The COVID Vaccination Thread (2 Viewers)

[David Norman]

If you've never had Chicken Pox you don't need the Shingles vaccine. If you've ever had Chicken Pox the virus that causes Chicken Pox is still in your system. It can be triggered again causing Shingles. If you *do* get Shingles then you can infect others with *Chicken Pox* if they've never had it, but not Shingles as it's an offshoot of a prior Chicken Pox infection. And I've read that the Shingles vaccine lasts only around 5 years so you have to have it again to keep that protection.

Honestly, at 60yo if you've truly never had Chickpox, then that's likely far more dangerous than Shingles and I'd consider getting vaccinated for ChickenPox 1st just for that reason. I've read conflicting reports on non Immune folks whether they should get CP and Shingle vaccines or possibly just the one or the other -- best evidence says get both. There is some very good evidence that shows CP vaccine actually significantly decreases the chances of developing Shingles later on though nobody knows how long that effect will last.

OTOH, an awful lot of people who think they've never had CP really have. I've had adults swear they've never had it despite living in households when their children and grandchildren had it -- won't say it's absolutely impossible, but let's just say I didn't believe it.

Wth the rate of CP being so low historically now due to most children being vaccinated it's not quite as scary as it was, but seeing an adult with a full blown case of Pox is beyond not pleasant.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

My little brother brought home chicken pox when he was in kindergarten and I got it then. My stepdad, an adult who had never previously been exposed to it, also got it. To say it wasn’t pleasant is an understatement.

If there’s a vaccine or anything else you can do as an adult to protect yourself from getting chicken pox, do it. I felt awful for a week as a preteen; I think my stepdad was straight up stuck in bed for two miserable weeks.

 

[Tony Bensley]

My little brother brought home chicken pox when he was in kindergarten and I got it then. My stepdad, an adult who had never previously been exposed to it, also got it. To say it wasn’t pleasant is an understatement.

If there’s a vaccine or anything else you can do as an adult to protect yourself from getting chicken pox, do it. I felt awful for a week as a preteen; I think my stepdad was straight up stuck in bed for two miserable weeks.

Our then 4 year old son brought it home from his Montessori school, and his 34 year old father subsequently got it. Other than being covered pretty much head to toe, and itching like hell, I don't remember feeling particularly awful. Of course, I also covered myself in calamine lotion. That stuff really helped!

Much as I wish I could get the shingles vaccine, it is too damn expensive, and our province only covers it for those 65 and over.

 

[DaveF]

Two weeks since first dose! Reporting is that’s somewhere from 50% to 80% efficacy. Second dose is a week away. In three weeks, I anticipate eating in a restaurant again for the first time in a year!

 

[Carlo_M]

Two weeks since first dose! Reporting is that’s somewhere from 50% to 80% efficacy. Second dose is a week away. In three weeks, I anticipate eating in a restaurant again for the first time in a year!

I admit even though I'm 2 weeks (as of yesterday) past my second dose, I'm still a tiny bit wary of indoor dining. But I have started taking advantage of outdoor dining the last couple of days and it's nice to feel somewhat like a semi-social human again. Even though I kept my mask on during times I wasn't eating lol.

 

[Kevin Hewell]

If you've never had Chicken Pox you don't need the Shingles vaccine. If you've ever had Chicken Pox the virus that causes Chicken Pox is still in your system. It can be triggered again causing Shingles. If you *do* get Shingles then you can infect others with *Chicken Pox* if they've never had it, but not Shingles as it's an offshoot of a prior Chicken Pox infection. And I've read that the Shingles vaccine lasts only around 5 years so you have to have it again to keep that protection.

I've seen friends with shingles and I will take whatever shots they'll give me.

 

[Carlo_M]

Hey guys, I’ve been lurking on this thread for some time as I did not meet eligibility for the vaccine yet. As some of you might knew out here in California, as of April 1, the eligibility age dropped and I managed to get an appointment for the vaccine. It took a few tries as it’s like trying to win an eBay auction. I had my first shot of the Pfizer vaccine this morning at 11:00am. So far I don’t feel any ill-effects. My arm doesn’t feel sore yet, but I know it’s still early. The needle did hurt a bit as it went in!

It’s interesting that I’m hearing from friends and family that the main two vaccines we’ve been getting are Pfizer or Moderna. I have not heard of anyone I know get the J&J. The J&J inventory have been reported in very short supply and will diminish very soon in the coming weeks. And I’m hearing similar stories of greater reactions to the Moderna then the Pfizer when they get the second shot.

I could not help but think of this line from Star Trek: With an arm full of this stuff, I wouldn’t be afraid of a supernova!

As funny as that line was in the show, I’m still not letting my guard down and will continue to maintain the same safeguards as before.

Hey Nelson, good to hear from you! Yeah I too was ultra cautious prior to getting the vaccine. I actually stopped riding because, even though I could be 30-40' behind another rider, at the speeds we ride, I would go right through their exhaled breath within a second or two if someone in front of me coughed. That, coupled with work taking up so much of my time, got me off of the bike for the better part of the last year. Last week, when I crossed my 9th day post second dose, I got back on. I'm horribly out of shape (I must have gained a covid-19...lbs. lol) but am slowly building it back up.

But as you mentioned, I don't know many in CA who had gotten the J&J prior to the current pause. It seemed to be 50/50 Moderna/Pfizer, with as I've mentioned most of those in my circle who reported moderate side effects being on the Moderna side.

 

[DaveF]

I admit even though I'm 2 weeks (as of yesterday) past my second dose, I'm still a tiny bit wary of indoor dining. But I have started taking advantage of outdoor dining the last couple of days and it's nice to feel somewhat like a semi-social human again. Even though I kept my mask on during times I wasn't eating lol.

Insofar as local guidelines allow, we’re talking about trying to get back to pre-pandemic things after second dose.

High on our list is hanging out with friends again. We’re also talking about hopefully getting back to the gym. Enjoying restaurants again. Visiting parents we haven’t seen in over a year.

We’ll see what’s what and how we feel in three weeks. But I’ve had some hope since Dose #1 that I hadn’t had for the past 12 months.

 

[Mark Booth]

A female friend got the J&J shot on Monday, and then came the news about pausing J&J vaccines on Tuesday. She felt exhausted for Monday and Tuesday but says she's feeling much better today.

As for indoor dinning... My wife and I were fully vaccinated (2 weeks past 2nd shot) over a month ago. We have yet to eat at a restaurant (neither indoor nor outdoor). But we are feeling more comfortable with getting takeout food and eating it at home (or in the car or a park or wherever).

I don't think I'll be comfortable taking my masks off near other people for at least 2-3 more months, if not longer. And, realistically, I expect we will be using face masks for some time to come. We might get to the point where we take them off to have a bite but I think they'll end up being put back on after we've eaten.

Mark

 

[Carlo_M]

Yeah my decision to eat (or not eat) indoors is just me being uber cautious. My roommate's mother is in poor health and he visits her regularly, so I don't want to be the vector by which COVID gets to her. He too has been vaccinated and I think she just got hers as well, so my mind will be much eased in the weeks ahead.

Regardless, there is that feeling of weight being lifted, because we know the mRNA vaccines at not only highly effective at preventing you from catching COVID. Even if you do, they are extremely effective at preventing it from being the monster that it is for those who are vulnerable and unvaccinated. As long as I know the worst case scenario won't involve death or severe disease (i.e. hooked up to a ventilator, and long-tail COVID symptoms post-recovery), I can live with that.

 

[Nelson Au]

Hey Carlo-

I’m two days out from my first shot and the soreness on my arm at the injection site is nearly all gone. I was going to post in the other Covid thread, but essentially the whole Covid situation has had me even more OCD then before and I’m unrealistically now avoiding touching things outside my house and will probably be that way for some time before I let some of my guard down.

About cycling, like you I don’t want to be behind someone exhaling! So I’ve been religiously cycling on my bike on a trainer at home everyday since the lock down. A friend told me that based on how air flows, even if you walk behind or towards someone whose exhaled, the air molecules will move away from you as you approach them. But still, not taking a chance!

After I get my second vaccination shot, and wait 2 weeks, I’m not sure I’ll feel so free yet. I know I’ll have some protection, but will still be careful. Not sure I’ll be comfortable in a restaurant!

 

[Malcolm R]

Two weeks since first dose! Reporting is that’s somewhere from 50% to 80% efficacy. Second dose is a week away. In three weeks, I anticipate eating in a restaurant again for the first time in a year!

I'm about on the same schedule. Will be two weeks since the first dose on Friday, then another week until the second.

But I've been going to restaurants almost weekly since last summer. We stopped for a couple of weeks in November when there was a larger outbreak in the area, but then started going again in December. The restaurants have been taking extra care, so I'm not really concerned. According to state data, the vast majority of transmission is by family get-togethers and other small group gatherings for parties, cookouts, holidays, etc. Haven't heard of any cases near here linked to transmission at any public business. I'd be going to the movies, too, if it wasn't an hour's drive one way to the only decent theater that's been open.

 

[Robert Crawford]

It's been over two weeks since my second Pfizer shot. I'm still in no hurry to go to the movies nor eat in any restaurants as there are still too many people not taking this virus seriously enough for me. Though, I'm fully vaccinated, I just don't want to be around such people as we are in the middle of another significant uptick in Michigan.

 

[Neil Middlemiss]

Got my first Pfizer shot this morning. Easy process, no pain. Arm's a little saw right now. Totally worth it.

 

[Max Taxable]

still too many people not taking this virus seriously enough for me.

I don't take it seriously. But I DO take courtesy and politeness seriously, so I still wear my mask and distance myself when I am out among the hordes. And which, I don't go out for just frivolous reasons. Although I am vaccinated I still practice respect for others.

 

[Johnny Angell]

I don't take it seriously. But I DO take courtesy and politeness seriously, so I still wear my mask and distance myself when I am out among the hordes. And which, I don't go out for just frivolous reasons. Although I am vaccinated I still practice respect for others.

Over a half million Americans dead and you don’t take it seriously?

 

[Robert Crawford]

Over a half million Americans dead and you don’t take it seriously?

Please, not in this thread for an extended discussion.

 

[David Norman]

Somebody earlier mentioned Bee Sting.

Just got Yellow-Jacketed this afternoon and damn that's 100x worse than the vaccine. I only get stung maybe once a year, but always forget how much it hurts. I was cleaning up some bush/shrub trimming and felt a pain in my hand -- first few seconds I thought I'm gotten a thorny branch until it got a lot worse, looked down and saw the Jacket still attached and pumping venom. I literally had to take my other hand and manually pull it off (swiping wasn't going to do it). I know I'm not allergic, but there's always that minute of doubt "what will I do if this is the time it happens ...."

 

[Max Taxable]

Just got Yellow-Jacketed this afternoon and damn that's 100x worse than the vaccine. I only get stung maybe once a year, but always forget how much it hurts.

Formic acid. Painful intent.

 

[David Norman]

Formic acid. Painful intent.

I was absolutely perfectly happy being a lazy bum sitting at the computer, but stupid me decides he's going to do 20 minutes worth of 'work' while it's still very pleasantly cool and 30% humidity. That'll teach me -- lazy and unproductive is a much safer way to live.