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Siena Iwasaki Milbauer: Welcome to a very special episode of New Narratives! I’m your host, Siena Iwasaki Milbauer. I use she/her pronouns and I’m the Content Creator Intern at Asian American Organizing Project, also known as AAOP, a youth-focused, youth-led Asian American nonpartisan nonprofit based in the Twin Cities. On today’s episode, we’re talking vaccines, specifically COVID-19 vaccines.
I remember the experience of getting my COVID-19 vaccine vividly. I got my first shot of the Moderna vaccine in April at a Target CVS in St. Paul. I went to middle school in the same neighborhood that this Target was in, so I remember walking out of the Target and looking around at all these thrift stores, coffee shops, and the local movie theater that I knew so well but hadn’t been able to safely enjoy for over a year. I’ll be honest, I felt a little emotional, knowing that with my first shot, I was one step closer to getting back to so many of the activities I enjoy, to seeing loved ones again in-person, and to making my community a safer and healthier place.
I went back to that Target CVS in May, right after my 22nd birthday, and got my 2nd shot. I have to say, getting fully vaccinated was pretty much the best birthday present ever! It’s going to be tough to top that one. Mine is just one of countless vaccination stories, and today, we’re going to share some more with you, directly from Minnesotan Asian American youth. I’m also joined by a very special co-host, Jacqueline. I’m going to turn it over to her to take us into the heart of this episode. Take it away, Jacqueline!
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Jacqueline Zhang: Hi, my name is Jacqueline Zhang, I use she/her pronouns, and I’m the Communications Outreach Intern at AAOP this summer. Myself, along with Siena, are so excited to bring you this episode on COVID-19 vaccination as a part of AAOP’s COVID-19 Community Voices Digital Campaign.
The COVID-19 pandemic has turned all of our lives upside down for the past year and a half. Many of us have lost loved ones, grappled with mental health issues and isolation, and watched as public health and safety were trivialized and turned into politicized topics. Making it through this pandemic has been a story of compassion and selflessness. While some people resisted safety measures and minimized the severity of the virus, many of us also showed humanity and perseverance and went to great lengths to protect not just ourselves and our loved ones, but many others that we will never know. We understood the importance of keeping everyone safe; especially workers, immunocompromised people, and marginalized communities.
The COVID-19 vaccines offer us a way out of this pandemic by providing protection against more preventable deaths and lowering the risk of new variants and outbreaks developing. We are so lucky to be alive and healthy this far into the pandemic. It’s truly a privilege to receive a life-saving vaccine completely free of cost so soon after it was produced, and we should all take advantage of this incredible opportunity to ensure the wellbeing and health of ourselves and our communities for many years to come. In this episode, you’ll hear from nine young Asian Americans in Minnesota who will talk about their experiences with receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. We’re so excited to feature these community stories. Stay tuned til the end of this episode and visit AAOP’s social media to learn more COVID-19 information and where you can get your COVID-19 vaccine in Minnesota.
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Thai: Hi, I’m Thai and my pronouns are he/him. I’m 18 and I’m from Eden Prairie MN. So I got my vaccine in early April. And it was Pfizer, because that was allowed for 16 and older and I wasn’t 18 yet then and I got the 2nd dose in early May. My family, we’d been waiting to get the vaccine cause my mom is immunocompromised so we wanted to get it as soon as possible. So we would follow the news and then we heard that the vaccine would be allowed for 16 and older. So we joined a lot of Facebook groups and that was how we found out how to make appointments. I think the one I joined was called Minnesota vaccine hunters and it was just community members that started the group and they were really nice and helpful. If you had any questions, people would respond right away. And they would just be posting any vaccine appointments they found in their area and that was how I was able to get my appointment.
When I got my first dose, I was a little worried cause I’d heard that people were feeling a little tired or had headaches or just weren’t feeling the same. But it actually wasn’t bad. My arm was really sore for about 12 hours and I didn’t feel anything else. And I’m glad I didn’t. And for my 2nd dose, I was also worried, cause people said the 2nd dose was worse in terms of side effects. But I’m really glad, I didn’t really have any side effects and my first dose was slightly woese than my second dose.
Ever since becoming fully vaccinated, I feel like my life has completely changed. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Because before I was vaccinated, I wouldn’t feel comfortable going to the grocery store and my family, we hadn’t met anyone for the past year since March. So I was able to talk to my friends in person for the first time. Which it took some time to get used to, being in social situations again, and I would definitely say I feel a lot safer doing things with other people and going to events now. And I just think it’s crazy how much has changed because I was able and fortunate enough to get vaccinated.
The main reason I got vaccinated was for my mom because she’s immunocompromised and we hadn’t– we had quarantined the entire year in order to make sure we weren’t taking any risks that werent necessary. So I did it for my mom. And then also, just for the entire community. It was important for me to get vaccinated because although COVID might not have as bad of symptoms and effects on kids, although they still can, it’s still important for me to not be a carrier and spread it to others in the community who don’t have access to a lot of resources. So a lot of marginalized communities are more impacted by covid. So it’s really important for us to get vaccinated and stop the spread of the pandemic that hurts people.
I think it’s really important for people in my community to get vaccinated in order to stop the pandemic because if people do not get vaccinated, it will continue to spread in those unvaccinated populations. And that’s how all of the new variants, like the Delta variant, will come up. So in order to end the pandemic, end all the suffering and death, the effects it’s had on the community, we have to get vaccinated and stop the virus from mutating. So I think it’s really important to get vaccinated to stop the spread and hopefully we can return to some level of normalcy without having the pandemic go on forever.
[JAZZ BAR AMVIENCE]
Katherine: Hi everybody, my name is Katherine, my pronouns are she/her/hers, and I’m from the Eagan area of Minnesota. I attend Lawrence University in Appleton, WI. And I study Chinese and minoring in history. I will be a senior this upcoming school year. I got the Pfizer vaccine and I got it in I would say ealry April. I got my vaccine in Appleton, WI. I think back then, that’s when Walgreens around Appleton started having vaccines to be given out to the public. As a college student, I was able to get the vaccine earlier than other people because I qualified for the living in group housing section of the application. Cause if you lived in group housing or if you were a certain age or had certain autoimmune diseases, you could get the vaccine a little earlier. I signed up at the local Walgreens in the area and that’s how I got it.
I felt physically fine. Nothing severe in side effects other than everyone’s arms is kinda sore. That’s pretty normal. Before I got my 2nd shot, I emailed all my professors and said I’m getting the 2nd shot, I heard side effects are this, If I’m not in Zoom class tomorrow, this is why. And I was lowkey disappointed because I felt nothing. And I wanted a reason to not go to class! You know what I mean! Mentally, I felt a tad more happy and I feel like my parents when they heard I started to get the vaccine were a lot more relieved to hear that. So the weight on at least my immediate family was lessened cause more and more of us were getting the vaccine.
I felt privileged that it was so accessible to me. I just had to go to a 10 minute,15 minute walk away Walgreens, get this shot, and leave. Other people around the country have to fight for it. And other people around the world have to fight for it even harder. So I felt like it was both a responsibility for myself to feel safe, and also important for the rest of society to become more and more… I don’t want to say to say immune because that’s not the right term but more and more vaccinated so that we can regain life like it was back to 2019. I think getting more and more people vaccinated will bring what life was like pre-pandemic back into reality. And I will say that nobody really liked what happened in 2020 in regards to the pandemic. So, in order to recover from that, getting the vaccine is a great big step.
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Alicia Swenson: I’m Alicia Swenson. I go by she/her. I live in Golden Valley, junior at Hopkins high. I’m only 16 so I had to get Pfizer. I’m fully vaccinated, so I got the 2nd one about a month or two ago. I thought only older people and adults so I probably can’t get it. But then a lot of my friends from sport teams and school were like “Yeah I’m getting the vaccine this week.” So I was like are they opening it up? So after that I decided to go online to try to book an appointment. But it was very backed up and everything was booked. So I had to wait a week or two before things settled down and I could finally book an appointment.
I think a lot of people were excited to be vaccinated. I know, everyone I know was trying to book an appointment and very eager to get vaccinated. And I know for the people the grade below me too, it didn’t open up for them for another maybe few weeks. But I think everyone was excited to be fully vaccinated and to not have to worry as much about COVID. After the 1st dose, I didn’t feel anything. I was happy to finally get vaccinated. And then after 2nd one, I did feel a little nauseous after, but I didn’t have any flu like symptoms and I felt pretty fine. And I was really happy to be fully vaccinated. I do feel a lot safer.
I think everyone including me was kinda on edge before being vaccinated. Obviously, everyone wore masks and everything but it was still– you had to be extra cautious, but now as everyone gets vaccinated and things are opening up, it’s kind of a relief. I thought it was important to get vaccinated for myself and for others. Me personally, I’m not high risk, but people that I’m close with and around in general could be. So just to be safe. And I’ve never gotten COVID and I never plan on getting COVID. So I’d rather be safe than sorry. I think everyone in my community should be vaccinated, not just for themselves, but for everyone around them. I think it’s just kind of the right thing to do. And I know it’s optional, but there are people that are high risk out there, I just think it’s the right thing to do.
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Kenny Ping: Hi, I’m Kenny Ping. I use he/him/his. I’m 21 years old and I’m from Bloomington, MN. I go to the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. I will be a 4th year in the fall. I got the Pfizer vaccine, I got it in the first two weeks of May. Both doses of my vaccine I got through Boynton Health at University of Minnesota. In mid April, they started sending out emails to.. I’m not sure but I was on a list and they offered vaccines. Booking everything was really easy, you just went through their online portal and signed up for a time slot that worked for you.
After my 1st dose, I was a little tired and had a headache the next day, but it was really minor. That was the extent of the side effects. The 2nd dose was the same thing but a little more intense. I spent most of the day after my 2nd dose just lying on the couch. But other than that, it was relatively painless for me. My emotions after the vaccine, I was, to be honest pretty relieved after getting both doses. I wasn’t nervous at all cause I had friends who had gotten the vaccine before and all they had said was you might have a headache or your arm might be a little sore. And that wasn’t a fear factor. So I was just happy to get vaccinated and have that part over. I definitely do feel more safe. Just going to the grocery store or walking out and about, I was a lot more wary of being in crowded spaces, before the vaccine that is. I’m still a little bit wary but the degree to which I am nervous or fearful is a lot less.
I guess the short of it is I was kind of sick of COVID, sick of being cooped up in my apartment doing nothing. And the vaccination is only truly effective and life can return to quote un quote normal if majority of the population gets it. So I’ll do my part. And selfishly, I’ll be protected myself. And yeah, also like trust in science. You hear all the things about the vaccine is super rushed. I don’t know. Even if it is naive, I have faith in the medical community that they’re trying their best to help people. So I was like yeah, get vaccinated. It’ll be relatively painless and the benefit is far greater than any cost I could see.
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Abinaya Ilavarasan: I’m Abinaya Ilavarasan, I use she/her/hers pronounse. I’m 21 and I’m from Inver Grove Heights. I just graduated from Univeristy of Minnesota Twin Cities. In the fall, in a month, I’m going to get a masters in public health. I got the Moderna vaccine and I got the first shot on April 1st and the second on April 29. I heard about the vaccine through SEWA-AIFW, a South Asian based organization. They put me on their email list for a vaccination drive. Once a spot opened up, they sent the information to me. So I was like okay, I’ll go get one! So I went and got one. I definitely like– hang out with my friends in person. Not a lot at a time obviously, cause COVID is still a thing. But I hangout with one or two people at a time. And then I go to restaurants. I feel a lot more comfortable doing that. I went to the Mall of America recently. I feel a lot more comfortable doing things in person. It’s so nice.
I am still a little worried about the variant, it’s still kind of worrying me. But they are saying that people who are vaccinated, people should still get vaccinated cause that is your highest chance of protecting yourself against the variant. So that’s what you should keep doing. So I’m always just listening to what public health officials say. So I’m already vaccinated, I keep social distancing. So that’s what I am doing. I think it’s important to get vaccinated to keep myself safe and to keep others around me safe. That’s the purpose of a vaccine. That’s why I wanted to get it, plain and simple.
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PaNhia: My name is PaNhia. I use she/her pronouns. I’m 20 years old and from White Bear Lake, Minnesota. I got the Pfizer vaccine, and I got it, my 1st shot in April, and 2nd shot in May. I think it’s called Fairview, we basically went there and got the vaccine. The process was pretty quick. We went there, got checked in. The line wasn’t too bad. It was really quick. We had to wait like 5 minutes. We got the shot, go sit down for 10-15 minutes. And after that you just leave and you get a sticker and that’s it. So I would say that the process is pretty quick and accessible. It’s pretty funny because I didn’t get any side effects. There was nothing wrong with me. I guess I had a sore, like the area where I got that shot it was sore, but it wasn’t too bad. But I heard from my friends that they got a cold or they felt sick. But I didn’t feel sick. Same thing with my siblings, they didn;t have side effects at all, none of my family members had any side effects.
If it’s really crowded and lots of people not wearing masks, I won’t take my mask off. But if I see a combination of people wearing masks and not, then I’m comfortable taking off my mask for a short amount of time. However back then before I got the vaccine, I wasn’t comfortable going outside. But now that I have a vaccine, I feel much more comfortable going outside in public. Personally, I wanted the vaccine because I believe in science. And also I have a grandma at home, and I feel like the death rates in terms of COVID has been increasing everyday. And the thought of me going out, getting COVID, bringing it back and infecting my grandma. I don’t know, that would guilt tripped me so much. That’s why I wanted to get the vaccine, to protect grandma, family, those around me. And I think that’s ultimately why I chose to get the vaccine.
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Andrew: I’m Andrew, I use he/him, I’m 20 years old, I’m from the West Metro. I’m going into my 4th year at the University of Minnesota. I received the Pfizer vaccine. I got my 1st dose in April, 2nd dose at end of April. I heard that Minnesota was opening vaccine access to everyone. Now is my time to figure out how to do that. One of my friends sent me all the instructions for it which was really nice, I didn’t have to do much thinking. I got mine at a community center, kind of near my house. My 2st dose was– I didn’t feel any different. It was kind of exciting knowing I was more protected against COVID, that I get to kind of going back to normal soon. But then the 2nd dose, felt like I had a cold for the next morning, actually the next day. But then fine after that. I think the trade-off was worth it. I felt kind of tired the next day, but since then, I’ve felt more confident going out in public, so it’s been a good trade-off.
I still wear my mask around in public, especially inside. Not so much outside cause it’s warm out since it’s. My risk tolerance is not super high, especially with the Delta variant. I’m wearing my mask in public and but I’m still going out and doing stuff. When I see my friends I don’t wear my mask either. Obviously, the vaccination provides protection for me even though COVID doesn’t impact young adults a ton. It still does, there is the off chance that it could have a large impact on your health. So that’s a big reason. Additionally, I did see my family a lot across the past school year, just being able to ensure that my parents are safe because they are in the range that COVID starts to more heavily impact. So just being safe for myself, but also being safe for the people around me, that’s why I chose to get the vaccine.
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Abby: My name is Abby. I use pronouns she/her. I am currently 20. I live in Minneapolis. I got Moderna vaccine. I got 1st dose the last week of March, 2nd dose 28 days after that. About a month later. The process was a little annoying. I have underlying health conditions so I was eligible a lot earlier than when I got one because my health care provider didn’t have enough vaccines to give out to all the patients. They had to prioritize within the eligible pool. But then, my university, which is the University of Minnesota, the health center there, Boynton, contacted me and said I was eligible. So that is where I got the vaccine ultimately. I had side effects after both 1st and 2nd dose. Which I kind of expected cause I have a weakened immune system. It was definitely a typical cold. Or just pretty bad-ish cold. But only lasted for 48 hours. I would say mentally, I felt pretty good cause I anticipated getting kind of sick so it wasn’t unexpected. I had portioned out my workload so it wasn’t a huge strain on me. But I felt, in general, pretty happy because it was a big relief. And yeah, it was a stressful thing, especially being someone who is immunocompromised, to not have to worry about that quite as much now.
I got vaccinated because I was pretty scared of contracting COVID and the possible symptoms that might come from that. And I thought it was important, other than my own safety, I knew that I would in the summer be around more people due to either in-person obligations or anything. And there were events and people I wanted to see such as my grandparents who were planning to come. So I felt it was important to be fully vaccinated. So we could be in contact safely without worry. On top of not wanting to be sick yourself, recognizing that even if you don’t personally feel the effects of COVID, with the different strains and the nature of the disease, there’s always the possibility that you could contract it and pass it to someone else. As a person who cares about other people I guess, it’s also important to know that COVID does disproportionately impact people who are already marginalized in terms of socio-economic status, gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, and all those factors. So if, I think just being vaccinated, if nothing else, to protect other people.
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Sunny: My name is Sunshine, but Sunny for short. My pronouns are she and her. I’m 17 years old. I live in St. Paul, Minnesota. I’m in high school currently, I’m a junior but I’ll be a senior this upcoming school year. I got the Pfizer, I think I got the first dose around June 10. So for me, all my family members got their vaccines. They were encouraging me to get my vaccine. So I actually didn’t do any work, but I know my brother signed up for me. There were locations near me which offered the Pfizer. So my brother signed up for me and that’s how I got my vaccine. It was really simple. I got it at Target. They have a CVS in there which offers the shot.
For side effects, I luckily didn’t have any except for the area where I got my shot swelled so it looked like I got stung by a bee. It was a little itchy. I don’t know if it was a side effect or if I was scratching it too much. Other than that, emotionally how I felt while the vaccine was done, was I felt like I contributed to helping the community or the United States. I do feel safe, and I do feel comfortable. But I’d say on the news there have been issues where doctors would say that even if you got the vaccination, there’s still a chance you can pass it on to others who don’t have the vaccine. So I’ve been cautious when I’m going out, around my family cause– since my middle siblings don’t have the vaccination yet, they’re not old enough, I wear a mask, I want to mask outside in public just to be careful. But overall, I’d say that I feel safe and comfortable.
I feel like for me personally, there’s not a choice to get vaccinated. I feel like that’s just the right thing to do, although I know some people are afraid of getting sick from side effects. I’d say that’s nothing compared to what other people are going through. People losing their family cause of COVID. To all the people who are scared of getting vaccinated, I would say that it is totally worth it in the end. You are not only saving your own life, you are saving lives for generations to come.
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Jacqueline: One of the questions that I asked folks during our conversations was how the pandemic had affected them; they had a lot to say about that.
Andrew: Beyond the obvious quarantine, physical separation, it has impacted my emotional health. Or mental health in a way too. Normally I get a lot of energy from seeing people and going to in-person classes, seeing my friends. This past year with COVID I had to lock down before I got the vaccine. So it was rough… quarantine really messed up a lot of people’s rhythms with daily life.
Abby: That feeling of constant fear and isolation. And also all the large and important world events happening this year as well with the pandemic as the backdrop of it definitely affected my mental health as well.
Sunny: I think it has affected me emotionally.
PaNhia: Doing internships online and also doing just zoom university online in general… I was really tiring. Just getting used to online classes, understanding how to function as a person with the pandemic going on.
Thai: For school, online school was a lot different. It was really draining being on Zoom all day.
Alicia: It’s also just taught me to not take anything for granted. Sports for example, shortened seasons. Or just not being able to hangout with friends. Or losing loved ones.
Kenny: Being cooped up and not being able to see as wide an array of people makes life less fun, not as interesting. And like, a lot more monotonous I guess. So I think I lost a lot of motivation because of COVID.
Abinaya: Just spending so much time with my immediate family, that’s good and bad, just being at home all the time. Not always keeping in touch with friends. I had a relationship of mine end because of the pandemic, a romantic relationship, and that was a little sad for me. But when things end, other things happen for you, so it’s alright.
Katherine: It definitely changed my outlook on life. I realized that the things I thought were important pre-2020 were maybe not that important during the pandemic. Meaning, it sounds weird, but it made me rethink what it takes to be happy. I used to think that it meant having A to Z in your life, all completed and done and set. But then I realized being happy means just having your family, the people you care about close to you and being happy and healthy. And making sure that you are fulfilled in what you’re doing with your time.
Jacqueline: All of us have been touched and changed by this pandemic. It’s an experience that none of us will ever forget, even if sometimes we’d like to. Our communities have been tested, and many of us have come together like never before to take care of and look after one another. COVID-19 itself may be with us for the rest of our lives, but now is the time to work together to bring this pandemic to an end and get back on track to how life was before. It’s more important than ever for each of us to step up to the plate as individuals and get vaccinated. Here’s how.
For our listeners in Minnesota, head to vaccineconnector.mn.gov to find a vaccine near you. There, you can either schedule a vaccine appointment or find a community vaccination site for a walk-in. Translations on this site are available in Spanish, Hmong, and Somali. If you need more translation assistance or have any questions about getting your vaccine, you can call the Minnesota Department of Health COVID-19 Public Hotline at 1-833-431-2053. And for more information on the COVID-19 vaccine, head to vaccines.gov.
Siena: Thanks for tuning into New Narratives. This special episode was brought to you by Asian American Organizing Project as part of the We Can Do This vaccine education campaign.
AAOP supports We Can Do This, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s nationwide COVID-19 and vaccine education campaign. The Asian American and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Community has been hit hard by COVID-19 and many of us need help in getting educated about how we can get vaccinated. We are working together to ensure our community has access to important information in our fight against COVID. Learn about COVID-19 vaccinations and get help scheduling your vaccine at VACCINES.GOV. #WeCanDoThis
Featured in this episode are Abby, Abinaya, Alicia, Andrew, Katherine, Kenny, PaNhia, Sunshine, and Thai. Thank you so much for sharing your stories. Last but not least, a huge thanks to Jacqueline Zhang, AAOP’s Communications Outreach Intern for Summer 2021, for her work on this project. See you next time!