My experience before, during and after getting the vaccine  

By: Carlos Glick

#IGotTheShotNYC pin. Credit: Carlos Glick

To start off, before I get into my experience, it is important to note the reasons as to why and how I received my vaccination early. The first is people with certain disabilities or conditions, like myself, qualify for this round of vaccinations. Secondly, I live in housing provided by OPWDD, which stands for Office for People with Developmental Disabilities, which makes me eligible.

On January 29, 2021, I received my first shot of the vaccination and boy was it an experience. I received the vaccination over at Port Richmond High School on Staten Island.

The wait for the vaccine wasn’t very long at all, my dad and I had waited for about 40 minutes, not including the 15 minute wait after receiving the shot. 

Our appointment time for the vaccine was scheduled at 11:00. When we got to the school, we had to walk around the building to the back entrance of the school and entered. Just right before we entered the vaccination site, we were instructed to show our ID to the security guard and were each given a card to get our vaccinations recorded including which type of the vaccine we got on that day along with the date we received the vaccine.

We were then assigned to a table in which a very nice doctor gave both my dad and I the Moderna vaccine. I went first followed by my dad . Honestly, the shot didn’t really hurt at all. It felt like a small pinch. 

After we took the vaccine, we went behind the wall and sat in the chairs for 15 minutes. It was there during those 15 minutes that we scheduled our second shot for 4 weeks later. 

Within an hour, I started feeling the side effects kick in.

I began to feel a common side effect, soreness at the injection site, not too long after the initial vaccine. The soreness then turned into a more numb or limp feeling; needless to say, I had a major case of pins and needles.

The common side effects the vaccination will do to you is that you may experience pain and swelling in the same arm that you received the vaccine in. Throughout the rest of your body, you may experience a fever, chills, tiredness, and potentially headaches.

Another common side effect of the vaccine was fatigue. The side effects also made me feel exhausted. After receiving my shot, I spent a lot of time relaxing on my couch and watching television to allow my body to rest. 

You will feel slight swelling of the injection site. The CDC website speaks about how this is common. They even give you tips on how you can help it. To reduce pain and discomfort where you got the shot, you can apply a clean, cool, wet washcloth over the area. You can also exercise your arm. 

This, along with other helpful tips can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/expect/after.html.

For those of you who have gotten the vaccine, I salute the brave soldiers you are. For those of you who have not gotten the vaccine, I have a couple words to say: 

Good luck! You will need it!