What To Expect During Your COVID-19 Vaccination

Last week Governor Brad Little announced that "ALL Idahoans age 16 and over WILL BE ABLE to get their vaccine appointments starting on Monday, April 5th." If you've been anxiously waiting and are wondering what you can expect allow me to walk you through my personal experience.
First of all let me start by saying that it was painless. Yes, I'm referring to the shot and the process. I made sure to fill out all my info before I arrived at the vaccination site and I highly recommend doing so ( this will save you time once you've arrived). I walked in, got checked in and within 2 minutes I was at the vaccination station. The nurse asked me a few questions and then recommended that I get the shot in my dominant arm. As we shared some small talk I felt her swab my arm and when I looked over to see what she was doing I was shocked to learn that she had already given me the shot. She then handed me a timer and said go sit in that room for 15 minutes just to make sure you don't have any negative reactions. While sitting in a large room with about ten others a different employee scheduled my second shot and 15 minutes later I was out of there. Did I mention that it was painless? Did I mention that it was easy? It was definitely both of those things. As far as side effects, here is what Healthline is claiming are the most popular ones.

•  found that injection site pain, fatigue, headache, and aches and pains were commonly reported after vaccination.
• Since millions of people have gotten the vaccine outside of trials, the top side effects include pain at the injection site along with chills, headache, and fever.
• In general, older adults are less likely to experience side effects after vaccination.

Over 47 million doses of the Moderna vaccine have been administered to U.S. adults since the FDA issued emergency use authorizationTrusted Source for the shot on December 18, 2020.

There have also been several reports of “COVID arm” after the Moderna vaccination, a harmless skin rash likely triggered by the vaccine ingredients.

The reactions are usually more intense after the second dose and in people who previously developed COVID-19.

Infectious disease doctors say these reactions are to be expected, as they indicate the immune system is doing its job in learning how to recognize and fight the coronavirus."

Personally I experienced a small tumor like bump in my underarm area which bothered me for a few days but has since disappeared. I did hear from an ER nurse who said that she has seen several patients for that same issue. She couldn't elaborate so at this point I'm hoping it doesn't come back. I will share my experience after my second shot on April 15th.