Ouch! Needle-phobic people scarred by so many images of COVID shots
By Julie Appleby - Kaiser Health News
A health care worker receives the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at the United Memorial Medical Center on Dec. 21 in Houston, Texas.
Go Nakamura | Getty Images/TNS
FACING THE FEAR
For the millions of Americans who have some fear of needles, there are ways to help yourself cope, say experts.
• Put it in perspective. Be positive about the reasons you are getting the vaccine and remember that the pain will be short-lived, like a stubbed toe, said Thea Gallagher, director of the clinic at the Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety at the University of Pennsylvania. For those getting the two-dose regimens, “be objective about how the first one went,” she said, “and that you got through it.”