The United States has now administered over 30 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine and 10% of Wisconsinites have received at least one dose.
To make sure people know what it’s like to get the vaccine, Lake Effect asked medical professionals who have been vaccinated to share their story about getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
As a registered nurse, Matt was in the first group eligible to get vaccinated. He says he got lucky and didn’t experience any side effects with his first or second dose. Getting vaccinated has made him feel safer, but he understands that he still needs to be cautious.
“It makes me feel good, but at the same time, this isn’t over yet, you know. I’m still gonna have to wear a mask, I’m still going to have to socially distance to protect everyone else,” he says.
Matt encourages people to do their own research about the vaccine, as long as it is coming from reputable sources, so that everyone feels more comfortable making their decision about getting vaccinated. Reaching out to friends or other trusted medical professionals is the best way, he says, to get more information.
“Being someone that was able to get this first dose, I almost feel like a steward to the vaccine in the sense that I wanna talk about it if people do have questions to the best of my ability,” he says.
Matt describes the atmosphere of working in a vaccine clinic as “incredible.” “Both in the people that were giving the vaccines but just the kind of excitement to be a part of, you know, getting everybody, the world, back on track,” he says.
