My Why By Amy Kaiser Rn

Why did you decide to receive the COVID-19 vaccine? Mostly because I have elderly parents, and I work in a healthcare facility where I’ve watched COVID-19 decimate the way of life that we’ve known prior to this.

What would you like to say to those are who hesitant to receive the vaccine? Just do it. It’s the only way we’re going to get to an immunity level where we can retrieve a sense of normal life again.

What would you say to those who are worried about possible vaccine side effects? There are side effects, but not nearly the side effects you will have with COVID-19. Even if you survive COVID-19, some studies are showing that 30% of individuals seem to have neurological side effects that remain with them.

What would you say to those who think it may not matter if they don’t get the vaccine? If you work in a healthcare facility or know anyone who's had COVID-19, there are long-haulers, people who suffer consequences of the virus long-term. There’s no research showing how long these effects can last. If you receive the vaccine, you’re far safer than having COVID-19.

What made you feel safe to get the vaccine? Research. I think there’s not enough information out there on the research. People think this vaccine came about overnight, but the research was being done years before on mRNA vaccines. They just simply changed the protein for the COVID-19 vaccine.

What were your worries? I thought about the risks versus the benefits. I was a lot more sure about receiving the vaccine than I was about surviving COVID-19.

Is it difficult to get vaccinated? No, we have a great process here. It’s seamless. We have someone check on you 15 minutes after your vaccination. We report any side effects to the Indiana State Department of Health. You can look up the amount of side effects we’ve actually had and see that it’s a relatively low number.

This interview was conducted in the summer of 2021, prior to organizational decisions regarding employee vaccination status and booster recommendations.