Recently, Murray State students were allowed to get their first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. Of course, there have been some people that are skeptical about the new vaccine, which I can understand. However, getting the vaccine is really important to help end the pandemic and stop some of the spread of COVID-19. If you have an appointment day coming up, you should know a little about the vaccine, and some possible side effects.
To start, the Moderna vaccine isn’t approved by the FDA, but neither are any of the other vaccines that are available to us right now. Just because the FDA hasn’t approved it does not mean that it isn’t safe for people over the age of 18. The CDC highly encourages everyone to get the shot! You may have also heard that the vaccine is made with mRNA. This is actually a really cool development in science! They aren’t actually putting a weakened germ into our bodies like most vaccines. Instead, they teach our cells how to make a protein that triggers an immune respone. This way, you can’t get COVID-19 from the vaccine and it won’t mess with your DNA in any way.
There are some side effects that you may have after the Moderna vaccine, though this is common with many shots that we would get regularly. You may have some pain and swelling in your arm a couple of days after you get it. After I got my first dose of the vaccine, my arm was sore for a couple of days following, but after taking some ibuprofen, I was completely fine. The second dose of the shot is usually what gets people, though. Most people that I have talked to, and even the CDC website, say that you may get some flu like symptoms on the second day after your second dose. This includes headaches, muscle aches, fever, and chills. But don’t be discouraged! The vaccine is making your immune system do this so you have a better chance of fighting off the virus if you come into contact with it again.
The Moderna vaccine is 94.1% effective at fighting off COVID-19 across different ages, sexes, and races. While it can be nerve racking to get a new vaccine, extreme adverse reactions are very rare. This is one of the next steps to go back to normal life all across the globe! So let’s stop the spread of the virus together.