Topic: COVID vaccine - Who has received - provide details and side effects

[Trav-i]

I got my first dose on the 2nd and only had some mild arm pain, I'm 40.  Due for the second dose on the 23rd.  I was given the Pfizer vaccine.  My wife got her first dose at work and was given the Moderna vaccine, she is 41.  She had the usual arm pain and seemed to have a very mild response to it, she spent the next day in bed.  We are both paramedics, she works in a very busy clinic and is heavily exposed each day she goes to work, I still work 911 for the local FD and am not exposed quite as much.  We have both been working since before anyone knew what it was, everyone in my wife's clinic has gotten the virus except her, and for all of my exposures I have not contracted it either.  Not sure why we were spared, but we took it as a blessing, and also being able to keep right on working was also a blessing.

[CBJoe]

I'm 38 years old, no medical problems. I do not usually seek to get vaccines. I do not get the Flu shot, I figure I am exposed to most of what is going around each year at work (Fire Dept.) We were offered the shot through my work. I got my 1st dose of the Moderna vaccine 1/6/21, I am scheduled for my 2nd dose on 2/5/21. The only symptom I had was soreness at the injection site (shoulder) for a couple days. I'd say more so than other IM injections that I have had in the past. Nothing else. From the research I have done and my personal experience, I see no downside.

I got my 2nd dose of the Moderna vaccine yesterday, 24 hours ago. I was totally normal all day. Worked out, walked the dog, felt fine. After dinner time I got chills and noticeable body aches (my eyeballs hurt!) but nothing crazy. I woke up this morning with the same symptoms and a 100.5 fever. Hopefully it will be gone by the end of the day. Again, nothing causing me any concern.

Pretty much same for me.  I got 2nd dose of Moderna this past Saturday and by Sunday evening I had a 100 fever and felt like crap.  Woke up this morning right as rain.  Both times had routine localized pain to area of shot. 

[markmyodb]

I am a 67YO person with some health issues so I was 1C and able to get my first dose of the Pfizer vaccine yesterday afternoon.

UNC healthcare ran the clinic.   Well run, in and out in less than an 45minutes including the 15 minute wait after the shot.

Barely felt the shot, arm is just a little sore today.

Second shot on 17FEB21, I hope to gain a little freedom by March.

My wife got her first dose of the Moderna yesterday. she is experiencing significantly greater arm pain then I had, described the shot as taking a long time to complete. Mine was nearly painless and relatively quick.

[Prospect]

Are any states offering the vaccine to people who are under 60 or not frontline workers? It's great to hear that the US is vaccinating 1.5 million people a day which means they'll soon move onto anyone who wants it. Well done. Canada is not there yet.

[Kevin D]

Prospect, I came across this table in the NYTimes this morning, regarding who can be vaccinated, state by state, current as of 2/8.
I heard on the local news that Wayne county was allowing vaccines to Windsor residents who teach in the US

[Prospect]

Wow. That's impressive.  That's what you get for being able to manufacture the vaccine in your home country. Canada is relying on foreign suppliers because we don't have manufacturing capabilities here. Sad.

[carnivorous chicken]

Wow. That's impressive.  That's what you get for being able to manufacture the vaccine in your home country. Canada is relying on foreign suppliers because we don't have manufacturing capabilities here. Sad.

Same here in Mexico. We're getting a big load (24 million doses) of Sputnik and I was kind of worried about that, but the Lancet (a western peer-reviewed medical journal) has an article that gives it 92% effectiveness and that it prevents hospitalization and death. We're also getting AstraZeneca -- 70 million doses -- by April. There aren't a lot of conspiracy folks or anti-vaxxers here, but there are some real concerns over corruption and back room deals. We'll go to a trusted hospital. 

[Don R]

 I'm sitting here online because there are appointments available but not until 2:00 and if I walk away I'll miss out.

 Edit: I got an appt. next  tuesday at the health dept. My daughter was online too and got the appt when the time I tried was already full.

[rb550four]

   At least you guys have had a chance of a vaccination.They haven't been available here in my county for regular folks, they have only been available for Doctors and first responders. About 30% of those folks didn't take the shots for some reason, but we haven't been notified that the extra shots were available.... hope they aren't throwing them out, I'd really like to get one. I live in one of the poorest upstate counties in NY, everything here has been backasswards for years and 10 years behind, often overlooked, hope they don't forget about us. Some of our seniors have been making a 3 to 4 hour drive to get a shot where ever they are available and they are going for it. That's a frightening thought considering a third of them should have turned in their drivers licences years ago. I'm patiently waiting for a turn but with no opportunities for a shot close to home, patience is starting to run thin.

[river]

I got my first dose of Moderna yesterday morning. Within 2 hours I felt nauseous but it only lasted a few hours. The arm pain is significantly worse than what I was expecting. I woke up any time I rolled that way last night.

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

Pretty standard side effects. Prop up a pillow on that side so you don't roll over. It'll mostly be gone tomorrow and hopefully the -13 degree temperature will too    Down to 80 degrees here

[river]

I actually thought about you yesterday Jerry! Hope you're enjoying the sand!

[HondaMan]

Hi, Jerry, you warm-as-toast traitor...I'm freezing [something] off here in CO, where it hasn't been over 0 now for more than 2 days! My recording thermometer showed 0 this AM about 10 for 20 minutes, that was the highest since Friday night.

I had the Covid a little over a year ago, got it for my birthday in January 2020. I got it from the guy in the next cubicle at work, who got it from the COO of the company, who got it from flying around a whole bunch on crowded jetliners in December 2019. His wife is a surgical nurse at one of the local hospitals: by the time he had the pneumonia he ended up staying there a night (it might have been 2 nights). He came to work during the 2nd week of it (before the pneumonia started and clobbered him), the last week of December, when he gave it to the guy next to me during their several meetings over a machine they were/are building.

I had it for a little over 3 weeks. The first week was like a cold with a fever, the second week was like the flu (which I have only had twice, both following getting a flu shot decades ago, so I don't anymore), the 3rd week started a nasty cough (with no congestion!) that lasted 3 more weeks after that. I was sort of raspy in the throat during the last week, too. The long cough was sudden, deep, and very annoying.

Then, about the end of January, they declared it was "Covid-19" and everyone freaked. My wife, a lifelong Type I diabetic (on insulin pump) got a mild "cold" from me, starting end of January, that lasted about a week: that was it. But, she gets 2 flu shots every year, so I suspect that kept her from getting it worse: normally she gets EVERYTHING that comes by.

Since then I have been exposed numerous times to others who were [later] diagnosed as Covid-eers. I haven't been sick since.

Around here, the vaccinations keep getting promised, they do one day of shots somewhere, then they change the schedule again. Very few have been able to get their 2nd shot so far, and at this time there is no reliable way to schedule yourself for one. My wife is supposed to be at the top of their "list", but all they do is send her "updates" on when the next re-scheduling is happening: lousy Colorado management, as usual. I think she's already had it, she thinks she wants the shot(s) anyway. The 'antibody' tests have been less than 50% reliable around here so far, probably due to Colorado's mismanagement of the results, or the type of tests they are buying, so no one seems to believe them, now.

[CaptFatCat]

55yo
 First Moderna was easy with a  pain to the injection area on pain level of #3 for 24 hours after, thats it.
Second dose had a pain level to injection area of #8 for 24 hours, sore throat #2 for 24 hours and headache #3 for 24 hours.
The injection area felt like i took a golf ball with a 1-iron to my arm.
I recommend to take Tylenol just before the shot and continue every 6 hours for 24 hours after.

[Don R]

 I got moderna #1 this morning at 9:30 it's 6 now and noticed a sore arm when I leaned against the wall putting my shoes on. A little heartburn, probably the ribs I ate for lunch. I had a headache when I went, need glasses, been putting it off.
  Edit, I think I was a little dry, a few glasses of water and My brain returned to it's normal size, kinda like a hangover headache. The arm is a little sore, like when I was a kid and my brother hit me. My wife gets her #2 friday.

[Don R]

 My daughter got a call at work (she works with the public) Walgreens opened a batch of 40 and had some no-shows so they were giving vaccine to walk in's. When she got there it had 5 minutes until it expired. I hope they got it all out there.
 My wife's #2 vaccine didn't arrive so she's waiting for a new appointment.

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

They are freaking out about expiration dates unnecessarily. It's not like Mission Impossible where it self destructs in those 5 minutes. In 6 minutes they would NOT be able to find any difference if they tested it. Or the next day or probably the next week. The main issue is proper storage. If I wanted my COVID shot and the only choice I had was an expired vaccine I'd take it in a heartbeat. Perhaps it would only have 90% of it's original potency at a date post expiration, it would still do its job.   

[Stev-o]

They are freaking out about expiration dates unnecessarily.

Hey Jerry...good to know.  What I dont understand is why the Pfizer vaccine storage temp is -94F, is it really need to be that cold and how can it be kept that cold at the vaccination locations?

[StockRider]

They are freaking out about expiration dates unnecessarily.

Hey Jerry...good to know.  What I dont understand is why the Pfizer vaccine storage temp is -94F, is it really need to be that cold and how can it be kept that cold at the vaccination locations?

Stev-o, Many details here if you are interested: https://www.pfizer.com/news/hot-topics/covid_19_vaccine_u_s_distribution_fact_sheet

• We also have developed packaging and storage innovations to be fit for purpose for the range of locations where we believe vaccinations will take place. We have specially designed,temperature-controlled thermal shippers utilizing dry ice to maintain recommended storage temperature conditions of -70°C±10°C for up to 10 days unopened. The intent is to utilize Pfizer-strategic transportation partners to ship by air to major hubs within a country/region and by ground transport to dosing locations.
• We will utilize GPS-enabled thermal sensors with a control tower that will track the location and temperature of each vaccine shipment across their pre-set routes, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. These GPS-enabled devices will allow Pfizer to proactively prevent unwanted deviations and act before they happen.
• Once a POU receives a thermal shipper with our vaccine, they have three options for storage:
  - Ultra-low-temperature freezers, which are commercially available and can extend shelf life for up to six months.
  - The Pfizer thermal shippers, in which doses will arrive, that can be used as temporary storage units by refilling with dry ice every five days for up to 30 days of storage.
  - Refrigeration units that are commonly available in hospitals. The vaccine can be stored for five days at refrigerated 2-8°C conditions.
• After storage for up to 30 days in the Pfizer thermal shipper, vaccination centers can transfer the vials to 2-8°C storage conditions for an additional five days, for a total of up to 35 days. Once thawed and stored under 2-8°C conditions, the vials cannot be re-frozen or stored under frozen conditions.

[StockRider]

Why do the COVID-19 vaccines need to be kept so cold?
Dr. Cooke: The reason the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 mRNA vaccines need to be kept so cold is because of the mRNA used in these vaccines.

Leveraging mRNA technology has been pivotal in developing a safe, effective vaccine so quickly, but mRNA itself is incredibly fragile — it gets broken down very rapidly and easily. This inherent instability of mRNA is what has made developing an mRNA-based vaccine so challenging in the past. In addition, the biological material used to package the mRNA so it can be delivered as a vaccine is also somewhat unstable.

Fortunately, a lot of work has gone into developing methods and technology that make mRNA more stable, so it can now successfully be incorporated into a vaccine.

That being said, the first two COVID-19 mRNA vaccines will still require cold storage to ensure the mRNA within these vaccines remains stable. And when we say cold, we're talking around -100 degrees Fahrenheit for the Pfizer vaccine — which is much, much colder than what a standard freezer can achieve.

But, don't worry, these ultracold temperatures are only needed for storage. The vaccine is thawed before injection.

[Don R]

 They did tell her the time was just an arbitrary number and the vaccine would still be good for some time after that. I think they just wanted to use up what was opened and go home. There was minus 10*F temps and ice so a lot of the older folks that are eligible and had appointments didn't venture out.
  Getting a vaccine is hit and miss around here, it's often word of mouth or constant checking web sites, there is no county wide master waiting list.

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

So I see today that Pfizer has applied for standard freezer storage. The DEEEEEEP freeze thing really hindered the use of Pfizer vaccine. It made no sense to me that Pfizer storage was different than Moderna's. This should open up vaccination with Pfizer's product to many more locations.

[Don R]

 My wife got shot #2 this morning Moderna and 12 hours later no side effects thus far.
 Update,  the second day, her arm got a red circle and was itchy.

[grcamna2]

subscribed

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

Day 31 report. Round 2.

Yesterday I got the second shot. None of the second shot horror stories. None. My arm is a little sore at the injection site but not as bad as the first time. The nurse has been good explaining the whole scenario each time. This stick was better. Perhaps I relaxed my arm more? I waited my 15 minutes and left. Of course I forgot my immunization card so I will return to have it completed. J & J one shot should become available in the next week. More convenient BUT more availability for all.

#$%* off COVID!!!!!!!!

Everyone get your shots so we can normalize again. This is about more than you. Do it for others if you are against protecting yourself. Don't listen to the anti-vaxers. I will be soooooo glad to burn my damn masks!!