A week ago Friday was an exciting day for me.
I was able to get the first of two vaccinations (the Pfizer one) to help protect me from the coronavirus. It was exciting because I have been eagerly awaiting my chance to get vaccinated, and It was exciting because my group was still waiting to be notified. But late Wednesday afternoon I received a text message and an e-mail telling me that vaccine was available and I should click the link in the message to schedule an appointment. I didn't even take time to go to my computer to sign up. I did everything on my cell phone immediately, not wanting to miss this opportunity to start the vaccination process.
The location was a large event center in town. I grabbed the first available appointment, for 12:30 on Friday. There was a long line of cars waiting to park, but once I got inside the event center, things moved very quickly. There were lots of staff to direct us where to go. I waited just a few seconds before being directed to a station set up for administering the vaccine. I was told to tell the woman that this was my first vaccine and I wanted it in my left arm. The injection itself was virtually painless. I was handed a card to serve as proof of vaccination, and then directed to climb the stairs to rows of seats (with those to be used marked off) where people were to sit for either 15 or 30 minutes to make sure we had no reaction to the injection. After 15 minutes, I received both a text message and an e-mail telling me I was free to leave. And as I was waiting, I was notified of the date and time for the second vaccination, exactly three weeks in the future.
I know that if I will have a reaction to the vaccine, it will be following the second injection. Not everyone has a reaction, and I have never reacted negatively to any injection, including the two-part shingles vaccine that made some people very ill. So I am hopeful that nothing bad will happen with this vaccine.
As expected, the anti-vaccination groups are out in force. I have read so many ridiculous comments and opinions -- none of them informed opinions -- about these vaccines. One local woman claimed she got shingles from getting vaccinated against the coronavirus. Others claim that more than 50,000 people have died from complications of the vaccine. Still others believe that Bill Gates is behind a plot to use the vaccination program to inject people with microchips to track their movements. For my part, I will trust the science and the safety and efficacy reviews by both the FDA and by an independent review panel. Yes, these vaccines were produced in record time, but I believe they are safe. Yes, some people have had negative reactions (getting shingles is not one of the side effects), but some people have negative reactions to many things. That doesn't mean the vaccines are dangerous or deadly or have resulted in the deaths of 50,000 people in the United States. Certainly a few people have died after receiving a covid vaccine, but that does not mean the vaccine caused the deaths. Some people die as they sleep. That doesn't mean that sleeping causes death.
I will take my chances with the vaccine and prefer to face the risk of a serious reaction over the risk of contracting Covid-19. While many people do fully recover from the infection, more than 541,000 Americans have already died of the coronavirus, with countless others facing permanent, life-long complications.
I am extremely grateful that I have been able to begin the vaccination process. I am grateful that three pharmaceutical companies in the US have produced safe and effective vaccines so quickly. I am grateful that we now have a president who has acted swiftly and decisively to increase the production and distribution of these vaccines, to encourage Americans to get vaccinated and to continue to wear masks until the pandemic is under control.
So for all those who continue to claim that the pandemic is a hoax or a lie, I hope no one you love becomes a victim of this virus because of your selfish ignorance.
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