Over a year ago today, I was told that I had a two-week break from my senior year of high school due to fears over the spread of the Coronavirus. That day, my classmates and I gathered for a class-wide picnic to celebrate an extra-long spring break, and we all talked about how excited we were for online school. As the day came to a close, I opened my locker and looked at all of the pictures placed inside of it. I drove away from school that day with my windows down, excited for what I thought would be the best spring break of my life. Instead, it was the opposite. I never saw my classmates again and my locker still has those photos inside of it. I have yet to step foot on my high school campus again, and I never got to say a formal goodbye to my favorite teachers.
As I waited in line to get the first dose Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, all of these memories flooded my mind. Images of the senior year I was supposed to have and the senior traditions I was never able to take part in overwhelmed me. Once I finally was next in line, tears came to my eyes. It is the beginning of the end.
As soon as the needle entered my arm, I could feel a soreness take over my whole arm. I was given a vaccination card that I was told to photograph, and I was told to laminate the original copy to ensure it does not get damaged. They told me that this vaccination card would allow me to fly internationally in the coming months. I was instructed to wait thirty minutes to make sure my body properly reacts with the vaccine, then I was able to go home. I anxiously awaited the side effects, but they never came. All I had was a sore arm for two days.
21 days later, I went back into the clinic. Just as before, I waited in line for my dose and was instructed to wait thirty minutes after. I went home with a sore arm and did not feel any other side effects. Twelve hours after my shot, the side effects started to kick in. I had chills and a headache, and my arm was pulsing with pain. I took two tylenols and went to sleep. The next morning, I felt completely fine.
Even during the worst of the pain and chills, I never regretted getting vaccinated. With a death toll of almost three million, Coronavirus has proven itself to be unforgiving. Like any other medication or vaccine, there are side effects, but do not let a fear of those side effects prevent you from getting vaccinated.
After vaccination, the CDC says that “people who have been fully vaccinated can start to do some things that they had stopped doing because of the pandemic.” Some of these things include visiting other fully vaccinated people indoors without a mask and visiting a small group of others that are unvaccinated. Also, fully vaccinated people can travel internationally and domestically without quarantine after travel. While fully vaccinated people should still avoid medium to large gatherings, being able to visit others is a huge step forward.
Looking back on all of the experiences and events I missed due to the Coronavirus is difficult, but now that I am fully vaccinated and the vaccine is becoming more readily available for Americans I am excited for the coming months. 397 days after March 13, 2020, I am finally able to safely see friends and family again. Getting vaccinated was one of the best decisions I have made in a long time.