The Moderna Vaccine and My Honest Open Experience Taking It

Curious about the Moderna Vaccine? Most Americans have gotten their vaccination against Covid-19. But many are still on the fence. This is my honest experience taking Moderna’s version of the coronavirus vaccine.

What Is The Moderna Vaccine?

The Modern vaccine is codenamed mRNA-1273. Just one of a few different vaccinations offered against Covid-19. Other companies that have created versions of the Covid-19 shot are Pfizer, BioTech, and Johnson & Johnson, to name a few.

The Moderna Vaccine itself is pretty straightforward. I received one dose on a Friday and returned 6 weeks later for the second dose. I am now fully vaccinated according to the CDC.

What was getting the Covid-19 Shot like?

Honestly, it was a little underwhelming! Yes, I expected more excitement, but I’m not complaining.

I arrived 15 minutes prior to my appointment time, as instructed. These shots were administered outside in a pavilion, so there was plenty of open air. Which was a nice break from my binge-watching marathons stuck inside the house.

After taking two minutes to fill out paperwork, I was guided to a nurse who then put a date on my vaccination card. Then, I was directed to another nurse who had a chair, and the shot.

The shot itself being administered isn’t any more painful than other vaccinations I’ve had. I do have skinny arms and that can cause some gauges of needles to be more painful than others. But, the administration itself was nothing out of the ordinary.

Unfortunately, I did not get a fancy sticker or even a lollipop. But, there are several incentives to get the covid vaccine now!

Moderna Vaccine Side Effects

The CDC has the full breakdown of side effects for the Moderna Shot. The most common are…

• Headache
• Nausea
• Fatigue
• Muscle pain
• Chills
• Fever

You may also experience pain, redness, and swelling at the injection site.

Not everyone will experience the same side effects, or with the same level of severity.

My First Dose…

I had no redness at the injection site, but my arm was noticeably sore and swollen. After 24 hours, I did have a slight headache but ultimately cannot contribute that to the vaccine. My headache could have honestly been attributed to a lack of sleep. Or, lack of caffeine. Maybe too much caffeine? Who knows, I get them often.

Otherwise, I had no other side effects to report and almost forgot about the vaccine 48hrs later.

The Second Dose…

The initial shot of the second dose didn’t actually hurt as worse as the first. Which, I found odd. But again, no redness and seemingly little soreness this time around.

There have been reports that side effects were more common with the second dose, in relation to the first. This was the case for me.

I received my second shot in the morning. After about 12 hours I started to notice muscle aches, akin to those related to the flu. Chills soon followed but subsided after about an hour.

Otherwise, not much happened. It didn’t totally ruin my weekend and was nothing a Tylenol couldn’t fix.

Is the Moderna vaccine for Covid 19 approved by the FDA?

Recently, the FDA announced that the approval application for the Moderna vaccine was received, which you can read about here.

Why are people so hesitant to get vaccinated against Coronavirus?

Living in a pandemic is no cakewalk. It’s a very scary reality we have all endured over the last year.

While the vaccine itself is a huge blessing, it’s natural for others to be apprehensive about actually getting it. At this time, about 50% of the U.S population has received at least one dose. This is a great step towards ending the pandemic as we currently know it – but a lot is to be done.

Most people are waiting to see the results of those who received the shots first, before making a decision. This is really nothing to be angry at since it’s the first time in generations that people have dealt with such an unknown, dangerous novel virus. It will be many, many years before enough data is collected to fully understand Covid-19. And, conspiracy theories aside; the majority of people just want to be safe.

Do I recommend getting the Moderna vaccine?

I can say I had an ultimately positive experience with the Covid-19 vaccine I received. But to answer this question, I would say that any vaccine is better than none at all.

Research what type of Covid-19 vaccine is available in your area. Learn about the ingredients, and possible side effects, of the particular shot.

With the vast majority of positive feedback about the vaccine available, it’s becoming more comfortable for the non-vaccinated to come to the decision necessary.

Once we are all fully vaccinated, this pandemic will come to an end. And Life as we once knew it, can begin again.