Reasons I Chose to Get the Covid-19 Vaccine
On April 20, 2021 I got my second dose of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine. I’m happy to report that so far, my only side effects are a sore arm and a mild headache. I have chronic migraine so this headache is a walk in the park compared to my normal ones. I know that some people are hesitant to get the vaccine so I thought I would take some time to explain why I chose to get vaccinated. Here are three reasons why I decided to get vaccinated:
To keep me safe.
A) I have POTS and whenever I have a fever my heart goes wonky. I get heart palpitations up to 200bpm even while lying down. I have also had pneumonia before and know what it’s like to be gasping for air and struggling to breathe. I know that there are some people who have no symptoms but I would rather not test whether I would have a mild or severe case of covid. At the moment there are two ways to prevent covid: my whole household could never leave the house and not interact with anyone (difficult), or we could get vaccinated. Being vaccinated means that I can go to my doctors’ appointments, to the grocery store, or on a walk with friends without having to worry if I get sick. The vaccine means I’m protected in all situations.
B) Another thing that really worries me is that there are people who experiences post-covid conditions. These are people who’s symptoms last more than four weeks. A covid infection can cause autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases (Galeotti & Bayry 2020). I currently don’t have one of those and would prefer not to add another chronic illness to my list. For more information about post-Covid conditions visit here.
2. To keep other people safe.
A) I worried from the start of the pandemic that even if I caught covid and had a relatively mild case that I would spread it to someone who wouldn’t. I have friends who have sick parents that they help. By reducing the risk of me catching covid in the first place I am therefore reducing the risk of me spreading it to others. The risk is still there but it is lowered. That is why groups of people who are all fully vaccinated (2 weeks past your second dose) can gather indoors. The likelihood of one of them having covid is already very diminished and the likelihood of others catching it is also diminished. I don’t know about you, but I would like to see my friends again and go back to our normal indoor activities like playing Mah Jong.
B) There will always be those within our communities (especially the spoonie community) who will not be able to receive the vaccine either because it will not be effective or it carries a higher risk for them. If everyone who is able to get a vaccine does, we will be able to protect those within our community who cannot. You should of course speak to your healthcare provider if you are concerned that you may be at risk from the vaccine. But the general guidance is that if you have an autoimmune condition you are at a significantly greater risk if you catch Covid than from the vaccine.
3. It’s a safe way to prevent Covid-19.
A) I know there are a lot of concerns around whether the vaccine is safe. I think the recent news of the FDA pausing Johnson & Johnson (J&J) usage is the best example of how closely these vaccines are monitored.The FDA paused the J&J after 6 people out of 6 million developed rare blood clots. I know that there was a lot of comparison about how most women’s birth control has a higher risk but, I thought it really showed just how cautious the government is being. If the only current risk is 1 in a million and they’re investigating it, it means that anything more prevalent or dangerous would also have been investigated. By the FDA essentially pulling the J&J off the market I think it also shows that they are putting our individual safety before any mass vaccination efforts.
B) They did not rush the study and roll out of the vaccine. Vaccine trials work by gathering a group of people, giving the vaccine to 50% of that group, and a placebo (a substance that has no therapeutic effect, most often saline) is given to the other 50% of the group. They are then left to go about their lives. Normally in a vaccine trial it takes years because the people might not be exposed to the virus very frequently. Because we are in a pandemic the participants in the trials were coming into contact with the virus very quickly. The fast speed at which Covid-19 burned through our country also traveled through the vaccine trial group at rapid speed. This meant that the trial was sped up but because of the rate that Covid-19 was spreading through our country, not because the researchers skipped steps. Also because of the pandemic governments were spending much more money on vaccine research. This led to companies being able increase staffing and trial infrastructure which allowed for faster research.
