Hit me with your best shot
Hello Friend,
I waited for the hammers to start beating a rhythm on the drum of my brain.
I waited for the fever to rise and the sweating to begin.
I waited for the ague.
None of that happened.
It was already twenty-fours after my Covid booster vaccine. The pharmacist said that I should expect a reaction similar to what I experienced after the second Covid shot, so I did everything that was necessary when I came home, preparing for the worse the next day.
My symptoms appeared about twenty-two hours after the second vaccine dose. The fever and sweats came first, then the shakes and aches, followed in quick succession by a pounding headache. Fortunately, the duration was a little less than twenty-four hours.
It has now been more than a day after my booster and all I felt was lethargy and mild pain at the site of the injection. I slept most of the day after; I just could not seem to keep my eyes open, but today I feel as fit as the proverbial fiddle. (Another simile that I don’t quite understand. Don’t fiddles never get out of tune? How does one determine the fitness of a fiddle? Maybe I should have said as healthy as a horse, but that would only lead to more questions). But I digress.
I am glad that the after-effects of the Covid booster were extremely mild, but even if they were not, I would still make the same decision to receive all the vaccines available against Covid. Such a small price to pay for the protection I receive against a deadly organism. This virus has already killed five million worldwide, so I feel privileged and fortunate to be able to receive such valuable protection against it. All I had to do was make the decision to be vaccinated, then find a location that administered the vaccine.
We each need to make the choice that we have every confidence in. We should feel that our choice is the best one for us and our families, to keep us all safe from the harm and death that this virus causes. I have no doubt that choosing to receive the vaccine is the best choice for me and my loved ones.
I thank all the scientists who worked together to make this protection available to us in such a short time. Scientific processes change over the years. Experience, new knowledge, advances in technology, and the sharing of ideas among those working towards the same goal, lead to more efficient and expedient results.
There was a time when Dr. Edward Jenner, in developing the first vaccine, harvested the cowpox virus from the blisters of those who were infected and administered it to those whom he vaccinated against contracting smallpox. He successfully developed a vaccine against smallpox, but he could not have done it if he did not have volunteers willing to trust him, and if others did not have confidence in his results smallpox, instead of being eradicated, might still be plaguing us today.
We have moved far beyond developing vaccines in the way of Dr. Jenner, but what has not changed is that we still need people to trust in the new methods of developing vaccines that our scientists now use. Just as we have progressed in the way we communicate, spread information, and develop new equipment and processes that govern every facet of our lives, we have also progressed in the way we develop vaccines. As in so many other developments, the methods now used are more efficient and results are achieved much quicker than in the past.
I have worked in a medical microbiology laboratory for many years, and I know that a few decades ago, once a culture was grown, it took two to three days to identify a pathogen, and to determine its antibiotic susceptibility or resistance. Now that entire process takes but a few hours, thanks to advances in science and technology. The information I have gathered from trusted sources on the development of certain vaccines gives me full faith in the efficacy and integrity of the Covid 19 vaccines.
Retired? Now what? 