No, vaccines!

[Sojourner]

DH has been shot up or dosed with everything. Now he's balking at shingrix bc he doesn't want to catch covid hanging out at the Walgreens pharm

Hahah, same here! I am overdue for the Shingrx vaccine but am putting it off until (probably) next year due to COVID. I may rethink this in a few months if the trend lines are looking a lot better.

 

[Brat]

Don't hang out. Give your cell phone # to the pharmacist and ask them to call you when ready as you will hang out in your car in the parking lot.

Other interesting research, not a vaccine but other preventative:

While the work is preliminary, the goal is to deliver the synthetic nanobody via inhaled sprays to the nose or lungs, allowing it to potentially be self-administered and used prophylactically…

https://www.statnews.com/2020/08/11...anti-coronavirus-nanobody-inspired-by-llamas/

 

[REWahoo]

For those of us who were in the military, it was a very routine thing. I have over 50 immunizations recorded in my Air Force shot record, for all sorts of things. Probably meaningless now, but at least they didn't do me any harm.

Brings back nightmares of the time I left my shot record in the pocket of my flight suit and DW washed it. Ended up with a yellow ball of fuzz about the size of a golf ball. In those days that little yellow book was the only record of the 15+ immunizations I'd received to that point.

I showed the Tech Sgt at the shot clinic my yellow ball of fuzz and explained what had happened. Thankfully he took pity on me and recreated my shot record based on the immunizations he knew I'd been given dating back to my initial date of enlistment. That was one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me.

 

[Dtail]

I’ve had lots of vaccines, including very recent updates Tetanus booster and MMR. Smallpox when I was young due to living overseas. DH is old enough to have had smallpox too.

Had Shingrix last year.

The only vaccines I haven’t had are flu or the pneumonia ones. I’m just now old enough for the two pneumonia ones. DH is up to date on all those.

I thought the pneumonia shots were 65 and older. Based on other postings by you, I guess it is 60 and over.

 

[Dtail]

Hahah, same here! I am overdue for the Shingrx vaccine but am putting it off until (probably) next year due to COVID. I may rethink this in a few months if the trend lines are looking a lot better.

If you can get an appointment at Walgreen's, the wait time will be minimal for the Shingrix shot.

 

[aja8888]

After a stint in the military overseas, and then working for ARCO in Indonesia, I have been shot up with a lot of vaccines. The only one that affected me was a flu shot in 1987 that completely knocked me on my butt for two weeks. No flu shots since then, and no flu caught.

I have had both Shingrix shots and the pneumonia pair. I'm good to go!

 

[audreyh1]

I thought the pneumonia shots were 65 and older. Based on other postings by you, I guess it is 60 and over.

DH is 65. I think he got the first pneumonia shot at 60, the other type a couple of years ago. I saw my doctor after turning 60 last year, but she forgot to bring it up and so did I.

 

[Corporateburnout]

This. DH has been shot up or dosed with everything. Now he's balking at shingrix bc he doesn't want to catch covid hanging out at the Walgreens pharm

I had my second shots two weeks ago. Got an appointment and was in and out in 5 minutes including filing out the necessary paperwork.

 

[Walt34]

I've had a bunch of immunization shots and I'll take any and all that are offered. The worst side effects have been a mildly sore arm for a few days and that's a lot better than any of the diseases they at least mitigate if not outright prevent.

I am not so arrogant or foolish to think that I am all that much different from the millions of people whose lives have been saved by those shots. Sometime later this week I'll get my second Shingrix shot.

 

[braumeister]

I have been shot up with a lot of vaccines. The only one that affected me was a flu shot in 1987 that completely knocked me on my butt for two weeks.

It's funny that you can never know in advance what might hit you wrong. Back in the day, we had to be "qualified for worldwide duty" regardless of whether we were likely to be sent overseas any time soon. That meant routinely getting shots for everything.

 

[Midpack]

I've had a bunch of immunization shots and I'll take any and all that are offered. The worst side effects have been a mildly sore arm for a few days and that's a lot better than any of the diseases they at least mitigate if not outright prevent.

I am not so arrogant or foolish to think that I am all that much different from the millions of people whose lives have been saved by those shots. Sometime later this week I'll get my second Shingrix shot.

+1. I was vaccinated for everything growing up as a military brat who lived in several countries. As an adult I’ve continued to get any shot my GP has recommended including an annual flu shot and both Shingrix in 2019. I had the flu about 25 years ago and don’t want that ever again, and I damn sure don’t want shingles if I can avoid it. I’ve known two guys who had shingles and wished they were dead during. DW’s best friend just got shingles, and she’s never taken a shingles vaccine even though she’s a career health care specialist (pretty dumb IMO).

And I’ll go for the Covid vaccine if it proves worthwhile. But I’m assuming most of us won’t be able to get it among the first recipients even if we want it - health care professionals (rightly), wealthy/celebs and extremely vulnerable will be first.

Anti vaxxers are ignorant amateur experts IME, but it’s their right.

 

[NYEXPAT]

Hahah, same here! I am overdue for the Shingrx vaccine but am putting it off until (probably) next year due to COVID. I may rethink this in a few months if the trend lines are looking a lot better.

DW works in a hospital and in her words "Covid show's me no love"! My kids go to the hospital for their doctors appointments regularly and have no fear. I generally do not go to the doctors, but both my parents had skin cancer as they were older and on Sat, I noticed a black spot on my back and decided to check it out. Turns out it was of no concern. Everybody was wearing masks ( I have not seen anyone without a mask in months) and they had those foot activated hand sanitizers everywhere. I felt perfectly safe. Secretly, I know i am immune as I was at a zoo last year and walked past an Alpaca, who chose me to spit on ( the one gringo in a group of 20 people)!

 

[NYEXPAT]

Not sure if you are saying you got the tetanus shot as a child? If you did, a booster isn't considered necessary.

But if you got the tetanus shot as an adult, then a booster IS recommended. Tetanus is not something you want to risk - there is no cure for it.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/do-adults-really-need-tetanus-booster-shots-2020051219786

Got the tetanus shot as an adult after a motorcycle accident.

 

[harllee]

I am a vaccine believer and get all the vaccines that are recommended by my doctor. I want to stand on a house top and yell--GET THE SHINGRIX SHOT!!!

I had shingles about 15 years ago, before any vaccines and it was the most awful thing that ever happened to me. After 15 years I still have fairly significant pain where I had the rash. I ran a temperature for 3 weeks, was terribly sick on my stomach, could not drive a car for several weeks and could not play golf for a year. I keep getting Shingles over and over--the first shingles vaccine did not help but the Shingrix vaccine stopped me from getting reoccurring Shingles. GET THE SHINGRIX SHOT!!

 

[Amethyst]

I agree, but I know a couple of intelligent women who are on the other side of the argument. The engineer has an autistic (will never speak) son, and the other woman has a grandson "on the spectrum," and both are militant about the cause being infant vaccination. I have found it is better never to bring up the topic!

It's crazy that we live in a society where such a statement would even be necessary. It's sort of like saying "I'm a surgery believer" or "I'm an antibiotics believer."

 

[sengsational]

Don't believe anyone has stated there is a definitive link at this time.

The reason why I mentioned it was that the story/headline was enough to make some people, here on this board, to start posting about getting more vaccinations to reduce severity of a possible future bout of Covid-19. The point was to remind people that until the RCT's are completed and results peer-reviewed, it might be a worthless effort. Of course there are some things where the risks of taking action are so low that waiting for a prospective study to be completed isn't required. In this particular case, there are SO many possible confounding variables, I just find it very hard to believe there's any way to pick out a signal in all the noise (I read the study methodology). But if one assesses the risks and benefits of getting more vaccinations and the benefits outweigh the risks, I'd say go for the vaccinations, and if you happen to get protection from severe Covid-19, great, but I wouldn't count on it.

 

[braumeister]

The point was to remind people that until the RCT's are completed and results peer-reviewed, it might be a worthless effort.

Well, you clearly don't live in Russia.

 

[badatmath]

I get a flu shot every year - started when I realized it would protect my elderly relatives who were in poor health.

 

[Sanstar]

Vaccinations were/are required at the hospital I retired from after 25 years working there. Have to protect vulnerable patients. Plus, I have seen first hand the consequences of measles in teenagers and whooping cough in infants. No way do I want to contribute to this.

Having had the flu 7 years ago, I will do anything to reduce my risk of getting it again. I will continue to get any vaccines recommended by my DO, including CV when it’s available.

 

[geeky_grrl]

Vaccinations were/are required at the hospital I retired from after 25 years working there. Have to protect vulnerable patients.

I wish that was the policy at my local hospital. it seems like a lot of nurses here are anti-vax. The hospital requires the ones that don't get flu shots to wear masks during flu outbreaks but the nurses have been fighting that as well.

 

[HI Bill]

Vaccinations were/are required at the hospital I retired from after 25 years working there. Have to protect vulnerable patients.

This. I never heard the term "Herd Immunity" before COVID-19. But with many infectious diseases for which there is a vaccine, when large groups of people stop taking the vaccine, the disease can re-emerge. Outbreaks of many diseases once thought eliminated (measles, mumps, whooping cough, tuberculosis, polio, etc.) are caused by a lack of vaccinations, and a lack of herd immunity.

I've had MMR, Hep A, Hep B, flu, tetanus, and lots of shots for overseas travel. I'm not one of those invincible people who can never get sick.

 

[Offgrid Organic Farmer]

During my 20 year Naval career I had every flu shot they invented. Some of them gave me the flu [as expected] and some did not.

In 1999 I was given one of the experimental and illegal anthrax vaccines.

The DOD had contracted six different labs to make each of their versions of the vaccine and those vaccines were given to over 100,000 US servicemembers in the thought that we would all be tracked to learn which vaccines worked and which ones caused bad reactions. But the military in its wisdom trashed all the paperwork and did not record which ones of us were given which batches of the vaccine.

Since I retired, I have not had any further vaccines.

 

[Teacher Terry]

I have most vaccines. I had a bad case of pneumonia at 44 so got the shot at 45 and 65. I don’t get flu shots. I can’t get the shingles shot as I am allergic to one of the ingredients. I will wait and see what happens to people getting the shot for the vaccine.

 

[harllee]

I have most vaccines. I had a bad case of pneumonia at 44 so got the shot at 45 and 65. I don’t get flu shots. I can’t get the shingles shot as I am allergic to one of the ingredients. I will wait and see what happens to people getting the shot for the vaccine.

Teacher Terry, I am sorry you cannot get the shingles shot. Are you allergic to both the new shingles shot and the old one? The old one is some help--I think about 50% effect while the new one is about 95% effective.

 

[EastWest Gal]

35 years as a pediatrician. Spent the first couple of years sick all the time-too much exposure! Annual flu vaccine for 30 years. Hepatitis B vaccine, up to date on my Tdap. Only once in 30 years did I have a flu-like reaction. I chalked it up to a robust immune response and was pleased, actually.

In 1978 I asked for vaccines as I traveled to the USSR and Poland for a month. While there, we took a tour of a medical facility. What we saw was weird, borderline quackery. I’m glad no one got seriously ill during the trip.

I hope for a successful Covid vaccine. It will bring life back to normal.