DANVILLE – There are plenty of questions about the vaccines now being provided in the United States. Dr. Jaewon Ryu, president and CEO of Geisinger Health System, talked recently with the press about things such as side effects and whether or not those who have had COVID-19 should be vaccinated.
When it comes to side effects, Dr. Ryu said it’s similar to getting a flu shot. He explained, “You could get a sore muscle at the site of the injection, you could get a little bit of fatigue or not feeling so well. The good news is all of these side effects, they are generally self limited. The vast majority of the side effects seem to resolve within 24 hours and some people don’t have many side effects at all.”
Dr. Ryu explained why those who have already had COVID-19 should still get vaccinated. He said, “Folks who have had COVID, we don’t know how long that immunity lasts and to what level that immunity lasts. There’s a good reason to believe that the immunity wanes over time. So, even the folks who have recovered from COVID should be getting the vaccine. As a general rule, we are advising that anybody who has had COVID still needs to be vaccinated.”
Dr. Ryu reminds us that the vaccine is not an excuse to stop protecting yourselves and others by following mitigations such as masking, social distancing and avoiding gatherings. Geisinger continues to provide vaccines to their staff. He said until we get a meaningful amount of the population vaccinated, we still need to continue following the mitigation efforts to curb the spread of the virus.
