Is the coronavirus vaccine safe?

by Laura Sarrach, RN

Finally, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  We have a vaccine to make us all safe from the evil coronavirus. But the question is “Do you trust our government to tell us the truth about the vaccine?”

So, let’s look at our options. We can stay in the house forever, wear a mask when we’re around friends, family and other people, or choose to take the vaccine, hoping we finally get back to “normal.”

As a nurse and follow shut-in, I want to know the negatives and positives of taking the vaccine.

First, the general population will be the last to receive the vaccine.  I am like everyone else; I am a little nervous about a vaccine coming out so quickly. I question if the safety research on the coronavirus vaccine was done in a “hurried” manner. I wonder if the “hurried” research included shortcuts during the research process. The vaccine came out in record time. Is it safe?

Now, saying that, I also don’t want to get the coronavirus, but I’m most worried about giving it to my family members who are most vulnerable.  Besides that, there is no way I can stay in my house another nine months without being around people. I am already depressed and lonely and find myself talking to my dog, Minnie.

But I know I am one of the blessed ones who is retired and financially stable. I can’t imagine what a two-income family is going through, when they can’t work and pay their bills, much less have their kids home all day. Families want their kids back in school. Parents are having major difficulties doing schoolwork with their children and trying to work at home, too.  It is almost impossible.

With that being said, more than 300,000 people in America have died from the virus.  The ones who don’t die are in the hospital for a long time, and must worry about a huge hospital bill.  Most health insurance companies do not cover all the costs, that is, if you’re one of the lucky ones who have health insurance.

People need to get back to work to pay their house payment or rent, and put food on the table. Our food pantries are overflowing with massive amounts of people and families in need.  We need this virus to go away. Our economy can’t continue without money coming in.

How long before many people will be losing everything because most of the businesses are shut down? People are losing their homes and can’t feed their families.  So, whether we should take the vaccine is an important question. But we really don’t have much of a choice, do we?  We either die from the coronavirus, or take our chances with the vaccine to stop the spread. I, for one, am for stopping the spread of the virus and hoping to get back to a “new normal.” How about you?

About the coronavirus

What are the symptoms of coronavirus? What are my chances getting the virus? Who knows? It depends on how much you socialize among people. Right now, I am going crazy, being in my house alone, with no one to talk to. There only is so much grocery shopping I can do. I want my life back. I want to go to the gym, restaurant, socialize. I have made a conscious decision to take the COVID- 19 vaccine. The pluses outway the negatives. I am sure there are more people dying from the virus than the few side effects of the vaccine.  People with the COVID-19 virus have a wide range of symptoms reported — ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Going on a respiratory ventilator is not a choice. But preventing the virus with the vaccine is.

Symptoms of the coronavirus include but not limited to:

• Fever or chills.
• Cough.
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing.
• Fatigue.
• Muscle or body aches.
• Headache.
• New loss of taste or smell.
• Sore throat.
• Congestion or runny nose.
• Nausea or vomiting.
• Diarrhea.

My sister works in the ER and she says they are “swamped with coronavirus patients.” I believe it when they say more than 300,000 people have died.  So far, I been one of the lucky ones — no one in my family had the virus and all my friends stayed healthy.

As for the vaccine, the Unites States’ long-standing vaccine safety program closely and constantly monitors the safety of the vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Immunization Safety Office identifies possible vaccine side effects and conducts studies to determine if health problems are caused by vaccines. So far, the data shows that the current U.S. vaccine supply is the safest in history, according to the CDC.

All things considered, should you take the vaccine? From a nursing point of view, I’d rather take the vaccine and not take my chances of getting sick from the virus. The coronavirus is not like the flu, and there can be permanent physical problems after supposedly recovering from it.  Or do you recover?

I do trust our health care workers, and if they’re taking it first, I am right behind them.