Window closing on prime COVID-19 protection

It is very easy to encourage people to get vaccinated. It is another thing when you are the one to get vaccinated.

I had received the primary series of COVID-19 vaccinations and the first booster. However, I had reacted so poorly to the last two shots that I was tentative about getting the new and improved bivalent dose. I was at the point of saying the cure seemed as bad as the cause, which made me extremely hesitant.

My initial justified delay was my daughter was getting married and she would never forgive me for getting sick at an inopportune time so, let’s wait. Then I got some respiratory bug and what I certainly did not need was more difficulty breathing. I did get my high-test flu vaccination — I do not like combining vaccinations because I want to know what the culprit was that sickened me. The flu shot created no problems. With Christmas coming and having my fair share of health and age conditions, I knew I was running out of time.

So, looking at the calendar, I decided the Monday before Thanksgiving would be good. This would give me extended time to recoup, if needed. I received the bivalent vaccination as intended and sat back and waited for the reaction. I was pleasantly surprised that I did not have the fevers and chills nor the labored breathing. I was lethargic (as a friend of mine asked, what is that?) or completely washed out with zero energy for a day. I stayed cold, but that has become my new norm anyway.

Studies have shown that the more violent the reaction a person has the more immunities they have. These studies did not consider the new vaccination so perhaps the effect is not as dramatic.

With the worst of the season coming on, I feel a little more secure that I will have less chance of having severe complications from COVID. So, if you are a member of the 98% of Robesonians who have not gotten the bivalent shot, the window is closing for optimum protection. I certainly understand the reluctance, but at some point, we have to take responsibility for our health status. Lord knows in the unhealthiest county in the state (per Robert Wood Johnson’s rankings), this is not the normal way of doing things.

There will be a major push over the next six weeks and now is a great time to consider the vaccination.