COVID-19 Vaccine

It's safe to say that the past year and few months have felt like some of the longest, at least in my lifetime. The pandemic raged, and we were forced to try and survive the best way we know how. But behind the scenes (so to speak), there were scientists working hard and fast. Some were studying the behaviour of the virus, others the impact on people, and others still, how to vaccinate the world.

I admit that I was not very keen on being among the first to be vaccinated. And by that, I mean I would prefer to wait a few years when more is known about the virus and any long-term effects a vaccine may have. But the luxury of such a wait seemed too high a price. Waiting meant being more likely to be exposed, and unfortunately, there is no predicting whether I would be among the fortunate to recover. So I decided, even before a single drop landed on our shores, that I would take the vaccine.

There was one condition though - I had to be sure that it was sufficiently safe. Many different companies and countries were working on vaccines. Results were promising for a few, not so much for others. But I was convinced enough that the scientists have done a lot of work on vaccines over the years, so it was not a "new" science. 

The opportunity came where I was eligible to get vaccinated. It was much sooner than I thought. After 5 hours in line, my turn finally came, the point of no return. I officially received the AstraZeneca vaccine, first dose. Immediately after, I was fine and given my papers to leave. My first stop was to get food (I had no plans of spending 5 hours in line), and then I picked up Panadol, the recommended medicine for possible side effects. I had two tablets with a very late lunch, and 2 more with dinner. And thought things would be fine.

I thought wrong! At 1:00 am the next day, I was shivering like crazy with a fever of over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Plus I had a headache and eye ache. And there was nausea! I felt horrible! The later hours of the morning was difficult as I had to put on a brave face to give a presentation to university students. It was certainly not my best but I managed to be coherent enough. The fever broke later in the day and the nausea lessened significantly. The headache was also way less intense and so was the eye pain. By the next day, only remnants of the headache and eye were there until they too disappeared. The only thing I had to remind me of the vaccine was the muscle pain where the injection was given.

Do I regret it? No. Will I get the 2nd dose? Absolutely! Because I want to be as protected as I can. I don't want to risk my health and worse, the health of those around me by not following through. I can only hope and pray that I don't feel as bad or worse when the 2nd dose begins to take effect.