hope
COVER STORY
A shot of Seniors find comfort amid vaccine confusion By Anthony Welch
H
elen Brown, a widower of three years, lives alone. That’s been the toughest part of living through COVID-19. “The isolation was very, very difficult,” she said. Fortunately, today’s technology allowed the 70-year-old to connect with family and friends through Zoom and Skype. Outdoor gatherings with her family during the summer also provided much-needed relief. Brown’s son was quick to let her know once the COVID-19 vaccine became available. From the date she first registered, she scheduled an appointment and received the vaccine within a week. “I read a lot about how it was engineered and what it did,” Brown said. “And that made me feel very comfortable.”
COMMON SIDE EFFECTS Those receiving the vaccine may experience mild to moderate side effects after receiving it. Side effects typically go away on their own after a few days, according to the Colorado Department of Health and Public Environment (CDPHE). Brown felt absolutely no side effects after her first injection. “People had mentioned sore arms. I just made sure I moved my arm around and drank lots of
Does it
6 | COVER STORY | MARCH 2021 |
“Effects can be as severe as feeling like you have the flu, or minimum to none, which is the vast majority of folks,” Steinbruner said. “Side effects are not age dependent. They can happen to younger folks as well as older folks.” As far as the vaccine being safe, Steinbruner assured there should be no concerns about getting it. “It’s safe, and it’s been really well studied,” he said. “I encourage everybody to get this vaccine. I’ve taken it myself.”
WHO’S ELIGIBLE? Colorado is currently in Phase 1A, 1B.1 and 1B.2 of vaccine distribution. Among those eligible to receive the vaccination are Coloradans age 65 or older. As of mid-February, 70,274 people in El Paso County had received their first vaccination, and
Andy Cain, 74 “I was a little achy overall—the kind of feeling that you worked out too hard or needed to work out. The person who [gave me the vaccine], I would call them a very good stick. They knew what they were doing.”
hurt? Seniors share their COVID-19 vaccination experiences
water,” she said. According to the CDPHE, the following symptoms are normal and show that your body’s immune system is responding to the vaccine: • Pain, swelling and redness at the injection site • Pain, tenderness and swelling of the lymph nodes in the same arm of the injection • Fatigue • Headache • Muscle pain • Chills • Joint pain • Nausea/vomiting • Fever Dr. David Steinbruner, Chief Medical Officer at UCHealth Memorial Hospital, said he’s seen side effects vary from person to person. Much of it has been soreness in the arm, which he said isn’t from the vaccine itself, just the shot.
Helen Brown, 70 Following her second dose, Brown experienced a few body aches and some nausea for a couple of days. “If these flu-like symptoms are the worst they can be, I’m okay with that.”
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