My experience with COVID-19 reaffirms my belief that vaccine boosters are critical

Photo by Adam Gethin on Unsplash

As a journalist, accurate coverage of COVID-19 is critical.

As the managing editor of the Philadelphia Tribune, an African American newspaper, I am responsible for making sure thousands of print and online readers received the latest factual news and information on COVID-19. 

Many of our readers are more at risk of being affected by the coronavirus disease. 

Racial and ethnic minorities in the United States have higher risk of infection and death caused by the COVID-19 virus than white people.

African Americans and Hispanic people are both more than twice as likely to be hospitalized than non-Hispanic white people due to several factors including: 

• Higher risk of developing diabetes, which increases the risk of severe illness with COVID-19. 

• Having a job that’s considered essential, that can’t be done remotely or involves high public interaction can increase the risk of getting the COVID-19 virus. In the U.S., nearly 25% of employed Black and Hispanic workers work in the service industry. Many people of color also depend on public transportation, which can also expose them to the COVID-19 virus.

• Other risk factors include living in more crowded conditions and densely populated areas; access to health care including lack of health insurance; stress and the toll of racism which can cause early aging, according to Dr Daniel C. DeSimone, of the Mayo Clinic. 

These high-risk factors make news coverage of the pandemic essential to our readers. In addition to our regular coverage, we publish an online health newsletter daily. Much of the coverage is updates on COVID-19.

We want readers to have the latest news from reliable and trusted sources, especially the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, state and local public health officials.

I tell my staff to remain objective and follow the science.

But right now, I’m going to get personal.    

I was recently diagnosed with COVID-19.

As I write this, I am still recovering from the virus.

Here’s my report:

Pay attention to your body.

I thought the sniffles and sneezing I was experiencing over the weekend were related to allergies. The first clear sign that something more was wrong came on a Monday morning when I could not complete my daily afternoon walk. In an effort to lose weight and reduce stress for the several weeks I had been walking 10,000 steps a day. A big part of achieving that goal is walking during my lunch break.  

But I had to cut my walk short after tiring much sooner than usual. I didn’t think much of it. The next day I went to work and before noon I felt extremely fatigued. I knew something was wrong and decided to leave work early. Before leaving, I told Human Resources that I was going to take the COVID test. Forty minutes later I took the test at a local CVS drive thru, went home and got into bed. Two days later I received my test results confirming a positive reading for COVID-19. I immediately called HR to tell them of the results so that they could begin informing everyone with whom I was in physical contact. The next day a woman from my county health department called me and informed me to quarantine for five days from the time I experienced my first symptoms and then wear a mask in public for five days after the quarantine. 

It could have been much worse.

Fortunately, I did not require hospitalization. I didn’t have shortness of breath or difficulty breathing. I did have a fever, chills, muscle and body aches and fatigue. The fatigue was the worst and lasted the longest. 

I experienced a range of emotions from the counterproductive response of “how could this have happened to me?”, to “I hope I don’t make my family and my colleagues sick”.

But mostly I felt grateful.

Grateful that I had gotten my flu shot, two Pfizer vaccination shots and a booster. Ironically, I was planning to get my second booster this week.

It is my belief and studies show that my symptoms could have been worse if I wasn’t vaccinated and boosted. It also could have been worse if I was over 65 and had a pre-existing condition such as diabetes.   

I am concerned about those who don’t get the booster. 

According to the CDC, approximately 1 in 3 Americans aged 65 and older who completed their initial vaccination round still have not received a first booster shot. This age group continues to be at the highest risk for serious illness and death from COVID-19.

In fact, people who are age 65 and older account for about 75% of the U.S. Covid deaths. Some risk persists, even for seniors who have completed an initial two-dose series of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine or gotten one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Public health officials say it's time Americans learned to live with the coronavirus. I believe they are right. It’s going to be with us for a while. 

My experience with the coronavirus makes me more determined than ever to take care of my health and make sure my readers are even more informed on the coronavirus. 

I am a man of faith, but I also follow science. They are not mutually exclusive.   

So, I urge you to get vaccinated and get boosted, especially if you are over 65 or have other risk factors. It could keep you from severe illness or hospitalization. 

It could save your life.

Irv Randolph is the managing editor of the Philadelphia Tribune, the nation’s oldest continuously published African American newspaper in the nation and co-editor of The Randolph Report, a newsletter on politics, culture and career and professional news relevant to Black Americans.