an extra level of confidence. I feel good moving forward, ”said Ken Hughes, a 79-year-old Florida resident who flies his wife for an annual trip to Arizona in April that postponed a pandemic.

Many older adults are eager to get on a jet to travel. Others look forward to the simpler things like eating at a restaurant, going to a movie theater, or playing bingo.

Sally Adams, 74, was among a number of older people who showed up for “parking lot bingo” in Glendale, Arizona. She felt safe having been vaccinated and being in her car at the first bingo event in over a year.

Once she has the time to reach peak immunity, she plans to indulge in little things like eating out. Both she and her husband, who has also been vaccinated, have collected alone. Now they feel like it’s okay to even eat inside – as long as it’s not crowded.

“We’ll probably go in and take the table furthest from other people just in case,” she said.

Indeed, many older adults are taking a cautious approach, especially when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention refused to loosen up travel recommendations.

Frequent traveler Cindy Charest was so excited about the prospect of flying away for the first time in over a year that she posted an airplane emoji on social media with a photo of her being vaccinated.

But she’s taking a wait-and-see attitude after the CDC doesn’t recommend non-essential air travel for now.

“I think I got excited about it prematurely,” said Charest, 65, of Westbrook, Maine. But she’s ready to jump when the time comes. She is waiting for changing guidance.

Others are also cautious.

“We’re still in the thick of it,” said Claudette Greene, 68, of Portland, Maine. “We’ve made a lot of progress, but we’re not done with it yet.”

Kathy Bubar said she and her husband have been fully vaccinated, but are in no rush to push things. The 73-year-old Portland resident plans to wait until fall before planning a big trip. She hopes to go on safari in December.

“My goal in all of this is not to be the last person to die from COVID. I’m willing to be patient and take as long as it takes, ”she said.

The Griffins were also careful before reuniting with their granddaughter.

Bill Griffin, of Waterboro, only dared to interact closely with family members after his vaccination because he has lung disease, heart disease, kidney disease and high blood pressure, all factors that have pushed him into a risk category for COVID. 19.

“Everyone wants to live for the time being, but it could have been very deadly. We’ve listened to the scientists, ”he said.

Associated Press writers Adriana Gomez Licon in Miami and Terry Tang in Phoenix contributed to this report.