It is Saturday afternoon, approaching 1:30pm. I have a date with an immunization officer in a nearby town. The automobile crawled tentatively out of the mountains, inching closer to sea level. Each winding turn, sent a gentle breeze across the cabin, taking with it a nice aroma of perfume. The lady driver (in rapped silence), picked every mound and depression in the winding road with easy caution.
As we dropped out of the cool air of a dying mountain side winter, into the warm embrace of the coming spring, loitering on the planes below, it occurred to me that the air was getting warmer and quite sticky. For, once at sea level we must hurry we are late.
It is a brisk wind huffing and puffing through the cabin, we are now moving along at a quick glide. The smell of cow’s dung, changing place with the balmy scent of a salty swamp, yielding to the smell of petroleum products, giving way to the noise and rough sent of a town and its neighbourhood ocean.
In minutes, we were turning into the designated vaccination centre.
Aware of a voice saying, lots of cars around but not many people in sight; I requested a quick description of what is happening. An over-flow tent with two employee-types sitting at a table, with no one waiting to be served. A quite large health facility. Compound quite clean and well kept. Suggested we check out the tent. No, why? Let us see what is happening inside, insisted my colleague.
Approaching the entrance, a male person welcomed us and enquired about our purpose. We want to be vaccinated. Someone said something about temperature. A few minutes passed before we were ushered toward an automatic hand sanitizer station.
With a bit of help, I stuck a hand under the thing. It delivered 2 quick blasts of the slimy stuff we now revere as hand sanitizer. I rubbed both hands gleefully. Swiped one set of fingers between the others, back and forth. Merry in the thought that I was about to be vaccinated.
A woman called, come this way. I sat down to a warm but focused round of medical interrogation. She wanted to know: Name, Age, Address, ID info, Profession, and (of course) that # which lawful residents must keep and carry to do official business.
Then she asked about a long list of medical conditions. I disowned them all, not having met them. She wanted to know if I was allergic to any medicines. I admitted innocence, confessing that I (sometimes) reacted moderately to some dairy products and orange juice. She made a chuckley sound.
Then she asked, can you see to sign sir? A blast of mischief danced in my brain. I can’t see to sign Mi’lady, but I can sign. She laughed heartily and shuffled what felt like a sheet of legal paper in my direction. Passing the page to my colleague for a “once-over”; She took it and started to hum. Went on with the low-level chant for a couple of minutes. Looks fine to me. You want to sign? Sign I did.
We then moved to an inner room. Approaching another bank of chairs, a happy-sounding woman asked us to “come this way”. Next stop? An examination-type room. The woman introduced herself as nurse…. and went silent for a long couple of seconds. I know this name she exclaimed; Good I said, Is it hot? Nothing to worry about. And when you are not sticking people with needles, what do you do? I am the Nurse at…. clinic. Oh, you are? Yes. Are you from this area? Yes: Born, grew up, left for school, and back working in the area. May I video my shot? Yes, the more people see it, the more will come.
Nurse counselled me about the side effects. All of which I have, written or argued about. Are you ready? Yes. She rubbed my upper arm with something quite cool. My excitement rising. Imagining that I felt a faint touch. Is that it? Yes she said as she placed a cotton swab on the area. Eventually replacing the swab with a neat strip of medicated tape. Did you get it on camera (I wondered to my colleague) Yes! Every bit.
The lady nurse escorted me to an observation area. I was dizzy with excitement.
Tried to read some of my favourite news sites but could not concentrate. Stabbed opened one of my book apps. Hit the first icon “The return of Sherlock Holmes” announced my screen reader.
Bounced down the content page and decided to read “A scandal in Bohemia”. Somehow, the masterful piece of fiction did the trick. Well into my read, someone called my name. I see you are quite relaxed and reading. Yes Yes! Let me know if you feel anything unusual. Yes Yes! And back to A Scandal in Bohemia. About 20 minutes later, the lady re-entered my consciousness. You look fine. How are you feeling? Fine, very fine! This is your Immunization card. You must come back for your next shot on the … of. . I took the card; Memorized my batch #; Stuck it in my billfold and back to A Scandal in Bohemia.
The next interruption came from my colleague. Are you ready? I abandoned Holmes’ fictitious gossip and emerged into the outdoors, happy that I am on the way to escaping the grasp of a quite nasty virus. Because of it, a lot of personal, business, and professional ends have been messed up.
Back at home, it is near 6:00 PM. Suddenly, my body is covered with a layer of warm sticky perspiration. What is this?! Then I remembered, side effects?! Within an hour, I began to feel quite fluey. By 9:00, I felt very fatigued. Went to lie down, returning to Mr. Sherlock Holms and Dr. Watson, in search of relief. All amidst my sense of rising excitement, driven by increasing joint and muscle pains. I was elated that the vaccine is “kicking in”.
By 12:00 mid-night, I was in the grips of a real knock-down flue. Getting off my bed to use the toilet, took real painful effort. If they did not tell me about this, I would have sworn I am about to die.
It is just past 3:00 in the morning. I am awakened by a strong desire to defecate. In my fright, I got out of bed in a flash. Only when I was safely perched on the toilet, delivering the first of 3 quick bouts of diarrhea, that I realized that the pain had all but disappeared.
Now about 8:30 Sunday morning. Someone was calling me and shaking me gently, come get something to eat. I tidied up and ate like a hungry horse. Felt quite jaded through Sunday. Nursed a nagging headache and pain in the back of both eyes. Slept very well Sunday night. By Monday morning, I was “fighting fit”. All past week I kept wondering, can a vaccine really make a human feel so fine???
Get your vaccine and walk good.
Arvel Grant
Public Health & International Development Specialist