Should you get vaccine?

Posted on February 12, 2021

For every person waiting to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, there is another person holding back and questioning whether or not getting the shot is the right decision for them.

And that’s okay, Taylor-Department of Health (DOH) Operations Manager Martine Young said.

“We have had people register to get their vaccine, and then at the last minute, change their minds. And that’s okay – it is absolutely their decision to make on what is right for them,” she said.

“For me personally, this (the vaccine) is my light at the end of the tunnel. The number of deaths due to COVID is continuing to rise, and this is the way to stop them. We here at the health department are also seeing how people are dealing with issues from the long-term affects of the virus,” Young said.

“This has been a very, very long year (2020-21), and we are not done yet. Having a sore arm for a day or two (from receiving the vaccine) is what I’m facing, then it’s worth it,” she said.

Perry resident LaDoris Brasby, who received a second-round dose on Feb. 3, said she decided to get the vaccine “because I don’t want to get this virus. It’s worth it.”

Earline Neeley, who received her second dose on Wednesday, said the mass vaccination clinic held at Forest Capital Hall “went well, as far as I am concerned. I’ve had a headache, chills, low-grade fever and, of course, a sore arm. But, I took two ibuprofen this morning and everything is easing off.”

She said she and her husband would “do it again,” adding that “our age was the deciding factor for taking the vaccine.”

On Thursday, retired educator Anne Hendry reported “feeling absolutely no side effects, and it’s been 24 hours.”

Her reason for getting the vaccine stemmed from two facts: “One, I’m 71, and I’m proud of that to a certain extent. Also, I know I have underlying conditions and feel strongly that if I get COVID, I’d be gone.”

Hendry said that since the outbreak began, “I have basically stayed in — I do Walmart pick-ups, and pharmacy pick-ups, and any place else I go, I’ve worn a mask. But I am frustrated with the people in Taylor County who are not doing what needs to be done.”

She acknowledged that “there are so many unknowns about the vaccine, that yes, I’d like to wait six months, 10 months or a year to see what things come up about these vaccines, but I didn’t think I could. I am tired of not going anywhere or doing anything. (With the vaccine) I’ll feel more secure about going out to eat in a restaurant with friends — something I haven’t done in a long time. Although I rode in a car with someone in October.”

Given her limited contact with people over the past several months, Hendry said that Wednesday’s vaccination clinic was practically a social event.

“I had the best time yesterday. I put on make-up, fixed my hair – which I have been cutting myself because I won’t go to the beauty shop – and saw so many people there. I sat down (after receiving my shot) and looked around at the other people also waiting and recognized so many people. There’s so and so, and so and so. I just roamed the whole Forest Capital Hall visiting with people I haven’t seen or talked to in months – keeping my distance, of course,” Hendry said.

She also spoke highly of how well the clinic was organized.

“It was top-notch. I see on the news people talking about how bad some vaccine sites are, but ours was great,” she said.

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