The COVID-19 vaccine may seem scary but, for some it is the only probable solution to protect their families. According to data provided by the CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around 92 million doses have been administered throughout the United States.
Dr. Swift, a COVID-19 Vaccine Planning Coordinator, explained that there are currently 3 types of COVID-19 vaccines administered, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, the Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, and more recently the Johnson & Johnson Janssen COVID-19 vaccine. They are all mRNA vaccines that help combat COVID infection and require two shots, except the Johnson & Johnson one that only requires one shot. The first shot starts building protection. The second shot is a administered few weeks later and is needed to get the most protection the vaccine has to offer.
The common symptoms after taking the shot are headaches, chills, and tiredness, although some don’t show any. These symptoms are normal and are a sign that the body is building immunity.
The question is why does the COVID-19 vaccine cause such fear for some people? Estela Delacruz, mother of four children, shares her fear about taking the COVID-19 vaccine.
“I have a baby of 8 months, in general this pandemic is scary to think about. It’s been said that the vaccine can actually get you sick. That is why I am so scared,” explained Delacruz.
She also shared that she heard in the news that some people were admitted to the hospital after taking the COVID vaccine, which has scared her even more.
“I feel like it is too early to know whether this vaccine works or not, that scares me, I myself don’t know whether I’ll be taking the vaccine,” said Stan State student Elena Salvador (freshman, Art). “Maybe once I am more informed and once there is a definite cure I will. At this moment I still don’t know.”
According to the CDC, most side effects are mild to moderate. However, a small number of people have had severe side effects that affected their ability to do daily activities. This has caused mild fear, but professionals and doctors still strongly recommend the vaccine.
“I recently got my COVID vaccine and had mild symptoms, but now I am glad because I know I’m protecting my family,” shared Oscar Montes (sophmore, Business). He explained that at first he was scared, but once he took the vaccine he felt safer.
Jennifer Ramoz, a pharmacist working at CVS, explained that many people worry about the symptoms and the after effects. “Some people may worry that by taking the vaccination they might get COVID, the vaccine contains material from the virus, but that is needed to help our bodies create antibodies. And you can see this process in most vaccines created throughout medical history.”
She explained that they have had no problems. They offered the COVID vaccine for around a week to anyone older than sixty-five, or anyone who worked in the health industry. Once individuals received their shot, they were asked to stay 15 minutes after in case of any side effect. At the end everything went smoothly and soon CVS will have the next round of vaccinations. They are currently waiting for more vaccines to get delivered and hope to have enough for the second round of shots and hopefully be able to extend it to people below 65.
Locally the Stanislaus County Health Services Agency also offers COVID-19 vaccinations to individuals over the age of 65. This week they started including individuals of age 16 and older who work in education and childcare, food and agriculture, and emergency services. In general, Stanislaus County continues to expand its capacity to try to administer the vaccine, but the resources are still limited.
Getting the COVID-19 vaccine is one of the many steps one can take. It is important to protect ourselves and those around us. Fear is inevitable, but informing ourselves and getting the vaccine is critical to ending this pandemic.
