On March 3, all teachers at Hays High had the opportunity to receive the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.

The Moderna shot is only recommended for those 18 years of age and older. According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, possible post-vaccination symptoms are tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, fever, nausea and pain, redness and swelling in the arm.

Science instructor Lynn Zimmerman said she had some of these symptoms.

“I started out with the first 12 hours, and I was fine, just a little soreness in the arm,” Zimmerman said. “The next day, I was very tired, and then I got very achy, kind of like flu symptoms, kind of how you feel when you’re coming down with a cold, but then it was over within a couple days.”

Zimmerman said she is not concerned to receive her second shot.

“I don’t think I’m going to get sick with the second one,” Zimmerman said. “It’s just a natural immune response. It’s not giving me COVID, it’s not COVID, the immune system is alerted.”

For journalism instructor Jessica Augustine, the side effects of the vaccine were more extreme.

“Right after I got it, I felt fine, up until that night,” Augustine said. “I started feeling really tired, weak and dizzy, so I went to bed early that night, and then that was followed by waking up very early in the morning and having to vomit, and that was followed by being super achy, and being really cold. I ramped my furnace and covered myself up with five blankets and just kind of cocooned myself and tried to not move so nothing hurt.”

After contacting her physician, Augustine was told by her doctor to report her symptoms to the Moderna adverse effects line. Her second dose will be administered to her right before Easter Break.

“I am expecting to get sick again,” Augustine said, noting that she had COVID right before getting her first shot. “Hopefully, once I’m fully vaccinated, I’ll feel more at ease being around people.”

Though all teachers had the chance to obtain the vaccine, some decided to hold off on it for now.

Spanish instructor Lora Gallegos-Haynes chose to wait to receive her vaccine until there has been more time to study the vaccine.

“I feel the studies are too new, not enough time to see side effects and issues with them,” Gallegos-Haynes said.

Overall, teachers seem to be happy with their decision to either take or not take the vaccine.

“I’m happy to have gotten the vaccine,” Zimmerman said.

21mmcbride@usd489.com