Unsure if I posted in here or not with regards to the COVID vaccine...regardless, here is my story. I am high risk by all the scare stories being placed out there. I have battled severe allergies my entire life, I am allergic to shell fish, dyes, and tree nuts. At age 17 I went into anaphylactic shock after receiving my allergy shots, went into pulseless V-Tach, and was on a ventilator for two days. I have carried an epi-pen my entire life and have had to use it a few times over the decades.
So yes, I was scared to get the vaccine because out of 2 Million doses given, there had been FIVE reactions at the time. FIVE! LOL I figure I cannot win the lottery, but I will sure as heck win this statistical improbability.
Anyways, I am in charge of our administration program in my county, I set up the drive throughs, got all the area Chiefs briefed, appts scheduled and the clinics have been going well. So in prep for myself, I researched the heck out of the vaccine to the best of my ability. I researched what I could learn of the prior reactions, the ingredients of Moderna, and made a personal informed decision from there.
There is only ONE ingredient someone can be allergic to in Moderna. ONE. And that single ingredient is in darn near every food product, plastic, and who knows what else. I also learned the reactions were mild or pseudo. I do not mean these people faked it, I mean that our bodies are very strange in the sense that we can manifest symptoms, very real symptoms, just by overthinking them. Think about people who break out in stress hives, or work themselves into a panic attack. I myself have had exposures over the years where I did not react severely, but until I calmed myself down and realized I was not actually reacting, I only felt like I was reacting.
With all that in mind, I prepped my team. I was the last shot of the day. I had them place an IV, I took my shot laying on a stretcher, and they had all airway equipment and meds ready to roll. I was surrounded by 6 Paramedics who all were very kind and sympathetic to my situation. No jokes were made about me, just distractor jokes while we prepped and then waited after I got my shot.
I got my injection and yes, I started feeling funny and got tight in my throat. This was me being anxious, 100%. I just square breathed, let a minute pass and the symptoms dissipated. And if you are laughing right now, that's cool...you should have seen me when I had to get my JE vaccine!
I had no reactions to the vaccine. I had site injection tenderness, that is it. No sore arm, no sore muscle, not a single symptom of any kind. The next morning, the site no longer hurt either. Many of my colleagues all reported similar results. Ever being the skeptic, I wonder how many of the symptoms being reported are "true" in nature? I know how I can bring on stuff, so I unfairly apply that same possibility to others.
Regarding the vaccine itself, it may only last a few months, a year, few years, or not at all. I am ok with that, as I see the first hand negative effects of COVID almost daily in my line of work. Why on earth would I not take a vaccine which may prevent that? A vaccine that is nothing more than lipids/fats and will be broken down in no time at all. A vaccine that does not inject the virus in any form and is devoid of microchips.
I will get my second dose in a few weeks and then 2 weeks or so after that, in theory I should be 95% +/- immune to catching COVID. Only time will tell. Does it mean I will relax my PPE standards and caution with social distancing? Not at all! Until we have many more months of the vaccine program, that thought will not cross my mind. I do however rest easier knowing that I have done all I can do to protect myself. I fail to see how big Pharma, the Govt, or scientists have any benefit from conspiring together to inject me with the vaccine.
