The COVID Vaccination Thread (1 Viewer)

[LeoA]

With Carlo already knowing which vaccine he'll receive, that raises a question I've been wanting to ask in recent days. Does anyone know if there's a way in New York State to learn which vaccine will be administered before your appointment to a state run vaccination site comes up?

For reasons that can't be discussed here out of respect for the rules that have been put up for this thread (And which isn't efficacy related), there's one I don't particularly want to receive. With appointment availability rapidly on the rise, I'd be willing to forgo my scheduled appointment in early April temporarily and seek another appointment.

But I don't want to go to the vaccination site and walk away unvaccinated, wasting a few minutes of my time (and potentially getting exposed) and wasting their time (And worryingly, perhaps a dose of it). While I doubt they have any idea this early on what they'll be administering in a month, it would be best to open up the slot a bit in advance if I could.

 

[DaveF]

I’ve done the Virginia pre-registration. I then learned I’m qualified for an earlier phase. I need to call and amend my pre-reg info. But now I’ve got strong work rumors that I might become eligible for a still earlier phase. So I’m waiting a week or two before I attempt to revise my info In case the rumors are true.

 

[Carlo_M]

@LeoA obviously I'm not a NY state resident so I can't comment about the state's site, but I will say CVS was very up front about which vaccine I was going to get as I registered on the site and was looking for appointments. If avoiding a certain one is important to you, maybe try going through one of the pharmacy websites rather than the state?

 

[LeoA]

That should become an option relatively soon I imagine, but pharmacies are just vaccinating senior citizens in New York State at this particular time.

But maybe by April, that will change.

 

[Malcolm R]

My mother claims she had a choice of vaccines when she scheduled my step-father's appointment with one of the local pharmacies, but there was no choice offered when I scheduled my father at one of the state-sponsored clinics. I'm pretty sure everyone so far has receive the Pfizer vaccine.

I don't know that there will be much choice until later when the supply of vaccines is larger than the demand. At that point, they may offer choice. For now, I think it's mostly you take what's available if you want to be vaccinated now.

 

[LeoA]

I don't particularly want to pick since it doesn't seem practical for vaccination sites to be utilizing multiple types of COVID-19 vaccines on the same day.

I was just wondering if there was a way to discover with some advance notice what's planned to be administered during the day of my appointment, so that I could make alternate plans if I so desire.

 

[bujaki]

My wife and I went to different sites and were given what was available there: Pfizer in one, Moderna in the other. We had no choice. Bottom line: we got the shots and are happy.

 

[Kevin Hewell]

I have an appointment for my first jab on this coming Friday at Kroger.

My second appointment is April 9th at the same location.

 

[Malcolm R]

I was just wondering if there was a way to discover with some advance notice what's planned to be administered during the day of my appointment, so that I could make alternate plans if I so desire.

Probably depends on your state and/or whoever is providing the vaccinations. Though at this point I'm not even sure if they know for sure what is going to be available on a given day. It probably depends on what has been shipped to them in the days leading up to the appointment. And I'd think at this point they would only want one brand of vaccine at a time in any clinic so as not to cause confusion about follow-up dates for the second shot, if needed. Pfizer recommends a 21 day interval; Moderna 28 days.

This is the current info from my state in their FAQ:

Which vaccine should I get? Will I have a choice?​

"Which vaccine you get will most likely be based on which vaccine is available at your appointment."

 

[John Dirk]

Which vaccine should I get? Will I have a choice?

When I got mine back in January I was told which facility would be administering each variant and chose the one I preferred.

 

[Malcolm R]

When I got mine back in January I was told which facility would be administering each variant and chose the one I preferred.

Good to know, though a bit surprising there was so much flexibility in some states back in January.

 

[Carlo_M]

So spots opened up at a mega-location state run nearer to me than the 60+ miles I was originally going to have to drive, so I booked that one for tomorrow through the State of CA's website. They also specified which vaccine it was. I didn't get a choice, but it said "Pfizer" on it, and it makes sense they know what they're giving you because they also schedule the appropriate 2nd dose 2 or 3 weeks later depending on which one you get.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I hope NY fixes the catch-22 I’m stuck in, but in the meantime, I am heartened to see that my HTF friends and family are making progress getting it

 

[jayembee]

I'm looking forward to getting my first shot. Week and a half (the 17th). I don't care which one I get. I'll get an appointment card for my second shot then (assuming I don't get the J&J).

In the meantime, my wife becomes eligible to register for her first shot on the 22nd, with her group vaccinations starting on the 25th. We weren't expecting her to be getting one until May at the earliest, and more like June or July, so this is good news. Hopefully, by the time she's fully vaccinated, her parents will be, and she'll get to hug them (after sufficient time has passed for the vaccine to do its thing).

 

[The Obsolete Man]

Second shot scheduled for tomorrow.

Already preparing for the next couple days afterward to be crappy, will be pleasantly surprised if they are not.

 

[John Dirk]

Second shot scheduled for tomorrow.

Already preparing for the next couple days afterward to be crappy, will be pleasantly surprised if they are not.

It wasn't debilitating in any way for me. I still continued with my usual routine, just at a lower energy level. Within a day or so I felt normal again. Hope your experience is the same or better.

 

[Carlo_M]

For those who are interested in the experience:

The Forum in Inglewood, CA Mega-Site is actually pretty well run. They confirm your identity, that you have an appointment, and they did ask me where I work (because I'm in one of the prioritized categories). They asked if I had proof, I had printed out my employment verification form in advance, and also have my work ID which is old and you can barely see my picture. I showed them the work ID first and that was good enough, they didn't ask for the verification form I had printed and waiting.

Got my shot within minutes after that, and then you drive up to a queue to wait 15 minutes before they release you to ensure you don't experience anaphylaxis shock. I'm about an hour from the shot and I feel fine.

Despite being a shot/needle wimp, I decided to really pay attention to convey to my fellow HTF'ers my experience thus far.

• I got the Pfizer (which I knew in advance)
• The needle/syringe did not to my untrained eye look any bigger or wider/thicker than my normal flu shot, and the needle was definitely not as wide as what the nurses use when I have to have bloodwork
• The pain at the moment of injection was comparable to a flu shot, which to me is essentially not painful because I've gotten used to relaxing my arm/shoulder
• The nurse did not ask if it was my first or second dose so I think that eliminates the theory of placement mattering; it was a production line system so the actual injection nurse was like the 4th person I encountered and she didn't have a computer she consulted prior to injecting me (perhaps to see which dose it was for me). The placement was roughly where all my flu shots (and TDAP and other vaccinations) go.

I will update this thread if I experience anything worse than the flu shot experience. Usually my arm will begin to feel sore later that evening after a flu shot, nothing debilitating, just like a bruise that's healing. Also with a flu shot I never develop a fever or malaise, so if this does that to me, I'll update.

On a personal note, I don't think I was prepared for the emotions I felt driving up to the site and waiting for the shot. Some of my earliest memories of moving to LA to go to college was my (and my parents') love of the L.A. Lakers during the 80s. The fact that I got my vaccine at Kareem Court was...comforting. The team, the venue, and the player that gave me so much joy as a child is now the place where I got something that will help me do my tiny part in ending the pandemic.

 

[The Obsolete Man]

I believe we had a needle conversation earlier. TBH, I barely even felt whatever they were using today. The woman told me there would be pressure or something, nope, barely even a sting.

Maybe other places use giant needles, but the one I encountered today seemed to be tiny.

Anyway, took about 4 hours for the arm punch feeling to set in. That's about it so far.

They did warn me there could be greater side effects than last time, which I knew. I confirmed with them it was roughly 2 weeks until maximum effect. We all agreed continuing to wear masks and distancing was the best idea, and that was it.

...now, I really want to hit a comic shop in a couple of weeks. And there's a 2nd and Charles right beside it for used DVD needs.

 

[jayembee]

I believe we had a needle conversation earlier. TBH, I barely even felt whatever they were using today. The woman told me there would be pressure or something, nope, barely even a sting.

Whenever a nurse says, "You'll feel a small pinch..." I say, "Everyone says that, but it never feels like a pinch."

...now, I really want to hit a comic shop in a couple of weeks. And there's a 2nd and Charles right beside it for used DVD needs.

Unfortunately, there's a comic shop in Massachusetts that had a big sale this past week. I always go down for their sales, as they have really good offers. Didn't feel comfortable going there, as the aisles are fairly narrow. Because of Covid restrictions, they had limits on the number of people who could be in the store at any given time, but I still wasn't comfortable with it (and I didn't want to be waiting outside in the cold until enough people left that I could get in).

 

[Malcolm R]

Whenever a nurse says, "You'll feel a small pinch..." I say, "Everyone says that, but it never feels like a pinch."

I say, "if I feel it, I'm going to pinch you right back. "