Help Yourself - and All of Humanity - By Getting Vaccinated and Sharing Data
Saturday I got my first Covid vaccine. It was a stressful and confusing process - not actually signing up, but knowing WHEN I could sign up. The goalpost kept moving, and it was hard to know when I was eligible. I went to Seattle’s Lumen Field, which is the largest civilian run mass vaccination site in the country, and it was really, really cool. Not just because I was finally getting a vaccine, but because it was run virtually seamlessly. I have no idea how many people were working there (that article linked above says up to 600!), from people directing cars for parking to the person who checked me in on an iPad outside to the person checking on everyone in the post-shot waiting area. And pretty much everyone was a volunteer. It made me a little teary-eyed.
I was at station 11, in case you were interested! Yes I DID think of the novel!
But even if you can’t get a shot at Seattle’s groundbreaking vaccination site, you can still participate in something historic: The CDC has a program called V-Safe set up where you can help provide data about your post-vaccine experience. Just sign up here, and you will get a text messages asking you to fill out some short surveys about how you’re feeling after your vaccine. Depending on your answers, you may get a call from someone at the CDC to learn more, but otherwise each survey takes less than five minutes.
I cropped this photo because I was self-conscious about how many tabs I have open. All I’ll admit to is that it’s more than ten.
When you register for V-Safe, you fill out what vaccine you got, what date you got it, and how you’re feeling right afterward. Then, each day for a week after your vaccine, you will get a text telling you to take a survey, which you access through your smartphone browser. Once that first week is up, you will get a weekly check in survey, for up to five weeks. Once you get your second vaccine (if you need one) you will start the process over again, and then you will receive check in surveys 3, 6, and 12 months after your final dose.
If you didn’t know about this program, and you’ve already received one vaccine but are getting a second dose, you can still sign up after your second shot. When I got my shot, we were encouraged to sign up for V-Safe while we waited in the 15 minute make-sure-you-don’t-have-an-allergic-reaction area, but my parents got their shots at Costco and didn’t know anything about it until I asked them if they signed up (they’re going to do it after their second shots). All the Covid vaccines are safe, and you should absolutely get one once you are eligible in your state, but there are still unknowns, and if you participate in the V-Safe program, the CDC can respond immediately to any issues that may arise. I had a bit of a headache and arm soreness the day after my shot, but it was nothing compared to the pneumonia vaccine, which left me with a sore arm for days (Still 100% worth it, would vaccinate again), and now the CDC knows that and can add it to their database of info. I’m not super fond of having a front seat to the pandemic part of history, but I am so thrilled to be able to be a part of the vaccination process. Stay safe out there, and if you are able, get vaccinated!
