Carrie

Although I was at the top of the list to get a Covid vaccine, I was hesitant.

New Mexico, Albuquerque: I am an occupational therapist. In our facility, we work mostly with geriatric patients, helping them recover their physical abilities so that they can return to their normal lives. When Covid cases first began appearing in Albuquerque, there was no screening of patients before they entered our facility. We took care of whoever came through the door. My work involves direct contact with patients and I suspect I caught Covid from one who was infected.

I had Covid symptoms in early April 2020, my lymph nodes were swollen, I was fatigued, and my body ached. I had a Covid test and it came back positive. My work told me to stay home. I was quarantined for two weeks and my symptoms diminished to feeling like a common cold. I had another Covid test and it came back positive. It was the end of April before I had two consecutive negative tests and I returned to work.

Covid had long-term effects. My brain had difficulty focusing as did my eyes. I now have special glasses with a prism for the left eye. the prism helps the eye focus on what the mind wants to see.

Wearing PPE all day is fatiguing and it has taken a long time for me to rebuild my stamina at work. I treat all my patients as if they have Covid, but, having been infected already, I’m not anxious about catching Covid again.

I wish people would take Covid seriously and be respectful of health concerns for others. Also, now is a good time to consider changes to improve one’s personal health.

Although I was at the top of the list to get a Covid vaccine, I was hesitant.  I did not trust that a vaccine developed so quickly will be completely safe and, I was skeptical of medical research that has historically mistreated Black Americans. . I waited for some time to see if negative side effects occur. Then I took the Moderna Vaccine offered by my employer in February.