Worth the shot
COVID-19 vaccine’s debatable side effects
submitted photo. Keely Johnson receives her first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Many debate whether or not the shot is worth their safety.
February 19, 2021
A simple poke can save your life, or will it? The COVID-19 vaccine has been called into question whether it’s worth it or not.
Keely Johnson had no concerns as to getting the vaccine for her underlying health complications.
“I didn’t have any real fears or concerns because I believe that everybody needs to get the vaccine so that we can move past this pandemic,” Johnson said.
The official name for the vaccine is Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. There have been many side effects observed from the vaccine through the first and second doses.
The third day, the left side of my head felt like I’d been hit with a hammer.
— Lenna O’dell, nurse
“I didn’t have any side effects for two days [after the second dose],” Lenna O’dell, who received the vaccine as a nurse at an endoscopy center, said. “[The head pain] lasted for three days.”
The CDC says vaccine recipients are to expect pain and swelling on the arm where they got the shot and, throughout the rest of the body, fever, chills, tiredness and headaches. Although, some people only experience symptoms with the first dose of the vaccine.
There have been headlines of people dying after receiving the vaccine, but there has been no direct connection to these deaths. Most fatalities have been caused by underlying illnesses of the patients.
The requirements for the vaccine currently are based on age and whether or not one has an underlying health condition. Those aged 65-74 are recommended to take the vaccine due to a higher chance of life threatening effects if they contract COVID-19. Other at-risk individuals able to currently get the vaccine include people aged 16-64, prioritizing those with serious health conditions as well as essential workers.
