Today I got my first dose of the covid vaccine! I live in Chicago, and under their “1C” guidelines, I became eligible for the vaccine on Monday, 3/29, and today, (writing this on Thursday), I received my first jab! This was not difficult in the ways I had heard other people talk about, which can probably at least in part be attributed to a little luck and also the vaccine rollout is well underway. I think a lot of stories about covid and the vaccine don’t necessarily lead with the positive. Hearing about long wait times and side effects can lead to people deciding getting the vaccine isn’t worth it (it is). So I wanted to share my experience and answer some questions you or someone you know may have had about the vaccine or the process of getting one.

Which one did you get?

I’m a Pfizer lady! Here’s the thing: I have yet to see a pharmacy that offers more than one, so if you’re particular about ~which~ highly effective vaccine you want, you’ll have to do more research when it comes to which stores you can go to. Me? I wanted any shot in my arm any medical professional was willing to give me. And for what it’s worth, medical professionals recommend any vaccine available to you. This is not the same thing as grades in high school. Johnson and Johnson’s mid-70’s prevention is not ~average~. The yearly flu vaccine has a 50% rate. 74 percent means something completely different in the medical world than it does in your AP World Geography class.

How long did you wait?

Once I got into the CVS, I’d estimate I waited a total of 30 seconds. No, really. A very nice lady asked me my name, I showed her my ID, and she directed me to the orange tape to wait for the next available shot. After close to ten whole seconds, someone emerged from the partition, their arm freshly jabbed, and another nice lady brought me back, asked which arm (left), and asked me where my favorite place to vacation was (Hawaii, it was the first place I could think of). In no time, I too was freshly jabbed and told to wander around the store to make sure I had no side effects (you know, the serious I-need-medical-attention-right-now kind (I didn’t) ). After 15 minutes of browsing, I called a Lyft to go back home (I don’t have a car, not because of the side effect thing).

So what kind of effects did you have?

I have some muscle soreness in my arm, like I had an intense arm day at the gym (I will definitely be using the Arnica massage body oil). Also, about two hours after the shot, I got pretty tired. However, it was late afternoon, and not having had a nap and skipping lunch, that probably didn’t help the situation. I walked around outside, and I felt much more awake after.

What was the hardest part?

Honestly, just getting there. Making the appointment, especially now as doses and shipments are ramping up, wasn’t the kind of Hunger Games I had heard about at the beginning of the rollout. Because that rollout is still ramping up, the closest pharmacy I could get an appointment this week was nearly an hour away in traffic. Luckily, I didn’t have work and could afford a Lyft to get there, which isn’t the case for everyone. But the relief I feel knowing I’ve started the process of returning back to normal was AP World Geography 100% worth it.