For almost 2 years, we were basically grounded and couldn’t go anywhere, which was really annoying. My husband and I were the first to go online and make an appointment. Although I had often read about the side effects of the vaccine, I was looking forward to getting the vaccination sooner so that I could resume my freedom as soon as possible.
I was surprised to see how my body reacted to the first dose of the vaccine, and almost all of my symptoms appeared, making me very uncomfortable. It is said that the side effects of the second shot are even more severe than those of the first shot, so should I still get the second shot?
When we made the appointment, we chose a weekend – although employers are required to give their employees 3 hours of paid time to get the vaccination, we made an appointment for the weekend so that we could be more prepared and have more time off. Now that I think about it, I’m really glad I chose the weekend, otherwise it would have been a real challenge.
The address shown on the government’s website for the vaccination turned out to be an open space temporarily arranged outside, which made us look for it. When we arrived at noon, we saw many temporary tents lined up with staff inside, and in front of the tents were barriers for entrance and registration, as well as separate lanes for motor vehicles and pedestrians.
After explaining at the entrance that we were making an appointment for vaccination, the staff informed us of the general process, and then we showed our medical cards at the registration desk, completed the appointment verification registration, and filled out the vaccination screening form.
The next stop was the vaccination tent, where two rows of chairs were placed against the side, and a middle-aged nurse and assistant lady walked back and forth in the middle aisle to register the appointment holders one by one. Those who finished the injection had to sit on the chairs for 15 minutes, after which those who had no problems could leave on their own.
The nurse guided us to our seats and then started asking, “Any allergies? Any sickness? Have you ever had Neocon pneumonia? Have you received any vaccination? After getting negative answers, I was told that I would get the Pfizer vaccine this time, and that I would have to get the second dose within 4 months. I couldn’t help but sit back and relax – 4 months? Didn’t they say that the second dose would be most effective within 21 days? The assistant lady laughed and explained that depending on the arrival of the vaccine, it might not be necessary to wait as long as 4 months. Oh, okay, I see. If not, wouldn’t I have gotten this shot for nothing?
Then the official shot began. The nurse put on new gloves, picked up a new disposable syringe, and stabbed me cleanly in the arm, and the shot was done in two seconds. The nurse’s assistant then gave me a vaccine card with my name, the brand of vaccine Pfizer, the first shot, and instructions for booking a second shot.
After 15 minutes, I didn’t feel anything different and was able to leave according to the rules, and I felt relaxed the whole time. At the entrance, a Western woman came up to me just after she parked her car and asked, “What kind of vaccine did you get? After learning that it was Pfizer, she looked delighted – because according to the process, people don’t know what brand of vaccine they will get until the vaccination is given, and they can’t choose. If you really don’t want to get a certain brand, you have to cancel the vaccination for that day and make a new appointment. It seems that she wanted to get the Pfizer. In fact, Pfizer and Modena are currently the ones that are vaccinated in BC, so the chances of getting Pfizer are quite high. Moreover, according to the official data, there is not much difference between Pfizer and Modena.
I thought the story would end here. But then, 30 minutes later, the problems came one after another.
First, I felt a constant chill in my vaccinated arm with a dull pain like that of a rheumatic attack, followed by a feeling of exhaustion; at night, I had a headache, nausea, vomiting, chills, and my body temperature rose to 37.1 degrees. When I think about the years I have been in Canada, I have spent a lot of time outdoors at -30 degrees, but I have never gotten a cold. This new coronavirus, really powerful ah!
But according to the official explanation, these symptoms are normal. Because the principle of action of the vaccine is to deceive the body, so that the body thinks it is invaded by the virus, so as to stimulate the body’s immune mechanism for defense. And symptoms such as fever and pain all indicate that the body’s immune mechanism is functioning.
By 10 pm or so, the headache is splitting and the nausea is overwhelming. According to the official guidelines, over-the-counter fever and pain relievers such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen can be used to soothe the symptoms. I couldn’t hold out any longer, so I swallowed an Advil and went to bed early.
I woke up two to three hours later and found that the headache was gone and the nausea had disappeared, except for the pain in my arm. The next day, the symptoms were basically gone, only the pain in my arm remained. –I think I got through the first shot.
My husband was vaccinated with me, but his reaction was much less severe, with only a little headache and fatigue. It seems that the symptoms of this vaccine, too, vary from person to person.
According to clinical trial evidence, the Pfizer vaccine is 95% effective in preventing COVID-19 disease in people with laboratory-confirmed evidence of no prior infection, almost unchanged for the UK variant, and 2/3 less antibody neutralizing for the South African variant, but still neutralizes the virus, but two doses must be given to ensure maximum effectiveness.
So, the next day, after the symptoms disappeared, we immediately registered for a second appointment, hoping, as the nurse lady said, that we wouldn’t have to wait 4 months for the second dose.
Currently, to achieve herd immunity, the vaccination rate for the new crown vaccine must be at least 70%. Therefore, the government stipulates that no matter what your status is in Canada, as long as you are a B.C. resident, you can make an appointment for the vaccine, and school visas, work visas, and tourist visas are all eligible, and all of them are free and equal for everyone.
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