In the Dark

Just for the record, today I had my 5th Covid-19 vaccination booster. As an Old, I get prompted by the HSE to get free Covid-19 boosters and winter ‘flu jabs so I booked an appointment at a local pharmacist as I did last year. In fact I went into work this morning to say farewell to newly-doctored Aoibhinn Gallagher, and walked to the pharmacy afterwards. I didn’t have to wait long and the vaccination itself only took a matter of minutes.

That makes seven Covid-19 jabs altogether for me: the initial vaccination was in two stages, and I have since had five boosters. All but one of these have been Pfizer; the other was Moderna.

On previous occasions of this type I’ve usually managed to arrange an afternoon free afterwards in case of any adverse reactions. That was easy this time because it is Study Week at Maynooth University so there are no lectures. I did feel a bit tired after the jab, and had a short nap this afternoon. I also seem to have developed a runny nose, which may or may not be a reaction to the injection, but I don’t think it’s very serious.

Update: 24 hours on, I’m still feeling the after-effects. Hopefully, I’ll be better by the weekend.

Just for the record, today I had my 4th Covid-19 vaccination booster. As an Old, I get prompted by the HSE to get free Covid-19 boosters and winter ‘flu jabs so I booked an appointment at a local pharmacist, which is how they are done these days, which is much better than traipsing to City West or Punchestown. In fact I went into work this morning, and walked to the pharmacy and back. I didn’t have to wait long and the vaccination itself only took a matter of minutes.

The vaccination record is not as fancy as the one I got last year for my third booster last year, but it will have to do as a souvenir:

That makes six Covid-19 jabs altogether for me: the initial vaccination was in two stages, and I have since had four boosters. All but one of these have been Pfizer; the other was Moderna.

On previous occasions of this type I’ve always managed to arrange an afternoon free afterwards in case of any adverse reactions. Today, however, I went straight from the pharmacist to get a quick lunch and then had a two-hour lecture with the Engineers, which I survived. Once again, there are no serious ill-effects, apart from a slight discomfort at the injection site and a general feeling of tiredness. I think I’ll sleep well tonight!

P.S. Last night, as I usually do, I checked my calendar before I went to bed to make sure I was ready for all the items on the following day’s agenda, including the Covid-19 jab. When I slept, for some reason I had a funny dream that I had invented a new form of vaccine that could be administered via a cigarette!