The COVID-19 Vaccine: A Fox Gets the Shot

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I am a door monitor at Noyes Hospital in Dansville, New York. I greet patients and staff, take their temperatures, and ask questions regarding their travel history, exposure knowledge, and their purpose at the hospital. I am also one of the first staff members in the hospital to face exposure to COVID-19 if a positive patient enters the hospital.

Source: Erin Leigh Hoffman '24

When I’m not monitoring the door, I sit in an office in the Medical Records department, filing the charts of each patient who comes through. The words “expired” in bright orange with the “COVID-19” tag on the corner of the paper, gives a new understanding to the realness of this pandemic. 

As a healthcare worker, I had the opportunity to get an appointment for the vaccine about two weeks after New York deemed healthcare workers eligible. I knew that I had an invaluable opportunity to educate my friends and family about my experience, especially with the misinformation that surrounds these vaccines. I used social media to document my own experience to help others decide whether or not to get vaccinated. The response that I received was extremely positive — and I want to share my experience with the Marist College community to help give this abstract process a face and a name.

Prior to my first dose on Dec. 29, 2020, I didn’t know the specific vaccine I would receive. This led me to do research into the two that were available at the time, Moderna and Pfizer. I found that the vaccines are similar: two dose and mRNA vaccines with an immunity rate of roughly 95% after two weeks following the second dose of these vaccines. 

I am fortunate enough to not have had COVID-19 before I got the vaccine. My main concern was the potential side effects. Since I have no history of severe allergic reactions from vaccines, I had confidence that I would not have an issue from either dose. Regardless of my past history with vaccines, I knew there was still a chance of a reaction happening. When I made the decision to document my experience getting vaccinated, I made sure to be transparent about any symptoms I felt to be accurate while describing my experience. 

At 8 a.m. on the morning of my first dose, I entered a large conference room in the hospital I work at. A woman at the table took my insurance card, screened me for COVID-19 symptoms and exposure, and took my temperature. Along with the others in the room, I received the Pfizer vaccine and then waited in the observation section of the room for 15 minutes. Here, doctors and nurses monitored us for any reactions to the vaccine. I truly don’t care for needles, so I was pleasantly surprised when the vaccine did not hurt at first. 

I noticed no symptoms within the first 15 minutes of my first dose. Once cleared, I received an official CDC vaccination card with my personal information, the vaccine I received, the date of my first dose, and when my second dose would be in four weeks later.

The worst side effect I had was a simple sore arm that went away within about 48 hours, which I documented on my Instagram story. When the time came for my second dose on Jan. 19, 2021, I posted a series of similar stories — going to the same hospital conference room, presenting my card, getting my second shot, waiting the 15 minutes, and then going to work upstairs. 

I anticipated having some symptoms following the second dose. As I suspected, I eventually began to notice a sluggish feeling with some mild body aches, at which point caused me to leave work early. I took a nap when I got home and once I woke up, the symptoms were very noticeable. I felt feverish and had the common body aches with chills that come with a fever, but my temperature never rose above 99 degrees. I decided to rest and take Advil or Motrin as needed. While these symptoms were annoying, they were bearable. After a day or so, I was back to feeling just fine. 

It’s now been over a month since I got my vaccine, and I have experienced no issues. Right now, I have the predicted immunity level and I would absolutely prefer my experience of a day feeling under the weather from the full dose, than getting COVID-19. The virus can not only make you feel horrible while it is in your system, but for many, also causes long-term effects that diminish quality of life. 

Since my vaccines were two of the hundreds of millions that have been administered in the U.S., it is clear we are making strides to once again be able to interact safely. However, being vaccinated doesn't mean that it is safe to stop wearing a mask and social distancing. Until we have a significant number of the population vaccinated, we need to continue to take caution. 

The decrease in infections, deaths, and the fact that more people are fully-vaccinated than infected is fantastic progress that can be quickly reversed if we aren’t careful. We still have an obligation, not only to ourselves, but to others to be safe. We will see concerts, parties, family gatherings, in-person classes, and open-business soon, but only if we take our responsibility to get to that point seriously. In the meantime, we can do our part by getting the vaccine. Speaking from experience, I advise anyone who is currently eligible to get the vaccine to do so. It is the best thing we can do to protect ourselves and for the greater good of those around us to hopefully soon return to normalcy.

This is my personal experience with the vaccine, and the information I share is from my perspective and online sources. I am not a medical professional. If you have any concerns regarding your eligibility for the vaccine, please speak with your doctor.