Vaccine reluctance & General COVID Discussion

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@bluebayou - that is good to know. I think the sheer volume of information coupled with its dynamic nature frustrates everyone.

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I got Pfizer. Originally I thought I would prefer Moderna, but then around the time my facility was scheduled, a specific lot of Moderna was associated with a high number of allergic reactions locally, so I was relieved to be getting Pfizer. But in general, the best one to get is the one that is available to you.

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I agree. The Maine CDC Director said he would tell his mother to get the new J&J vaccine (once it’s approved, of course), even though its efficacy is lower. Any of these vaccines should work well.

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I ordered Miralax to see if I am still sensitive to polyethylene glycol or PEG, the possible source of some reactions to Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. The Johnson and Johnson vaccine doesn’t have PEG but instead, polysorbate 80, which is in ice cream. I have a sensitivity to Miralax, or used to, which concerns me. If I still react, I will try hard to get the J and J shot.

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Are you going to do your own scratch test or something similar?

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Just orally. I am considering going to an allergist or immunologist who I have seen in the past but I am still scared to go to MD offices. If I react orally I will try to get the first appointment of the day, for further testing. With my overactive immune system and an autoimmune disorder, I really want to make sure I get the best vaccine for me in terms of safety- and fear I won’t have a choice, so I want to be ready!

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Be careful!!! Taking it orally sounds risky.

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TBH, at the moment, beggars can’t be choosers. Personally, I’d like to get the Moderna one.

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I agree. In my opinion, the best shot is the one available where you can get it.

In terms of vaccine reluctance
my husband has clearly said he won’t do the Johnson and Johnson one because the reported efficacy is so much lower than Moderna and Pfizer.

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There is an article somewhere in which doctors were interviewed, asking effectively “Should I wait an extra three weeks to get Pfizer or Moderna over the less effective one?” All the docs interviewd agreed that it was better to get whatever vaccine as soon as you could, rather than risk getting Covid. It’s not killing as many, but it’s still making a lot of people very sick and many are taking a long time to recover.

Just thought I’d put that out there.

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To be clear, I am not aiming the following comment to anyone here.

I’m personally amused by talking heads that use words like “efficacy” while pretending they knew the definition last month. :sweat_smile:

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Why not get whichever one is available first?

Then when the backlog is cleared, if there is a better one than the one already gotten (and/or a booster for new strains), get it then.

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@compmom what is the advice of the doc you see for your autoimmune disorder(s) regarding the vaccine??

I hate to see you with another set of problems if you react to a substance when you’re home alone and when it hasn’t been prescribed as an appropriate step to take!

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He is pretty sure he will be getting his before the J and J is readily available.

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Well I got the first Phizer shot yesterday and it has hit me like a Mac truck. My body has unloaded its full arsenal immune response. Headache, fever, body aches, chills, my arm feeleinig like someone hit it hard with a bat. The only thing I don’t have is a cough which I did have from my bout with COVID in December. I’m guessing that my response to the first shot is so strong due to having COVID before. The silver lining is that my doc said that a strong response most likely means strong immunity. She would be concerned if I had no response at all which might put me in the 5% that the vaccine is ineffective for.

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They are studies going on about vaccines when you’ve already had Covid.

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I have read that people who have had COVID tend to have a strong reaction to that first shot, and that it is almost like a second shot. In fact, and this is not yet the standard of care, but the article I read posited that folks who have had COVID may only need one shot of the Pfizer or Moderna.

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Well I’m all in on that. I’d be happy to dump the second shot, heck I really didn’t even want th first one, especially now I’m laid up in bed.

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Might be worth investigating. Sorry I cannot cite the article!

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Problem is until the CDC approves only one shot I remain unvaccinated. They have 3 weeks,.