By Annaleise Parsons | Staff Writer
As the semester comes to a close, COVID-19 vaccination efforts have risen throughout the country with 213 million COVID-19 vaccine doses given. Baylor is also giving out vaccines weekly through Baylor Health Services in the Student Life Center.
The vaccines’ side effects cause some Baylor students to set aside time for rest and recovery.
Boulder, Colo., freshman Allyson Willey said, while she didn’t feel any side effects from the first dose of the Moderna vaccine, the second dose was a different story.
“I had a fever for a while, and I couldn’t sleep that night.” Wiley said. “I also had a headache and body aches that day.”
Summerville, S.C., senior Brianna Tomlin said after her second dose of the Moderna vaccine, she didn’t feel well enough to get up and move.
“I was fine for the first six to seven hours after I got the vaccine,” Tomlin said. “Then I started running a fever, chills, body aches. I was having nausea, trouble breathing, my whole body was sore, I couldn’t get up to move.”
She said that her fever reached 104 degrees Fahrenheit the day after receiving her vaccine.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the Moderna vaccination side effects include tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills and fever.
“Side effects usually start within a day or two of getting the vaccine…[and] might affect your ability to do daily activities, but they should go away in a few days,” the CDC reports on their webpage.
Willey and Tomlin both took Tylenol after getting the vaccine and said it helped relieve some of the symptoms.
“Just clear your schedule, don’t expect to do anything,” Tomlin said about making plans after receiving the second dose
Tomlin recovered from her symptoms and was able to go to class, club activities, and work after two days.
“It comes as quickly as it leaves,” Tomlin said.
Despite the side effects, Willey said getting vaccinated relieves her worries about getting others sick, and she said it will allow her to return volunteering at her local hospital.
“I definitely encourage others to get vaccinated if they can,” Willey said. “I think getting vaccinated is the best way to get back to a sense of normalcy.”
