Although those who have recovered from Covid-19 have experienced flu-like symptoms following an inoculation, no other worrisome side effects have been reported by vaccinated residents of Ohio County during the first month of dose distribution.
Lou Vargo, the director of the Ohio County Emergency Management Agency and interim administrator for the Ohio County Commission, reported this week that no one experienced allergic or serious reactions to the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.
“I know of no serious reactions experienced by anyone we have seen at our clinics to this point,” Vargo reported. “I know that some health departments across the country have reported some serious reactions, but so far that’s not been an issue here in Ohio County. Of course, each person who has received the vaccine has been observed for at least 15 minutes, and everyone has been just fine.
“There is some research out there, and to me it makes sense, that people who have had Covid have experienced more side effects than people who have not had the virus,” he said. “They have felt muscle fatigue, and some have had headaches and a slight fever. That makes sense to me because those who have had Covid have developed antibodies, and then with the vaccination, the body is learning how to defend itself again.”
Dose No. 2
Both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines require each individual to receive two doses, and the second dose needs to be administered either 21 (Pfizer) or 28 days (Moderna) following the first. Vargo received his first vaccination before the Christmas holiday, and he received his second last week.
The side effects, if any, following the second inoculation can be more evident than what was experienced after the initial vaccination, according to the EMA director.
“With the second dose that people received, the side effects will be more noticeable, but that is only because that’s the body increasing your immunity against the virus,” Vargo said. “That seems to be how the vaccine works once it’s in the body.
“When I was vaccinated the second time, I had a sore arm and a slight headache, but it wasn’t a headache that I had to take anything for, and I didn’t have any chills or anything like that, and I’ve not been informed of any serious side effects in the state of West Virginia.”
Of course, when the second vaccination can be delivered to residents depends on the supply of doses distributed by state officials.
“We have had to cancel a couple of appointments for the second vaccination because the state’s supply from the federal government was not as large as anticipated, and that meant that we didn’t get the second doses for some of our first responders,” Vargo explained. “Those doses were received yesterday, and that will allow us to get those people vaccinated on time.
“Soon we will begin the second round for county residents who are 80 years old and older, and then we will progress from there,” he said. “The demand is very high, and that’s a good thing. People want to be protected, and that was our hope from the very beginning. We expect that to be true, too, as we progress through the ages.”
Anticipation
A little more than a month after the pandemic began, the American public started to hear news about the development of a Covid-19 vaccine and that the federal government would wave some regulations and subsidize the companies to allow for quick results.
Pfizer was the first to produce and distribute its doses, and Moderna was next three weeks later. The vaccinations arrived at the state of West Virginia during the second week of December, and Ohio County received its first shipment the following Monday. Front line health care workers, first responders, and employees and residents were included in the first groups to be inoculated.
Prior to the process, however, Vargo was concerned that many Ohio County residents would refuse to participate because of worries over the hurried development.
“That’s because I really didn’t know what to expect, Now, we did have a couple of first responders who didn’t want the vaccine, but overall, the demand has been very high, and I think it will remain that high as we progress. How quickly that takes place though, is up to the supply, and that’s up to the federal and state governments,” he explained. “But because we have not seen any bad reactions or severe side effects, I think our younger residents will be ready when it is their turn, and I hope some people who have chosen not to get it see that the side effects have been minimal so that they will finally decide to get theirs.
“The governor has said much the same during his briefings, so hopefully people across the state will feel as if it’s the right thing to do so we can finally get past this pandemic,” Vargo added. “West Virginia is ahead of the game right now, so it’s my hope that we can continue with enough supply.”
