COVID-19 After Getting the

COVID-19

After Getting the Vaccine the Vaccine

– Chad’s Story

As a senior quality program analyst at Network Health, Chad does a lot of behind-the-scenes data crunching. Like many of us, the last couple years Chad has been working from home most of the time, because of the working from home most of the time, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This past September, he became COVID-19 pandemic. This past September, he became more intimately involved with pandemic when he contracted COVID-19, even though he’d been vaccinated. COVID-19, even though he’d been vaccinated.

“I got vaccinated back in April. My whole family—myself, my 16, 18 and 20-year-old children and also my wife, who is a teacher—all got vaccinated. We wanted to get that done so we could kind of get back to some semblance of normal. We felt it was the right thing to do.”

In November of 2020, Chad’s brother contracted COVID-19 and had to be hospitalized, which gave Chad’s family an additional reason to get vaccinated. “He’s fine now,” Chad said.

“He didn’t have to go on a ventilator, but he was really sick. He had to go on oxygen because his levels were really low.”

Once vaccinated, Chad and his family went about life like everyone else. They wore masks when necessary, but for the most part, COVID-19 wasn’t on their minds much. Then, this past September, symptoms showed up.

“All of a sudden I started not feeling well and developed a cough. Nothing too bad, though. It was a Thursday. By the time Monday came around, I was not feeling well at all. I was feeling really run down. By four o’clock that afternoon, I was drained. Tuesday was the same. I was really run down.”

Chad went to his local pharmacy to get tested. On Wednesday, he was feeling better but lost his sense of smell and his taste was muted. That night he received a call letting him know he tested positive. His taste and smell were back to normal after about a week. Throughout his time having COVID-19, he had a slight cough, which continued for several weeks.

A coworker asked if he was mad he got sick even though he was vaccinated. Chad said, “I’m not mad at all. I could’ve ended up in the hospital like my brother, and I didn’t. I give credit to the vaccine for that, and for not having it as bad as a lot of other people. I never even got a fever.”

Chad credits the vaccine with the short duration of his illness. He said, “For me, I think the vaccine saved me time from being sick. It wasn’t as bad as it could have been. My perspective was that my brother and I have the same genes, we’re similar. I could have ended up in the hospital or worse. The way I look at it is, it helped me.” Chad continued, “Plus, before knowing I had it, I lived with my family, without masks, for almost five days, and none of them ended up getting it. I think the vaccine is why.”

yone else. They wore masks when necessary, ough. Nothing too bad, though. It was a Thursday. By the time Monday came around, I was not feeling well at all. I was feeling really run down. By four o’clock that afternoon, I was drained. Tuesday was the same. I was really run down.”

Chad went to his local pharmacy to get tested. On Wednesday, he was Chad wanted to give himself the best feeling better but lost his sense of smell and his taste was muted. That night chance of staying healthy throughout chance of staying healthy throughout the pandemic.

I’m almost 50 and probably a little overweight, so I definitely think it helped me, as well as the people around me. I know people who have passed away from COVID. And, I didn’t want to be one of them.