Decatur, GA — Last month, Decatur resident Wardell Castles invited Decaturish to join him as he received his first COVID-19 vaccine.

He’s 70 and in good health. A day after he got his first dose of the Moderna vaccine, he said his arm felt sore but reported no side effects.

“My arm is a little sore, but other than that I’m perfectly OK,” Castles said at the time.

Castles received his second shot on Feb. 9. This time, there were side effects. According to the CDC, side effects from the vaccine are not uncommon. At first, Castles didn’t notice anything too out of place after his second shot. He felt tired and his arm was sore again. He usually walks two miles a day but could only do one walk around the block “and that’s all I felt like doing.”

“I don’t know if that’s from the vaccine or if today is just a low-energy day,” Castles said. “From what I understand, the full side effects, if any, occur 10 to 12 hours after. So I’ll check in with you tomorrow and see how I did overnight.”

Castles checked in the morning of Feb. 10. He did not sleep well, calling it a “rough night.”

“After being tired most of the day yesterday, right at 12 hours from the inoculation, things started getting rough,” Castles said. “I only had two hours of sleep last night because I had chills, headache and a fever. Highest temp was 101.4. I just couldn’t get to sleep for taking off clothes and putting them back on, running hot and cold all night. Going to take it easy today. The important thing to note is I had no reaction other than a sore arm after the first inoculation. However, as advertised, the second one was a bit rougher.”

So was the second shot worth it?

“Oh yeah,” Castles said. “I would do it all over in a heartbeat. Better than getting the COVID.”

According to the CDC, common side effects from the vaccine include pain, swelling, fever, chills, tiredness and headache. The CDC advises recipients to drink plenty of fluids and dress lightly. For additional information, click here.

The state of Georgia has administered 1.25 million doses of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines as of Feb. 10, according to the Department of Public Health. Currently the state is in Phase 1A+ of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign. To find a COVID-19 vaccination site in your area, click here.

Image obtained from the Georgia Department of Public Health.

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