@mas1581 Ugh, this sounds like the reaction I had from the H1N1 vaccine back in 2009. I always got/get my flu shot, so I got the double dose that year and OMG I felt like I run over by a truck for 2 days. I'll never forget that.
I wonder if health officials/governments will have to do a massive comms plan to allay some fears and disinformation? I haven't seen anything yet, but just informing people (whether they believe it or not) and getting that info out there about what to expect could help manage expectations.
I mean I'm a person who is trusting the science and 100% behind vaccines and even I'm not pumped about getting it right away. Wish we had more time to see more studies but no dice with the spread of this disease.
My fear is that the Covid vaccine might prompt a similar response as the two-part Shingrix vaccine (for Shingles) which many people experienced as just awful. So bad that many refused to take the second shot -- even though that jeopardized their future immunity. Personally, I forced myself to take both shots (6 months apart) so as to obtain maximum immunity but was sick as a dog for about 3 days each time. Felt almost like "germ warfare" and was frightening. Hope to God this new Covid vaccine is nothing like that...
Wow, Isabelle, sorry you had such a bad experience, and good on you for taking the second dose anyway. So many people aren't that logical, though.
At least when you have a vaccination, you can schedule it and plan on taking some personal time if you need it. And the obvious biggie is the vax is highly unlikely to put you in the hospital and on a ventilator.
You are 100% right Iridium. 2 days of feeling like crap twice is much better than a vent or going to funeral.
As far as a PR campaign, there will surely be one. I am still as cautious as anyone getting the vaccine. I still want to see the data from the trials and will follow whatever I can get my hands on from now til then. The positive we have as "average" people is that not only will we have the trials to go off of, but we will probably be 3rd wave of people to be offered it so there will be months of real world data to go off of. We just have to make sure we realize what the reported stories are. If there is a big issue thats one thing, but as charged as MSM is these days, every single reaction will be reported as if its the end of the world and we ha e to put those stories into perspective. There will be reactions and there will be bad stories out there, but if its 5 people out of the 2 million vaccinations given, we have to realize its minimal at best that something will go wrong. We can rest assures we would hear a lot about each and every one of those 5.
If Dr. Fauci takes the vaccine I will take it.
Effective public health education will be key here. When I took my first shot of Shingrix, the nurse made clear that many people experience pretty severe side effects...but that unless one took both shots within the specified time period, one would not gain the 95% lifetime immunity the shots supposedly confer. No point in dodging/minimizing this crucial information. It is far better to be straightforward with the public in terms of exactly what to expect. Of course, some may not experience such severe side effects. But for me, that Shingrix vaccine was, by far, the worst vaccination I've ever had to experience. But if it meant a 95% lifetime immunity, I was ready to undergo it gratefully. Hopefully much of the public will feel the same way.
If Dr. Fauci takes the vaccine I will take it.
All three ex-presidents (Obama, Clinton, and Bush Jr.) have said they will get the vaccine publicly.
And today Biden said he would do so as well. (Leadership: That's how you do it.)
https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/02/politics/obama-vaccine/index.html
Thank you... you made good points. Also, if the Covid vaccine ends up being as severe as the Shingrix vaccine is, I would caution people who live alone not to take it without making sure you have a friend or family member close by. I could barely walk the first day after each shot and needed help getting around. Thank God, my daughter was with me. As scary as this sounds, people need to know exactly what to expect. And, hopefully, the logical part of their brain will kick in and do the right thing...
It appears that Pfizer will be releasing about 17,500 vax doses to New Mexico here within December. This state was chosen, one of four, including Texas, Rhode Island and Tennessee, as a 'Pilot Distribution Program' point.The reasoning is due to infrastructure, population, and severity given the size of the state, etc. A guinea pig -'experiment' if you will, for wider distributions and applications across the nation.
The limited amount of doses will of course be available to those on the front lines, health care workers, first responders, and also the endangered elders, nursing homes, and prison workers, essential providers. The additional bulk of doses won't be available 'til later, and now Pfizer has made some kind of statement about having production problems and having to cut it's original estimate of doses destined for worldwide distribution by a concerning %...?? What's up with that?
Our Gov Michelle Lujan Grisham has said she has confidence in it, and will take it along with her family when it becomes more widely available. The rates of Covid have grown astoundingly here this month, with more deaths and new cases each day like never before. A local (very crowded) nursing home center has had a record number of cases and deaths amongst staff & clients, more than half the people there.
So, we continue. We continue to navigate the pandemic, and to go on bravely doing the best we all can do to have some normalcy in our lives and not to give in to panic or extremes, even though we are all in the maelstrom of this corrosive atmosphere ...
I am so amazed that everyone is as resilient and yes, valiant as they are when there is always a two ton elephant in the room that no one can ignore....
Being someone that never liked exploitive Western medicine all that much, I never took flu shots, and only prescribed to the general trend if it was absolutely necessary. I am now seeing this vaccine as the only way that we as individuals, as states, as countries of the world will be able curb the virus and to regain our health and sanity. Really.
Suffering a little discomfort and hardship is nothing compared to having a potential deadly viral tsumani wave consuming half the population of the planet, bottom line.
It's reality, and one that we are dealing with very well , imho
There are always the medical exceptions to the efficacy of vaccines, but every one of us needs this if it's at all possible.
I even continue to have hope that one day soon there will be an vax for the susceptible animal species that have been so vulnerable & destroyed (like the poor minks) and cats, and dogs, and perhaps many wildlife species that we don't even know about yet....
There has to be continued vigilance, and continued hope, because this challenge is one that's not going away any time soon.
@mas1581 I know I still need to get the vaccine as soon as I'm able to because of some health issues, but you have me more than a bit anxious about it with your description of the side effects. I'm assuming that these are known and documented side effects from the clinical trials? I also have a question that maybe you can answer (or anyone else, really) because I haven't been able to find anything.
For all the talk about the vaccine, I am reminded of the statements over the last several months that acquired immunity to covid-19 is not permanent and may only last a few months at best. There have been several documented cases of people who had it, recovered, and then got it again a few months later, so what does that mean in terms of this vaccine? How long will it last? Does the two-shot method confer longer immunity, such as with tetanus, where you have to get a booster shot every X number of years?