Moderna Corona Virus Vaccine: My Personal Experience

 When the Corona Virus first came about, I never imagined it would still be in the news headlines over one year later.

As an investor in the stock market, I weathered the crash of February and March 2020. I even got to make some nice profits, buying in mid March 2020. But that is for another post.

I followed the news of the vaccine development through last year. Back in September 2020 someone asked me if I would take the vaccine. I said that in all probability I would, though I had reservations. Having lung, heart and blood clotting issues catching the virus in an unprotected state would almost certainly be fatal for me. The vaccine might give me a chance of living a little longer.

My friend was an adamant no to the vaccine. Under any circumstances. His choice. But one I thought foolish. In our chat I guessed that I would not get the vaccine until at least May 2021, not even guessing vaccines would be licensed by Christmas.

 

Mid February came and I received a telephone call from my local blind center. They had Moderna vaccine available at the end of the month, if I wanted to take it.

I needed no second invitation. Better to have taken the chance and possibly die or not take the chance and certainly die horribly.

The day of the first vaccination dose came along. My wife drove me to the location where Leif, my guide dog, and I joined a very long line. We snaked through the building for about one hour. Stopping now and then to have forms filled out, or forms checked. Eventually we reached a nurse.

She had me choose an arm, I picked right arm as I am left handed and having heard the vaccine site can be painful for a while the right sounded best for me.

The injection itself was not painful. The fifteen minute wait for any sign of side effects was tedious. Then some more form filling and making an appointment for my second dose on March 27.

My wife and I then spent the afternoon on a drive around the mountains, just to enjoy the sunny weather.

About 8pm, some eight hours after the injection, I began to feel a tickle in my throat and back of my nose. By 11pm my throat felt on fire and sore. It was so bad I took some ice cubes in my mouth and allowed them to melt over the back of my throat. The burning in my throat and back of my nose continued all night. My sleep was fitful and on Sunday morning I was feeling like I was suffering a severe cold. By 9am however the sore throat began to ease  and my nose cleared. By noon about twenty-four hours after the vaccination all pain had gone and though tired I felt well.

My second dose of vaccine was scheduled for March 27 at 11am. I arrived at the vaccination center in good time expecting a line, but this time things went much more quickly. It took just twenty minutes to have my paperwork checked and to reach a nurse. I was again injected in the right arm. On both occasions the arm was sore for about four days with no real impairment to my ability to use it.

The fifteen minute wait for any side affects was tedious but tolerable. I was out of the center in an hour and fifteen minutes.

Expecting another night with a sore throat I had stocked up on some cold drinks.

After about eight hours I began to feel the tingle in my throat again. By twelve hours after the injection I began to feel hot all over and couldn't stop shivering. This became quite severe at about 3am Sunday morning. By 5am the shivering had subsided and I fell asleep. Waking at about 9am I was stiff and aching all over but without a sore throat or shivers.  It took me most of Sunday to stop aching, and an early bedtime and a long nights sleep on Sunday cured me of all tiredness.

So my experience of the vaccine was a positive one. Just a few hours of feeling ill is acceptable for me. The vaccine will be fully effective for me around April 9th.

I would recommend that everyone who can take the vaccine. It has been given to millions of people already. It works and it saves lives.

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