On December 31, 2019, Chinese news sources reported a “cluster of cases of pneumonia” in Wuhan, Hubei Province. Just six days later, on January 5, 2020, the World Health Organization published their first Disease Outbreak News identifying a new virus. Then, on January 21, the Center for Disease Control confirmed the first case of COVID-19 in the United States. Just less than a year after its first reported case, the first COVID-19 vaccines were received on December 14.
It’s astonishing that COVID-19 vaccines have already been developed, as a typical vaccine would take 10 or more years to develop, produce, and distribute, but it is even more astonishing that two vaccines exist—the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines—that have been authorized for emergency use, both of which are over 90% effective. Both the FDA and CDC continuously monitor these vaccines for any problems and/or side effects that were not encountered in the clinical trials so they may address them quickly. As of now, there are no serious safety concerns regarding the two vaccines being distributed.
As with many vaccines, both the Pfizer and Moderna trigger an immune response. Mr. Blake Cannon, a physical therapist at the local Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center who received the Pfizer vaccine, states, “The first round I just had soreness at the injection site. Second round I was fine for about 12 hours, then I had chills, a low-grade fever, body aches, and fatigue.” Mrs. Amy Johnson, an audiologist who also works at the VA, reports having, “joint pain in the hands and feet after the second dose.” Despite the short-term side effects, both Cannon and Johnson urge people to consider being vaccinated when the opportunity becomes available. “If you are less likely to get it, you are less likely to spread it,” says Johnson.
Mr. Blake Cannon, who was interviewed for this article.
Photo Credit: Emma Carter
Pictured Here: Mr. Cannon
With COVID-19 vaccines being more widespread, we are now beginning to see ‘the light at the end of the tunnel.’ More are under development, including Johnson & Johnson’s single shot vaccine, which is around 85% effective. President Joe Biden has purchased 200 million more vaccines, 100 million of Pfizer and 100 million of Moderna. In addition, he hopes to have fully vaccinated most of the U.S. population by the late summer of 2021. With the leaps and bounds made over the past few months, we still need to be cautious. “It doesn’t change anything about the way we operate. We still social distance if possible, still wearing mask. We are still wearing eye protection when seeing patients,” says Mr. Cannon.
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