Getting the COVID-19 vaccination and what to expect

I didn’t know what to expect as I pulled into the parking lot of the makeshift Panhandle Health vaccination center in Sandpoint. As a fairly young, healthy adult who hasn’t had more than a tetanus shot vaccination since childhood, I was nervous, but found I really had no reason to be.

When I saw the crowd, I thought I would be spending most of my day there waiting for my turn. Surprisingly, the process went quickly and efficiently with the help of the Idaho National Guardsmen who were there aiding clinic volunteers.

All of the volunteers and Guardsmen were kind and helpful, first asking me a few questions about my health and possible exposure to COVID-19, then guiding me through each step of the process. They answered all my questions or directed me to someone who could.

The shot itself took about 10 seconds. I barely noticed it and was surprised when the volunteer cheerfully told me I was all done and handed me my vaccination card.

From there, another volunteer led me to a room where I waited 15 minutes to make sure I didn’t experience any side effects. Specifically they looked for difficulty breathing, swelling in the face or throat, rapid heart rate, rash, light-headedness and feeling like I might faint. The room was full of people waiting just like me. They had a separate section for people with underlying health conditions so they could monitor them more closely.

After my 15 minutes were up with no side effects, a Guardsman showed me to the exit with instructions to exercise my arm and drink lots of water.

In all, it took about 30 minutes, which seemed like a fairly quick and painless process. Which is exactly what everyone should expect, said Katherine Hoyer, PHD public information officer. Despite showing up on the opening day of their Sandpoint clinic, PHD has set up vaccination centers in all five counties in their district, giving them plenty of time to learn and streamline the process.

According to data from the Idaho Division of Public Health, Boundary County has vaccinated just under 23% of its population as of March 25. This breaks down to 14% being fully vaccinated and 9% having had at least one dose.

While the Centers for Disease Control aren’t certain what percentage of the population should be vaccinated in order to achieve herd immunity, Dr. Anthony Fauci, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director said in December that he believed the number to be somewhere in the 75-85% range, meaning Boundary County still has some work to do.

Hoyer acknowledged that there is a lot of misinformation out there, some of which may discourage people from getting vaccinated. Some of the most common misconceptions are:

• If you’ve had COVID-19, you don’t need a vaccination

• If you get the vaccine it will cause you to test positive for COVID-19

• The vaccines contain the live virus

• The mRNA vaccines will alter your DNA

Hoyer encourages anyone who has questions to call the PHD COVID-19 hotline at 1-877-415-5225, where they are happy to provide answers to all of these questions and more.

Bottom line, Hoyer said she wants to get the word out that vaccines are available for the eligible phases and that the phases are moving quickly. They want to make sure everyone who is eligible is offered the vaccine and has the opportunity to make an appointment if they want to.

Like so many, I have watched as the pandemic unfolded, waiting for the vaccine to rollout and for my turn to get it, hoping it would be safe and effective so life could return to normal. It’s been a tumultuous year, one that I hope never repeats again.

I have never been one to run to the doctor for any little thing, and for the first time in my adult life, I actively sought out a vaccination. It was a great comfort to get my shot from people who obviously care about what they’re doing and have worked hard to make it as easy as possible for all of us.

Panhandle Health has set up their vaccination center at the University of Idaho Organic Ag Center on 10881 North Boyer in Sandpoint. If you live in any of the five counties within their district, you can sign up for an appointment at https://bit.ly/3swaVDT. If you would like more information about vaccination statistics in Idaho, please visit https://tabsoft.co/3vYTNbE.