To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate?
Within the past few weeks, I’ve seen A LOT (two words) of questions regarding the Covid vaccine. Now, I am in no way a medical professional and am certainly not telling you what to do, but I think it’d be beneficial for me to share some resources with you and – of course – give you my own little anecdote as well.
First and foremost, HERE is a really great video for everyone to watch. Developed by the National Ataxia Foundation, this hour-long webinar features two leading Ataxia clinicians and an immunizations expert to provide credible, researched information on Covid-19.
Even if you don’t have Ataxia, I highly encourage watching the first 20 minutes where Dr. Jueig explains the function of various Covid vaccines in a wonderfully simplified, easy-to-understand manner.
But, basically, they say YES, people with any underlying medical condition should get the vaccine as soon as possible. According to Dr. Khemani, “The potential risk of getting severely sick from Covid-19 far outweighs the potential risk of side-effects from the vaccine itself.”
The simple act of having less stress regarding this pandemic once you’re vaccinated is HUGE (especially since Ataxia symptoms are often exacerbated by stress). Watch it yourself by clicking on the picture below.
Ok, so, maybe you’re young and healthy and the entire world shutting down with over two million people dying isn’t that big of a deal since there’s like a 97% chance of you being fine if you happen to come across the virus anyway. Plus the trials were only a few months long which – despite what scientific researchers who dedicate their lives to these situations say – is no way near long enough to truly test the validity of these vaccines. Here’s a link from the CDC for you: “Key Things to Know“
All sarcasm aside, I get the apprehension surrounding these shots. I really do. My opinion is simply that we don’t know the long-term effects of this virus either, and I’d rather have these medications in my system than Covid. But to each his own. It quite literally does not affect me whether you get vaccinated or not.
You see, “all” the vaccine does is prevent you from developing severe symptoms. The shot(s) block infection, not disease. Therefore, VACCINATED PEOPLE CAN STILL GET AND TRANSMIT THE VIRUS. Getting the shot(s) is basically “just” keeping you out of the hospital… So, again, being vaccinated does not prevent you from spreading Covid – it’s protecting YOU, not others.
At least that’s what they’re saying, until we get more data…
But you staying out of the hospital keeps that bed open for people who NEED it. And if you give the virus to someone who is vaccinated, it doesn’t really matter. This sounds mean, but I, personally, do not care if I give the disease to someone who had the opportunity to get vaccinated and chose not to. According to the CDC, “There are several activities that fully vaccinated people can resume now, at low risk to themselves, while being mindful of the potential risk of transmitting the virus to others.”
Remember when I said I wouldn’t tell you what to do? I lied. Find out when & where you’re eligible HERE or HERE.
I’m fully vaccinated. I got the first Moderna shot on January 22 and had a sore arm and a bad headache the next day. My second shot, a few weeks later, was followed by a full day in bed with nausea and a fever. It sucked, but was completely expected – nothing you couldn’t handle. And, again, I would much rather have one day of that than an unknown Covid reaction.
So, yeah, there’s a chance we’ll someday see a commercial that says, “If you received a vaccine in 2021, you are eligible to take part in this Pharmaceutical lawsuit…” But at least Covid won’t have killed me before that happens.
Find my pretty popular Covid Quarantine post here:
Excellent…..can hardly wait until my high-risk group is called!! Unfortunately they have decided to space them here (probably 4-5 months) so that everyone gets one , but it is what it is!