Knowledge Sponge

“I’m not a doctor. I don’t even play one on TV. But… I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night!”

If you’ve never heard that type of line before, it’s from a 15-or-so year old marketing tool used for the Holiday Inn Express hotel model. The idea was that everyone already knew you were smart because you chose a Holiday Inn Express for your previous night’s stay!

I chose that line as the opening segment for this post because I’ve been doing so much research online lately that I feel like I’m somehow smarter… or at least, more informed. Much of it has evolved around the COVID vaccine, but I’ve drifted off to also become interested in how marshmallows are made!

The more I read/learn about the COVID vaccine, the more I realize I need to learn. That is an extremely difficult task, as this type of vaccine is brand-new, never been tried before. It doesn’t use weak cells of an actual virus, like flu vaccines do, to start your body producing antibodies against the strength of the virus should you contract it. Like every vaccine, it doesn’t offer any kind of guaranteed protection from getting the virus, but merely makes your body ready to fight it off, meaning it shouldn’t last as long until you body is able to fight it off, and in most cases, the vaccine will help weaken the symptoms that go along with the virus.

So many people blindly think that, once they get the vaccine, they are no longer contagious and are exempt from contracting it. That’s simply not true! In essence, a vaccine is like a prescription medicine taken before you become sick – it allows your body a pre-emptive strike against the illness should you contract it.

There are people throughout the world who, for whatever reason, are refusing to take the vaccine. Some are concerned about the long-term effects, since it’s a brand-new drug that hasn’t had the liberty of being tested long enough to know anything about the long-term effects, if there will be any at all. Some (like me) don’t fear the vaccine but fear the process of delivering it. Some (also like me) are fearful of the immediate after-effects of the injection.

My bestie told me that it was suggested to her to get the vaccine in her dominant arm. This concerned me, because that’s the same arm where I had the drawn-out shoulder problems, and I don’t want to risk any adverse problems from using that arm. So, I read up on the suggestion and found that the prominent arm is suggested only because we will always tend to use our dominant arm more than our non-dominant arm, and the movement will help the vaccine move quicker into the body! Whew! Mine is definitely going in my non-dominant arm, and if that’s a concern of yours for any reason, rest assured that either arm is acceptable!

Recently, I had someone tell me that he would refuse the vaccine because he believes that part of why it was created using RNA was to inject it in to mess with our DNA and emasculate all men. (Hmm, in theory then, wouldn’t it make all females become more masculinized?) Obviously, that’s just a conspiracy theory that has no basis in fact, because I researched it to be sure.

So, I’ve been researching, reading more and more. Sometimes I’ve found conflicting theories, and I’ve had to look further, to learning from where the theory came and how many qualified professionals of the scientific and medical background agree or disagree with a theory. It’s been interesting and surprisingly, an enjoyable task! Although I did well in school, I can’t help but wonder how much better I could have done if I’d applied this much energy to my studies!!

I don’t know all the answers – but honestly, nobody has ALL the answers yet. But I feel amazingly well-informed and more willing to get the vaccine based on the principle of what it is intended to do. I also already know that I will be “masking up” in all public places long after any mandates to do so have expired. Who I am at my core insists that I want and need to be a part of any qualified solution, and right now, the vaccine is the best solution we’ve got! Reports are that the success rate has been 95+%, though I’m not sure how that statistic has been decided. But if I can possibly save one other person by getting the vaccine, then I will be taking part.

What are your thoughts?