“Three. Two. One. Poke.” The nurse said quietly. I felt the jab less than I usually would because I was getting my picture taken. Pfizer’s Covid vaccine was flowing into my arm muscles. I was holding my thumb up while I stood sideways to the iPhone—for modesty’s sake. I had to take my shirt half off to expose enough arm to the needle.
“Looks good,” my colleague said. I buttoned up and stepped away from the injection station.
I felt suddenly light headed. My throat the slightest bit scratchy. Am I getting an allergic reaction? I wondered.
I reported the light headedness and was told to sit down and not leave for half an hour. A colleague came over and sat with me. She wasn’t feeling very well either. Nauseous. Faint. A bit pale.
I was not the least bit concerned for myself. If I had fainted I wouldn’t have worried. Even if I had required an epi drip and a night or two in the hospital, I wouldn’t have cared. Well, maybe then. But I’ve had Covid and I’ve personally witnessed the disease in many others, and I can tell you, almost anything is better than coming down with Covid-19.
Lightheaded is called emergency use. Fainting is called health care workers can’t wait to get the vaccine because of what we have seen and heard. This is called science and gathering data to improve the vaccine.
I thanked the nurses for giving me the shot. “You don’t know how much this means to me,” I said with teary eyes. They nodded. “You’re going to make me cry,” one of them said tearfully. I turned my head. The other nurse was crying too.
Everyone at the hospital knows I was critically ill with Covid-19 back in early April. They know what this vaccine means. Protection. Freedom. Victory.
But the vaccine means still more to me. It represents a means of service.
Yes, I have some natural immunity to Covid-19. But how much and for how long? Is the vaccine safe and effective for those who’ve already been sick? I want to be part of the field research on these questions. I want to do my part.
I’m glad I got vaccinated today. And I plan on getting my second dose on January 12 as scheduled. I hope the vaccine works as well as the data indicates. I hope it’s safe enough that people will take it. I have lots of hope on both counts.
Now let the data gathering begin.
— Nelsonia