Pittsburgh doctor shares his covid vaccination experience

Pittsburgh-based infectious disease expert Dr. Amesh Adalja has been front and center on national news programs, in newspaper articles and on radio shows since the coronavirus pandemic began.

Adalja, who is a critical care, infectious disease and emergency medicine physician, has been treating patients at his hometown Butler Memorial Hospital and several other Western Pennsylvania hospitals. He is a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.

On Friday, he received the covid-19 vaccine at Butler Memorial. A day later, he shared some of his experience.

Question: How are you feeling today?

Answer: I’m feeling completely normal today and have not experienced any side effects post-vaccination. It’s been over 24 hours and I have had no fevers or soreness. I was injected in my left deltoid muscle and it does not hurt today.

Q: Did you have any hesitation in taking the vaccine?

A: No. I had no hesitation getting the vaccine and, in fact, was eager to get vaccinated as soon as I could.

Today I joined the ranks of the #COVID19 vaccinated. Small movement of liquid into my arm but a major leap in the fight against infectious disease. pic.twitter.com/JiUyprNQuA

— Amesh Adalja (@AmeshAA) December 18, 2020

Q: Does your response to the vaccine mirror what the trials showed (fever, soreness, etc.)?

A: Those symptoms occur in many vaccines, but not all, and are more common with the second dose.

Q: Are you optimistic that this is the beginning of the end of the pandemic?

A: I’m optimistic that the vaccines will ultimately extinguish this pandemic. However, it will be some time before they are able to be impactful as a significant proportion of the population will need to be vaccinated.

Q: What are your plans for today?

A: I’m working all weekend. I’m at the hospital (Butler Memorial) today seeing patients and will also be doing the same thing tomorrow.

Q: When will you get the second dose?

A: The second dose is scheduled for 21 days after the first.

Q: What can you say to people who are hesitant?

A: This vaccine is a tremendous piece of technology that is the result of pathbreaking work by scientists. New vaccines are something that I embrace, just like other technological advances that improve human life. Both the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines have been through rigorous preclinical and clinical testing. They are safe and effective.

Their benefits greatly outweigh the risks, especially given the clear and present danger covid represents. Covid vaccines are the key to ending this pandemic, but will only be successful if they become vaccinations that reach the arms of Americans.

Here to discuss the latest on the #coronavirus vaccine: Senior Scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, Dr. @AmeshAA pic.twitter.com/nLQRRkRRJH

— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) December 19, 2020