J&J vs Moderna/Pfizer

[mistermike40]

I just scheduled my J&J vaccine for later this month. I've read a lot of differing opinions online regarding the three (efficacy, mRNA, number required, side effects, etc). I was actually expecting Moderna or Pfizer when I signed up, but my city currently has J&J so I was able to select that.

My question: it seems many here at ER.org are already vaccinated... did you have a preference (or a choice) for which vaccine you received? It sounds like the main thing is to just get vaccinated as soon as you can (I saw that they all pretty much eliminate covid hospitalizations/deaths).

Apologies if this topic has been discussed before!

 

[Sue J]

I got in on our county's first lottery and I had no choice in vaccine, I got the Pfizer on Feb 11. I was thrilled to get whatever was offered!

DH couldn't get through on the county site and ended up finding a vaccine at a local children's hospital vaccine clinic in late March. His was also Pfizer.

Son#2 got his at a grocery store pharmacy and got Moderna soon after our state lowered the age to under 40.

Son#1 waited until the county set up another mass vax site and they announced it was the Johnson and Johnson. He got his last Sat.

The rest of us didn't know what we were getting ahead of time. We are just glad to have been vaccinated!

Now we are able to plan Mother's Day with my sister and her husband as they are also both vaccinated.

 

[MissMolly]

I wasn't given a choice when I signed up. I got Pfizer, which was what I wanted, but I would have taken whatever they offered.

 

[Gumby]

I was willing to take whatever they were giving at the place I managed to get an appointment, which turned out to be Pfizer. I experienced no adverse effects.

 

[Aerides]

I got Pfizer because that was what was offered at the nearest/soonest appointment I could find once I was eligible. I would have taken whatever was offered. They all offer more protection than I'd have bet on last summer when things were in early testing.

 

[garyt]

I just scheduled my J&J vaccine for later this month. I've read a lot of differing opinions online regarding the three (efficacy, mRNA, number required, side effects, etc). I was actually expecting Moderna or Pfizer when I signed up, but my city currently has J&J so I was able to select that.

My question: it seems many here at ER.org are already vaccinated... did you have a preference (or a choice) for which vaccine you received? It sounds like the main thing is to just get vaccinated as soon as you can (I saw that they all pretty much eliminate covid hospitalizations/deaths).

Apologies if this topic has been discussed before!

Personally I would've preferred the J&J vaccine because it is based off older technology that has been studied more. The efficacy doesn't matter much to me as all are 95% in preventing hospitalization and death which is what I'm most concerned about. It's questionable whether any of them actually prevent infection. But now I'm reading about quite a few adverse reactions to the J&J now that it's being rolled out more. So maybe I'm better off with the Pfizer vaccine that I got. But really, I'm not sure anybody knows which vaccine is best.

 

[Chuckanut]

Pfizer was my only choice unless I wanted to try my luck at a very hi-demand site offering Moderna, where getting an appointment might have meant waiting another month. JnJ was not offered at the time. From the very little I know, my state is using JnJ for people who would have a difficult time coming back for the 2nd shot - farm workers, those who spend weeks at sea, traveling circus performers, etc.

I would have taken any of the current vaccines offered since they all seem do a great job keeping people alive and out of the hospital in the event they get infected. Besides, I think it is likely in the next year or two we will need at least one booster shot, so if I really have the urge to get a Moderna vaccine, I will probably have another shot at it (pun intended).

 

[PaunchyPirate]

Just take whatever is offered. I got Pfizer. On the day I was lucky enough to snag an appointment, that was the one being offered. In my county, at the time, there were 2 entities doing vaccinations at the time. One did Pfizer only. The other did both Pfizer and Moderna, but not on the same day.

 

[bbbamI]

I didn't give a rat's patootie...I just wanted to get vaccinated. I lucked out at a CVS pharmacy because of a no show. I got J&J mid March. Had a sore arm for fifteen minutes and that was it. No other side effects.

 

[geeky_grrl]

I got the Moderna vaccine because that was the first appointment I could get. The next day a J&J clinic came up and I would have been happy with it.

I had a bit of a preference against Pfizer because I saw one study that suggested it might not provide long term immunity as effectively in overweight people, but Pfizer isn't currently available in my county anyway. If that was the only option I still would have taken it because I think there is a good chance there will be booster shoots eventually.

 

[mistermike40]

... my state is using JnJ for people who would have a difficult time coming back for the 2nd shot... traveling circus performers...

I *wondered* why I was able to schedule the J&J vaccine... mystery solved!

 

[street]

I have not taken the shot/shots yet but need to get on the list since they opened it up for all now.

I have know a lot of people that have taken the shot from the three different companies and J&J people that I know (15) all got very sick within the 48 hours of the shot. Fever, ache, nausea and tired. It lasted about 36 hours then they started to feel better. The other I know a lot more that have taken those shots some got sick others never know they had the shot except for sore arm for a couple of days.

 

[Calico]

I took the first appointment I could get back in late January.

I got Pfizer; there was no choice.

I would have been fine with any of the three.

 

[MichaelB]

Same for me. I didn’t ask, took what they were giving and didn’t give it a second thought.

 

[disneysteve]

I'm a front line healthcare worker. I got my first shot in mid December when Pfizer was the only vaccine on the market.


I say get any vaccine you can get. The differences between them are not significant enough to be choosy. We need to vaccinate as many people as possible as quickly as possible.

 

[USGrant1962]

Had J&J yesterday (followed by a mild fever and an hour of the chills at night - all better now).

I preferred J&J, mostly for the one-and-done aspect, but would have done any of them. I signed up through the state and had a choice, but I also knew that my preferred mass vax location had J&J so it was a location/timing thing too.

 

[gayl]

I picked J&J turning down / canceling a few appointments until I found it. I also made them show me the vial before drawing the shot. Would have walked out if it wasn't the 1&done. Absolutely no side effects. My risk factor was extremely low (0.009) and will be even lower in 14+ days

 

[iloveyoga]

I would have taken anything, but I was happy to get Pfizer. So did my Mom and Sis. My DH got Moderna earlier and we were thrilled with that too.

 

[Rocket Man]

I had the J&J three days ago. I waited for it to be available in my area. Absolutely no side effects. No sore arm, nothing. Maybe I have a lousy immune system! Yikes!

 

[Dtail]

Had Pfizer as that was the one available and if had a choice, that would have been my choice.

 

[Winemaker]

My 85 yo mom got the Pfizer when she qualified 3 weeks ago. She didn't qualify because she lived at home by herself? She had a brief hospital stat in late Jan/early Feb, and they couldn't give it to her then.

I plan to get the JnJ shot because of the older technology, but I'll wait a few months.

 

[JRon]

I had no choice but Pfizer when I went in. Got 2nd shot today. Their is one pharmacy in our area giving the choice of J&J or another (can’t remember which).

 

[street]

It doesn't make any difference to me either, what shot I will get. I just haven't got on the list.

 

[Midpack]

I wasn't given a choice when I signed up. I got Pfizer, which was what I wanted, but I would have taken whatever they offered.

+1. DW and I got the Moderna vaccine, but we would have accepted any of the approved vaccines. Soonest available is more important than waiting for best And therefore being selective is picking nits IMO. YMMV

 

[ivinsfan]

Had J&J yesterday (followed by a mild fever and an hour of the chills at night - all better now).

I preferred J&J, mostly for the one-and-done aspect, but would have done any of them. I signed up through the state and had a choice, but I also knew that my preferred mass vax location had J&J so it was a location/timing thing too.

Our state is allocating the great majority of J and J to target communities and mass vaccination sites for certain zip codes because of the one and done.


Nice to see them using common sense...there is plenty of the P and M double shots around, in our county anyway.