Pharmacists cannot vaccinate under age 3 (on a federal level). I am unaware of any states that allow pharmacists to vaccinate younger than 3. In fact prior to COVID pharmacists could vaccinate only older kids in most states.
Minute clinics, etc have APPs (PAs or NPs) on site with a broader scope of practice which allows vaccination of broader age groups.
Moderna has not been approved for boosters yet. I think itās unlikely they will recommend switching vaccine brands for kids yet until they have more data.
My kiddos got a Pfizer booster on 6/3 & I am anticipating a bivalent booster in the fall for all of us.
Iām thinking your train trip will be less exposure than flying to your cruise.
As for the subway - I got nothing. Other than maybe try to travel at a less peak time.
Mostly Iām thinking that youāre vaccinated and have access to good masks. Youāre the one that went to Georgia without vaccinations and came back A-ok. You know how to be safe. Trust yourself.
As far as I can tell, FDA hasnāt issued their decision yet? I really thought/hoped it would come out today.
IIRC, this happened with one of the earlier vaccine approvalsā¦I forget which oneā¦,and the ACIP announced at the end of their first day of meeting they would not be able to vote on day 2 without the FDA decision first. I think FDA finally announced late on ACIP Day 1? I think there was speculation FDA wanted to get a feel for how the ACIP discussion went? 
We ran into this one year and it was totally stupid. My daughter who was 8 or 9 was one year too young for the pharmacies in Maryland to give her a flu shot, but the base where her pediatrician is didnāt get it that year until massively late (almost December I think). So, we had no choice but to wait. I think we did book them for the 2 older kids at a CVS or something, I donāt remember now. I do remember pondering whether we could just drive into Virginia where we have relatives, but we never got that far b/c they suddenly then had it available at the base. I do understand there are reasons for those laws, it was just so frustrating, and DD was the one most likely to get sick at that point, b/c she seemed to pick up every germ that came near her.
Yes, definitelyāthe Acela train from DC to Philly is usually less than 2 hrs, but flights to Alaska were a full day and multiple planes. Iām strongly leaning towards taking the upgraded Amtrak train (the Acela one) b/c you can get a seat by a window with no seats next to it. I like that social distancing. Plus itās a short enough ride that I wonāt need to eat so I can keep my good mask on. Overall I feel silly not to drive but I just donāt want to go into it thinking I have a 2.5 hr drive and then it be a 5 hr b/c of congestion / construction near Philly. I am a skittish driver even in areas Iām familiar with. PLus once we drove to. Boston and then made the mistake of trying to drive to attractions and got stuck in bad traffic where we could have just taken the subway and been there already. And I asked on a Philly forum and immediately got answers saying to take the train instead.
Iām an Amtrak fan. Fyi, there are occasionally trains with private rooms traveling parts of the northeast corridor (Cardinal, Silver Star) that can cost less than Acela first class and give you even more privacy. We booked a bedroom once and would do it again.
Amtrak claims ventilation nearly as good as a plane (air change every 4-5 minutes).
Some new info is out on long covid and omicron.
A few key points:
The chance of getting long COVID from omicron is 4.4%, compared with almost 10.8% from delta, according to the study.
āThe caveat is that the omicron variant has spread very rapidly through our populations, and therefore a very much larger number of people have been affected. So the overall absolute number of people who are set to go on to get long COVID, sadly, is set to rise,ā Steves saysā¦
But for any individual person, the findings do indicate that the risk is sharply lower of both getting seriously ill and of developing persistent symptoms.
Good article about possible pathologies behind Long Covid.
These are still really concerning frequencies. They are still struggling with whether subsequent infections have similar, lower (adaptive immunity or less predisposition), or higher (cumulative exposure/damage) risks of Long Covid.
Letās assume itās 4.4% per infection, and someone gets infected once every two years. After 10 years, thatās a 20% chance and after 20 years, thatās a 35% chance. So 1/3 the population? Thatās the future for my kids?
I am hopeful theyāll sort treatments, but theyāve been working on ME/CFS (which is potentially a similar condition from previously circulating viruses) for decades and still have no cure and few treatments.
Woot! Here it is!
If weāre optimistic, we can hope that the incidence of long Covid continues to decrease over the next twenty zillion variants. Not that thatās a valid public health strategy, but at least itās something to hope for that would offset those estimates 
If Omicron had evolved from Delta, Iād be a dash more hopeful.
Having driven in Houston traffic for a week in April, sometimes towing a trailer, I can say lotsa congestion isnāt stress reducing!
Hereās my take on the driving to/in Philadelphia vs Amtrak.
Amtrak/subway: best case scenario - youāre fine and you have a great time.
Worst case - you get Covid. Which might be a mild case, due to your vaccinations. Yes, thereās a chance of long covid, which some family members are dealing with now. Thatās all after your relaxing getaway.
Driving in congestion: best case scenario - you and your vehicle are fine tho youāre stressed. Worst case - letās be positive and say only your car needs repairs. Even a minor fender bender is annoying. And it happens during your relaxing getaway.
Rather than being silly, itās much more sensible not to drive.
This is interesting in light of the upcoming approval of vaccines for the littles. Iām sure that itās been in the works for a while and the timing is just coincidence. From a childrenās museum in MA:
Discovery Museum is working with the MA Executive Office of Health and Human Services to offer COVID-19 vaccine clinics for ages 5 - adult. First, second, and booster shots will be available, free of charge. Appointments are requiredā¦ Each person receiving a vaccine at the Museum will receive two free admission passes, to visit on the same day or a future day in the coming year.
CO2 Readings TLDR: House of worship short service: 850ppm, large outdoor crowd 580, patio table 450.
<500 = ~outdoors, <1000 good, 1000-2000 stale, >2000 bad.
Details:
House of worship, 2000 sq ft chapel, 25 people, 45 minute service, no singing: 850
Better than expected. The CO2 level increased slowly as more people entered but went down once the HVAC system kicked in, and stabilized.
Train station (NJ Secaucus), semi-enclosed outdoor platform, large crowd 2-3 deep by edge of tracks: 580. This crowd was comparable to Epcot Harmonious fireworks crowd over the holidays. 2-3 minutes after crowd leaves: 490
Train, crowded bilevel: 1200 and rising
I got off and waited 5 mins for the next train.
Train station (NY Penn), crowded basement: ~1000
standing next to the HVAC air vent (pic below): 750. This is a strong fresh air source.
Outdoors on deck, 4 people seated at 4ā diameter patio table: 450.
There is about 3ā of distance between people. Based on this reading and distancing I feel comfortable eating with a nonhousehold member at this table outdoors.
Lowes very uncrowded, at closing time: 450
Home Depot lightly crowded, in evening: 500
Costco, moderately crowded, midday: 750-850. The higher readings were in back near meat/fruit area which is more crowded. Front vestibule open to outdoors was 660.
I havenāt commented on your posts about the CO2 readings but I really appreciate them! Although your train trip or Lowes trip is different than mine, I can get a sense of what Iām looking at as far as exposure these days. So, thanks for doing this and posting!!
All unmasked orā¦? Do you know approximately how old the construction? (Thinking about what HVAC might be like)
Agreed 100%
Houston/Harris County is now āhighā (using new CDC levels). DHās employer is requiring masks starting Monday. Must be KN95s or better. He said very few people were masking up until now. They do have federal contracts so vax required.
Built in the 1970ās, its HVAC system generally works well as far as pure heating and cooling go. Nobody masked except me.
