I Got Shot

     

     ...and I didn't feel a thing. Not even the prick of the needle. All I'd felt was a very slight pressure as the needle penetrated the dermis of my shoulder. There wasn't even a spot of blood on the bandaide they'd put over it. No side effects to speak of. Same with Mrs. JP. It was as if we never got vaccinated today.

      We opted for the one-time Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Being a one-time dose, it's supposed to pack a wallop but the nurse who'd administered it to us said that only a small percentage of the vaccinated present with any side effects. The actual inoculation process, she added, would be about two weeks. That's the time it takes for your body to create the antibodies needed to fight the original coronavirus. And, even considering the variants that are now the dominant form of transmission, the nurse said the J&J vaccine has a good efficacy rate.

     The lead picture above is of the pharmacy in nearby Marlborough, MA at which we got vaccinated. My oldest son's girlfriend got her vaccination just over two weeks ago at the same drug store and she reported no side effects or anything. So, I thought it was worth finally getting it over with, especially considering a very serious recent health scare involving Mrs. JP (bilateral bacterial pneumonia that put her on COVID protocols for a few hours).

     So, if you're reading this, and if you haven't gotten vaccinated, yet, please do so. This Sword of Damocles was looming over our heads and getting bigger and bigger with each day. I wanted to compile information from experts and those who'd gotten the J&J vaccine regarding possible side effects. But now that we've gotten the shot and have the CDC passports to prove it, I'm glad we finally got this monkey off our backs. 

     Now, neither of the three vaccines are guaranteed to prevent you from getting coronavirus. In fact, that was never the intent, especially in light of the countless variants floating around the US. What the vaccine will do, however, is give your body a fighting chance to keep from getting infected by creating the antibodies you'll need in your immune system. As the nurse explained, the J&J vaccine has a somewhat lower efficacy rate at combating variants but when that data were compiled, it was early in the going not long after J&J had begun its own rollout, so the actual efficacy rate is in all likelihood somewhat higher.

     So, that's why your friendly neighborhood blogger was a no-show all this time today. It's not very often yours truly gets to spend so much time with the kids and their significant others. But I'll be back in full force come tomorrow.