The Vaccine Thread

[Soror]

We just got the Pfizer feeling very lucky. 

[ktgrok]

1 hour ago, Roadrunner said:

Are you telling me if I show up they won’t tell me which one they are injecting me with? Well then I will decline until it’s commercially available. That’s crazy.

You have to sign a consent form before they inject you and it will say which one.

[Drama Llama]

1 hour ago, Jaybee said:

When I went on to make an appointment, most of the places listed the vaccine name. I mean, they need that name for the second vaccines.

Does anybody know if, when a person who has had covid (diagnosed by testing + symptoms) goes to get a vaccine, are they told there is no need for a second one? I read that only one is needed here and elsewhere, but was wondering if that has become the practice everywhere? (Not asking for me, but for a friend.)

I got mine a week and a half ago, when I signed up it said I'd get Pfizer, but when I got there they said they had no Pfizer it was Moderna.  Which isn't a problem for me.  It is a problem for people I know with qualifying 16 and 17 year olds who have been turned away from scheduled appointments because the place said they had Pfizer but only had Moderna.  

I was asked if I'd had covid, I think, but since I said no, I can't tell you what they would have done if I'd said yes.

[mathnerd]

On 2/23/2021 at 9:33 AM, Roadrunner said:

Meanwhile CA variant might complicate things. 
 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/californias-coronavirus-strain-looks-increasingly-130055544.html

Today they announced a NY variant of the virus:  B.1.526

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.02.14.431043v2.article-info

 

[Roadrunner]

1 hour ago, mathnerd said:

Today they announced a NY variant of the virus:  B.1.526

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.02.14.431043v2.article-info

 

You know, a friend kept telling me all along - it’s not what states do and don’t do as much as which variant they all have. I have been moping about CA situation for a while. Now we know why it was so bad. 

[Not_a_Number]

1 hour ago, mathnerd said:

Today they announced a NY variant of the virus:  B.1.526

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.02.14.431043v2.article-info

 

Just what NY needs, lol. Do they know much about it? 

[mommyoffive]

3 hours ago, Soror said:

We just got the Pfizer feeling very lucky. 

Wow, that is so awesome.  I keep hoping that will happen around me.  

[mathnerd]

48 minutes ago, Not_a_Number said:

Just what NY needs, lol. Do they know much about it? 

Not yet. They just figured this out.

Most top medical research universities are working on this problem and it has taken so many months to identify that the reason an area has been afflicted so badly is due to a new mutation of the virus. Not to mention government agencies and private sector drug research companies that also have their own data to analyze. I am wondering how they can speed up the identification of these new strains and come up with modified vaccines in an efficient and timely manner.

[mommyoffive]

Moderna sent samples of it's vaccine targeting the SA strain to the NIH for testing. Human trials expected to begin in weeks

Moderna Says Covid-19 Vaccine for South Africa Strain Is Ready for Human Testing - WSJ (ampproject.org)

[mommyoffive]

Should I Get The Johnson & Johnson Vaccine? : Coronavirus Updates : NPR

[Corraleno]

1 hour ago, Not_a_Number said:

Just what NY needs, lol. Do they know much about it? 

They know where the mutations are, the full preprint is here:
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.02.14.431043v2.full.pdf+html

The NY variant appears to have the same E484K mutation as all the other variants, and this is the mutation (or one of the mutations) that seems to enable the variants to evade antibodies. NYT has an excellent explanation of the mutations in the different variants and the effect of each one, although it doesn't include the NY variant yet: 
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/health/coronavirus-variant-tracker.html

One glimmer of hope is that Moderna has already developed an updated version of their vaccine to be more effective against the SA variant, and "A small amount of vaccine has been sent to the National Institutes of Health for a trial to determine whether boosting humans with the modified vaccine will stimulate a strong immune response." If that works agains the SA variant, maybe it will work against the other variants with the same E484K mutation? Story here:
 https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/02/24/coronavirus-covid-live-updates-us/

[The Governess]

1 hour ago, Roadrunner said:

You know, a friend kept telling me all along - it’s not what states do and don’t do as much as which variant they all have. I have been moping about CA situation for a while. Now we know why it was so bad. 

Yeah, so many people were complaining that California’s lockdowns didn’t work at all. Now it all makes sense. Imagine how things could have ended up if restrictions were more lax than they were.

[Corraleno]

1 hour ago, mommyoffive said:

Should I Get The Johnson & Johnson Vaccine? : Coronavirus Updates : NPR

Three things in that article I disagree with:

(1) "In clinical trials, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine appears to be 66% effective at preventing moderate to severe cases of COVID-19 — compared to about 95% for Moderna and Pfizer."

Those are not comparable numbers, and I find it increasingly annoying that people like Dr. Jha, who know perfectly well that those are not comparable, just gloss over that fact because they want people to accept the J&J vaccine. Moderna & Pfizer were 95% effective at preventing any symptomatic infection, no matter how mild. We have no idea how effective the J&J vaccine is at preventing mild infection, because they are hiding that data. 

If you want to compare graduation rates at different colleges, and 1 college purposely excludes anyone who dropped out before senior year, while all the other colleges count anyone who dropped out from the beginning of freshman year, no one would consider those comparable statistics — and most people would consider one of those numbers to be rather deceptive.

(2) "Johnson & Johnson has the huge advantage of being one shot."

Preliminary data seem to show that one shot of Pfizer and Moderna is at least as effective, and possibly more effective, than J&J.  It will be interesting to see if they release the results of their 2-dose trial — if the 2-dose efficacy is still lower than Pfizer & Moderna, even if its higher than their 1-dose efficacy, will they admit that? Because if they admit that it really needs to be 2 doses then they lose their primary marketing advantage.

(3) "What you care about is hospitalizations and deaths" 

Well that's certainly not the only thing I care about. We know that even mild cases can cause long-term complications, so I'd prefer to minimize my risk of getting sick at all.  I can definitely understand why public health officials are pushing this vaccine — on a population level, you would be more worried about hospitalizations and deaths, and increasing the total number of doses available, even if some of those doses are less than ideal, is preferable to waiting until you have enough of the most effective vaccines for everyone. So they are doing whatever they can to convince people that J&J "is not a lesser vaccine," despite the significantly lower efficacy, because they don't want people to refuse it and they don't want it to look like the "lesser" vaccine is what the poorest and most rural people are going to get.

Edited February 25, 2021 by Corraleno

[Roadrunner]

56 minutes ago, lovelearnandlive said:

Yeah, so many people were complaining that California’s lockdowns didn’t work at all. Now it all makes sense. Imagine how things could have ended up if restrictions were more lax than they were.

I am not convinced either way anymore. People were partying and getting together no matter what restrictions were in place officially because here (especially among the Hispanic community) families are large.  Not sure it mattered that restaurants were shuttered since extended families and friends were getting together anyway. Bars are another story though. 
 

Also there was zero difference here during the second lockdown. First time people stayed home. Roads were empty.... the second time around nothing changed. People went on doing whatever they were doing. The only population sitting at home - kids. 

[Laura Corin]

3 hours ago, mathnerd said:

Not yet. They just figured this out.

Most top medical research universities are working on this problem and it has taken so many months to identify that the reason an area has been afflicted so badly is due to a new mutation of the virus. Not to mention government agencies and private sector drug research companies that also have their own data to analyze. I am wondering how they can speed up the identification of these new strains and come up with modified vaccines in an efficient and timely manner.

Any country that can needs to put in place a variant tracking system.  The US has developed some of the machinery being used for sequencing but not a good system for doing it.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/02/us-covid-variants-tracking-cdc-research

[J-rap]

14 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

I wonder how things will work with that?   Do they tell you when you get to the appointment which one you are getting?  Would they tell you before hand?   

In our state, from what I've been hearing, you know which shot you'll be getting ahead of time, and you make both appointments ahead of time.  You don't have a choice on which shot though...  Typically Pfizer is given to medical facilities and Moderna is given to everyone else.  Not sure who will get the J&J vaccine.

[Soror]

3 hours ago, J-rap said:

In our state, from what I've been hearing, you know which shot you'll be getting ahead of time, and you make both appointments ahead of time.  You don't have a choice on which shot though...  Typically Pfizer is given to medical facilities and Moderna is given to everyone else.  Not sure who will get the J&J vaccine.

In our state there is online registration and consent it is generic for any vaccine. When we made it further up the line we were given our cards which had the vaccine name on it. The mass vaccination events here have used Pfizer. I'm especially glad to have lucked into one before J&J comes out.  

[Soror]

The town where I got my vaccine yesterday has a population of 65. The county it is in 12,000. It is 30 miles off the main road in the middle of nowhere  They had an event with 1,950 doses starting at 9 and as of 11 had only given 250, for reference the same event in my town did 300 an hour. At 3 pm they opened it up to anyone age 16 and up so no doses would spoil.  A notification from the local news popped in my phone at 3:30, I waited for my son and we were out the door around 3:45. I hoped being a small town we'd get lucky and get in but when we got there the line was huge. People drove 2 hrs south from the biggest city in the state to get a dose.

It seems crazy they had an event that size there but that area had not been hit yet by any event. Areas are being given doses according to population with the state divided into the  8 HP districts. Our local event filled the day before but they had some doses left at the end due to no shows. I don't know what happened at this one. It is a very rural area and conservative so I don't know if those local didn't want the shot or there weren't that many in the tiers currently open or if registration was difficult. 

[Laura Corin]

Free webinar with real experts on Covid vaccines and the immune system.

https://covid.joinzoe.com/webinar/covid-vaccines-immune-system?utm_source=App

[J-rap]

3 hours ago, Soror said:

In our state there is online registration and consent it is generic for any vaccine. When we made it further up the line we were given our cards which had the vaccine name on it. The mass vaccination events here have used Pfizer. I'm especially glad to have lucked into one before J&J comes out.  

I'm glad my parents had the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, and hope my dh can have one of those too (underlying health issues).   I'll probably end up with the J&J one, I have a feeling, but that's okay.  I was reading some very positive reports on it today, at least!

(So glad you got yours!)

[Soror]

33 minutes ago, J-rap said:

I'm glad my parents had the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, and hope my dh can have one of those too (underlying health issues).   I'll probably end up with the J&J one, I have a feeling, but that's okay.  I was reading some very positive reports on it today, at least!

(So glad you got yours!)

I wish they would have had enough people there in the older and higher risk category but I was glad to provide an arm so it didn't go to waste. Any vaccine protection is certainly better than none. 

[TCB]

15 hours ago, Roadrunner said:

Are you telling me if I show up they won’t tell me which one they are injecting me with? Well then I will decline until it’s commercially available. That’s crazy.

They will almost certainly tell you which one you are to receive. If you were able to contact them a few days before your appointment they could probably tell you then. I do not think it is being kept secret or anything like that at all. The supply and delivery of vaccines is uncertain in a number of areas so that is probably the only reason they may not be able to tell you - they don’t know themselves until they receive the supplies.

[Jaybee]

I was pleasantly surprised to find out I was getting Pfizer. All the other locations noted which vaccine was being offered on the appointment sign-up page. The only place that wasn't booked up did not list it. I wondered if it was as simple as that the name of the place was longer and maybe it wouldn't fit into the software? I had to go to a more rural town (but not as rural as Soror's) to get it. Again, I was pleasantly surprised at how many people were showing up, and at how well/efficiently the clinic was being run. I don't know what I would do if I were not given a choice and J&J was the one I was offered. So far, only Pfizer and Moderna are here; I'm not crazy at this point about the J&J. Perhaps when more information is available on it, it will look better. Or they will offer a second dose.

[mommyoffive]

Pfizer-BioNTech Will Test a Third Dose of COVID-19 Vaccine | Time

[wathe]

2 hours ago, kand said:

 

 

I saw this article about the jubilation surrounding Covid vaccine clinics this morning. It made me think about how there are some who attribute nefarious motivations for the Covid vaccines, and I always wonder how doctors and nurses have suddenly become vilified as people who must be interested in profit or some other scheme, rather than appreciation that by and large, these are people who went into this profession to help others (and many have gone through hell this year to do so).

The joy of vax: The people giving the shots are seeing hope, and it’s contagious

So true.  I've worked a couple of covid vax clinics now.  What a happy job.  The clients are so very happy to be there.  It's a completely different experience than my regular job (over-crowded emergency department with burned-out staff who are DONE with this pandemic).  The contrast is really striking.

ETA seriously, every single one is overjoyed to have me jab them in the arm with a  needle.  It's surreal.

 

Edited February 25, 2021 by wathe

[J-rap]

40 minutes ago, wathe said:

So true.  I've worked a couple of covid vax clinics now.  What a happy job.  The clients are so very happy to be there.  It's a completely different experience than my regular job (over-crowded emergency department with burned-out staff who are DONE with this pandemic).  The contrast is really striking.

ETA seriously, every single one is overjoyed to have me jab them in the arm with a  needle.  It's surreal.

 

That's so great!  When my dd became fully vaccinated, I was surprised that I started crying!  And then again when my 93-year-old dad was fully vaccinated.  After all our country (our world!) has been through.  After all our hard-working, overwhelmed nurses and doctors have been through!  Wow.  It's is truly remarkable.

(It also makes me all the more frustrated when I hear conspiracy theories about both Covid and the vaccine.)

[Laura Corin]

More clues on reduction in spread due to vaccination.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-56211755

Pretty amazing chart

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-55274833

[Laura Corin]

Decision to continue vaccinating by age and health condition rather than profession in the UK.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-56200739

[Dmmetler]

On 2/25/2021 at 3:10 PM, wathe said:

So true.  I've worked a couple of covid vax clinics now.  What a happy job.  The clients are so very happy to be there.  It's a completely different experience than my regular job (over-crowded emergency department with burned-out staff who are DONE with this pandemic).  The contrast is really striking.

ETA seriously, every single one is overjoyed to have me jab them in the arm with a  needle.  It's surreal.

 

I was so happy and relieved to get the first shot today. I cannot remember the last time I was this excited about something.  Everyone was socially distanced but yes, that seemed to be everyone’s emotion today. So relieved and joyful. 
 

 

[Spryte]

I’m so excited!  I just got my 80 yr old mom scheduled for her first shot on Sunday.  Wheeee!

For those of you who’ve had it, or accompanied someone having it, did everyone stay distanced and did it feel comfortable re: masking, etc?  I’m a little nervous since I’m immune compromised.  Mostly, I’m ecstatic that one of us is finally, finally getting it, but a tad bit nervous, too.  Any tips?

[Kassia]

2 minutes ago, Spryte said:

I’m so excited!  I just got my 80 yr old mom scheduled for her first shot on Sunday.  Wheeee!

For those of you who’ve had it, or accompanied someone having it, did everyone stay distanced and did it feel comfortable re: masking, etc?  I’m a little nervous since I’m immune compromised.  Mostly, I’m ecstatic that one of us is finally, finally getting it, but a tad bit nervous, too.  Any tips?

No tips, but congratulations about your mom and I feel the same way as far as still being a little nervous.  

[Not_a_Number]

4 minutes ago, Spryte said:

Mostly, I’m ecstatic that one of us is finally, finally getting it, but a tad bit nervous, too.  Any tips?

I'm nervous about it, too. We're trying to find a drive-through site, but I know that one has to take what there is. 

I'd just wear your best mask and cross your fingers. Realistically, your chance of catching it with ONE exposure is very low. And the opportunity is worth the risk. 

Edited February 27, 2021 by Not_a_Number

[ScoutTN]

10 minutes ago, Spryte said:

I’m so excited!  I just got my 80 yr old mom scheduled for her first shot on Sunday.  Wheeee!

For those of you who’ve had it, or accompanied someone having it, did everyone stay distanced and did it feel comfortable re: masking, etc?  I’m a little nervous since I’m immune compromised.  Mostly, I’m ecstatic that one of us is finally, finally getting it, but a tad bit nervous, too.  Any tips?

I got mine at a county health dept. in a small town. Distanced yes. Masked, yes. Never even left my car! The nurses came to my car to ask for all my info. I signed consent, propped my arm on the door, received my shot, waited 20 mins and drove away.  

[Spryte]

I would love a drive through, but we are going into a large pharmacy chain.  Worth the small risk, and I’m more excited than apprehensive, but still a bit nervous.

[Starr]

30 minutes ago, Spryte said:

I’m so excited!  I just got my 80 yr old mom scheduled for her first shot on Sunday.  Wheeee!

For those of you who’ve had it, or accompanied someone having it, did everyone stay distanced and did it feel comfortable re: masking, etc?  I’m a little nervous since I’m immune compromised.  Mostly, I’m ecstatic that one of us is finally, finally getting it, but a tad bit nervous, too.  Any tips?

I think they will keep you spaced apart. Be sure your masks fit well and no gaps anywhere. You can get some medical tape for the edges if you need to. You won't be hugging and kissing those around you like at a wedding. You will be so happy that she has her vaccine.

[melmichigan]

On 2/25/2021 at 5:41 AM, Soror said:

The town where I got my vaccine yesterday has a population of 65. The county it is in 12,000. It is 30 miles off the main road in the middle of nowhere  They had an event with 1,950 doses starting at 9 and as of 11 had only given 250, for reference the same event in my town did 300 an hour. At 3 pm they opened it up to anyone age 16 and up so no doses would spoil.  A notification from the local news popped in my phone at 3:30, I waited for my son and we were out the door around 3:45. I hoped being a small town we'd get lucky and get in but when we got there the line was huge. People drove 2 hrs south from the biggest city in the state to get a dose.

It seems crazy they had an event that size there but that area had not been hit yet by any event. Areas are being given doses according to population with the state divided into the  8 HP districts. Our local event filled the day before but they had some doses left at the end due to no shows. I don't know what happened at this one. It is a very rural area and conservative so I don't know if those local didn't want the shot or there weren't that many in the tiers currently open or if registration was difficult. 

I remember reading about that on Facebook as the day went on, surreal was all I could think of.  At least the doses didn't go to waste from what I read.

Edited February 27, 2021 by melmichigan

[Dmmetler]

1 hour ago, Spryte said:

I’m so excited!  I just got my 80 yr old mom scheduled for her first shot on Sunday.  Wheeee!

For those of you who’ve had it, or accompanied someone having it, did everyone stay distanced and did it feel comfortable re: masking, etc?  I’m a little nervous since I’m immune compromised.  Mostly, I’m ecstatic that one of us is finally, finally getting it, but a tad bit nervous, too.  Any tips?

The site I was at was very well masked and distanced. Everyone was happy, but everyone was also taking COVID seriously. This was a site where you had to sign up for appointments after being notified your level was open, so that may have helped, and there was nothing else at the site today other than COVID vaccines. The site was a large church which is currently doing their services, etc virtually. The mood was downright joyous. 

It was an indoor one rather than a drive through.  They had a very limited number of appointments per 15 minute time slot, had the paperwork done online, so they just handed you your card when you came in, ready to go, and you went to the nurse, got the shot, and then sat in your car for 15 or 30 minutes with your flashers on, and they had people walking between to check on those waiting (and told you to sound your horn if you needed immediate attention. I was glad, for that last, that I'd taken my teenager with me, just in case. 

 

 

[Terabith]

My husband worked a giant one at the civic center.  They were very strict about distancing and such.  VERY.  And all the doors were open, so it was well ventilated.  

[frogger]

Our state recently announced they are opening up eligibility to those who help a 65 and up person get their vaccine. I thought that was an interesting idea. I think they are struggling to get more to sign up or come in. How much is due to vaccine fear and how much do to appointment and transportation issues remains to be seen but it appears that it is mostly the former. None of my 6 parents are interested. 😕

[Shoeless]

4 hours ago, Spryte said:

I’m so excited!  I just got my 80 yr old mom scheduled for her first shot on Sunday.  Wheeee!

For those of you who’ve had it, or accompanied someone having it, did everyone stay distanced and did it feel comfortable re: masking, etc?  I’m a little nervous since I’m immune compromised.  Mostly, I’m ecstatic that one of us is finally, finally getting it, but a tad bit nervous, too.  Any tips?

Wear a good mask, fill out authorization papers before you arrive, bring your own pen and hand sanitizer. Don't be super early; they don't want people hanging around longer than necessary. Use the bathroom before arrive, because they may not have a bathroom available. 

I went to a drive-thru clinic, and DH went to an indoor clinic. DH said the indoor clinic was well organized. They checked his temp, checked his id, checked his paperwork, gave him his shot card, made the 2nd appointment, gave the shot, all within 5 minutes. They had him wait 15 minutes before he left the building, and volunteers checked on him to make sure he felt ok. 

I'm actually kind of envious, because the drive-thru clinic I attended took 90 minutes to get from back of the line to front of the line. 

[Soror]

8 hours ago, melmichigan said:

I remember reading about that on Facebook as the day went on, surreal was all I could think of.  At least the doses didn't go to waste from what I read.

Yes, I had read that they had used 225 at 11 but Mom said on the news they said they'd only used 225 by 3. Another article I read today said they had 1000+ left at 3pm. Obviously that is a big issue. At our events here the slots were all booked up.

[importswim]

21 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

More clues on reduction in spread due to vaccination.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-56211755

Pretty amazing chart

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-55274833

My parents live in Yorkshire and have had both doses.

Apparently they got phone calls from their GP and from a couple of other official NHS groups (can't remember exactly who) to make sure that they'd been able to get an appointment. All offered to help them get one if they needed it. My Mum said it was very efficiently organized and she was very impressed with how they were handling it.

[mommyoffive]

Fired Texas doctor defends giving away expiring COVID-19 vaccine doses (msn.com)

[Kanin]

Made both appointments for my mom! Woo hoo! I haven't been inside her house for a year. When I'm eligible - June, according to Maine's new eligibility list - I'll finally feel okay about going inside. I'll probably have a breakdown!

[Kassia]

55 minutes ago, Kanin said:

Made both appointments for my mom! Woo hoo! I haven't been inside her house for a year. When I'm eligible - June, according to Maine's new eligibility list - I'll finally feel okay about going inside. I'll probably have a breakdown!

Great news about your mom!  

So you wouldn't feel comfortable going in her home once she's fully vaccinated?  I'm asking because I'm really confused about risks in that case - my MIL is fully (as of last week) and I don't know what the next step is as far as seeing her if we are not vaccinated.  One benefit before this was having the best excuse not to see her!  

[Kanin]

53 minutes ago, Kassia said:

Great news about your mom!  

So you wouldn't feel comfortable going in her home once she's fully vaccinated?  I'm asking because I'm really confused about risks in that case - my MIL is fully (as of last week) and I don't know what the next step is as far as seeing her if we are not vaccinated.  One benefit before this was having the best excuse not to see her!  

Thanks!

I'm pretty conflicted about visiting with one party vaccinated and the other not. Mostly because I could be covid positive, and not know it, and she could be in the unlucky percentage that gets sick despite being vaccinated. Or, I guess she could be fighting off covid and not know it, and maybe pass it to me...?

[mommyoffive]

J&J’s 1-dose shot cleared, giving US 3rd COVID-19 vaccine (msn.com)

[Spryte]

Quick question: our allergist suggested an antihistamine prior to getting the vaccine, because history of allergies here.  Has anyone heard any negatives about that?  And when can we give Advil or Tylenol after the shot?

[mlktwins]

23 hours ago, Kassia said:

So you wouldn't feel comfortable going in her home once she's fully vaccinated?  I'm asking because I'm really confused about risks in that case - my MIL is fully (as of last week) and I don't know what the next step is as far as seeing her if we are not vaccinated.  One benefit before this was having the best excuse not to see her!  

My dad is not vaccinated yet, but I will continue to mask in his apartment and apartment building (I wear 3 masks) even after he is vaccinated.  I thought they could still spread it and it doesn't prevent them from getting it.  I'm hoping he continues to mask as well.

My in-laws are on the list to get theirs.  We will continue to mask with them too.  DH goes over every other day to care for them.

I don't see masks going away for us anytime soon -- except in our own house and if my boys get back in the pool.

[Roadrunner]

I think they should offer a booster shot for J&J vaccine if they want people to take it. I did an informal survey of friends/relatives and nobody is willing to take a chance on J&J. However most say if they were offered a booster with Moderna or Pfizer, they would consider it.