What To Expect After Covid Shot #2

It seems that since the introduction of the rona vaccines, there's been a ton of negative press about the side effects. I know I wasn't looking forward to my second shot based on what the news media has released out into the world of competitive webpage clicks. I expected to be out of work for a day or two, at home, miserable with a high fever, aches and pains, and the chance of a dry cough... but, I'd already had the first dose, who wouldn't go ahead and take the second?

I'll admit, it was not a pleasurable prick of the needle this second time around. My designated shot-giver got the initial stick in, but it wasn't deep enough. She said "Take a deep breath" and I'm guessing she slowly slid the rest of the long needle into my arm. Not even gonna lie, that hurt. A lightning fast burning of injection and it was all done. You're supposed to wait around for fifteen minutes so ensure you don't have a bad reaction to it, but I was preoccupied with the thought I could wait my fifteen minutes out while shopping for some necessities. Two birds, one stone. It all worked out fine.

It didn't take long for the soreness of the injection site to start creeping in. I work with metal quite a bit, so I'm used to the sore vaccine arm thanks to a regular tetanus shot every couple of years, no big deal... but as the clock got later and later, I started to dread how I would feel the next morning.

Turns out, as I woke and sat up to assess my own situation, I felt fine. My arm is really sore in a small patch around the injection site, but I wasn't groggy, no fatigue beyond the regular "just woke up" fuzz. No aches, no pains. I was almost disappointed at this point, I was looking forward to a day working at home, but couldn't find a single reason to call in. How is it that I don't have any of these "common side effects" the news media kept telling me I would experience? I'm a big guy, I should have had some side effect right?

It really boggled my mind until I remembered an old truth... The news media tells lies in order to gain ratings. Every piece of content they share is aimed at retaining the highest number of viewers as possible so they can sell commercials for as much as possible. That's the long and short of it. From the biggest conglomerate 24-hour news channels to the smallest local outlets, it's all about creating a sensation you can't take your eyes off of. Does this mean the rumored side effects aren't real? No, of course not... But perhaps the number of people experiencing them are far lower than what the talking heads imply.

Does that mean you should get a vaccine? That's up to you. It's an individual decision you should make. If you want one, they're available. If you don't want one, that's up to you tool... but don't let an entire industry of fake news scare you out of something you were leaning towards in the first place. Of course, as we're all different, your mileage may vary. If anything, at least your cell reception should improve right?