Editor’s note: With the COVID-19 vaccine becoming widely available in Mississippi, The Meridian Star spoke to local educators and first responders about their experience getting vaccinated. What follows is some of their thoughts. 

Heather Luebbers, a sergeant with the Meridian Police Department, said she decided to get vaccinated against COVID-19 to protect her family, including her two-year-old child, her mother and other relatives.

“I have grandparents that are still alive that I haven’t really seen in a year,” she said, “because they’re scared of the virus.”

Luebbers’ arm was sore after the first shot. About a week later, she saw a rash at the injection site, but it cleared up in two days or so. She received her second shot in February. The day after the inoculation, she had a mild headache, body aches and body chills. She also experienced fatigue for about two days.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, common side effects of the Moderna vaccine include tiredness, headache, chills, muscle pain, fever and nausea. Pain, redness or swelling in the arm that received the shot are also common. The agency says that these side effects usually start within a day or two of the inoculation, but they should go away in a few days.

Luebbers said she and other police department personnel often come in contact with the public. The vaccination has given her “a peace of mind.”

“I’m not as concerned about bringing it home or exposing family members to it,” she said.

Lauderdale County Deputy Sheriff Sam Upchurch said he decided to get vaccinated so he could “continue living a normal life.”

“I have a lot of trust in our medical system, and I wanted to return to normal living,” he said. “And vaccination is one of the safest and fastest ways to do that.”

Upchurch is a registered nurse, so he was able to receive the first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in early January. He said the inoculation was not any different than any other injection administered at a clinic or hospital.

“It was rather uneventful,” said Upchurch, who feels optimistic about the future.

“I feel as if…COVID-19 will be nothing but a bad memory very soon,” he said.

Northwest Middle School math teacher Chastity Robertson said she decided to get vaccinated to protect her family, her young son and her students. 

“I anticipated it being so much worse than it was – I was scared,”  said Robertson, who recieved the Johnson and Johnson vaccine.

With the increase in vaccination rates, Robertson hopes school will begin to feel normal  again. 

“I think we are trying to get back to normal,” she said.

School librarian Lyntressa Bourrage said she was hesitant to get the vaccine, but after doing research and speaking with others who have received it, she felt more comfortable.

“I was worried, but I did my research,” she said. “After I researched the Moderna vaccine, I felt a little more comfortable about it.”

West Lauderdale Elementary first grade teacher Clancy Willis was excited to receive her  shot. 

“I wanted to make sure I got the vaccine,” she said. “I wanted to do anything I could to keep myself healthy…anything that I can do to help make a difference.” 

Like Robertson, Willis hopes that with the increasing vaccination rates and the decrease in case numbers, a sense of normalcy will return to schools. 

“It makes me feel reassured when I’m with my kids,” she said. “I feel better when I am with them.”

Jaycee Butler, who teaches at West Lauderdale Elementary, felt getting the vaccine was the right thing to do. 

“I wanted to go ahead and do this when it became available,” she said. “The thought of me having COVID-19, having to go home for two weeks and not being able to instruct my children, that bothers me greatly.”