I'm back.....in a pandemic...

It's the middle of May and well into the second year of the pandemic.  On April 14, 2021, I had my first dose of the Astra Zeneca (AZ) vaccine and am now wondering what will happen with the second. The last I heard, they had  put a hold on that vaccine. Fortunately, there is supposed to be a four month window after the first shot, so hopefully researchers will have time to figure out a game plan. In the meantime, experts are weighing in and at least one (a credible doctor) predicts that mixing vaccines for  second doses may not be an issue. 

When I went to my scheduled appointment at Merlis Belsher Place in Saskatoon I had heard the controversial media stories about AZ. In my mind, the risk of blood clots was so incredibly low that it seemed entirely blown out of proportion. To me, the media was going a little over the top to report one death out of hundreds of thousands of doses given. I guess they wanted to sniff out something that could snowball and rightly so. I thought of the risk of blood clots from the birth control pill and smoking for one, not mention the meds people take every day for medical conditions.

I made up my mind that after a full year of skulking around and avoiding other human beings, it was more important to get any vaccine than to be choosy and get none. Of course, when I walked in the door and registered and they gave me the news that I would be receiving AZ that day, my heart sank.  

What I realized at that moment was that I had the option, however heavy, to refuse. From the masked, gowned, and gloved volunteers working, there was no coercion or judgment, only respect for a person's decision.  I stood there rather dumbfounded and decided I needed to be part of the movement to keep the ball rolling if society is ever to develop herd immunity against COVID. I took the plunge however uneasily. I think my experience, likely mirrors many others, but I am told that some did have the guts to say no there and then. 

The line-up was not too long, the nurse giving it was competent and the needle was painless. As a non-practicing nurse who used to give immunizations, I was more concerned with her landmarking than anything. TV ads have tended to show a bigger needle than necessary, giving the needle too high up on the arm (smack dab in the centre where the nerve runs), and twisting the needle once inserted. Yikes. 

Within twelve hours, I had a raging fever that lasted 48 hours, followed by  24 hours of the sweats, then nothing. From that, I was happy that my body had mounted a good immune response. The vaccine worked. Others I know had reactions that ranged from nothing to feeling tired, to feeling like they were run over by a truck.

Next, reports came that if a blood clotting problem was going to happen with AZ, it would manifest itself between Day 4 and Day 28.  Well, Day 28 was last Wednesday, May 12 for me, and still nothing. In the meantime, tragically, more Canadians than expected have now died from blood clots associated with AZ. My heart goes out to their families and friends. I can only think that they were trying to do the right thing and work towards herd immunity as well.

This experience is a day-by-day existence and everyone is learning as we go.  The researchers work tirelessly and if we listen to them and the other experts, we will come out whole on the other side. 

Best wishes to all those waiting with bated breath for what the next steps will be.