BY NICOLE ASBURY
A few weeks ago, I got an automated call from the Douglas County health department notifying me that Phase 1 of Kansas’ COVID-19 distribution plan was ongoing.
As an eligible health care worker, I was asked to confirm that I’d received the notification. My employer was optimistic I could receive my vaccine in a few weeks time.
I received an email from Douglas County health officials a few days later that linked to an online portal, where I filled out my insurance and personal health information. I had to call my dad twice to confirm everything I was filling out was the correct information because I didn’t want to make any part of the process more difficult for those distributing the vaccine.
Shortly after, a nurse from LMH Health called me directly around 8 a.m. and asked me if I could come in that day or tomorrow to receive my COVID-19 vaccine.
I knew I wanted to book it that day.
Like many others, I’ve been anticipating receiving the COVID-19 vaccine for months. I can distinctly remember being at a news conference in the bottom floor of the Kansas statehouse roughly a year ago. State health officials had found out COVID-19 was spreading throughout the state. Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretary Lee Norman had been warning that potentially the U.S. public could be socially distancing until February 2021.
Around that same time, my brother-in-law was one of the first 10 COVID-19 cases in Douglas County. I heard from my sister how much it had made him out of breath, and how much weight he’d lost during the course of his time fighting the virus. He’s only about five years older than me — someone still in their 20s — and the coronavirus had taken its toll on his health.
Since both of my parents are especially vulnerable to the coronavirus and I work with an individual who is especially at risk, I’ve really tried to do a daily self check-in to make sure I wasn’t carrying any symptoms. I spent most of my fall academic semester obsessively sniffing candles to make sure I still had my sense of smell and worrying every sneeze was a hint of something worse.
My mom received both of her doses of the vaccine about three weeks ago, and gave me a rough idea of her symptoms. She said for her first dose, she’d only felt sore in her arm, similarly to the tightness in the shoulder after receiving the influenza shot.
When I walked into LMH Health, I did a quick check-in with someone working the front door. They asked me if I’d recently been tested for COVID-19, if I’ve traveled or if I’ve engaged in any other behavior that might potentially make me an unknowing carrier. After a temperature check, I headed for a set of elevators that led me down to the Phase 1 clinic.
There was a line of tape that guided me to where I needed to check-in. A nurse had a packet set aside for me that detailed what I needed to know about the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. The packet informed me of potential side effects I may have based off what other receivers reported — fatigue, headaches, muscle pain, among other symptoms.
After filling out all the paperwork to confirm I was consenting to receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, I sat down at another table with another nurse. She walked me through each page of the packet I received during check-in to more thoroughly explain what the process would look like and to give me the opportunity to ask any questions I had.
The nurse also asked me if I’d had any allergic reactions to other shots I’d received or I was potentially allergic to any medication. That information helps determine how long nurses monitor you after you receive the shot. I haven’t had any allergic reaction, to my knowledge, so it was determined I’d be monitored for 15 minutes.
After that, I headed to a separate room where I would receive the first dose. Douglas County health officials advise patients to wear clothing that’s easy to receive the vaccine in. I made sure to layer a T-shirt under my sweater, so I could stay warm but mutually make the process efficient for health officials. I sat in a cubicle where a nurse again asked me if I had any questions, and then proceeded to give me my first dose in my left arm. She let me know, like other nurses, that I may experience some soreness.
After that, I was directed to sit in a room where I was monitored by a separate nurse for the allotted 15 minutes. Only about five other people were in the clinic’s room with me at the time. Each of us scheduled our appointment for the second dose that day. I was recommended to schedule my second dose appointment on a day where I wasn’t going to engage in any extreme activity because some individuals during the clinical trials received flu-like symptoms after the second shot.
I tried not to tear up while I was being monitored, but I was so relieved to know that I was on a path to start being around my mom and dad again without the consistent anxiety that I was hurting them.
In the days that followed, I only really experienced fatigue and some tightness in my shoulder. I drank a lot of water and took some time to fit in extra hours of sleep.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention set up an online tracker that helps individuals track any side effects that come with the vaccine, called v-safe. I chose to opt into the program to help scientists understand more of the side effects of the vaccine. Each day at around 2 p.m. for the first week, I receive a text that asks how I’m doing.
Though I’m less vulnerable to COVID-19, I’m going to continue following public health guidelines — wearing a mask, social distancing and washing hands frequently. It’s the responsible thing to do, since in between the first and second dose people can still expose others to the coronavirus. But I’m so relieved knowing that I can walk back into my apartment without as much anxiety that I might have picked up the coronavirus at the grocery store.
Reach reporter Nicole Asbury at eudoratimes@gmail.com.
To donate to support our community journalism, please go to this link: tinyurl.com/y4u7stxj