Talk to your treating doctor so that they can advise you on how and when you could get vaccinated. Likely, they will suggest timing your vaccination shots between rounds of chemo, when your immune system is at its strongest. The vaccine won’t make you sick if you are immunocompromised or immunosuppressed, but it might not be as effective in protecting you from getting COVID-19.
How do you weigh the risks and benefits?
We know all too well the risks of COVID-19. “About 20 percent of people who come down with Covid-19 symptoms develop serious, potentially life-threatening illness” (NYT). According to Dr. Monique Gary, a leading breast cancer surgeon, the risk of severe hospitalization or death from
COVID-19 is actually twice that for cancer patients. Even after recovering from COVID-19, common chronic symptoms include exhaustion, insomnia, ‘brain fog,’ cough, joint and chest pain, racing heart, shortness of breath, and loss of sense of smell or taste (CDC).
Our understanding of risks associated with the vaccine are based on the 115.7 million vaccine doses that have been given in the US and the 359.8 million vaccine doses that have been given globally as of March 17th (CDC; Our World in Data). Some minor side effects are normal, especially after the second shot. Outside of a sore arm, you may experience a flu-like response that could include: fatigue, headache, sore muscles and aches, chills, or a low-grade fever. These side effects should go away in 24-36 hours. Based on all the doses given, the CDC has reported that 0.0011% of individuals who received the vaccine have had a severe allergic reaction.
When she thinks about the side effects of the vaccine, Stephanie admits that she’s anxious. “But hell,” she says, “[breast cancer patients] get treatments and we don’t even know what the long-term effects are. They all have side effects. And we roll with those the best we can to live a quality of life.”
In a conversation with the President of Howard University, Dr. Fauci explained that the vast majority of long-term effects from vaccines occur within 30-45 days of vaccination. Given that more than 92.5 million vaccine doses were administered over 45 days ago with no sign of long-term impact, “the chances are extraordinarily low that there’s going to be a significant degree of effects that you’ll see one year or two years from now.”
The low risks and many benefits of being vaccinated ultimately ended up changing Stephanie’s mind. Her bucket list is long: “I want to take a train ride from the east coast to the west coast and back. And to visit a lot of the national parks—Yosemite first. I want to go back to Big Bend [in Texas]. I want to see as much of the United States as I possibly can and spend time with my family in whatever form or fashion that I can.”
“If this vaccine means that I’ll be able to get out and do things a little bit more safely,” Stephanie explained, “then I said to myself, Okay, I’m ready. And that’s when I told my husband, ‘you go first!’”
Still on the fence?
For Stephanie, a big part of her decision came from listening to and talking with trusted Black medical professionals like Dr. Monique Gary, Dr. Sarah Lanell Horton, Dr. Ogori Kalu on our TOUCHBBCA Medical Advisory Board.
If you’re still on the fence about getting the vaccine, look to Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett or Dr. Lisa Fitzpatrick (a leading infectious disease specialist who was in a COVID-19 vaccine trial) or Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice (the President of Morehouse School of Medicine).
At the end of the day, Stephanie wants breasties to make informed decisions for themselves. “Go read evidence-based information, talk to someone that knows, and decide for yourself. You can’t have someone tell you.”
Stephanie is scheduled to get her first dose of the vaccine on March 5, two days after her husband will receive his second shot. While she’s glad to have it scheduled, she is still a little nervous.
If you’re feeling scared or nervous about the vaccine too, that’s totally normal. If you have questions, reach out to us at [email protected] or 443-758-1924. We are always here for you.
For more information, watch our episode on The Doctor Is In!
And watch Dr. Fauci on BlackDoctor.org!