Covid-19 Vaccine

The current hot topic is whether to get the Covid-19 vaccination.  For me, there is no question.  I will get the vaccine.  Those who are against the vaccine feel that it might not be safe, that the development was too rushed.  

Many people may be unaware that scientists had previously worked on vaccines for two other severe coronaviruses, SARS and MERS.  In fact, Dr. Anthony Fauci has stated that the United States developed a vaccine for SARS.  It was never used, but that research helped with the Covid-19 vaccine.

It is a personal decision on whether to get the vaccine, and I won't pass judgment on anyone.  Gardasil has caused autoimmune disease in recipients, so those who have had that problem don't want the Covid-19 vaccine.  And other people have other valid reasons.

In my case, my life was forever changed by the Epstein-Barr virus, which causes mononucleosis.  It is now widely known that Epstein-Barr goes dormant and can resurface multiple times later in life.  Additionally, Epstein-Barr causes autoimmune disease.  That's what it did to me.

I had mono when I was 19.  I partially lost my sense of taste, and I was very weak and ill for six months.  I never came back completely.  I would say that six months after I acquired mono, I came back to 90% of what I had been before.  I never came back to 100%.  By the time I was 25 years old, I was 70% to 80% of what I was before I had mono.  As the years passed, I continued to decline.  Finally, I was diagnosed with autoimmune thyroid disease.  At the time of my diagnosis, I was at 40% to 50% of what I once was.  

On medicated at optimal levels, I am back to around 80%.  I am never better than that.  I often have days at 60% to 70%, and I still have some scattered days where I am at 20% to 50%.  I will never be cured, but I have good coping skills.

I partially lose my sense of taste every single time I have a stressful event.  During the last very stressful year, I have had problems with my sense of taste at least once per month.  Each occurrence lasts from a few days to a week or two.  This means that I have had a partial loss of my sense of taste for a significant portion of the last year.

I have read about the symptoms of Covid-19 in fascination and with great alarm.  Many of the symptoms are exactly like those of autoimmune disease:  loss of taste, dry skin patches, rashes, blurred vision, uncontrolled coughing, dehydration.

Since many people won't take the vaccine, I have to take it.  I want this to be over.