As many of you who have read this blog know, I don’t just work in the illustrious world of fashion (collecting on invoices, editing email blasts and all of the glamorous roles I can find!), but I’m also a Registered Nurse. Since June I have been helping with my county’s COVID testing, which has meant donning the full regimen of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and entering long term care facilities, jails, and pop-up sites to test people in my community. The work has been incredibly rewarding and I have felt safe doing it. I think of the health care providers who spend 8 or 12 hour shifts with COVID + people and I know they are among the true heroes. I am so grateful that in most states, these brave men and women have been among the first to be vaccinated so they can continue to tend to our sick and recovering patients. And I was caught off guard when our field testing team was offered 30 doses of vaccine that were going to go to waste because they were left over from a first responder vaccination event and couldn’t be re-frozen.
Wendi is wearing our Adult Mask in the color Wine.
I had my concerns about the vaccine. Let’s face it, “Operation Warp Speed” may not have been the best name to instill trust. I’ve always believed in giving myself and my children the suggested vaccines, just not within the first year or so after they are approved by the FDA. This all felt very rushed – and I had been doing fine protecting myself for the past 6 months. Shouldn’t someone who’s a patient in a skilled nursing facility or a teacher or a grocery store cashier – anyone who deals with the public but has less access to PPE - get it before me? So I did what I normally do – I worked to educate myself so that I can make the best possible decision with the facts available.
Here are the facts. The vaccine has gone through rigorous clinical trials where every single step was taken to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine. This incredible technology of mRNA vaccines teaches your body to recognize the virus and make antibodies against it without ever putting live virus in you or affecting your DNA. Less than .5% of people receiving the vaccine have had severe side effects and, because they were appropriately monitored and treated after getting the vaccine, not one person has died from the vaccine in the US.
This virus is dangerous because it can affect your health or allow you to pass it to others who are more vulnerable. The longer we allow the virus to rampantly spread in our population, the more likely it is to change slightly into something more transmissible or less susceptible to antibodies. The only way through this is to get as many people vaccinated as possible. Please find responsible sources to address any questions or concerns you have. Listen to doctors and experts in the medical field (and notice how many of them shared their vaccination photos!). Please, take the vaccine when it is your turn and you are offered it. I only experienced arm soreness for about 12 hours but it was worth every minute of discomfort. I now know that coursing through my body is something truly amazing that can bring us one step closer to resuming our normal lives. I want that for everyone. Stay safe, wear your mask & keep your distance. Wishing you good health.
Wendi Samway