PORTLAND, Maine (AP) – Bill Griffin has waited more than a year for this moment: newly vaccinated, he has hugged his 3-year-old niece for the first time since the pandemic began.
“It simply came to our notice then. I picked her up and gave her a hug. It was amazing, “said the 70-year-old after last weekend’s meeting.
Spring has arrived with sun and warmer weather and many older adults who have been vaccinated, such as Griffin, are coming out of the hibernation imposed by COVID-19.
From personal shopping or going to the gym to bigger landmarks, such as visiting family, people who were once most at risk for COVID-19 are starting to move on with their lives on the right track. Nearly 45% of Americans age 65 and older are now fully vaccinated.
Visiting grandchildren is a priority for many older adults. In Arizona, Gailen Krug has not yet had her first grandchild, who was born a month into the Minneapolis pandemic. Now fully vaccinated, Krug plans to travel for her niece’s first birthday in April.
“I can’t wait,” said Krug, whose only interactions with the girl were over Zoom and FaceTime. “It’s very strange not to have it in my life yet.”
The emotion he feels is still tempered by sadness. Her mother-in-law, with whom she was looking forward to sharing her grandmother’s duties, died of COVID-19 just hours after the baby was born. He hired her at a nursing home.
Isolated from the pandemic, older adults have been severely affected by loneliness caused by restrictions designed to keep people safe. Many of them held summer meetings, canceled vacation plans, and missed family vacation meetings in November and December.
In states with older populations, such as Maine, Arizona and Florida, health officials have been concerned about the physical and emotional impact of loneliness, which poses an additional health problem in addition to the virus.
But that is changing and more older people are reappearing in public after being among the first groups to be vaccinated.
Those who are fully vaccinated are ready to leave Dodge without worrying that they are endangered amid a pandemic that has claimed more than 540,000 lives in the United States.
“It simply came to our notice then. I feel good going further, ”said Ken Hughes, a 79-year-old Florida resident who is flying with his wife on an annual pandemic delayed trip to Arizona in April.
Lots of older adults are eager to get on a plane to travel. Others look forward to simpler things, such as eating at a restaurant, going to a movie theater, or playing bingo.
Sally Adams, 74, was among several elderly people who showed up at the “bingo parking lot” in Glendale, Arizona. She felt safe because she had been vaccinated and because she was in her car at the first bingo event in more than a year.
Once he reaches his peak to reach the peak of immunity, he intends to enjoy small things, such as eating out. Both she and her husband, who is also vaccinated, just made food. Now I feel it will be okay to eat even inside – as long as it is not crowded.
“We will probably go in and take the farthest meal from other people just to be safe,” she said.
Indeed, many older adults take a cautious approach, especially when the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has refused to make travel recommendations easier.
Cindy Charest, the frequent traveler, was so excited about the prospect of leaving for the first time in more than a year that she posted an airplane emoji with a photo of her vaccinated on social media.
But it adopts an attitude of waiting and visibility after the CDC has recommended non-essential air travel for the time being.
“I think I was prematurely excited about it,” said Charest, 65, of Westbrook, Maine. But he’s ready to jump when the time comes. It seeks to change direction.
Others are also cautious.
“We’re still in horror,” said Claudette Greene, 68, of Portland, Maine. “We’ve made a lot of progress, but we’re not done with it.”
Kathy Bubar said she and her husband are completely vaccinated, but they are in no hurry to push things. The 73-year-old Portland resident plans to wait until the fall before planning any major trip. She hopes to go on a safari in December.
“My goal in all this is not to be the last person to die because of COVID. I am willing to be patient and take as much as I need, ”she said.
The griffins were also cautious before reuniting with their niece.
Bill Griffin, of Waterboro, did not dare to have close contact with family members until he was vaccinated because he had lung disease, heart disease, kidney disease and high blood pressure, all factors that pushed him into a high risk category for COVID- 19.
“Everyone wants to live for the moment, but the moment could have been very deadly. I listened to the scientists, “he said.
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Associated Press writers Adriana Gomez Licon of Miami and Terry Tang of Phoenix contributed to this report.