WHY I DECIDED TO GET THE COVID-19 VACCINATION
IS IT RIGHT FOR ME?
When I first learned that a vaccine for COVID-19 had been developed I had mixed emotions about it like many people. In the past year my family and I have been fortunate enough to have escaped the virus but I know many close friends and family that have not been so fortunate and after seeing and hearing their stories I sure didn’t want to play Russian roulette with this virus or vaccine any longer than I had to. The decision to receive the vaccine or not weighed heavily on my mind still so I sat down and made a list of what I felt were important factors to help me make an informed decision one way or another.
KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE VACCINE
MY EXPOSURE TO COVID-19
ANY HEALTH RELATED ISSUES
KNOWLEDGE ABOUT COVID-19 VACCINE
I did not know anything about this vaccine other than what I had heard. There were so many concerns about the vaccine; ranging from the side effects of receiving it, to the ingredients in the vaccine being made from the virus itself, to the government placing microchips in the vaccine as a means of tracking its citizens😕, and of course the biggest concerns being how quick the government came up with a vaccine. With all these concerns surrounding the vaccine how could anyone make the right decision? I didn’t want to make a decision based on the biased opinions of well meaning friends and family and I sure didn’t want to be swayed by the media frenzy that was feeding much of the public.
I decided to do my own research about the vaccine. I turned to trusted organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), National Institutes for Medicine (NIH) and the World Health Organization(WHO) to name just a few. I learned the ingredients in the vaccine do not contain the virus itself and that the advancements in technology have made it easier for scientists to develop a vaccine so quickly.
EXPOSURE TO COVID-19
Like many Americans besides myself for the past year of this global pandemic I have been careful to limit where and when I am in public. I have practiced social distancing, been diligent in wearing a mask when out and use hand sanitizer throughout my day. My biggest exposure to COVID-19 comes from working outside the home. I work for the Department of Health and Human Services for the state of Texas. Due to the protocols in place for wearing masks and other appropriate PPE my job seemed a fairly safe environment. While I took every precaution available to maintain social distancing and etc at work, there were occasions that I had to be without a mask to perform certain job duties, as well as my coworkers. These occasions placed me at a higher risk, because while I was diligent about social distancing and personal hygiene, I didn’t know the daily habits of my coworkers especially outside of the workplace. I had to assume they weren’t as diligent as myself.
HEALTH RELATED ISSUES
I have asthma and other respiratory complications, I suffer with sleep apnea and I am also overweight. All of these are factors that place me at a higher risk of catching the virus compared to someone of the same age and gender with no health issues according to the studies I had read in my research. Maybe I need to quit putting my Fitbit watch on the dog’s tail when he goes outside, and hit the treadmill myself!!!!😏
I took one last factor into consideration before making my decision and that was the welfare of my husband if I didn’t receive the vaccine. My husband works from home and his greatest exposure to the virus would be through me. While I could ignore the risk associated with my own personal health, I was not willing to place him at an unfair disadvantage. We both have the opportunity to receive the vaccine, however, due to the nature of my work I qualify to receive it sooner than he does. With no clear idea when the vaccine would be available to my husband, I felt it would be selfish of me to knowingly jeopardize his health any more than I already was.
Having considered the above factors I was confident that receiving the vaccine was right for me and today I received the first of two doses of the vaccine. So far I show no side effects other than soreness at the injection site on my right upper arm. In three weeks I will return for the last dose and I will share with my readers, any changes, side effects and thoughts. Stay tuned!!!!
Have questions about the COVID-19 VACCINE? I have provided a link below to a University of Michigan health blog where you can read for yourself about the vaccine.
STILL HAVE QUESTIONS read the following FACT SHEET about the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine provided by the FDA
About the Creator
Meloney Salvato
Discovering myself and 2021 is my year. I am going to write my year!
I am mom to the best three children any mother could hope for and they are my strength, joy, purpose and soul.
https://twitter.com/Lonelyauthor11
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