# Covid booster shots, news and opinion **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [September 12, 2021, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-booster-shots-news-and-opinion/950565 "2021-09-12T19:34:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2021, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-booster-shots-news-and-opinion/950565/141 "2021-10-31T23:31:54Z")
I got my booster on Thursday. I have Kaiser insurance, and they emailed me on the previous Monday (? it might have been Sunday), and I made an appt right away. I had Moderna previously, so I got the Moderna booster. And they were really strict about not letting us leave for 15 minutes after our shot! I’d forgotten to bring my book, so I got to read the Argonaut and kvell over the real estate ads. But, wow, this was my _worst_ reaction of all three shots. I had fever, headache and body aches for about 18 hours. Heh, I was wondering if I’d gotten a “third” shot instead of a booster. 🙃 ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2021, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-booster-shots-news-and-opinion/950565/142 "2021-11-01T00:23:35Z")
I got a Moderna booster last week after 2 Pfizers back in March. No reaction at all, except a sore injection point, which I knew I’d have as it hurt going in, so probably hit a muscle funny. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2021, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-booster-shots-news-and-opinion/950565/143 "2021-11-01T01:15:35Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > they were really strict about not letting us leave for 15 minutes after our shot! That’s interesting. They didn’t even say anything about it to me, so I asked, and the pharmacist said I could hang around if I wanted but that as I hadn’t had an allergic reaction to either of the first two shots they thought it really unlikely that I would to the third. I don’t suppose that would apply to somebody mixing different shots. But neither of us was doing that; you were on your third Moderna and I was on my third Pfizer. – mine was also the worst reaction, queasiness and chills the following morning; but still not that bad, and over by afternoon. As I think I posted before, though it might not have been in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2021, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-booster-shots-news-and-opinion/950565/144 "2021-11-01T12:04:21Z")
With my third Pfizer I was specifically told there was no waiting period after the vaccine if I hadn’t had anaphylaxis with either of the first two. ---
**Author:** ![sachertorte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sachertorte/32/3727_2.png) [@sachertorte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sachertorte)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2021, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-booster-shots-news-and-opinion/950565/145 "2021-11-01T17:37:00Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > I went to Rite Aide and they said they weren’t comfortable mixing vaccine/boosters, so I just got straight J&J booster yesterday. Today I feel terrible but oh well. My take is that individual pharmacies stock one of the vaccines and not more than one. Did Rite Aid have multiple brands available at the same location? The booster I got (after initial J&J in April) was determined by which pharmacy I went to. If I went to one I would have gotten Pfizer, to another, Moderna. The only “choice” I had was which pharmacy I went to. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2021, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-booster-shots-news-and-opinion/950565/146 "2021-11-01T19:22:12Z")
I don’t know why Kaiser was so hot on us staying after. Maybe they’d had a incident or two? Dunno. But it certainly would have been easier to deal with right inside the clinic. My sister got her third shot day before yesterday (at CVS), and she was sick as a dog all day yesterday. Fever of 101-something and vomiting. Ugh. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2021, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-booster-shots-news-and-opinion/950565/147 "2021-11-01T19:52:50Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > I went to Rite Aide and they said they weren’t comfortable mixing vaccine/boosters, so I just got straight J&J booster yesterday. Today I feel terrible but oh well. Hmmm……CVS seemed perfectly comfortable letting me pick whatever booster I wanted to boost my J&J vaccine. I picked Moderna because I think SpikeVax is a cool name. My arm was sore after the shot, REALLY sore, but I had no other side effects. ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2021, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-booster-shots-news-and-opinion/950565/148 "2021-11-01T20:26:43Z")
Despite getting two shots and a booster, I am _still_ not magnetic. I was really looking forward to not dropping needles anymore, so this is really disappointing to me. My arm was sore after the SpikeVax booster, no other after effects that I noticed. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2021, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-booster-shots-news-and-opinion/950565/149 "2021-11-01T21:49:00Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > With my third Pfizer I was specifically told there was no waiting period after the vaccine if I hadn’t had anaphylaxis with either of the first two. That’s interesting. For mine they has a waiting area set up with the same monitoring I had at the first two. However it could be that in my case they just weren’t bothering to differentiate between 1rst, 2nd and 3rd shot takers. It was a county-run station in an auditorium and I think it was an all-comers set-up (granted, an appointment was required) - I got my flu shot at the same time when they asked me if I wanted one. ---
**Author:** ![teelabrown](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teelabrown/32/8412_2.png) [@teelabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teelabrown)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2021, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-booster-shots-news-and-opinion/950565/150 "2021-11-01T22:38:30Z")
When I got my third Moderna, I was directed to a waiting area, but after I had only been there three or four minutes the pharmacist told me that I could go. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2021, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-booster-shots-news-and-opinion/950565/151 "2021-11-02T07:22:03Z")
I don’t know. They sent me from one branch to another since one place didn’t have J&J. I thought J&J was less common but maybe that’s all they had at the other? They didn’t ask me what kind I wanted at the other. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2021, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-booster-shots-news-and-opinion/950565/152 "2021-11-02T21:50:12Z")
Just got my booster. I had J&J initially. I opted to go Moderna, today. I could have picked any of the three. I also got my flu shot while I was at it (different arm.) I have a migraine now, but I was working on that before getting the shots, so I doubt it’s relevant. No other symptoms to report. I’m glad I got them over with. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2021, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-booster-shots-news-and-opinion/950565/153 "2021-11-03T18:18:20Z")
Got my booster yesterday afternoon. Moderna, just like my initial vaccination, at the very same Wal-Mart. My arm is a little sore, but otherwise I feel fine. ---
**Author:** ![TheGunIsMightierThanThePen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thegunismightierthanthepen/32/2981_2.png) [@TheGunIsMightierThanThePen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheGunIsMightierThanThePen)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2021, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-booster-shots-news-and-opinion/950565/154 "2021-11-07T06:41:47Z")
Got my booster (Moderna) yesterday morning. Noticeable soreness in my arm by nightfall, though less severe than after my first dose, when I was barely able to move my entire arm at all. Experienced a mild fever overnight, and moderate fatigue/lethargy throughout the course of today. Hoping the symptoms will clear up tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2021, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-booster-shots-news-and-opinion/950565/155 "2021-11-07T19:33:21Z")
Another J&J initially, got Moderna booster yesterday, soreness in arm by nightfall. At least I got an extra hour to recover. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2021, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-booster-shots-news-and-opinion/950565/156 "2021-11-08T09:13:20Z")
In the UK we are well into the booster program and just this morning the booking system was opened up to everyone over 50 in order for them to book an appointment. (the appointment still has to be on date 6 months after the second dose). My wife did the bookings, just a two minute task, and we are both in line for boosters in the middle of this month. Bang on our six month gap. We both had AZ/AZ with a 12 week gap and the UK has gone for a mix and match with boosters so we’ll be getting Pfizer. I’m comfortable with that. > [@puzzlegal](#): > > Prior studies with AZ (which is similar to J&J, except that it was given in two shots) and Pfizer, for the first and second shots, showed the same results, and that’s a much larger study that has been peer-reviewed. That study found that the immune response appeared, from best to worst, to be > > AZ → Pfizer > Pfizer → Pfizer > Pfizer → AZ > AZ → AZ Do you have a link to those studies? I’d be interested to see where those studies were done how the dose gap is accounted for. My understanding is that in the USA there was a fairly strict adherence at the start to a 3 week gap for the Pfizer jab which we now know was not the best option. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2021, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-booster-shots-news-and-opinion/950565/157 "2021-11-08T11:50:33Z")
I don’t think this is the study i read previously, but it supports getting Pfizer/BioNTech as a second dose after a first dose of AZ > **[Immunogenicity and reactogenicity of BNT162b2 booster in ChAdOx1-S-primed...](https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)01420-3/fulltext)** > > BNT162b2 given as a second dose in individuals prime vaccinated with ChAdOx1-S induced > a robust immune response, with an acceptable and manageable reactogenicity profile. I’ll see if i can dig up the study i read before. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2021, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-booster-shots-news-and-opinion/950565/158 "2021-11-08T12:11:17Z")
Here it is Interim results: side effects are more unpleasant, but not dangerously so: > **[Heterologous prime-boost COVID-19 vaccination: initial reactogenicity data](https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)01115-6/fulltext)** > > There is significant international interest in heterologous prime-boost COVID-19 vaccination > to mitigate against supply shocks or shortages that might otherwise reduce the speed > of vaccine roll-out. Additionally, in light of changing recommendations... And AZ over PFI was not as good as two doses of PHI, but since it worked better than two doses of AZ, which is an approved vaccine regimen, it should be accepted. [https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0140-6736(21)01694-9](https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0140-6736%2821%2901694-9) Note that this was studying doses 1&2, not a third (booster) dose. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2021, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-booster-shots-news-and-opinion/950565/159 "2021-11-08T12:49:51Z")
![DUDE EFFECTS? Doesn](https://memegenerator.net/img/instances/42487511.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2021, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-booster-shots-news-and-opinion/950565/160 "2021-11-08T13:29:33Z")
Lol, no doubt a swypo for side effects. Hmm, lots of typos. I’ll take advantage of my awesome moderator powers and fix those. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-booster-shots-news-and-opinion/950565.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-booster-shots-news-and-opinion/950565.md?page=9)