Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’d know that COVID-19 has completely flipped the world upside down.
Millions of lives have been taken by the hand of the virus that was held by ill-prepared and irresponsible leaders. Millions more have contracted the virus and lived to see the other side. Some with little to no lasting effects and others who weren’t as fortunate suffered from long-term symptoms of what’s known as “long Covid.”
I was one of the fortunate ones who came down with a mild case of COVID-19 — it still sucked.
I’ve had the flu twice as a kid and this was nothing like it. I was weak, my throat felt like the sun all day, my nose burned like hell and the worst part was the stomach pains. They were sharp, intense pains like I’ve never experienced. I threw up all day every day and couldn’t even keep a cracker or a sip of ginger ale down to save my life. The bathroom soon became my second bedroom.
Couple that with the fact that I spent my 21st birthday ill with Covid and you’ve got yourself a very depressing two weeks of pain.
My entire household actually contracted the virus and we still to this day have no clue when or where we got it. We’re all very careful and clean people so when our CVS test results came back positive, we were in shock.
Just like a lot of Americans, I was skeptical when I heard how fast the vaccines were approved, but I wasn’t completely against them.
As an African-American, I’m fully aware of the U.S.’s racist and ugly past when it comes to testing on minorities. The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment stands out the most as it directly affected the Black community. Conducted in 1932 and lasting about 40 years, Tuskegee University (then the Tuskegee Institute) and the Public Health Service combined forces to conduct a study about the history of syphilis. Without their consent, 600 Black men — including 201 who didn’t have the disease — were tested under the false guise that they’d received free health care.
The study violated major ethical and health codes and has since been labeled as unethical. These men and their families were affected and some still suffer the consequences to this day. The Black community has not forgotten this horrid study and it has fueled their distrust of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Many of my friends and family expressed their discontent with the speed of the vaccines. Many of them stated that they’d wait until the very last minute before getting the vaccine while others shunned it all together. However, with Texas opening back up to full capacity, the statewide mask mandate lifted and the coronavirus hitting closer to home, their tunes changed, and as did mine.
My household got our first dose of the Moderna vaccine on March 9 and we’re set for our second dose on April 6. The process was surprisingly fairly simple and efficient as we were out in under 40 minutes. Our temperatures were checked at the door and we were held for 15 additional minutes afterward to ensure we didn’t have any side effects.
I have a passionate hate for needles and it surprisingly didn’t hurt! The only thing I dealt with was a sore arm that lasted for about three days. My mom on the other hand did experience some mild flu-like symptoms. She had a headache, body aches and a runny nose for around four days, but after that she was fine.
Let’s face it, the coronavirus isn’t going anywhere any time soon. I understand the resentment towards the vaccine, but it’s a necessary part of getting “back to normal.” At the end of the day in order to fight this virus, everyone must do their part. That means buckling down and getting vaccinated for the greater good.