If I'm not mistaken, J&J confers around 80-85% immunity after the one-shot, as opposed to 94.1% for Moderna and 95% for Pfizer, Jeanne...so your fears are understandable...
Which COVID Vaccine is Best For You? Here’s a Breakdown – NBC Chicago
Just for perspective - from the article:
"If you kind of do a comparison for influenza vaccines, which we do annually, influenza's efficacy can range anywhere from 40% to 60% - and that's a good year," Monica Hendrickson, public health administrator for the Peoria County Health Department said last month. "So again, something that's high public health was, you know, we were hoping for something above 40%. To get to 95%, even 65%, that's a homerun."
So, although J&J is lower, it is still pretty spectacular. I got J&J, so I have my concerns, but keep reminding myself that it is still very, very effective and getting people vaccinated to being overall cases down will help everyone in the long run.
Posted by @cc21:
So, although J&J is lower, it is still pretty spectacular.
@cc21, I agree. I hope people won't be fearful because they received the J&J vaccine, either by personal choice or the availability of vaccines at the time. In my view the J&J is still quite effective, and hopefully will prevent people who received it from becoming very ill from the virus.
@cc21 and @deetoo After reviewing the research I would like to thank you and correct my suspicions that J&J is lite on protection. Although Pfizer and Moderna have higher effectiveness rates, the difference is tiny when you consider how rare it is for someone to get covid post vaccination. My fears were tied up with the whole issue of being indoors and mask-less in restaurants, health club, and beauty salons. There is a new vulnerability I feel when I think about removing those safeguards and that makes me want to split hairs over which vaccine is best.
Truth is that J&J confers excellent immunity.
I got the Johnson and Johnson on April 7th. This is the results of my antibody test taken 25 days after getting it. I have both kinds of antibodies, the interim making antibodies kind at the bottom (faintest line) and the longer lasting antibodies ( strongest line) at the top. feel good about getting the J&J one stick and done. It shows the process is working!
@jeanne-mayell The AMA says the J&J vaccine is 75% effective but 100% effective in preventing hospitalization. I got the J&J and will continue to wear a mask.
What doctors wish patients knew about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine | American Medical Association
Posted by @jeanne-mayell:
My fears were tied up with the whole issue of being indoors and mask-less in restaurants, health club, and beauty salons.
@jeanne-mayell, I completely understand your concerns about the new vulnerability. I feel the same way. When I first heard the CDC announcement, I smiled and said "oh great!" Shortly thereafter I had this nagging feeling with an "uh oh ..." behind it. So I will continue to mask at indoor establishments until I feel a sense of peace about letting that go. I can't control anyone else's behavior, but I do have control over my own.
I stand corrected. Glad the J&J vaccine is so effective in real-world terms. And certainly choosing one of the vaccines over none is vastly preferable. Thank God we have all these choices of vaccines! Such a tribute to the resourcefulness and intelligence of our scientific community... they are our crown jewels!
On Wednesday, NYC has relaxed its mask mandate where anyone who is fully vaccinated can remove their mask outdoors. This can lead to another wave.
https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2021/05/19/ny-ct-lift-mask-mandate-for-fully-vaccinated/
Thinking of you @Villager as Melbourne goes under another lockdown. I am glad you live in a city which takes outbreaks seriously.
I hope you and your family are doing well. I am sure this is not where you want Melbourne to be right now. Hugs to you Villager.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-57263811
Thank you for thinking of us, @lovendures. It is a little overwhelming but we will adapt. I too am grateful that I live in a state that does its best to contain Covid.
I hope our access to vaccines will improve soon, and I am thrilled that the US has achieved such a high vaccination rate. I hope that things are going well for your family too, and that things continue to improve. Much love to you and everyone on this forum.
States are using the lottery incentive to encourage people to get vaccinated. When Jeanne said that we could return to normal by fall, I think that many urban areas have reached herd immunity.
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/California-vaccine-lottery-Vax-for-the-Win-cash-16208457.php
@enkasongwriter If a lottery prize helps get people vaxxed, well OK, IMO. We are at the point where we need to make getting vaccinated as easy and as attractive as possible. From some personal conversations I've had, I think there are a lot of people who aren't really opposed to getting the shot, but who don't think it's worth the time and trouble.
A regional grocery chain in our area always gives out free $5 gift cards as incentives to get flu shots at their pharmacy. I don't know why they aren't doing the same for COVID--- perhaps they will, eventually.
Even after COVID is gone, I feel that people would adapt to a new norm as seen in the 2/22 predictions. However, I feel that anti-vaxxers will ruin things for fully vaccinated people. There will be ugliness but not as exacerbated as before. My aunt, grandma, and cousins refused to get vaccinated and I refuse to approach them.
@enkasongwriter I want to congratulate you for letting your relatives know that you take the vaccine seriously. You are not alone with this. I do not want to hang out with anyone who is not vaccinated, unless they have a serious medical condition preventing it.
Some male friends at my sports club have played racquetball together twice a week for 30 years. Two years ago a woman asked to join their group and they weren't thrilled about it because she's way behind them in ability, but they're nice guys so they said okay. (I can't even imagine imposing myself upon a bunch of guys if I didn't have the ability to keep up.)
She turned out to be a major crazy Q-anon Trumper too, which didn't thrill them either. But these are really nice guys.
Well, they stopped playing for a year due to Covid, but recently resumed play since they were all vaccinated....except, fo course, for her. She doesn't believe in getting vaccinated because she says Covid is a hoax.
Well they refused to let her back in with them. She showed up anyway on game night. These are really nice guys, and they said okay, just this one time. But when they told their wives, the wives unanimously forbid it.
Sometimes Covid comes in handy.
@jeanne-mayell I plan on cutting them out of my life for good once we reach herd immunity.
I saw a friend of mine today who has been a Trump support in the past though I don't currently know where she stands and we did not discuss politics thankfully. We did however discuss vaccinations today.
She is not anti-vax and did receive her vaccination. One of the reasons she gave me for getting it was that she wanted to be able to go out into society and participate in life. She happens to be a real-estate agent and does interact a lot with the public. She is also very social. This was a great thing to hear and I was almost surprised. She happens to think it is crazy that some people she knows are waiting because the vaccination is only in "emergency approval mode". She feels that is a ridiculous reason to not get one. I happen to agree with her.
Well, that didn't take long. The first cruise of the Celebrity Millennium since the pandemic just took place and 2 asymptomatic passengers tested positive for Covid at the end of cruise their required covid test. All crew and passengers needed vaccination proof and passengers additionally needed a negative covid test to sail. Children just needed a negative test.
The cruise line is saying this is proof that their checks are working. Hmmm... maybe.
One huge hurdle? The fact that the Florida and Texas governors are not allowing a "vaccine passport" yet and the CDC requires 95% of the people to have a vaccination to be on a cruise. The cruise lines want vaccinations for the most part. The Celebrity cruise with the covid passengers did not sail to a US port, and I would think Florida and Texas might regret that demand as I am sure there are cruse lines will simply leave Florida and Texas out of the equation if needed.
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/celebrity-cruise-two-covid-positive-guests/index.html.
Here is a issue headlining the news this morning. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/myocarditis.html
@enkasongwriter A member of my extended family has a large group of friends who like to get together regularly for drinks and/or dinner, often at his house. They were happy when the vaccine became available because it meant they could resume their social life.
One person said "no way" they were getting vaccinated so the group said, "I guess you'll be pretty lonely then." And the person gave in and got vaxxed.