Post Vaccination Behavior

[cathy63]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cathy63 The vaccinators at the site I volunteer at always fill it in, and they do correct it if the patient changes his mind. I don't know if it's just because it's a required field in the Epic charting system they use, or if it's a best practice for all vaccines. I'll ask tomorrow (assuming we get enough Moderna vaccine to actually open the site).

So I did ask a couple of nurses why they record which arm gets the shot. They said they always record the injection site for all vaccines. It's just part of their usual record-keeping process. They've never seen anyone refer back to it, and that would be practically impossible for covid vaccines since most people who come through aren't regular patients of UC Health anyway.

[Alan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cathy63 So I did ask a couple of nurses why they record which arm gets the shot. They said they always record the injection site for all vaccines. It's just part of their usual record-keeping process.

When we were vaccinated together we sat in front of someone who asked us a load of questions, entering the answers into the laptop in front of her. She asked which arm we each wanted then waved over a nurse to administer the vaccine and told her which arm. I did ask why she recorded which arm and she said that it was a required field that had to be entered on the screen.

The sheet we were given to take with us had all the info to read on the vaccine including side effects plus a website to report any unusual or extreme side effects, plus a phone number if preferred.

[twaddle]

I assume everybody signed up on that website, right?

Apparently there's been very spotty distribution of those fliers, so not nearly as much data on adverse reactions as there should be.

[ivinsfan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by twaddle I assume everybody signed up on that website, right? Apparently there's been very spotty distribution of those fliers, so not nearly as much data on adverse reactions as there should be.

I would say on the severe reaction side, they get reported by every newspaper in the country...

[Chuckanut]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cathy63 So I did ask a couple of nurses why they record which arm gets the shot. They said they always record the injection site for all vaccines. It's just part of their usual record-keeping process. They've never seen anyone refer back to it, and that would be practically impossible for covid vaccines since most people who come through aren't regular patients of UC Health anyway.

Thank you cathy63.

OK, I did some research and here is one reason I managed to drag up. This may be pure nonsense and any medical types should feel free to say so.

It seems when we get vaccinated or injured, 'bad' things enter our body, and the body remembers the entry point. It leaves some cells there as guards. In the event an injury occurs there again, these cells raise the alarm sooner and start fighting back. The idea of injecting the vaccine again into the same arm is to train this type of cell to be especially sensitive to corona virus and thus increase our ability to fight it off sooner than later.

OK, It sounds reasonable, but maybe it is complete nonsense.

The other reason is legal. If I'm injected in the left shoulder and two days later my right shoulder acts up, it's harder to claim the injection did the damage. This seems more likely.

Back on topic, Now that I am fully injected (though not yet fully protected, that will take a few more weeks) I am going to mask up and make a quick stop at a local craft brewery that makes a very good dark pilsner beer that has become one of my favorites.

[twaddle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ivinsfan I would say on the severe reaction side, they get reported by every newspaper in the country...

You don't have to wait for the papers. You can generate your own report. But there's surprisingly little data due to low compliance.

https://vaers.hhs.gov/data.html

[AtlasShrugged]

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Originally Posted by MuirWannabe Guess I’m trying to understand what the unfortunate outcome was. In his post he said someone with the vaccine later got Covid. But no description of severity. If he got an asymptomatic case of Covid then I say ‘so what’. Sounds pretty bulletproof to me. If vaccines don’t solve this thing called Covid then what the heck will? I’m fully vaccinated and I feel pretty bulletproof when it comes to Covid. That is, as bulletproof as one can feel about anything I suppose. It’s almost like lots of folks don’t really want this to end...paging Dr. Fauci.

Muir,

For what it's worth, I get the same sense as you. Some people seem to want Covid to continue indefinitely.

I don't want to get covid and take common sense measures to prevent it. Generally speaking, a little common sense goes a long way. I intend to live my life as normally as possible. I am infinitely more concerned about becoming fearful as I age. I am unwilling to give up living for a year or two for this virus. If I get it, I get it. Time is irreplaceable.

I'm currently sitting on a grand jury in Massachusetts, but the judge gave me permission to take a previously scheduled vacation. So, I'm in Florida on vacation as I write this. As I look around me, I am encouraged to see so many people living life as normally as possible.

I may or may not get the vaccine. At 66, I'd rather give up my dosage to people who need or want it more.

[MuirWannabe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AtlasShrugged Muir, For what it's worth, I get the same sense as you. Some people seem to want Covid to continue indefinitely. I don't want to get covid and take common sense measures to prevent it. Generally speaking, a little common sense goes a long way. I intend to live my life as normally as possible. I am infinitely more concerned about becoming fearful as I age. I am unwilling to give up living for a year or two of my life for this virus. If I get it, I get it. Time is irreplaceable. I'm currently sitting on a grand jury in Massachusetts, but the judge gave me permission to take a previously scheduled vacation. So, I'm in Florida on vacation as I write this. As I look around me, I am encouraged to see so many people living life as normally as possible. I may or may not get the vaccine. At 66, I'd rather give up my dosage to people who need or want it more.

I appreciate your response. I’d encourage you to go ahead and get the vaccine if you’re so inclined. You deserve it as much as others.

[disneysteve]

Regarding why we record where we give an injection, it's for tracking purposes. As Chuckanut said, if you get a shot in your left arm and show up 2 days later with right arm pain, the provider needs to know if that's where the shot was given. Patients forget. Patients lie. If it's not documented, there's no way to know for sure.


As for people wanting COVID to last forever, I can't imagine why anybody would want this mess to go on a day more than necessary. I can't wait to get back to normal, be able to travel, be able to eat out, not have to wear a mask, be able to hug people. At work, having to constantly get in and out of PPE to see patients is a pain in the butt. We'll be thrilled when that stops being needed. If somebody wants this to last, there's something wrong with them.

[twaddle]

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Originally Posted by disneysteve If somebody wants this to last, there's something wrong with them.

No traffic. Everybody outside exercising. People seem to like working from home. No more flu season!

So, yeah, wipe out the virus, but I will miss some aspects of the pandemic.

[MichaelB]

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Originally Posted by twaddle Apparently there's been very spotty distribution of those fliers, so not nearly as much data on adverse reactions as there should be.

We’ve tried to keep these COVID discussions fact based, so this type of observation really needs support from a legitimate source.

[twaddle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MichaelB We’ve tried to keep these COVID discussions fact based, so this type of observation really needs support from a legitimate source.

What would you like? You can compare the number of respondents in the database link I posted to the number of vaccinations given. It's not a huge deal -- there is data. I can probably find specific articles bemoaning the varied quality of implementation at vaccination sites, too, but it's pretty well known, no?

I am still curious about local compliance and experience of forum members, though. Anecdotes, I know.

[Chuckanut]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AtlasShrugged Muir, For what it's worth, I get the same sense as you. Some people seem to want Covid to continue indefinitely. I don't want to get covid and take common sense measures to prevent it. Generally speaking, a little common sense goes a long way. I intend to live my life as normally as possible. I am infinitely more concerned about becoming fearful as I age. I am unwilling to give up living for a year or two for this virus. If I get it, I get it. Time is irreplaceable.

Personally, I am an age that every year of my life I give up to this virus is a rather large percentage of my remaining life. So, I won't give them up easily. When this CV mess started I decided to cancel many plans and give up one year to sheltering near home. Hopefully, my sacrifice would allow the younger and less vulnerable people to keep our society functioning well. I think that happened. If there were serious restrictions or problems after a year, I would reconsider how to best protect myself while making best use of my time. I had no desire to die early or be a long hauler. I bet a year. So far I think it was a good bet.

In regards to people who seem to want CV to go on longer, I think there may be some degree of truth to that. For some people, CV has become their shtick, what makes them important, what gives them recognition and attention. They may not even realize it, but they benefit in some psychological and perhaps monetary way from having people flock to them for news, advice and permission. So, when we hear about a vaccine that is 95% effective, we then hear much more loudly about variants that might neutralize the vaccine. And the vaccine might not prevent infecting others. Or it might trigger more dangerous variants. Are we not to be permitted some optimism about our future? It makes me wonder.

I don't think any of the above is part of some great conspiracy, it's just part of human nature. Overall, our society seems to be doing a good job of balancing it all.

My 2¢. Take what you wish and leave the rest.

[MichaelB]

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Originally Posted by twaddle What would you like? You can compare the number of respondents in the database link I posted to the number of vaccinations given. It's not a huge deal -- there is data. I can probably find specific articles bemoaning the varied quality of implementation at vaccination sites, too, but it's pretty well known, no? I am still curious about local compliance and experience of forum members, though. Anecdotes, I know.

This FAQ sticky in the COVID forum is a great place to start. https://www.early-retirement.org/for...ml#post2385979

We’ve made an effort to ensure the COVID forum is fact based and helpful for our community. If you’re going to assert there are averse reactions to the vaccine that are not reported, a legitimate source lends credence and allows for thoughtful response.

[twaddle]

I'm a little confused. There are clearly adverse reactions that go unreported, but that wasn't the main point. The point was that the CDC *tries* to collect a lot of data. Every one of us was supposed to see the flier mentioned by Alan and sign up. I did, but a lot of people didn't.

This is not a huge concern in terms of what we can expect from the vaccine. There is probably *sufficient* data, but the effort to collect was a bit ad hoc and inefficient.

In case anybody is still confused, this is what I'm talking about:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019...info-sheet.JPG

[ivinsfan]

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Originally Posted by twaddle I'm a little confused. There are clearly adverse reactions that go unreported, but that wasn't the main point. The point was that the CDC *tries* to collect a lot of data. Every one of us was supposed to see the flier mentioned by Alan and sign up. I did, but a lot of people didn't. This is not a huge concern in terms of what we can expect from the vaccine. There is probably *sufficient* data, but the effort to collect was a bit ad hoc and inefficient.

I'll argue that severe adverse reactions will be reported no different then flu vaccines and shingles vaccines. Do we need to hear about every single person that had a mild headache for one day? In MHO No we don't.

And I don't need or care for "personalized" check ins or basically spam from the CDC.

[twaddle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ivinsfan Do we need to hear about every single person that had a mild headache for one day?

Well, it covers a range of severity, including post-vaccine infection, and it "watches" for a couple weeks. You get vaccine-specific data.

I like data.

Edited to add: check-ins can continue for up to 5 weeks, apparently.

[ivinsfan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by twaddle Well, it covers a range of severity, including re-infection, and it "watches" for a couple weeks. You get vaccine-specific data. I like data.

Too much data gives me a headache...

And I'm a big girl, I can watch myself..

[harllee]

At some point I am going to start doing more things--visiting friends and family, eating in restaurants, going to the theater and sporting events, etc. I am not sure when I will start doing those things--I will have to feel more comfortable than I do now but I am sure I will do those things at some point. But my DH and I have decided that we will continue to wear masks (maybe even double masks) when we are in crowded indoor situations forever. We have not had even cold or a sniffle for a year now and that has been great for us and we think one of the main reasons for that is mask wearing. We have gotten use to wearing masks so it is not big deal to continue.

[ivinsfan]

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Originally Posted by harllee At some point I am going to start doing more things--visiting friends and family, eating in restaurants, going to the theater and sporting events, etc. I am not sure when I will start doing those things--I will have to feel more comfortable than I do now but I am sure I will do those things at some point. But my DH and I have decided that we will continue to wear masks (maybe even double masks) when we are in crowded indoor situations forever. We have not had even cold or a sniffle for a year now and that has been great for us and we think one of the main reasons for that is mask wearing. We have gotten use to wearing masks so it is not big deal to continue.

I was just thinking that next winter during flu season DH and I can mask up in public places without feeling out of place. During the horrible 18 flu season DH was standing by for a serious heart surgery and we basically had a Covid style winter.