My Experience with COVID 19 Vaccine

My Experience with COVID 19 Vaccine

I wanted to write a few lines today about my experience and thoughts regarding the COVID 19 vaccine. I had been anxiously waiting to see the vaccine come to Sonoma County, and when it finally arrived, I was fortunate to be part of a priority group of recipients due to my on-call work at the Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU) in Sonoma County.

COVID 19 has brought a number of significant challenges this year for us all, both personally and professionally. At Siyan, we weathered many storms, including fiscal difficulties, employee health concerns, and rising psychiatric issues with our patients. We overcame most of it these, but one fear remained constant throughout the year for me, which was the concern over being infected myself, putting my family at risk, and potentially transmitting it to others in the workplace. We instituted a workplace policy that involved taking the COVID 19 test every two weeks, and this has worked well for keeping everyone safe. Still, a COVID 19 vaccine was a hope that we all clung to, a light at the end of the dark tunnel that we all were in during 2020. I was thrilled when it finally arrived.

On December 24th, I went to the CSU to get my shot. I can report confidently that it was very much like any other vaccination I have experienced in the past. I was excited to be contributing and helping us all take this step toward ending the pandemic. I was fortunate to have no issues after taking the vaccine other than a slightly sore arm, which remained for about three days. I also had a headache during the first 24 hours, and I had a familiar feeling of fatigue for the first three days. Following the third day, everything seemed normal. The experience was similar to when I took a flu shot in September of this year. In fact, I felt slightly more malaise and fatigue, and I had a low-grade fever, after the flu vaccine.

I want to reassure all readers that the vaccine is very safe. Most side-effects are very mild. It is highly effective, with observed rates of effectiveness at 90 to 95%. The most important reason to get the vaccine is, quite simply, that it prevents severe complications from COVID 19.

The table below is a summary of the common side effects of this Vaccine.

Side Effects Among All Study Participants*

I will once again ask all readers to consider taking the vaccine as soon as it is available to them. It is truly important for us all to contribute to achieving a Herd Immunity. To do this, we will need to have 70 to 75% of our population vaccinated. Please call your primary care physician or local county public health department to learn more about getting the vaccine. Getting vaccinated as soon as possible is the most critical step to keep us all healthy and safe!

Happy New Year to everybody.