One year of COVID, a reflection.

Got my first last week, hurt my arm like hell. but back to work today :)

Got my first last wednesday. Let's just say I'm glad I didn't have work on thursday and friday. I primarily got hit by pain and a mild fever, but that sure was enough to make me feel completely and entirely useless.

Interesting to read Pfizer is brutal as well. I sort of convinced myself that AZ wss cheap and nasty (the former is true at least) and that Moderna and Pfizer were these luxury versions reserved for countries that needed higher quality jabs. Efficacy wise it's true: both are roughly 95% effective vs AZ's 75%. But in terms of effect, it stands to reason that all three might temporarily kick your arse. They're telling your body what to do if it receives this strange invader in a very loud voice. Which is, obviously, very good.

It felt like a mule had kicked me in a 2 cm square spot on my shoulder.

Some encouraging news on the dose mixing front: https://www.cp24.com/world/astrazeneca-covid-19-vaccine-dose-with-second-pfizer-dose-is-safe-and-effective-spanish-study-1.5432335

And another here: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-tam-says-astrazeneca-recipients-can-choose-second-vaccine-as-canada/

I doubt I'll be afforded such a choice, unless they actually don't have any AZ on hand. I don't mind. No clots first time, certainly none the second. Interesting to read a study indicating increased efficacy with an AZ/Pf mix but it does say small study so I'm not going to put too much faith in it.

I was reading some depressing news that vulnerables with reduced B cell count don't always benefit significantly from vaccination. For them, extra boosters and higher doses may be the only way. Thankfully I'm on a TNF inhibitor which doesn't affect B cell production.

Just in case some of you don't know. Take a couple days off of work following your second shot. It generally tends to be a bit worse than the first one.

All the different shots are beneficial in the fact that if you do get covid they greatly decrease the severity so you stay out of the hospital. I am sure the New York Yankees are thankful for that.

The luxury of Pfizer and Moderna is there increased efficacy, especially against the new variants. A recent study out of Qatar indicated Pfizer was still ~75% effective against the South African variant: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01222-5

Given what is happening in India and Brazil, I would expect to see a bunch of new variants. Hopefully, none of them are worse than the current variants. I am expecting a booster vaccine by the end of the year to deal with the current variants.

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FarmerTed wrote:

All the different shots are beneficial in the fact that if you do get covid they greatly decrease the severity so you stay out of the hospital.

you know what else does that? general health and well being. i know which i prefer.

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I am expecting a booster vaccine by the end of the year to deal with the current variants.

im expecting a new vaccine at least every year, if not every half year from here on out. afterall, when a movie does super well in theatres there is usually a sequel down the line.

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xMustard wrote:

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FarmerTed wrote:

All the different shots are beneficial in the fact that if you do get covid they greatly decrease the severity so you stay out of the hospital.

you know what else does that? general health and well being. i know which i prefer.

oh right, and i know awhile back when i stated that the vaccine manufacturers own information is that their vaccines are not claiming to stop you from getting covid, but merely lessen the severity of the symptoms, and i was told that i was spouting lies and spreading misinformation etc etc etc

too funny

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xMustard wrote:

oh right, and i know awhile back when i stated that the vaccine manufacturers own information is that their vaccines are not claiming to stop you from getting covid, but merely lessen the severity of the symptoms, and i was told that i was spouting lies and spreading misinformation etc etc etc

too funny

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xMustard wrote:

the vaccine is NOT supposed to stop you from getting covid

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FarmerTed wrote:

All the different shots are beneficial in the fact that if you do get covid they greatly decrease the severity so you stay out of the hospital.

I'm pretty sure FarmerTed here isn't claiming that vaccines are not supposed to stop you from getting covid, like what you incorrectly claimed in your first post. He is saying IF you get it, as in when you are not in the 95% who gain immunity, the severity is reduced.