In early March, the Governor of Texas Greg Abbott opened the state to 100%. Since opening up the state, the state of Texas has seen an increase in COVID-19 cases. Many Texans are worried about getting any of the three vaccines after the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was put on hold. The three vaccines are Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.
Ricardo Rodriguez, a food truck cashier, is scheduled to get his first dose on April 27. After hearing that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was put on hold, he was nervous about getting any of the COVID-19 vaccines. He explains why it’s important to him to get fully vaccinated.
“After hearing that the Johnson and Johnson vaccine was put on hold, I was nervous about getting any other COVID-19 vaccine. I work in customer service, so I come in contact with a lot of different people every day so getting the vaccine is really important to me. I’m still taking extra precaution when working by wearing a mask when taking orders and giving out food,” Rodriguez said.
On March 29, Governor Gregg Abbott announced that any adult was eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Previously only adults over the age of 65 could get the vaccine because they were at a higher risk of catching COVID-19. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, over eight million people have been fully vaccinated in the state of Texas. That’s over 37% of the population in Texas.
There are three vaccines available right now the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccine requires two doses. The Pfizer vaccine requires the second dose to be taken three weeks from the first vaccine and four weeks for the Moderna vaccine. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been put on hold after six people got blood clots. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine caused six people to get blood clots after getting vaccinated. Every COVID-19 vaccine has some side effects after being vaccinated.
Jessica Ruiz, a nurse at CommUnityCare in Austin, Texas, urgest people to get vaccinated to help stop the spread of COVID-19. She explains how important it is to get vaccinated and the different side effects people will get when getting vaccinated.
“I encourage everyone to get vaccinated. In order to control the spread of COVID-19, we need to all need to get fully vaccinated. Since Texas has opened up 100%, I have seen an increase in COVID-19 cases. It’s important to get vaccinated because it keeps you and your family safe from COVID-19. Most people that receive the second shot are going to feel some side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine. The most common side effects people get after 24 hours of getting their second shot are fever, headaches and sore throat. But they should go away after 48 hours,” Ruiz said.
The state of Texas has multiple locations where people can go to get vaccinated. Places like CVS, Walgreens, H-E-B and Walmart are also giving out the COVID-19 vaccine. Some places require people to register online before receiving their first vaccine dose.
Raul Lopez, a student at Austin Community College, was scheduled to get the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on April 25 but had to get the Moderna vaccine due to the hold on the Johnson & Johnson. He describes how he felt after receiving the first dose and second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine 21 days later.
“After receiving my first dose of the vaccine, my arm felt a little bit sore after a couple of hours. It wasn’t as bad as the second dose. The second dose, I felt more side effects than the first dose. When I woke up, my eyes felt dry, and my body felt cold the whole day. I stayed in bed for most of the day, but after the second day, I felt better and didn’t get any more side effects,” Lopez said.
People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. People who are fully vaccinated should still take precautions when going out. Fully vaccinated people don’t have to wear a mask anymore. Some private businesses still require their customers to wear a mask when entering their business. They should also avoid medium to large crowds.
