Covid 19 Vaccine Reactions

[Mark in Ottawa]

We are booked to get our first shots on the weekend but have no idea what vaccine will be used.

Rollout of the vaccine in Canada has been totally chaotic because although our government contracted for an incredible 11 shots per capita, they did not or were not able to negotiate early delivery dates. At this point there are no producers in the country of any of the approved vaccines so we are totally in the hands of other countries. (This is definitely going to change; lesson learned). AstraZeneca is producing in the USA and has over 7 million doses stockpiled that can't be used because it's not yet approved by the FDA and until yesterday they were prohibited from shipping it abroad. Fortuately Mr Biden approved a program under which Canada will get 1.5 million doses and Mexico will get 2.5 million on the (reasonable) basis that we will pay them back in a few months when our contracted doses are produced.

Going back to the original issue though, I have not heard of anybody here who has had a bad reaction and am hopeful that we won't. I am also hopeful that we don't get the AstraZenecka since it appears not to be as effective as Pfizer or Moderna.

A final comment. In about 8 months, I think that we are going to be up to our knees in vaccine that we have ordered and won't need. Knowing our Prime Minister, we will probably give it away at no charge to some politically correct recipients in the poor Third World (you know, the ones where the dictator/ president has billions of dollars in Swiss bank accounts)

[Herschel]

After I received my seccond shot of Moderna I felt listless for a day, nothing after that. My wife had mild flu like symptoms for three days after her
second Moderna shot. Three people I know died from covid 19. All appeared to be in good health and were in the 60 to 70 age group. My 55 year old
son-in-law had covid 19 and was very sick, but did not require hospitalization, for two weeks. My 75 year old friend had covid and was in the hospital
for 5 days. Skip the immunization if you want to. Ride a motorcycle without a helmet if you want to. It still a mostly free country.

[Art]

Herschel, you're right on point.

I had covid over Thanksgiving and I was really sick for two weeks and didn't get completely over it for a month. This was not the way I wanted to lose ten pounds. This disease is no joke. People compare this to the flu but the worst case of the flue I ever had was a sniffle compared to my case of covid.

I'm getting my second Moderna shot on Friday and the possibility of spending a day or two in bed is well worth it to me.

[phil441]

First shot of Moderna caused slight temperature intermittently that night but not enough to be a problem. Next day was sore arm. Next day all was back to normal.
Second shot caused no side effects that I could notice.

[oscars]

Art, it would have been interesting to note your antibody titer after your infection with COVID and to compare that value with the title after vaccination. Not that I would want you to be a guinea pig!

[Art]

Art, it would have been interesting to note your antibody titer after your infection with COVID and to compare that value with the title after vaccination. Not that I would want you to be a guinea pig!

It's a little late now but, yeah, that would be interesting. My strong reaction to the first dose of the vaccine was almost entirely due to the vaccine triggering my immune system which docs I know tell me is proof the vaccine is working. There is some dispute as to whether I need a second shot because I've had covid but I'm on the schedule so I guess I will and hope the reaction is less severe than last time when I spent a day in bed with a 102 degree fever.

[sid]

For what it is worth, Pfizer has developed a new vaccine which can be taken orally. This is supposed to reduce the problems with the injections. It is now going through it's first tests.

[JB White]

Art, doctor from Northwestern University/ Feinberg school of medicine has stated numerous times exactly what you have been told. I'm not qualified to repeat his words with any accuracy. However your type of situation has been discussed and I have good reason to think what you were told is sound advice. Get the second dose but brace for a possible reaction.
If any consolation, I know a guy half our age who suffered a severe reaction as you did. His second shot went without a hitch. Hope your goes as well.

As an aside but related, every year I pay my token union dues in the first quarter. As a retiree I can pay at my convenience. Now that I'm carrying a current card for 2021 I was told I'm classified as 1B+. Just need to find a vaccination site which isn't backlogged now.
Local restrictions and definitions along with mind boggling changes.....

If lucky in a sense I'll be too early for an approved oral vaccine. I cannot fathom why that would be any different regarding reactions though.

[JB White]

Update

Tired of the "virtual waiting room" routine for hours only to be told No Joy, I went to the phone tag route. Got lucky and was told I could slip into a one hour window.
Received my first dose of the Pfizer on Friday with an appointment for the follow up.
Minor reactions. Felt a little light headed about 15 minutes afterward. Nothing serious. Just noticeable. An hour later began feeling as though I had the onset of a serious cold. A few hours of that and I decided to hit the sack.
Awoke feeling a little nauseous for a while but that passed within the hour. Soreness at the injection site was no more than I feel with my Tetanus boosters. So, no serious reactions this time around.

The vaccinations were at an area college west of the city. Staffed by the Illinois National Guard. I couldn't help but notice how well they had the process running. Professional, courteous, all the way down the line station to station. What could have been a logistical clusterf**k if handled by civil servants and volunteers...it wasn't. Not a single wasted movement.
Most of the Guardsmen were younger than my own kids but their demeanor instilled a sense of competence resulting in an immediate sense of confidence on my part.
Tip o' the hat! I knew there had to be something good still left in Illinois!

[Johnny P]

The local hospital was giving the injections and letting the patient go. The local pharmacies were requiring you to wait 15 minutes to be sure there was no reaction. What was another 30 minutes after a lost year.

[lyman]

Update

Tired of the "virtual waiting room" routine for hours only to be told No Joy, I went to the phone tag route. Got lucky and was told I could slip into a one hour window.
Received my first dose of the Pfizer on Friday with an appointment for the follow up.
Minor reactions. Felt a little light headed about 15 minutes afterward. Nothing serious. Just noticeable. An hour later began feeling as though I had the onset of a serious cold. A few hours of that and I decided to hit the sack.
Awoke feeling a little nauseous for a while but that passed within the hour. Soreness at the injection site was no more than I feel with my Tetanus boosters. So, no serious reactions this time around.

The vaccinations were at an area college west of the city. Staffed by the Illinois National Guard. I couldn't help but notice how well they had the process running. Professional, courteous, all the way down the line station to station. What could have been a logistical clusterf**k if handled by civil servants and volunteers...it wasn't. Not a single wasted movement.
Most of the Guardsmen were younger than my own kids but their demeanor instilled a sense of competence resulting in an immediate sense of confidence on my part.
Tip o' the hat! I knew there had to be something good still left in Illinois!

a friend on that other forum we frequent lives in Tinsley Park,

he and his wife ended up driving to some place in southern Ill to get the J&J shot, since they were not of the proper demographic for the area they live in to get in line

[m1ashooter]

Received the Moderna 2nd shot a week ago. Slight head ache, couldn't tell if anything I felt was caused by the shot or my normal medications. No big deal here thank GOD.

[JB White]

a friend on that other forum we frequent lives in Tinsley Park,

he and his wife ended up driving to some place in southern Ill to get the J&J shot, since they were not of the proper demographic for the area they live in to get in line

I'm sure you meant Tinley Park? About 25 miles south of me as the crow flies. About an hours drive with Chicago traffic
I was subjected to the same bias. The one avoiding racism....?
Tinley is on the edge of Cook, almost Will county. No surprise they needed to travel. Do the end run and take what you can get while the getting is good. Otherwise wait a few more months and pray you aren't exposed as more and more start to ignore the restrictions.

[bdm]

I had the Pfizer shots the second one made my arm and neck sore and i felt like i was coming down with something for a few days then it passed

[jjrothWA]

Did everyone, use the same arm for injection or did you alternate arms?

I 'm do the coming thursday and figure I alternate the arm [left arm for first and right for follow-up, getting the Moderna vaccine.

Thanks for responses.