My COVID-19 vaccine story –– and what happened next

Like most healthcare workers, I was thrilled when I was eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. I’ve been involved in COVID-19 patient care since the very start of the pandemic in the US, and I had seen what this virus can do to people. We all felt incredibly helpless against this incredibly contagious bug. With time, experience, and study, we’ve learned which treatments help and which don’t. Even more importantly, we now have vaccines. The Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna mRNA vaccines — tested in about 18,600 and 15,000 participants, respectively — were the first available in the US via emergency FDA authorization. They remain the most effective. Trials showed about 95% efficacy in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 infection after two doses. More importantly, no one — not one participant — who caught COVID-19 after receiving either of these vaccines died, or even got sick enough to be hospitalized. And the numbers of vaccinated participants who did get COVID-19 were very low: only 11 in the Moderna trial (compared to 185 who received placebo), and nine in the Pfizer trial (compared to 169 who received placebo). These numbers are real reason to have hope! How it felt to receive my COVID-19 vaccine — and what happened next So, on January 3rd, I strode into our hospital employee vaccination clinic and almost cried with joy as I got my jab of the Moderna vaccine. Yes, I felt yucky the following day: headache, body aches, fatigue. These mild, flulike symptoms are comm...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Asthma Coronavirus and COVID-19 Health Parenting Vaccines Source Type: blogs