I had adverse symptoms from my COVID-19 booster but figured they were expected and not out of the ordinary. My Momma took almost a week to get normal after her booster. She had so many adverse symptoms — not typical like mine — I felt it would be a good idea to report them.
The day of our vaccines we all received a text that read:
“Adverse events and side effects from vaccines are rare but do occasionally happen. If you feel like you have experienced a side effect or adverse event from your recent COVID-19 vaccination, please report the incident to (link to Human Health Services dot gov site)“
I clicked the link provided and skimmed over all the information that was applicable to healthcare providers. I clicked another link for the list of reportable events… more stuff to read… and then I read if I lie they can put me in jail. Since that wasn’t a concern, I clicked for access to their checklist of what details I needed to make the report. The checklist is comprised of 25 things!
It was seriously so much garbage that I closed the website without reporting at all. My friend, Julie, had sores in her mouth after her booster and she did the exact same thing. Neither of us reported because it was simply too difficult and time consuming. So if two pretty technologically savvy people said, “screw this,” what does that mean insofar as the accuracy of the data being supplied to the entire world?
Did our government INTEND to make it difficult for average people to make a report?
It sure seems that way. There’s no way they don’t KNOW it’s difficult. I understand why it’s good to know everything that might’ve contributed to the adverse event (other medications, other vaccines, and on, and on). But requiring the phone and fax number to the facility? Good grief! We went to a drive-through clinic. I’m supposed to look up the phone and fax… and 24 other things… just to say my Mom felt like shit for a week?
Because the reporting system makes it so very difficult to submit data, the data must be inaccurate.
But hey… the data is in on pork chops prepared in a Ninja Foodie and it’s totally accurate — they were amazing. There were no adverse events after eating said pork chops, and no extraordinarily long, probing questionnaire following their consumption.
Eat pork. It’s the other white meat.
