COLUMBUS, Ohio — Doctors and medical professionals at Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center are excited one day after the COVID-19 vaccine arrived at the hospital and became available for administering.
Emergency Medical Physician Dr. Mark Conroy said he and his colleagues hoped for a vaccine since the pandemic began.
Monday as the doses arrived at the hospital, he was notified he would be among the first to receive it.
“It was no different than any flu shot I’ve ever had before or any vaccine for the other things such as Hepatitis B or Tetanus that I’ve had to get in the past,” Dr. Conroy said.
Dr. Conroy said after getting the vaccine his arm was sore, but he had no other immediate issues such as a rash or fever like some people have expressed concern about.
“I would say as for the first shot, I felt none of that and I've also been talking with some of my colleagues who also got it yesterday and no one has experienced any of those symptoms at this point.”
Dr. Conroy said more than anything he felt emotional while getting the vaccine because of how far research has come in the last year.
“I felt relieved, I felt excited, excited about the possibilities of what is to come with this vaccine."
Conroy said he was able to return to work later Monday without any issues.
He’s one of several doctors working to educate patients and other on how the vaccine works. He said it is not possible to get the Coronavirus from the vaccine.
“This is a special type of vaccine. It’s called a MRNA vaccine and it does not have any activated or live viruses associated with it,” Conroy said.
He also explained getting a fever or other typical symptom of illness should not happen as a side-effect of getting the vaccine.
If you have questions about the vaccine and its safety, Conroy suggests research and asking your doctor about it.