COVID Reaction to COVID-19 Vaccine (or what to be prepared for)

[pinball1970]

After 16 hours, still feeling normal. No adverse reaction.

I received Pfizer since the local pharmacy had only Pfizer. I would have liked to get Moderna as a test to see if I had the kind of strong reactions others experienced in the past. All four of my vaccinations have been Pfizer, since that was what was available where I made my appointments. My son received Pfizer this time, but his three previous vaccines were Moderna. He did experience some effects from the vaccine, such as feeling fatigue and discomfort with all three Moderna vaccines.Edit/update: Can You Get the New COVID-19 Booster at the Same Time as a Flu Shot?
https://www.bu.edu/articles/2022/can-you-get-covid-19-booster-at-same-time-as-flu-shot/

Im booked in tomorrow for Covid jab but I want to ask if they can do Flu at the same time, if they have any in stock.

Last year I had three Covid jabs, Two AZ and pfizer (I think) . I managed to get Covid too a month before my third.
Unpleasant but no lung issues at all.

I am expecting to be rough Friday because I had about 24 hours of high temp shivers/aches last time after each

May not be as bad this time round.

 

[.Scott]

I got my bivalent COVID and seasonal flu shot a few weeks ago. The next day I definitely had "pseudo-flu" - but not enough to skip work. I had had three shots before this (the pair plus a booster). I skipped the second booster for a few reasons: 1) When I qualified for the second booster, the COVID community numbers were quite low; 2) I wanted to remain qualified for immediate use of the bivalent COVID shot whenever it came out; and 3) I do regular platelet donations and the Red Cross reported to me that my COVID antibody numbers pinned the scale and were thus high enough to qualify my donations for convalescent COVID therapy.

All my COVID shots have been Pfizer.

 

[Astronuc]

I had had three shots before this (the pair plus a booster). I skipped the second booster for a few reasons: 1) When I qualified for the second booster, the COVID community numbers were quite low; 2) I wanted to remain qualified for immediate use of the bivalent COVID shot whenever it came out;

I more or less did the same for the same reasons. My wife got a fourth booster, just in case, since she is at high risk (a couple of comorbidities) for adverse consequences from COVID. She is slightly older and qualified before I did to get the original and booster shots.

We both got the bivalent booster at the same time.

Yesterday afternoon/evening, about 24 hours after the bivalent booster, I was feeling a bit sluggish, but that also could have been not eating much during the day. This morning I feel much less sluggish.

 

[hutchphd]

Yesterday afternoon/evening, about 24 hours after the bivalent booster

Got Pfizer bivalent booster (Moderna, Moderna, Pfizer Boost, Pfizer Bivalent) Tuesday noon. Felt lousy headache Wednesday (24 hrs) but no fever. Previously second Moderna response was fever 2 days. Today (48 hrs) I feel perfectly fine. Small potatoes.

 

[Astronuc]

Folks who I know and who received the Moderna vaccine had a stronger reaction that those with Pfizer. Apparently the dosage for Moderna is higher than for Pfizer, which may be one factor. All my vaccinations were Pfizer. I felt a bit sluggish the following afternoon/evening, but otherwise felt normal. My wife had a stronger reaction than me; she had to take a nap. My son did fine. His original two vaccinations were Moderna, but his boosters (first and bivalent) were Pfizer, and he had less of a reaction with Pfizer.

Good news, from WSJ - Pfizer’s New Omicron-Targeting Booster Produces Strong Immune Response
Preliminary results are the first from human testing of the shots
https://www.wsj.com/articles/pfizer...r-produces-strong-immune-response-11665671737

Good to know.

 

[pinball1970]

Rough as hell. Off work. Banging head aching all over. Just the Covid jab. I can read and type though.
Water paracetamol bed.

 

[Mayhem]

3x Pfizer. No side effects aside from mild soreness on injection side (what do you expect from having a needle inserted into a muscle?) which subsided around 30 hours later. Went about my day just as if nothing had happened.

 

[hutchphd]

(what do you expect from having a needle inserted into a muscle?)

It is my understanding that the muscle soreness is in fact a primary part of the immune response. (I mention this as more of a question than a statement of fact )... ?

 

[pinball1970]

It is my understanding that the muscle soreness is in fact a primary part of the immune response. (I mention this as more of a question than a statement of fact )... ?

That's my understanding, it is more than just damaged muscle and nerve endings, it is an actual immune response. That is where the antigen is.
Being vaccinated and having Covid feel very similar (for me) Pretty sure @atyy explained this last year.
Banging head, aching limbs, fever are immune response rather than the disease.
Quick onset.
What happens after that depends on your immune system and whether it was prepared or not. If not, the virus will do damage before the immune system gets going.
In that case any significant viral stimulation of the immune system will produce similar results?

 

[Astronuc]

Rough as hell. Off work. Banging head aching all over. Just the Covid jab. I can read and type though.
Water paracetamol bed.

Bivalent vaccine? Pfizer or Moderna?

 

[pinball1970]

Bivalent vaccine? Pfizer or Moderna?

Spikevax Bivalent Original / Omicron.

 

[Astronuc]

Spikevax Bivalent Original / Omicron.

I found this "Spikevax (previously COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna)"
https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/medicines/human/EPAR/spikevax

elasomeran/imelasomeran and elasomeran

Spikevax contains elasomeran, a molecule called messenger RNA (mRNA) with instructions for producing a protein from the original strain of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

Spikevax is also available as an adapted vaccine called Spikevax bivalent Original/Omicron BA.1 which contains elasomeran and an additional mRNA molecule, imelasomeran, with instructions for producing a protein from the Omicron BA.1 subvariant of SARS-CoV-2.

So Spikevax(R) is Modern's bivalent vaccine.
https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/spikevax
https://www.fda.gov/emergency-prepa...sease-2019-covid-19/moderna-covid-19-vaccines

This is a multidose vial that contains 10 doses of 0.5 mL each or a maximum of 20 doses of 0.25mL each.

One dose (0.5 mL) contains 100 micrograms of elasomeran, a COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine (embedded in SM-102 lipid nanoparticles).

One dose (0.25 mL) contains 50 micrograms of of elasomeran, a COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine (embedded in SM-102 lipid nanoparticles).

Elasomeran is a single-stranded, 5’-capped messenger RNA (mRNA) produced using a cell-free in vitro transcription from the corresponding DNA templates, encoding the viral spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...are-professionals-on-covid-19-vaccine-moderna

No wonder the strong reaction.

 

[PeroK]

Spikevax Bivalent Original / Omicron.

I got mine an hour ago.

 

[pinball1970]

I got mine an hour ago.

Same one? Have paracetamol and water at hand. I had jab at 1 pm went to bed early and symptoms probably peaked @3am.
Urine is still dark even though I have been drinking water all day. Must have dehydrated a lot in the night.

 

[PeroK]

Same one?

Yes.

 

[Janus]

I have mine scheduled for later today. Pfizer. Don't expect much of a reaction. Never had one with previous doses, and my wife has already gotten hers with little reaction. Going by experience, she always has a stronger reaction to vaccines than I do ( When she got her 2nd shingles shot, it laid her out the next day. When I got mine, my worst reaction was a reddening of skin in a patch around the injection shot.)

 

[PeroK]

I have mine scheduled for later today.

I've learned something today. Even a Roman god needs a COVID vaccination!

 

[Laroxe]

Here in Aus, because we are entering the summer months, it has been decided to initially limit it to people who have not got the 4th booster yet. While not decided yet, it is thought that everyone will get it about March/April next year when we are due for our flu shot. The combined Covid/Flu vaccine may be available then.

For the full picture of what is happening in Australia:
https://www.health.gov.au/health-alerts/covid-19/case-numbers-and-statistics

Interestingly, Australia's seven-day average death rate is now just four and declining. Combine this with the fact that only 4% of those that die have had the 4th dose, and it is easily seen that your risk of death, while now low, is very low if you have had the 4th dose. Again - please, please get the 4th dose. As only 30% of people in Aus (about 40% of those eligible ie over 30) have had the 4th dose, the protection would be about 86% less likely to die. Remember, this is Australia - I have read in other countries, it can be a bit different - eg in Isreal, it is 78%. I believe everyone should get the fourth dose, just a personal opinion. The consensus in Aus is if you are under 30, your chance of dying is very small anyway. I believe it has been established, at least on the Gold Coast near where I live, that 90% of people with Covid do not even know it and carry on with life as usual. Anything we can do to reduce the length of time you are infectious will help. It is not just the death rate that is a concern - so is long Covid.

Thanks
Bill

It seems strange to be offering the 4th Booster now when the current Covid 19 wave is ending, March / April seems far more sensible. The maximum level of protection still appears to be quite short lived, certainly antibody levels start to fall, around 15 weeks following the injection, surprisingly they appear to fall more slowly in the elderly.
Its worth remembering that we are only starting to see publication of research on the effectiveness of the 3rd dose and there is still debate on the balance of risks with a 4th dose in young healthy individuals. We still lack any real data on the effectiveness of the bivalent vaccines, support is largely theory based. For some reason most of the research still focusses on antibody responses despite knowing that the Omicron variants are antibody avoidant. While a lot of the information these studies give us is pretty useless, it is easy to collect and it gets published. :). The current recommendation in the UK is for Older and at risk populations to be offered a 4th dose and there appears to be rather less effort put into convincing people to have it. Its being offered now as we are just starting to see some increases in infections which may indicate the start of a new wave. Of course I fall into the Older at risk group, which is tragic in a different way, so will be getting the booster. :)
These links are interesting and you can sign up for a free account, if you need to.

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(22)01971-7/fulltext
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(22)00141-4/fulltext

 

[bhobba]

It seems strange to be offering the 4th Booster now when the current Covid 19 wave is ending, March / April seems far more sensible.

They have the doses so I guess the thinking is just to leave the current rules in place until March/April. And yes I have read the fourth dose benefits may be short-lived.

Thanks
Bill

 

[pinball1970]

It seems strange to be offering the 4th Booster now when the current Covid 19 wave is ending, March / April seems far more sensible. The maximum level of protection still appears to be quite short lived, certainly antibody levels start to fall, around 15 weeks following the injection, surprisingly they appear to fall more slowly in the elderly.
Its worth remembering that we are only starting to see publication of research on the effectiveness of the 3rd dose and there is still debate on the balance of risks with a 4th dose in young healthy individuals.

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(22)01971-7/fulltext
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(22)00141-4/fulltext

Are we (UK) not now officially in Flu season or was that more for Oz/Bill?

I checked on line for vaccine availability and some of the questions were wishy washy completing the application.
"Do you think you could be high risk?" For instance. Technically no, I am not really overweight, 55 but with asthma requiring steroids, so I put yes.
The other options were, I am high risk, I am not high risk.

My motivation was that I got Covid around this time last year. Whatever happened with the weather / people's habits at that time last year will be here this time. Probably worse as people have Covid fatigue/covid amnesia or just think it is done.

I will get my flu jab next week hopefully. I will read your links. Thanks

 

[pinball1970]

I got mine an hour ago.

Any symptoms?

 

[PeroK]

Any symptoms?

Not really. Sore arm and a bit tired, perhaps.

 

[pinball1970]

Not really. Sore arm and a bit tired, perhaps.

That's good. I still feel groggy but I will go for a walk later. This amount of time in bed can put one out of sorts.

 

[Janus]

I've learned something today. Even a Roman god needs a COVID vaccination!

Well, because some of us can't seem to keep from commingling with mortals, one does have to take precautions.

 

[hutchphd]

That comingling stuff seldom ends well as I recall, vaccine or not.

 

[Pythagorean]

Oh man, this thread reminds me of when my friend got a bloodclot in his leg after getting the vaccine. He has auto-immune issues so it was assumed to be a product of that and the vaccine. I had just received my second shot. I don't have auto immune disorders but having it happen to someone close to me made me worry about it for a couple days, despite knowing logically that it was with vanishing probability it would happen to me.

 

[bhobba]

I don't have auto immune disorders but having it happen to someone close to me made me worry about it for a couple days, despite knowing logically that it was with vanishing probability it would happen to me.

This pandemic has generally reinforced my view that people have difficulty dealing objectively with risk. Here in Aus, people were going wild about the 1 in a million chance of dying from blood clots from the AZ vaccine. Yet, just getting out of bed once in the morning to get on with your life carries a 2.5 in a million risk of dying. It has now been reported, if I remember correctly, there is an 80% increase in heart issues with mRNA vaccines and the young. This has, understandably, concerned many. But again, when balancing risk vs reward, things are somewhat different:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/...covid-far-outweigh-the-risks-of-myocarditis1/

I think it is simply part of human nature, and I am not sure what to do about it. Just off the top of my head, critical and statistical thinking as part of the school curriculum? Just an idea for discussion.

Thanks
Bill

 

[symbolipoint]

It has now been reported, if I remember correctly, there is an 80% increase in heart issues with mRNA vaccines and the young. This has, understandably, concerned many. But again, when balancing risk vs reward, things are somewhat different:

WHAT Heart Issues? Too muddy the terminology so not know what that means.

Anyone who's become sick with influenza after one or two seasons not being vaccinated will learn that being vaccinated and reducing the risk of illness is far better than being infected with the disease. For my point of view, treat COVID19 the same way: Take vaccination and avoid a possibly worse illness than influenza.

 

[bhobba]

WHAT Heart Issues? Too muddy the terminology so not know what that means.

To be specific, myocarditis or pericarditis predominantly in the young:
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(22)00842-X/fulltext

As you correctly point out, the risk vs reward is firmly in favour of getting vaccinated. That's the whole issue - yes, there is danger - but it must be balanced with reward.

Regarding the flu vaccine, the most famous incident was in 1976:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/long-shadow-1976-swine-flu-vaccine-fiasco-180961994/

While quite unpleasant and can hang around for several years, Guillain-Barre syndrome nearly always resolves itself. In the USA only 450 got it, and of those, nearly all would have recovered. Even in that famous vaccine case, the odds were well in favour of vaccination - in the USA, 12,000 – 52,000 die of the flu each year. Flu vaccination, if you do get it (it reduces your chance of being infected) reduces your chance of dying by 50%.

Thanks
Bill

 

[Janus]

BTW. As expected, I had no reaction. Soreness at the site for the rest of the day, but I think that was more due to inexperience on the the part of the person giving me the shot. I definitely felt it going in, and I usually barely notice.
He also told me that I had to wait 15 min after the shot(which they hadn't had my wife do.) While I was waiting, I heard him tell someone else that, and a supervisor stepped into correct him that this was only for people getting their first shot, not boosters. This led me to the conclusion that he was new to this.

That being said, I will give him props for recognizing the SISU on my cap for what it was.