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My Turn
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AP Photo/Ted S. Warren
From The Asian Reporter, V31, #6 (June 7, 2021), page 7.
To jab or not to jab. That is the question.
Before I go any further with my thoughts on whether to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, let me just say, I get it. Collectively, the coronavirus pandemic has been a shock to the system. We’ve lived through more than a year of unknowns and tragedy, and each step along the way has brought with it questions that need answers.
When it was first announced that there would likely be several vaccines available to help prevent severe COVID-19 infection, did I have some concerns? Sure I did. So I thought I’d share with you my thought process regarding my decision about COVID-19 vaccines.
Like most people, I had reservations. A few of my concerns follow.
The vaccines that are now available did not exist prior to 2020.
Yes, the vaccines are new. Even after looking up "mRNA" and other terms, I only vaguely understood how they work. But the goal of the vaccines appears to be to "teach" our immune system how to recognize and defeat the virus before it attacks our body.
I don’t really know what’s in them. How can I put something in my body that I don’t understand?
Well, I’ve eaten countless hot dogs during my life and I can certainly pin that same statement to hot dogs — "I don’t really know what’s in them." I seem to be A-OK with that.
A possible side effect related to the Johnson & Johnson (J&J)/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine is blood clots. It was plastered all over the news in April. Random blood clots sound like a serious problem.
While I hope nobody ever has to experience a blood clot of any kind, the probability of having a blood clot after receiving the J&J/Janssen vaccine is 1 in a million. As a reference point, I looked up the possibility of being hit by lightning in one’s lifetime on the National Weather Service website. It’s a 1 in 15,300 chance. That means you are about 70 times more likely to be struck by lightning than to experience a blood clot from the J&J/Janssen vaccine.
Based on the weather service numbers, it would be a better investment for me to remove every piece of metal from my house and wrap all the doors and windows with duct tape instead of worrying about the side effects of a vaccine shot.
What about the unknown? What other side effects might happen if I’m vaccinated?
By now, if you’ve read this far, you can probably guess that I didn’t really struggle with the decision whether to get a jab. The alternative — that is, contracting COVID-19 — was all the information I needed to make up my mind.
Still, I meant it when I said I could relate to the fear of the unknown. For the first few hours after receiving my first dose, I paid close attention. Whatever it was, I would be ready.
Would I get a rash? Would my hair fall out? Would appendages just start falling off my body? Would my voice change and give me an irresistible urge to belt out show tunes in the produce aisle of my local market? The unknown can be scary.
The experience was pretty anti-climatic. The only side effects I felt were a sore arm and a night of restlessness. No lost appendages. No show tunes.
Get the shot, folks. The benefits are obvious. And if you do feel a need to belt out a show tune, just stick with Rodgers & Hammerstein and we’re all good.
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Opinions expressed in this newspaper are those of the
authors and not necessarily those of this publication.