An Open Letter to Hesitant Vaxxers: It’s Not That Bad

There are huge pushes happening right now to get everyone vaccinated, and if celeb-filled PSAs and urgings from Texas leaders aren't doing it for you, maybe you'll consider some thoughts from another hesitant vaxxer.

Getting a COVID vaccine is not a slam-dunk decision for everybody, and I hemmed and hawed for weeks about it.  Scanning social media for thirty seconds tells me I'm not alone with the reservations.

Some of the reasons I had for hesitating may have been valid, and other reasons might have been lame, but either way, they kept me from registering for an appointment to get the shot for weeks.  The vaccine-hesitant all have different reasons for not rushing to make an appointment, and these are a few of mine.

I don't like long lines or big rushes for things that have huge demand and if there is competition over something I'll step back and let everyone fight it out, and then take the leftovers.  I'm a horrible Black Friday shopper for this reason because I just don't care enough to scratch and claw for a deal that we're all supposed to want.  The same thing happened at first with the COVID vaccine -- the mad scramble to find an appointment wore me out and I didn't care to get involved in the stress, so I waited.  Even the simple act of taking the time to do it was also a deterrent because, well, it took time.

I'm generally careful about any medicine that I take too, and I'm not a big fan of introducing any new foreign substances when protein, grapefruit, exercise, and prayer seem to be working just fine.  And I'm leery of side effects.  Those prescription drug commercials that spend fifteen seconds promoting the greatness of whatever med it is, and the next forty-five seconds listing horrible, awful potential side effects freak me out!  What if I take meds and end up with a lifelong itch or something?  Side effects scare me, and then I'm back to wanting to live on grapefruit and prayer.

But I had a change of heart about the COVID-19 vaccine and decided to do it.  I want to stay healthy, help protect my family, support my mom who is a big proponent of the vaccine, support my 71-year old neighbor Chuck who has Parkinson's, and be a part of something bigger than myself that will hopefully lead to a global solution.  If the vaccine works, roadies who work at live music venues will get their jobs back, and sports fans will be back in stadiums at full capacity.  These thoughts make me happy.

The shot itself wasn't that bad. I've only had round one (Moderna) and round two will be May 21.  I've heard the second shot is rougher than the first, but it doesn't sound like anything that Netflix and a night on the couch can't solve.  I did have a scratchy throat and dry cough the day after the shot and I wondered if I might become a headline that read, "Woman Gets COVID Vaccine and Develops Lifelong Hot Mouth," but it was gone after 24 hours.  The effects seem short-lived.

VaccineFinder.org lists dozens of places around East Texas where you can get the Moderna, Pfizer, or Johnson & Johnson shot.  Appointments are required in most of these places and sometimes stock is limited, so you'll want to check ahead for sure.  There are several CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, and Brookshires Pharmacy locations that offer the vaccine, including these:

CVS Pharmacy, Inc. #07446
2626 E 5th St • Tyler, TX 75701

BROOKSHIRE PHARMACY #28 #568854
2734 E 5th St • Tyler, TX 75701

Walmart Inc #10-6467
450 S Se Loop 323 • Tyler, TX 75702

Walgreens Co. #12522
1620 S Broadway Ave • Tyler, TX 75701

BROOKSHIRE PHARMACY #61 #849593
601 Hwy 110 N • Whitehouse, TX 75791

CVS Pharmacy, Inc. #07708
100 E Main St • Whitehouse, TX 75791

Walmart Inc #10-3764
105 E Centennial Blvd • Lindale, TX 75771

EAGLE PHARMACY #590831
1404 S Main St • Lindale, TX 75771

BROOKSHIRE PHARMACY #70 #880828
213 U.s. Hwy 69 N • Bullard, TX 75757

BROOKSHIRE PHARMACY #03 #264332
521 S Main St • Lindale, TX 75771

BROOKSHIRE PHARMACY #08 #283607
747 Us 259 N • Kilgore, TX 75662

CVS Pharmacy, Inc. #07444
1402 E Broadway Ave • Gladewater, TX 75647

Walmart Inc #10-0572
1201 Stone St • Kilgore, TX 75662

BROOKSHIRE PHARMACY # 2 #251406
706 W Main St • Van, TX 75790

Click HERE to check out today's stock, and to make an appointment.