As we were chatting in our offices at The Times-Gazette the day after I received my second COVID-19 vaccine, one of my co-workers suggested that maybe I should share my experience with receiving the shots. So I will.
But, before I share those experiences, I’m going to share something else — I firmly believe you should get your Covid vaccines. If not for yourself, then do it for the rest of humanity.
With that said, I also believe it is anyone’s right to refuse the vaccines. Still, I believe that if we are ever going to beat this coronavirus thing, most people are going to have to get their shots. So why should those unwilling to get the shots leave that responsibility up to the willing?
If you are not willing to be vaccinated, please don’t let me hear you complain about all the Covid restrictions. If you are not willing to be part of the solution, you have no right to complain about the Covid safety guidelines that have been put in place.
Too many people do not follow the guidelines. That baffles me. I don’t like the masks either, but is it really that much of an issue to wear a mask for a bit, or to stay a few feet away from those other than your family?
I have heard all the people spouting off about it being their right on whether to wear a mask or not. Their claim is that, in America, they have the right to do as they please.
But the thing is, it’s not about you. It’s about everyone else. If you’re so proud of your American rights that so many have fought and died for, how about being a patriot and helping your fellow countrymen?
Help your country or hold it back — the choice is yours.
Now that I’ve made it clear where I stand, I’ll tell you about my experiences receiving the vaccines.
It is really easy to sign up to vaccinated. Heck, at lots of places, even right here in Hillsboro, you don’t even have to make a reservation. Just show up at the hours we publish regularly in this newspaper.
I received two doses of the Moderna vaccine. The first one was on March 11 and the second was on April 8.
After the first shot, other than some minor soreness for a couple days in the arm I received the shot in, I had absolutely no reaction.
The second shot was a little different. I got it on a Thursday afternoon at about 1:45 and returned to work for several hours. My arm got slightly stiff when I returned home that evening, but otherwise, I felt fine.
I woke up Friday morning feeling pretty good. I ate breakfast and started a little workout. As I was stretching, I noticed that the arm was stiff and a little sore. About 45 minutes later, at the end of the workout, I could tell I did not feel exactly normal, but I showered and went to work.
I did not feel great when I arrived at work, and the longer I stayed, the worse I felt. It was kind of like the flu — mild to moderate soreness all over, a slight headache, a mild fever and some tiredness. If it had been a busy day, I would have stayed and finished whatever needed to be done. But it was not a busy day, I completed most everything that needed to be done, then after about five hours I went home and hit the couch.
Some mild chills set in later in the evening, but some aspirin or whatever my wife gave me helped a lot, and I drank lots and lots of fluid.
I never lost the sense of taste or smell, ate pretty much whatever I wanted, and went to bed.
I woke up the next morning feeling perfectly fine. I have had no side effects since.
My wife and 82-year-old father both had experiences very similar to mine with the Moderna vaccine.
A lot is unknown. Maybe one day I’ll wish I never received the vaccine. But I seriously doubt it. I have to believe in the health officials who know much more about things like vaccines than I do. They say you should get the shots. So do I.
The choice is yours. Choose wisely.
Jeff Gilliland is the editor of The Times-Gazette. He can be reached at [email protected] or 937-402-2522.
