Day 4: My opinion on a recent news story
As a RN and in the current pandemic we are in, I feel the best news story for me to comment on would be the COVID-19 Vaccine. Honestly, it might be a little naive of me to trust the CDC, FDA, Scientists, etc., but I am not afraid of taking this vaccine. I actually was one of the first ones to sign up for it when it is available at our hospital. I know, I know, most of you are thinking: “What were you thinking being one of the first to take it? The guinea pig?” Well, I don’t look at it that way. I look at it as being the reason I became a nurse in the first place.
One of the main reasons I decided to be in healthcare is because I love to help others. It gives me a sense of purpose in life. It is why I joined the Army, why I am a RN, and why I made this blog. I constantly feel like something is missing in my life and maybe it is me not having kids of my own yet, or knowing where I want to live for the rest of my life, or even how I want to end up in my career path. All I know is, I can’t be the only one that feels this need all the time or feels the things I feel most of the time.
So what do we know about the COVID vaccine? The main vaccines talked about are Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. These will be the vaccines distributed first. I know there is some talk about Johnson and Johnson, but not as much. In the news, they discuss not being 100% effective. Basically, it sounds like the same thing as the flu vaccine. The vaccine will inject us with a strain of the virus, possibly becoming sick until we build up an immunity. It takes time to build up that immunity and it is unsure if you can catch the virus in that time frame. It is also unclear how long the immunity will last. We also are expected to take a second shot of the vaccine.
The storage of the vaccine does concern me some. I know Pfizer-BioNTech has to be stored at -70 degrees celsius (colder than winter in Antartica). Moderna is stored at the regular temperature of a freezer at -20 degrees celsius. Pfizer-BioNTech has a second dose three weeks later and Moderna is four weeks later. It also seems that Pfizer-BioNTech has more side effects than the Moderna vaccine. It is at no cost for taxpayers and if you get one on the first dose, it should be your second dose also.
I know that most people fear the fact that it was only a year of research and testing to put this vaccine out, but it has been quite awhile since we have had a pandemic like this. We still work on the flu vaccine every year and trying to pick the right strain to protect others. The vaccine will not be perfect right away, but we have already learned so much about treatment for the virus including symptoms. They spent billion of dollars to make sure this vaccine was the number one focus this past year. When a pandemic is present, the government understands the panic and that nothing will get back to normal if we don’t try and fix it. I believe everyone worked hard to help normalize life again. I trust the science of healthcare and I guess that is why I choose to take the vaccine without question.
I tell people I will take the vaccine first before my loved ones and if I get sick or bad side effects caution themselves. Since being in the military and deploying, I received so many shots/vaccines that I am not even sure what I got. All jokes aside, I do not get sick often since then and I protect myself well to better care for others. I understand individuals being afraid of the vaccine, as well as the virus itself. I do not blame people for not wanting to take the vaccine, but my opinion is that…it’s all going to be okay. One way or another, life will become normal again and COVID-19 will be just like any other virus. Stay safe everyone.
XoXo,
BB
Battle Babe
Reference : https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2020/12/16/covid-19-vaccine-pfizer-moderna-comparison-side-effects-ingredients/3902037001/