Coronavirus Vaccine: Would you/did you get it?

[BetteDavisEyes]

Johnson & Johnson vaccine pause is bad news at a crucial time for Biden's recovery efforts (nbcnews.com)

The U.S. had been averaging more than 3 million shots a day since early April, but vaccination numbers in some states that had been on the upswing were leveling off.

...But on Tuesday morning, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine became the focus of international scrutiny after federal health authorities recommended pausing its use after six women ages 18 to 48 developed a very rare type of blood clot in the brain after they got the shots. A review from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration is expected in the coming days.

And while White House officials have stressed that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will help pick up the slack, it's the kind of jarring news that some public health experts worry could deepen suspicions among people who are already skeptical of vaccines and introduce new uncertainties for those who might be on the fence at a precarious time when new cases are surging in many states...

 

[Seattle1]

CDC chief admits they have NO proof J&J vaccine causes blood clots | Daily Mail Online

4/14/21

The CDC's Deputy Director has admitted they have no proof Johnson & Johnson's vaccine is actually causing rare blood clots and revealed one of the main reasons they've stopped giving it out is to give them time to talk to doctors about how to treat the condition, as some experts called their decision to suspend the shot an 'overreaction' that will stunt the US's COVID-19 recovery.

The CDC and FDA on Tuesday made a shock announcement that they were recommending a pause in J&J's one-shot vaccine, which seven million people in the US have had and millions more were looking forward to getting.

J&J's vaccine accounts for around ten percent of the vaccines given out on a daily basis in the US - some 300,000 people every day.

[..]

Now there are questions over why the FDA and CDC didn't just issue a warning to medical professionals about the blood clots rather than pull the vaccine entirely.

Some in the scientific community and many outside of it are now calling the decision an overreaction and are urging people not to become wary of the vaccine, which is by far the most convenient that has been brought to market in the US.

Brent Saunders, former Allergan CEO, said: 'J&J have done an excellent job of getting this vaccine out, they've committed a lot of resources doing that, I think the transparency here has been excellent.

'I think this was an overreaction by the CDC and FDA. The odds of getting COVID and dying of COVID are higher. There was only one fatality, one critical case. This is not, you know you're talking about 1 in millions of odds.

'The odds of dying in a car crash on your way home today are higher. Medicines do have side effects. All medicines have side effects.

 

[Seattle1]

As somebody that's in the "watch period" having just had the J & J vaccine, I believe we may learn that the woman that died was treated with Rx Heparin (typical for blood clots) but inappropriate for these cases. I don't regret the J & J vaccine, and I've had no side effects thus far.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I had my first AstraZeneca shot a couple of hours ago. We had to wait for 15 minutes before we could go home.
Nobody asked if we felt ok before we left.

I felt a bit dizzy and nauseous when I stood up, but it could be due to getting up really early and not getting enough sleep.
My Drs is only a few blocks away. I walked there and checked my Post Office box afterwards and picked up a new top I 'd clicked and collected from Big W. I was still feeling a bit queasy so I got a taxi home.

 

[Natasha Mullins]

I just got my first Pfizer vaccine this afternoon! I feel a little tired but I'm also running on low sleep and am going through a death in the family so I can't exactly blame it all on the vaccine since there's a lot draining me right now. I'll hopefully not have any major side effects, none of my close family members had anything and I generally don't get reactions to vaccines despite the usual soreness but we'll see I guess (nothing can beat the Typhoid vaccine in terms of side effects imo that's the only vaccine that's made me feel gross)

I am so grateful to have gotten it. The hospital I went to was very efficient and all sorts of people were there and excited to get vaccinated which was nice to see. It took about ten minutes for me to get vaccinated after I walked in the door plus the fifteen minutes of wait time afterwards of course. There were volunteer paramedics in the lobby making sure everyone was alright and checking us out of the building after our fifteen minutes were up. Overall, a nice experience actually. I've never been so stoked to get a needle in my arm.


In terms of the J&J side effects it's all about calculating risk. The risk of the disease is much higher than the risk of the vaccine. It was definitely the right idea to take it off the market and investigate further but I don't think it's something to be anxious about. All important medications have side effects. My medication has a much higher risk of blood clots than the J&J vaccine but I take it because I have a much better quality of life with it and the risk level is still low. I would gladly take J&J but I understand why some people are worried. The headlines definitely aren't helping either.

 

[anneg]

As somebody that's in the "watch period" having just had the J & J vaccine, I believe we may learn that the woman that died was treated with Rx Heparin (typical for blood clots) but inappropriate for these cases. I don't regret the J & J vaccine, and I've had no side effects thus far.

Interesting--I wonder if we will find out if that is the case.

 

[HongKongPhooey]

I just got my first Pfizer vaccine this afternoon! I feel a little tired but I'm also running on low sleep and am going through a death in the family so I can't exactly blame it all on the vaccine since there's a lot draining me right now. I'll hopefully not have any major side effects, none of my close family members had anything and I generally don't get reactions to vaccines despite the usual soreness but we'll see I guess (nothing can beat the Typhoid vaccine in terms of side effects imo that's the only vaccine that's made me feel gross)

I am so grateful to have gotten it. The hospital I went to was very efficient and all sorts of people were there and excited to get vaccinated which was nice to see. It took about ten minutes for me to get vaccinated after I walked in the door plus the fifteen minutes of wait time afterwards of course. There were volunteer paramedics in the lobby making sure everyone was alright and checking us out of the building after our fifteen minutes were up. Overall, a nice experience actually. I've never been so stoked to get a needle in my arm.


In terms of the J&J side effects it's all about calculating risk. The risk of the disease is much higher than the risk of the vaccine. It was definitely the right idea to take it off the market and investigate further but I don't think it's something to be anxious about. All important medications have side effects. My medication has a much higher risk of blood clots than the J&J vaccine but I take it because I have a much better quality of life with it and the risk level is still low. I would gladly take J&J but I understand why some people are worried. The headlines definitely aren't helping either.

Hope things get better for you Natasha. Sending a virtual hug from Buckinghamshire, England.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I ended up falling asleep holding my laptop, mid reading WS. I slept from 11am to 3pm.

Not sure if it was from the vaccine or my not enough sleep (which is not unusal for me with my insomnia)
I still feel tired, that kind of feeling when you sleep at the wrong time. Plus have a bit of a headache.

I had my first AstraZeneca shot a couple of hours ago. We had to wait for 15 minutes before we could go home.
Nobody asked if we felt ok before we left.

I felt a bit dizzy and nauseous when I stood up, but it could be due to getting up really early and not getting enough sleep.
My Drs is only a few blocks away. I walked there and checked my Post Office box afterwards and picked up a new top I 'd clicked and collected from Big W. I was still feeling a bit queasy so I got a taxi home.

 

[MimosaMornings]

A cautionary tale: COVID infection after vaccination is rare but breakthroughs can happen. It happened to this man. — USA TODAY

“The 80-year-old, who was still actively working as a clinical psychologist in Columbia, South Carolina, got his second Pfizer-BioNTech shot on schedule three weeks later.

That's why, when he began to feel poorly in early March, it never occurred to him or anyone else he might have COVID-19.

He thought he had a bad cold. His internist thought he was having a cardiac episode. His cardiologist sent him home with a prescription to treat an irregular heartbeat.

The day after his appointment, Washington testified virtually in federal court as an expert witness. But by the end of that day, "he was barely putting together two sentences," said Tanya, chief of staff for an investment bank in Atlanta. "I was pretty frantic."

Two nights later, in the emergency room, he was finally tested for COVID-19. Tanya checked his record the next morning and saw it was positive. "I was like, 'What in the world?!

Nearly 30% of those with post-vaccination infections had no symptoms at all. But 7% were hospitalized, Nordlund said, and just 1% — like Carey Alexander Washington — died.

"I just still can't believe it," Tanya said of her father's March 25 death. "He was the most joyous, vibrant, kind soul."

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Covid-19 booster shot likely needed within 12 months, Pfizer's CEO says (nbcnews.com)

People may also need annual shots to protect against the coronavirus, he said, similar to the seasonal flu.

People are likely to need a third dose of a Covid-19 vaccine within a year of getting fully vaccinated and may subsequently need annual shots to protect against the coronavirus, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said Thursday.

Pfizer and its German partner, BioNTech, are studying how long the vaccines' protective immunity will last. Their findings will guide whether additional booster shots will be necessary.

Bourla said it's "likely" that a booster will be needed within 12 months of the initial two-shot regimen...

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Well that was an interesting night, one which I hope won't be repeated.

I ended up with a raging fever, chills, headache, the worst diarrhea and vomiting.
Aches and pains all over, especially my legs.
I finally got some sleep for a short time and woke up after 1am feeling different, more calm, quite a bit better.
the fever and chills had gone.
It's now almost 4am and the leg pains are a bit better after I took some paracetamol.

I had my first AstraZeneca shot a couple of hours ago. We had to wait for 15 minutes before we could go home.
Nobody asked if we felt ok before we left.

I felt a bit dizzy and nauseous when I stood up, but it could be due to getting up really early and not getting enough sleep.
My Drs is only a few blocks away. I walked there and checked my Post Office box afterwards and picked up a new top I 'd clicked and collected from Big W. I was still feeling a bit queasy so I got a taxi home.

 

[Seattle1]

Well that was an interesting night, one which I hope won't be repeated.

I ended up with a raging fever, chills, headache, the worst diarrhea and vomiting.
Aches and pains all over, especially my legs.
I finally got some sleep for a short time and woke up after 1am feeling different, more calm, quite a bit better.
the fever and chills had gone.
It's now almost 4am and the leg pains are a bit better after I took some paracetamol.

Hope you're past the worst of it. Sorry for the ill effects.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Thanks Seattle1.

I "think" I'm ok now. Some said it would be worse the next day and I thought if this is mild, what will tomorrow be like.
But it does seem I got it over in the first day. I'm starting to feel like my old self again

Hope you're past the worst of it. Sorry for the ill effects.

 

[10ofRods]

Johnson & Johnson vaccine pause is bad news at a crucial time for Biden's recovery efforts (nbcnews.com)

The U.S. had been averaging more than 3 million shots a day since early April, but vaccination numbers in some states that had been on the upswing were leveling off.

...But on Tuesday morning, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine became the focus of international scrutiny after federal health authorities recommended pausing its use after six women ages 18 to 48 developed a very rare type of blood clot in the brain after they got the shots. A review from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration is expected in the coming days.

And while White House officials have stressed that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will help pick up the slack, it's the kind of jarring news that some public health experts worry could deepen suspicions among people who are already skeptical of vaccines and introduce new uncertainties for those who might be on the fence at a precarious time when new cases are surging in many states...

I think the blood clot issue is definitely affecting people's willingness to get vaccinated. Here in SoCal, there are a disproportionate number of men refusing vaccination, and it's showing in our number because many are essential workers or people who come into contact with lots of different people in indoor settings, daily. Despite the side effects apparently being worse for women, women are still getting the vaccine in higher numbers than men.

A small sample of men were asked why they were not getting vaccinated and their answers were all the same, "Don't want to be a guinea pig, this was rolled out too fast," or similar. Yet, getting COVID (which this same group is doing at a higher rate) is far worse than the side effects of the vaccine. Which is why I was eager to get it.

Still, the US is about 40% vaccinated, some of whom already had COVID, but there must be an additional 5% who are currently immune due to having had it - we're getting there.

 

[10ofRods]

Well that was an interesting night, one which I hope won't be repeated.

I ended up with a raging fever, chills, headache, the worst diarrhea and vomiting.
Aches and pains all over, especially my legs.
I finally got some sleep for a short time and woke up after 1am feeling different, more calm, quite a bit better.
the fever and chills had gone.
It's now almost 4am and the leg pains are a bit better after I took some paracetamol.

I'm glad. you mentioned the queasiness, nausea, and other unpleasant GI effects. I had them too. I didn't actually throw up, but I was really surprised at the nausea (which lasted for me for about 3 days, almost continuously, and last week, three weeks after my second shot, it came back - I had to wonder if it was vaccine related). They keep saying most side effects are within 1-5 days, with some people having side effects for a week or so, but now there's a bit of research (started with the blood clots) that show that people can still have side effects a month out. It may be because our immune systems are challenged by something else, but the activity in the body regarding COVID is reactivated. So, if there is pollen in the air, etc, some sensitive people might have worse than usual allergy symptoms.

Please consult your doctor about adding a half dose of quarter dose of aspirin to your paracetamol. The leg pain thing worries me.

My fever got up to just under 102 (worst fever in many years) and I was very surprised by the queasiness. I am happy to say that one month out, that is entirely gone (it was bad enough that just thinking about food made it worse, and I only wanted water, then just 7 up - it was a lot like chronic motion sickness).

Do you/did you have brain fog? I sure did. Seriously slow at understanding or decoding anything (reading labels several times, forgetting things immediately - worse than usual, for sure).

 

[TootsieFootsie]

The leg pains have gone now but I don't know if they'll come back after the effects of the paracetamol wear off.
Nausea seems to have gone. Fever, chills, diarrhea all seem to have gone.

I didn't have the brain fog but then I wasn't doing anything that challenging, apart from lying in bed.
Oh wait, I did pick up my noise cancelling headphones case and got to the bedroom door before I realised it wasn't the bag that I carry my mobile phone around the house in. So it's a yes to some brain fog.

And I do have allergies, to cut grass, pollens and dust. I don't get it as bad as some but there are times I need to take antihistamines.

I am glad I got some groceries delivered the day before. Having to worry about groceries etc would have made it wose.
Really glad I ordered two lots of 4 rolls double length toilet paper

My appetite has completely gone.
I don't know how high my fever was, but I was burning up, then freezing cold.

I'm glad. you mentioned the queasiness, nausea, and other unpleasant GI effects. I had them too. I didn't actually throw up, but I was really surprised at the nausea (which lasted for me for about 3 days, almost continuously, and last week, three weeks after my second shot, it came back - I had to wonder if it was vaccine related). They keep saying most side effects are within 1-5 days, with some people having side effects for a week or so, but now there's a bit of research (started wiNIth the blood clots) that show that people can still have side effects a month out. It may be because our immune systems are challenged by something else, but the activity in the body regarding COVID is reactivated. So, if there is pollen in the air, etc, some sensitive people might have worse than usual allergy symptoms.

Please consult your doctor about adding a half dose of quarter dose of aspirin to your paracetamol. The leg pain thing worries me.

My fever got up to just under 102 (worst fever in many years) and I was very surprised by the queasiness. I am happy to say that one month out, that is entirely gone (it was bad enough that just thinking about food made it worse, and I only wanted water, then just 7 up - it was a lot like chronic motion sickness).

Do you/did you have brain fog? I sure did. Seriously slow at understanding or decoding anything (reading labels several times, forgetting things immediately - worse than usual, for sure).

 

[Seattle1]

Now Moderna vaccine sparks blood clot fears as patient shares how he thought he was going to die | Daily Mail Online

4/16/21

A man who had the Moderna Covid vaccine says he developed blood clots he feared would kill him.

Jeff Johnson's claims have dragged dragging the Massachusetts-based firm into an ongoing health scare that has already engulfed rival vaccine manufacturers Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca.

Scientists have yet to provide a solid link between the new Covid vaccines and blood clots.

[..]

Although these clots are different than the ones seen in patients who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the 49-year-old said he was scared he was going to die.

Johnson told KDVR he received the Moderna vaccine at the Salud Family Health Centers in Brighton, where lives.

There were no issues until about one week later when he began feeling swelling, pain and tenderness in his left leg.

[..]

The clots associated with the J&J shot are different, however, and are called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST).

CVST is a rare type of blood clot that blocks the brain's sinus channels of draining blood, which can cause hemorrhages.

So, far nine patients - two in clinical trials and seven after the vaccine was approved - developed the clot, of which one died and two are in critical condition.

 

[anneg]

Thanks Seattle1.

I "think" I'm ok now. Some said it would be worse the next day and I thought if this is mild, what will tomorrow be like.
But it does seem I got it over in the first day. I'm starting to feel like my old self again

BBM; Good! Sorry you suffered with all those bad symptoms.

 

[anneg]

The leg pains have gone now but I don't know if they'll come back after the effects of the paracetamol wear off.
Nausea seems to have gone. Fever, chills, diarrhea all seem to have gone.

I didn't have the brain fog but then I wasn't doing anything that challenging, apart from lying in bed.
Oh wait, I did pick up my noise cancelling headphones case and got to the bedroom door before I realised it wasn't the bag that I carry my mobile phone around the house in. So it's a yes to some brain fog.

And I do have allergies, to cut grass, pollens and dust. I don't get it as bad as some but there are times I need to take antihistamines.

I am glad I got some groceries delivered the day before. Having to worry about groceries etc would have made it wose.
Really glad I ordered two lots of 4 rolls double length toilet paper

My appetite has completely gone.
I don't know how high my fever was, but I was burning up, then freezing cold.

You planned ahead well! Good thinking to have gotten groceries and plenty of TP in advance.

 

[Eloise]

CVST honestly sounds awful, and has a really high death rate compared to other clots such as DVT. I'm happy to avoid the AZ vaccine and wait until Australia finally rolls out Pfizer for under 50s. Given I have autoimmune conditions I really don't think I want to risk it, given I live in a country with no Covid community transmission. If I lived in a country where Covid was rampant I'd weigh my analysis of risk differently.