#so my flu shot injection site was sore immediately but nothing from the covid side at first

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Do NOT let this discourage you from getting vaccinated for anything, but if you are the type of person who's body reacts strongly to vaccination you might want to space out your covid booster and flu shot by a few days rather than getting them at the same time

Like I'll probably do it again next year cause its so much more convenient but I am not having a great time atm

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Some Covid-19 Vaccine Info: what to expect

So some disclaimers:

I’m only going to talk about vaccination in America- sorry to the rest of the world but I don’t know enough about the vaccination process in other countries to talk about them

I’m not a doctor or nurse or otherwise medical professional, I am however someone who’s related to multiple doctors/nurses, used to work in a nursing home and got vaccinated while working there, am currently working for a company that facilitates clinical trials, and just did my basic online research. If I get something wrong, please correct me!

CW for obvious medical talk, nothing graphic or gore-y though, mentions of needles and whatnot but again nothing bad

Under the cut!

When am I going to get my vaccine?

This will vary state-by-state, check your state’s rules, you’ll likely find what you need by a quick google search(ex. “Vaccination eligibility in [state/county/town]” or something like that)

The most vulnerable are put at highest priority: for example- those 75+, those who work at or live in nursing homes, those who work in hospitals, those who are immunocompromised, etc. After that will be those as somewhat high risk, this will vary state by state but could include: grocery store workers, teachers, and other employees who come in contact with many people for their job, those 50+, etc. After those are vaccinated, it will slowly open to the general public: most likely depending on both your age and where you work/go to school. The less at risk you are for getting/transmitting covid, the longer it will be.

As of this post(March 16, 2021), children are not permitted by the FDA to get the vaccine. Pfizer’s vaccine is approved for ages 16+, while Moderna’s and J&J’s vaccines are permitted for ages 18+. These companies are either planning to or are currently conducting vaccine trials in children, but it’s unknown when the vaccine(or a variant of the vaccine) will be available for children

The Three Vaccines

Pfizer was the first vaccine to be approved and distributed, and some basic info about it:

It comes in a series of two doses, 21 days apart

It’s dosage is 30micrograms of vaccine, and has a 95% efficacy rate(efficacy meaning in a group of people, there’s a 95% reduction of covid-19, more thorough definition here)

Used to need to be stored in -94 degrees Fahrenheit, which required special freezers, but recently, the FDA announced that the vaccine can be shipped and stored (for a two-week period only) at temperatures of normal pharmacy freezers, between -13 and 5 degrees Fahrenheit

After thawing, a vial of the Pfizer vaccine must be used within five days

Because of the above point, you’re more likely to find Pfizer doses in urban and less likely in rural areas due to the storage issues

Moderna was the second vaccine to be approved and distributed, and some basic info about it:

It comes in a series of 2 doses, 28 days apart

It’s dosage is 100 micrograms of vaccine, though hasn’t shown evidence of being any more effective than Pfizer’s vaccine

It has a 94.1% efficacy rate

Moderna’s is stable at fridge temperature for 30 days and at room temperature for 12 hours

Johnson and Johnson(J&J) was the third vaccine to be approved and distributed, and some basic info about it:

It is a one-dose only vaccine

They’re also testing a 2-dose vaccine, though the results from their trials will not be available until most likely May 2021

It has a 66% effective rate against moderate-to-severe symptoms of covid, but is 85% effective against severe disease

Because of this, J&J is working on a booster shot to increase the effectiveness of this vaccine, though its unknown when this booster will be ready(I believe this booster combined with the original is the 2-dose vaccine mentioned above, but don’t hold me to that)

J&J’s vaccine can be stored at room temperature (not to exceed 77 degrees Fahrenheit) for 12 hours when the vial hasn’t yet been punctured. After the first dose is withdrawn, the vial can be stored in a fridge for six hours or at room temperature for two hours.

The above means that this vaccine is encouraged for use in rural communities, where it’s difficult to store vaccines at extremely low temperatures and the travel times between small towns

While Moderna’s and Pfizer’s vaccines came out before many of the variants seen throughout the world, J&J was specifically testing with the variants

How do the vaccines work?

Both Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccines work on what’s known as a messenger RNA vaccine, or mRNA for short. To put it in simple terms, the way it works is as such: a harmless “spike protein” is injected into our bodies, this protein can also be found on covid-19 cells. When our immune system sees this protein, it recognizes it as something foreign that should not be there and starts making antibodies in order to fight off these proteins. Now that there is an immunity built up, whenever a covid-19 cell is now introduced to the body, the body already knows how to fight off the virus. (more detailed explanation here) 

J&J’s vaccine works a bit differently, using what’s known as a Viral Vector Vaccine. How this works is as such: a modified version of a different (and harmless) virus, known as the vector, is introduced into the body. Much like the mRNA vaccine explained above, this cell has the same proteins on the exterior that covid cells have. Your body will build up antibodies to fight off this vector, so that once covid is introduced to your system, your immune system already has the built up defenses to fight it off (more detailed explanation here)

To put it as simply as possible: all 3 vaccines introduce a harmless substance in your body. Your body’s immune system then builds up a defense against this substance, and now that you have a defense built up, your body is now prepared to fight off covid-19 cells.

Do I have a choice on which vaccine I’ll get? Which one should I get if so?

Depending on your area and where you go to get the vaccine, you may not have a choice in which one you get. It’s more likely that you’ll get a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine if you’re in a more urban area, and it’s more likely that you’ll get a Moderna or J&J shot if you’re in a more rural area, but who knows. 

If you do get a choice, however, there’s really no vaccine that’s considered the “best”. Pfizer’s and Moderna’s are so similar that the differences between them are basically pointless. If you have a choice between one of them and the J&J vaccine(or a choice between all 3), then that may make a difference due to J&J’s functioning so differently. Honestly, this will come down to what you think is best for you. Weigh the pros and cons of each, and make a decision on what you feel is the best option for you. It may come down to what supplies a clinic has for a day, I’m not sure, I didn’t get a choice in which vaccine I could get.

I cannot stress enough that none of these are the “wrong” decision if you get the choice. A vaccine is a vaccine at the end of the day.

What is herd immunity?

“Herd Immunity” is the concept that, when a large enough number of a population is immune to a disease, it prevents the disease from being able to spread. If one person gets covid, but everyone around them is immune, the virus will be unable to spread to anyone else. This concept is important because it protects at-risk people who can’t get the vaccine(children, pregnant people, etc). It’s important with dealing with vaccination numbers to remember the following: We don’t need to vaccinate everyone, we just need to vaccinate enough people. (source)

What about those adverse reactions?

There have been a small number of people who, after getting one of the mRNA vaccines(Pfizer and Moderna), have experienced anaphylaxis(a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction). There are 3 important things to keep in mind with this:

Anaphylaxis after COVID-19 vaccination is rare and occurred in approximately 2 to 5 people per million vaccinated in the United States based on events reported to VAERS. This is an extremely low percent.

There are medical professionals on site who are ready to treat someone who goes into anaphylaxis.

There’s no data on the exact numbers, but some of the reports of adverse reactions came from people who had a history of allergic reactions to other vaccines

If you have no history of allergic reactions to vaccines, you should be fine. If you DO have a history of such, consult with your doctor over risks and benefits, and bring an epipen or some other form of treatment in case of an emergency.

What can I expect when I go to get my vaccine?

The registration and check-in process will vary depending on the place you go, so I won’t try to guess what that will be like. As for the administration of the vaccine, it’s very quick and easy. They’ll ask for your arm, and it’s not required but recommended to give your non-dominant arm(since it’ll most likely be sore for a few days). The needle is very small, and only in your arm for about 5 seconds. I get very squeamish around needles, so if I could handle it just fine, so can you. A small bandaid because you might bleed a tiny bit, and you’re good. It’s like most muscle-injected vaccines, very simple and clean.

The CDC recommends that, because of the adverse reactions mentioned above, that you stay at the vaccine site for 15-30 minutes so the medical staff can monitor you. Cases of anaphylaxis occur within 30 minutes, so if you’re one of the extremely rare group who has a reaction, staff will be there to treat you effectively and immediately.

Setting up a second appointment, getting the record of vaccination, etc will vary depending on where you get your vaccine. 

What side effects can I expect afterwards?

Side effects may vary from person, and there are some differences experienced by the different vaccines, but overall you can expect to have flu-like symptoms for a few days. If you’re getting a second dose, your side effects are likely to be worse after your second dose.

It’s a good sign if you’re having side effects! This means that your body is responding to the harmless mRNA or Vector explained above. By fighting these off, you’ll have flu-like symptoms, but in turn your body is building up the right defenses to be able to fight off covid. So don’t panic, side effects right after a vaccine means its working!

Common side effects either reported online or I’ve seen from talking to others who were vaccinated:

Fatigue

Headaches

Muscle soreness on the arm that was injected

Fever

Chills

Nausea

Soreness at the injection site

For the most part: taking it easy, drinking fluids, taking painkillers for any pains, etc should be enough to get you through it.

You may want to see a doctor if:

Your symptoms are getting worse, worringly-so(basically if your symptoms would make you see a doctor if you had the flu)

The redness or tenderness around the injection site gets worse after 24 hours

My personal experience after getting the Pfizer vaccine:

The first dose hit me harder than I expected. I had a light fever(didn’t get an exact temp but I was definitely feeling warm, I was most likely hovering below 100)

My god, was my arm SORE. I even drew a thing here. Definitely hurt to lift for a few days, but painkillers helped

Was more tired than usual for a few days, had trouble staying awake while working from home at my new job

Since the first dose hit me harder than I expected, I thought the second dose would’ve been awful, but it wasn’t as bad as I expected. Worse than the first, but not as bad as I was bracing for

The morning after, I woke up feeling mostly fine, but an hour later my temperature spiked to 100.4 and I felt like I was hit by a truck. I took some acetaminophen(pain killer/fever reducer) and within another hour or two jumped back down to 99.5. Kept that fever for a few days, but it never spiked that high again, so I was fine.

I had “brain fog”, which is pretty common with fevers, which is when you feel somewhat loopy, and have trouble concentrating/speaking/thinking as clearly as usual, since your body is so focused on building its immunity.

How long should I wait before my vaccine is fully effective?

Right now there isn’t enough data to give an accurate timeline on when a vaccine is effective, but it’s recommended to wait 2 weeks until after you get your second dose(or first dose if you got J&J) to consider yourself immune.

It’s important to note that the vaccines are proven effective against symptoms of covid-19, but as of right now, it’s possible that a vaccinated person can still have covid with no symptoms but still transmit the virus to others. One study conducted by the Israeli Health Ministry and Pfizer Inc. found that the vaccine reduced infection, including asymptomatic cases, by 89.4% and in symptomatic cases, by 93.7%(source). So while the evidence suggests this, it’s still important for those who were vaccinated to continue taking preventative measures such as masking up and social distancing.

Some More Sources

I’ve used this data throughout this post, so read up on these, and do your own research! The more informed we are, the better!

CDC Information on vaccination

FDA information on vaccination

Statnews comparison between the 3 vaccines(content warning: picture of a medical needle on the top of the article)

CDC: What to expect after getting a vaccine

TL;DR:

I recommend reading this whole post, but here are some key points in case you can’t:

Pfizer’s and Moderna’s vaccines use the same method and there are very few differences between them

Each vaccine has pros and a couple cons, and you MAY have a choice in which you can get, but each is proven safe and effective against covid-19 in adults 

Expect flu-like symptoms a few days after getting vaccinated: it’s not only normal and expected, but it’s a sign your vaccine is working