How we were vaccinated against coronavirus: personal experience of Lifehacker employees

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

We will tell you why we decided to vaccinate, how the vaccination process is organized in different cities and countries, and what feelings were after the injection.

The first vaccination was done on June 21, and I am going for the second component soon. Although I still had antibodies, I decided to set an example to friends and family, and also to additionally protect myself on trips and travels.

I signed up through "State Services" at a certain time, but there was still a queue, although not very long. I went through a small examination, filled out a questionnaire, and confirmed many times that I was doing everything voluntarily. Then he received an injection, sat for 20 minutes and went home.

I was vaccinated with "Sputnik", we still have no choice in our city now. On the day of vaccination, the temperature rose slightly in the evening, but in the morning everything was already fine. In general, no discomfort.

Masha Pchelkina Development Director, Moscow.

I got used to "Sputnik": I made the first component in March, the second - in April. Before that, I read articles in good publications, for example on Lifehacker and Kuprum, in order to understand the topic.

I have a chronic kidney disease, and the instructions for the Sputnik V vaccine indicate that in such cases it must be done with caution. Unfortunately, I could not get a clear consultation on this topic. So I monitored my post-vaccination very closely so I could react quickly if something went wrong. But, fortunately, everything worked out. And the possibility of contracting coronavirus scares me more than vaccination.

In March, there was no excitement yet, so I just made an appointment at a convenient time for me and came to the clinic. I spent about an hour on everything about everything. Both times my temperature rose above 38 ° C, I was weak, my whole body ached. A couple of days the arm at the injection site hurt - it seems that this is a fairly common side effect. But my husband (we were vaccinated at the same time) did not seem to notice the vaccination: he felt great, there was no temperature.

Daria Kostyuchkova Podcast editor, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

I received the first component of the vaccine on July 2, the second vaccination is scheduled for August 13. The gap between dates is large, but this is required by the rules for using the drug. In my case, this is a Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine.

I didn't have the opportunity to choose what to vaccinate, but even if it was, I would choose this drug because I trust the manufacturers and their data on the effectiveness of the vaccine. In addition, many acquaintances received this vaccine and felt good after it.

I got vaccinated in Germany and am glad I got it here. A few months before that, I had already learned about the possibility of being vaccinated, but the answers to my inquiries were negative, since then vaccination was carried out according to prioritization groups. People from the risk group were vaccinated first, then those involved in certain professions.

After some time, the drugs were given to family doctors so that they could vaccinate everyone. That's when the excitement happened, people literally hunted for "terms" (this is an appointment with a doctor). Over time, getting an appointment finally became easier.

As far as I could see, the vaccination process in Germany is excellently organized. Social distancing, hand sanitizing procedures and temperature measurements are strictly enforced.

I received the injection early in the morning. A couple of hours after the vaccination, weakness covered, muscle pain in the back and neck appeared. By the evening, my health improved so much that I went for a walk around the city. For several days, the "injured" arm hurt and drowsiness persisted. The doctor warned about all these symptoms. Now I am waiting for my "term" for the second component of the vaccine and enjoy my life.

Lidiya Suyagina Special projects editor, Ulyanovsk.

I got my first vaccination on February 15th. By this time, I had already heard enough stories about how the disease progressed among friends and relatives, so I did not really think about it. If there is an opportunity to play it safe, at least it is foolish to miss it.

It was not possible to sign up through "Gosuslugi". It is now easy to get an injection even in a shopping center, and in winter in Ulyanovsk only a few city polyclinics were vaccinated. None of them had free recording windows. But there was a hot line: I called, left my data, in return received a promise that they would call me when the time came. Indeed, after 12 days they called back and invited me to the clinic closest to my house.

I was vaccinated with Sputnik V - that was the only option available. The first time, waiting in line, an appointment with a therapist and an injection took less than an hour. I was vaccinated at about 10 am, and in the evening, literally in a couple of hours, the temperature jumped to 38 ° C. The heat added to aches, weakness and fog in the head - it felt like the flu. In the morning there was only a characteristic postinfluenza "retreat", but it quickly passed.

I had to sit in the queue for the second vaccination for a couple of hours: after a long weekend in March, a lot of people came running. But there were no special effects: no temperature, no aches, except that the hand at the injection site ached for a couple of days. Closer to autumn I will go for a revaccination.

Tatyana Gapeeva Author, Minsk, Belarus.

Mass vaccination in Minsk began in April, but I got my first vaccination on June 28th. I dragged on for so long because I didn't understand how the process would be organized. At first, it was possible to enroll only in the clinic at the place of residence. Then in one of the shopping centers a vaccination point was opened, but there was a huge queue - friends stood in it for 4 hours, and someone had to come for two days in a row.

I think it's easier to get vaccinated now. I went to the vaccination center in Minsk's Central Department Store: they accept them without an appointment, the main thing is to take my passport with me. There were five people in line in front of me. There were doubts whether to be vaccinated or not, so before vaccination I decided to undergo an examination and make sure that I had no contraindications.

I was offered a choice of Sputnik V or Sinopharm Corp.'s Vero Cell vaccine. I chose Sputnik because I knew little about Chinese.

After the vaccination, I felt good. The next morning I was a little tired, but there was no fever. The injection site hurt for several days when pressed.

Daria Dubova Special projects designer, Ulyanovsk.

I got vaccinated recently - on July 2. I have been thinking since March, there were doubts, but the decisive factor was a sharp increase in the incidence. In addition, I am afraid of infecting elderly relatives.

At first, as expected, I signed up for "State Services" and relaxed that the process was built so conveniently. But when I came to the nearest clinic at the specified time, I found out that the recording did not work, you still need to occupy a live queue.

The presence of the required vaccine component is also not recorded anywhere. The young man and I toured all four regional hospitals, only one of them told us that the first vaccine could be delivered in the afternoon. After waiting for a while, we called and asked if there was a drug, after which we went for an examination. The queue was very long, we had to wait about 3 hours.

Before examining the therapist, you need to fill out a questionnaire that no one is looking at. They do not warn about the consequences - they only measure the temperature and pressure. In the questionnaire, I wrote that I was pregnant (in fact, not), no one paid attention to it.

I was vaccinated with Sputnik V, as planned, after reading articles. There was no choice between the types of vaccines. After the vaccination, I developed all the popular side effects: weakness, nausea, chills, muscle aches, fever, headache, decreased vision, nasal congestion, pain and sore throat, pain and swelling at the injection site, and the temperature rose to 39 ° WITH. It lasted about a day. My young man had only a headache and a temperature of about 38 ° C as a side effect.

Katya Mironycheva Sales Director, Moscow.

I got my first vaccination on June 17th. The young man and I had been planning this for a very long time, but then we thought “not today” and “next week we will definitely go”, then the nearest vaccination point was closed. Putting it off, in short.

I went to the mall to get vaccinated because we have vaccination points in many public places. I could go by registration, but for this I need to go to the other end of Moscow, so I decided not to bother with being attached to a state clinic and get vaccinated where it is convenient. I did it without writing: I came, I saw, I won.

I chose Sputnik V. As far as I found out, this is the most proven drug, I was satisfied with everything that I could read on the topic. It was also influenced by the fact that many relatives chose this vaccine.

I had a bruise at the injection site - the doctor immediately warned that a mark would definitely remain on my skin. My arm still hurt a little the next day, but this did not cause any inconvenience.

Tonya Rubtsova Special Projects Editor, Milan, Italy.

I received the first dose of the vaccine on June 1, and the second on July 6. There were no doubts as such, but for me any medical procedure, contact with doctors and medications is always a slight excitement. The decision was easier after reading the research. Particularly convincing was the fact that vaccinated people are much easier to tolerate new strains of COVID-19.

In Italy, vaccinations were based on age and health status. The elderly were first vaccinated - 90+, then 80+, and as one age group received the vaccine, those who were younger were enrolled. People with diseases that increase the risk of a complex course of COVID-19 may have been vaccinated without waiting for their age group to approach.

The high-risk categories had the opportunity to enroll loved ones out of turn. For example, a person who is over 90 years old is unlikely to fully provide for himself in everyday life, therefore, people who take care of him, even if they are 30 or 40 years old, are vaccinated with him.

The appointment was online, and the date of the vaccination was usually set in a couple of weeks. The queue was on the spot, I had to wait half an hour until it came to me. After the procedure, you need to sit for 15–20 minutes in a medical facility - in case of any reaction.

I got used to Pfizer. There is no choice as such, but the vaccine is prescribed after talking with the doctor. For example, Pfizer is made for young people, and in Italy you can also get vaccinated with Moderna and AstraZeneca, they are better suited for older people.

The next day after the vaccination, my arm hurt, but there seemed to be no temperature. But in the evening after the second vaccination, she rose to 37, 8 ° C, so before going to bed I had to drink an antipyretic. It got better by morning.

Victor Podvolotskiy Head of News Department, Kirov.

I was vaccinated in March with Sputnik V. Then there was nothing to choose from, so no one asked what to inject. There was no doubt about the vaccination either, the only question was when to do it. I had a trip abroad planned for May, so I decided not to hesitate. And I really didn't want to be one of those people who are urgently taken to an overcrowded hospital or, even worse, to intensive care.

For several days I tried to sign up through the "State Services". This did not work out: the system did not see free time for recording in any hospital. I was helped by a call to the clinic's registry, where they found time literally the next day.

In total, I stood in the queue for the first component for about 4 hours, the second vaccination took 2. I did not feel fever, headache and other common side effects after the first vaccination, but in the evening I noticed minor vision problems. It was as if I could not focus, everything was floating in my eyes, and the text turned into a mess. It was released after 3 hours. There were no more problems, including after the second injection.