Well, I’ve had the vaccine, anyone else?

[HS4S_2]

They are not reusing needles on people. Lol.

But, what happens sometimes is they draw up the vaccine from the vial and then administer into the person's arm. Best practice would be to draw up the vaccine with the first needle, dispose of that needle, then put a new needle on before injecting into your arm. Because, after they use the first needle to draw up the vaccine from the vial, it has already been dulled a little.

Do you understand now?

This is so true. Vaccines are much more comfortable with a needle that has not been used to draw up the vaccine.

 

[pearlsngems]

So interesting; it never occurred to me that that would dull the needle enough to make a difference.

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

My mother (85) received her second (Moderna) shot two days ago. Yesterday, she was exhausted and sore all over. Today she is feeling fine. Such reilef.

My husband and I, who just qualified, have appointments next week for our first shots (Moderna). All those years of practice getting concert tickets on-line made getting appointments a breeze

It's causing some anxiousness as I am completely needle phobic.

I almost passed out when I got my ears pierced (My mother was embarrassed lecturing me on how our ancestors had babies in the fields and kept on working ). I didn't take the pain meds after my C-sections because all I wanted was for the IV to be taken out. So it's all psychological and nothing to do with pain tolerance.

Since the vaccines started rolling out, my mind fixates on all of the pictures in the news showing the needles going into the arm and how gigantic they look People tell me it's like the flu shot but I've never had one.

FWIW I always watch the needles, always! The needle for this shot is very fine and not very long. An IV needle is much much thicker. I don't know if that helps your imagery but it's like a strand of thin hair.

 

[lilmosun]

FWIW I always watch the needles, always! The needle for this shot is very fine and not very long. An IV needle is much much thicker. I don't know if that helps your imagery but it's like a strand of thin hair.

Thank you....the needles just look so big in the photos


...hopefully it's smaller IRL...just like gemstones compared to their photos

 

[Dancing Fire]

Can I get the shot on my BUTT?

 

[HollyJane]

So interesting; it never occurred to me that that would dull the needle enough to make a difference.

It makes a difference to some people receiving an injection, not so much to me, as I'm not bothered by needles.

It does make a difference sometimes to the person administering the injection, say if the recipient has tough skin or a lot of muscle. In those cases I will definitely notice a difference in the ease of administering the injection if I am using a fresh needle.

Another factor in administering and receiving injections is how viscous the fluid is. Some antibiotics or other medications are a lot tougher, and you also may have to use a thicker needle for that reason. The COVID-19 vaccine goes in so easily.

I've spent about 7 hours administering COVID-19 vaccines!

 

[missy]

My mother (85) received her second (Moderna) shot two days ago. Yesterday, she was exhausted and sore all over. Today she is feeling fine. Such reilef.

My husband and I, who just qualified, have appointments next week for our first shots (Moderna). All those years of practice getting concert tickets on-line made getting appointments a breeze

It's causing some anxiousness as I am completely needle phobic.

I almost passed out when I got my ears pierced (My mother was embarrassed lecturing me on how our ancestors had babies in the fields and kept on working ). I didn't take the pain meds after my C-sections because all I wanted was for the IV to be taken out. So it's all psychological and nothing to do with pain tolerance.

Since the vaccines started rolling out, my mind fixates on all of the pictures in the news showing the needles going into the arm and how gigantic they look People tell me it's like the flu shot but I've never had one.

I just have to add that the needle was completely painless. As in I didn't even feel it going in I swear! I was surprised and if I hadn't gotten a reaction of fever and chills and aches hours later I might have doubted I got the vaccination at all it was that painless! I feel the flu vaccine needle every time but the Moderna Vaccine? I felt nothing when it was injected. Absolutely no pain at all. HTH!

 

[missy]

And my parents just got dose two of Pfizer!

 

[missy]

My sister got a photo.



So grateful they got the second dose and now just hope my mom doesn't have too bad a reaction. Her reaction to the first was two days plus of fever and chills and aches so hoping it isn't worse this time.

For all of you waiting to get your first or second dose I am sending you many good wishes. The vaccine supply is being replenished and there are more vaccines in the mix now so hoping for sooner vs later for everyone who wants the vaccine.

 

[Ceilimom]

Had my first Pfizer vaccine on this past Friday and should receive my second on or about the 18th of March.

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

My Mom just got her first Pfizer at the Javitz! Yay!

 

[asscherisme]

For those in the U.S. who are still waiting their turn to be vaccinated, what do you think of the new Johnson and Johnson vaccine? The advice has been to take the first available vaccine. Am I the only one who hopes what I am offered is not the Johnson and Johnson vaccine because studies show it is less effective? On the other hand, I did read that it is possible it is just as effective and comparing the 72% stated effectiveness rating to the 95% for the two that are currently out is like comparing apples and oranges because the studies on the J&J vaccine were done after variants were out and the studies on the first two were done before so many variants.

I am curious to hear other's thoughts.

 

[Dancing Fire]

If I'm gonna take the vaccine shot it would be the J&J. I'll make that decision when it is my turn. My 30 yrs niece was sick for two days after her 2nd shot of Pfizer.

 

[dizzyakira]

I'm getting my first dose this Friday at Memorial Sloan Cancer Center. I'm terrified! Not because of needles or that it's a new vaccine but because I'm a ninny when it comes to medicine in general. I'm trying not to think too much...eeek. I'm not sure what I'm afraid of exactly. I mean it can't be worse than chemo or that Athrax vaccine or whatever else the Army gave me. I just have to take the subway there and back. Ooof.

 

[missy]

For those in the U.S. who are still waiting their turn to be vaccinated, what do you think of the new Johnson and Johnson vaccine? The advice has been to take the first available vaccine. Am I the only one who hopes what I am offered is not the Johnson and Johnson vaccine because studies show it is less effective? On the other hand, I did read that it is possible it is just as effective and comparing the 72% stated effectiveness rating to the 95% for the two that are currently out is like comparing apples and oranges because the studies on the J&J vaccine were done after variants were out and the studies on the first two were done before so many variants.

I am curious to hear other's thoughts.

I say get whichever vaccine you can get first. IMO. It is (according to studies done so far) 85% effective at preventing severe disease. That is pretty good in my book.

Here's some more info. Good luck!

One-shot COVID-19 vaccine is effective against severe disease

The effectiveness of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine at preventing hospitalization and death holds up against a South Africa variant of the coronavirus.

www.sciencenews.org

and how it works FYI.

How the Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Works

An adenovirus helps prime the immune system to fight the coronavirus.

www.nytimes.com

"

How the Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Works​

By Jonathan Corum and Carl ZimmerUpdated Feb. 27, 2021

Johnson & Johnson is testing a coronavirus vaccine known as JNJ-78436735 or Ad26.COV2.S. Clinical trials showed that a single dose of the vaccine had an efficacy rate of up to 72 percent. The vaccine has been authorized for emergency use in the United States and Bahrain.
Janssen Pharmaceutica, a Belgium-based division of Johnson & Johnson, is developing the vaccine in collaboration with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

A Piece of the Coronavirus​

The SARS-CoV-2 virus is studded with proteins that it uses to enter human cells. These so-called spike proteins make a tempting target for potential vaccines and treatments.

Spikes
Spike
protein
gene
CORONAVIRUS
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is based on the virus’s genetic instructions for building the spike protein. But unlike the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, which store the instructions in single-stranded RNA, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine uses double-stranded DNA.

DNA Inside an Adenovirus​

The researchers added the gene for the coronavirus spike protein to another virus called Adenovirus 26. Adenoviruses are common viruses that typically cause colds or flu-like symptoms. The Johnson & Johnson team used a modified adenovirus that can enter cells but can’t replicate inside them or cause illness.

DNA inside
an adenovirus
Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine comes out of decades of research on adenovirus-based vaccines. In July, the first one was approved for general use — a vaccine for Ebola, also made by Johnson & Johnson. The company is also running trials on adenovirus-based vaccines for other diseases, including H.I.V. and Zika. Some other coronavirus vaccines are also based on adenoviruses, such as the one developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca using a chimpanzee adenovirus.
Adenovirus-based vaccines for Covid-19 are more rugged than mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna. DNA is not as fragile as RNA, and the adenovirus’s tough protein coat helps protect the genetic material inside. As a result, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine can be refrigerated for up to three months at 36–46°F (2–8°C).

Entering a Cell​

After the vaccine is injected into a person’s arm, the adenoviruses bump into cells and latch onto proteins on their surface. The cell engulfs the virus in a bubble and pulls it inside. Once inside, the adenovirus escapes from the bubble and travels to the nucleus, the chamber where the cell’s DNA is stored.

ADENOVIRUS
Entering
the cell
VACCINATED
CELL
Virus engulfed
in a bubble
Leaving the
bubble
Injecting
DNA
DNA
mRNA
mRNA
CELL
NUCLEUS
The adenovirus pushes its DNA into the nucleus. The adenovirus is engineered so it can’t make copies of itself, but the gene for the coronavirus spike protein can be read by the cell and copied into a molecule called messenger RNA, or mRNA.

Building Spike Proteins​

The mRNA leaves the nucleus, and the cell’s molecules read its sequence and begin assembling spike proteins.

VACCINATED
CELL
Spike
protein
mRNA
Translating mRNA
Three spike
proteins combine
Spike
Cell
nucleus
Spikes
and protein
fragments
Displaying
spike protein
fragments
Protruding
spikes
Some of the spike proteins produced by the cell form spikes that migrate to its surface and stick out their tips. The vaccinated cells also break up some of the proteins into fragments, which they present on their surface. These protruding spikes and spike protein fragments can then be recognized by the immune system.
The adenovirus also provokes the immune system by switching on the cell’s alarm systems. The cell sends out warning signals to activate immune cells nearby. By raising this alarm, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine causes the immune system to react more strongly to the spike proteins.

Spotting the Intruder​

When a vaccinated cell dies, the debris contains spike proteins and protein fragments that can then be taken up by a type of immune cell called an antigen-presenting cell.

Debris from
a dead cell
Engulfing
a spike
ANTIGEN-
PRESENTING
CELL
Digesting
the proteins
Presenting a
spike protein
fragment
HELPER
T CELL
The cell presents fragments of the spike protein on its surface. When other cells called helper T cells detect these fragments, the helper T cells can raise the alarm and help marshal other immune cells to fight the infection.

Making Antibodies​

Other immune cells, called B cells, may bump into the coronavirus spikes on the surface of vaccinated cells, or free-floating spike protein fragments. A few of the B cells may be able to lock onto the spike proteins. If these B cells are then activated by helper T cells, they will start to proliferate and pour out antibodies that target the spike protein.

HELPER
T CELL
Activating
the B cell
Matching
surface proteins
VACCINATED
CELL
B CELL
SECRETED
ANTIBODIES

Stopping the Virus​

The antibodies can latch onto coronavirus spikes, mark the virus for destruction and prevent infection by blocking the spikes from attaching to other cells.

ANTIBODIES
VIRUS

Killing Infected Cells​

The antigen-presenting cells can also activate another type of immune cell called a killer T cell to seek out and destroy any coronavirus-infected cells that display the spike protein fragments on their surfaces.

ANTIGEN-
PRESENTING
CELL
Presenting a
spike protein
fragment
ACTIVATED
KILLER
T CELL
INFECTED
CELL
Beginning
to kill the
infected cell

Remembering the Virus​

Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine is given as a single dose, unlike the two-dose coronavirus vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca.

Single dose
Researchers don’t yet know how long the vaccine’s protection might last. It’s possible that the number of antibodies and killer T cells will drop in the months after vaccination. But the immune system also contains special cells called memory B cells and memory T cells that might retain information about the coronavirus for years or even decades.

"​

 

[missy]

I'm getting my first dose this Friday at Memorial Sloan Cancer Center. I'm terrified! Not because of needles or that it's a new vaccine but because I'm a ninny when it comes to medicine in general. I'm trying not to think too much...eeek. I'm not sure what I'm afraid of exactly. I mean it can't be worse than chemo or that Athrax vaccine or whatever else the Army gave me. I just have to take the subway there and back. Ooof.

Good luck @dizzyakira. It really is a big nothing the actual vaccination itself. I felt nothing. It was poof over without any discomfort. It was completely painless. I hope it is that way for you too!

 

[asscherisme]

I say get whichever vaccine you can get first. IMO. It is (according to studies done so far) 85% effective at preventing severe disease. That is pretty good in my book.

Here's some more info. Good luck!

One-shot COVID-19 vaccine is effective against severe disease

The effectiveness of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine at preventing hospitalization and death holds up against a South Africa variant of the coronavirus.

www.sciencenews.org

and how it works FYI.

How the Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Works

An adenovirus helps prime the immune system to fight the coronavirus.

www.nytimes.com

"

How the Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Works​

By Jonathan Corum and Carl ZimmerUpdated Feb. 27, 2021

Johnson & Johnson is testing a coronavirus vaccine known as JNJ-78436735 or Ad26.COV2.S. Clinical trials showed that a single dose of the vaccine had an efficacy rate of up to 72 percent. The vaccine has been authorized for emergency use in the United States and Bahrain.
Janssen Pharmaceutica, a Belgium-based division of Johnson & Johnson, is developing the vaccine in collaboration with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

A Piece of the Coronavirus​

The SARS-CoV-2 virus is studded with proteins that it uses to enter human cells. These so-called spike proteins make a tempting target for potential vaccines and treatments.

Spikes
Spike
protein
gene
CORONAVIRUS
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is based on the virus’s genetic instructions for building the spike protein. But unlike the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, which store the instructions in single-stranded RNA, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine uses double-stranded DNA.

DNA Inside an Adenovirus​

The researchers added the gene for the coronavirus spike protein to another virus called Adenovirus 26. Adenoviruses are common viruses that typically cause colds or flu-like symptoms. The Johnson & Johnson team used a modified adenovirus that can enter cells but can’t replicate inside them or cause illness.

DNA inside
an adenovirus
Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine comes out of decades of research on adenovirus-based vaccines. In July, the first one was approved for general use — a vaccine for Ebola, also made by Johnson & Johnson. The company is also running trials on adenovirus-based vaccines for other diseases, including H.I.V. and Zika. Some other coronavirus vaccines are also based on adenoviruses, such as the one developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca using a chimpanzee adenovirus.
Adenovirus-based vaccines for Covid-19 are more rugged than mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna. DNA is not as fragile as RNA, and the adenovirus’s tough protein coat helps protect the genetic material inside. As a result, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine can be refrigerated for up to three months at 36–46°F (2–8°C).

Entering a Cell​

After the vaccine is injected into a person’s arm, the adenoviruses bump into cells and latch onto proteins on their surface. The cell engulfs the virus in a bubble and pulls it inside. Once inside, the adenovirus escapes from the bubble and travels to the nucleus, the chamber where the cell’s DNA is stored.

ADENOVIRUS
Entering
the cell
VACCINATED
CELL
Virus engulfed
in a bubble
Leaving the
bubble
Injecting
DNA
DNA
mRNA
mRNA
CELL
NUCLEUS
The adenovirus pushes its DNA into the nucleus. The adenovirus is engineered so it can’t make copies of itself, but the gene for the coronavirus spike protein can be read by the cell and copied into a molecule called messenger RNA, or mRNA.

Building Spike Proteins​

The mRNA leaves the nucleus, and the cell’s molecules read its sequence and begin assembling spike proteins.

VACCINATED
CELL
Spike
protein
mRNA
Translating mRNA
Three spike
proteins combine
Spike
Cell
nucleus
Spikes
and protein
fragments
Displaying
spike protein
fragments
Protruding
spikes
Some of the spike proteins produced by the cell form spikes that migrate to its surface and stick out their tips. The vaccinated cells also break up some of the proteins into fragments, which they present on their surface. These protruding spikes and spike protein fragments can then be recognized by the immune system.
The adenovirus also provokes the immune system by switching on the cell’s alarm systems. The cell sends out warning signals to activate immune cells nearby. By raising this alarm, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine causes the immune system to react more strongly to the spike proteins.

Spotting the Intruder​

When a vaccinated cell dies, the debris contains spike proteins and protein fragments that can then be taken up by a type of immune cell called an antigen-presenting cell.

Debris from
a dead cell
Engulfing
a spike
ANTIGEN-
PRESENTING
CELL
Digesting
the proteins
Presenting a
spike protein
fragment
HELPER
T CELL
The cell presents fragments of the spike protein on its surface. When other cells called helper T cells detect these fragments, the helper T cells can raise the alarm and help marshal other immune cells to fight the infection.

Making Antibodies​

Other immune cells, called B cells, may bump into the coronavirus spikes on the surface of vaccinated cells, or free-floating spike protein fragments. A few of the B cells may be able to lock onto the spike proteins. If these B cells are then activated by helper T cells, they will start to proliferate and pour out antibodies that target the spike protein.

HELPER
T CELL
Activating
the B cell
Matching
surface proteins
VACCINATED
CELL
B CELL
SECRETED
ANTIBODIES

Stopping the Virus​

The antibodies can latch onto coronavirus spikes, mark the virus for destruction and prevent infection by blocking the spikes from attaching to other cells.

ANTIBODIES
VIRUS

Killing Infected Cells​

The antigen-presenting cells can also activate another type of immune cell called a killer T cell to seek out and destroy any coronavirus-infected cells that display the spike protein fragments on their surfaces.

ANTIGEN-
PRESENTING
CELL
Presenting a
spike protein
fragment
ACTIVATED
KILLER
T CELL
INFECTED
CELL
Beginning
to kill the
infected cell

Remembering the Virus​

Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine is given as a single dose, unlike the two-dose coronavirus vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca.

Single dose
Researchers don’t yet know how long the vaccine’s protection might last. It’s possible that the number of antibodies and killer T cells will drop in the months after vaccination. But the immune system also contains special cells called memory B cells and memory T cells that might retain information about the coronavirus for years or even decades.

"​

Thanks Missy. I do hope I get access to one of the two dose vaccines, but I will not turn down the J&J if that is all that is offered. I am in a high risk health category and am anxiously waiting my turn. I am supposedly qualified where I live, but I can't seem to get an appointment and I try many times a day and various sites. I am signed up with my county health department, my doctor, and try all the pharmacies where it is "available".

My gut tells me that in the big picture it does not mater which vaccine we get because I think we will all need regular boosters annually, like with the flu shot. I predict every fall we will be getting both a flu vaccine and a covid vaccine.

 

[missy]

Thanks Missy. I do hope I get access to one of the two dose vaccines, but I will not turn down the J&J if that is all that is offered. I am in a high risk health category and am anxiously waiting my turn. I am supposedly qualified where I live, but I can't seem to get an appointment and I try many times a day and various sites. I am signed up with my county health department, my doctor, and try all the pharmacies where it is "available".

My gut tells me that in the big picture it does not mater which vaccine we get because I think we will all need regular boosters annually, like with the flu shot. I predict every fall we will be getting both a flu vaccine and a covid vaccine.

I believe we will need yearly Covid vaccines. I agree take whichever you’re offered. I understand your concern though. I hope you get the vaccines you want. One big plus of the J&J however is you only need one dose.

 

[Dancing Fire]

My gut tells me that in the big picture it does not mater which vaccine we get because I think we will all need regular boosters annually, like with the flu shot. I predict every fall we will be getting both a flu vaccine and a covid vaccine.

Yup, This is not gonna end with one or two shots.

 

[SparklieBug]

How the Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Works

An adenovirus helps prime the immune system to fight the coronavirus.

www.nytimes.com

How the Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Works​

Thanks for this link/article, @missy I will forward this to my sis who is twitchy about vaccines, in general.

 

[jaysonsmom]

I got my first Moderna shot today. Totally quick and painless until a couple hours later. Now my arm hurts like. @&”+#€!!!!

 

[Matata]

I got the first dose of Moderna an hour ago. Yay!

 

[rcjtraveler]

Just got a call to move up DH’s second shot to tomorrow. So he is one day over the 28 day recommendation vs 5 1/2 weeks. Tomorrow’s appointment is a 15 minute drive vs a 2 hour drive for his original date. So excited. Feel like we won the lottery!

 

[KaeKae]

I am nervous about the vaccine.
And at the same time feel I must get the vaccine.

That said, thanks to my friend's help, I just got am appointment for Friday.

 

[oakleaf79]

My work has already received a shipment of the J&J vaccine.

Thank you....the needles just look so big in the photos


...hopefully it's smaller IRL...just like gemstones compared to their photos

That is a big needle, this photo is a much more accurate.

 

[Calliecake]

My parents received the second dose of Moderna on Tuesday. They are 82 and 86. Mom had no reaction. Stepfather had sore arm at injection site for less than a day. So happy they are both fully vaccinated.

 

[autumngems]

Was supposed to get my 2nd shot today, they ran out. They don't expect anymore until next week. I wonder if the delay in 2nd shot will have affect on how "vaccinated" I am?

 

[missy]

Was supposed to get my 2nd shot today, they ran out. They don't expect anymore until next week. I wonder if the delay in 2nd shot will have affect on how "vaccinated" I am?

I'm sorry @autumngems, but please try not to worry. IMO if you can get the 2nd shot within the next week or two you will be just fine. Of course this is all new and there is no 100% for anything but best educated guess is when you do receive the second shot you will be as fully protected (a week or two after the second shot) as you would have been if you had received that second dose today.

IOW if you get it next week (or even the next week and probably even later) you will be A OK!

 

[MamaBee]

Just got a call to move up DH’s second shot to tomorrow. So he is one day over the 28 day recommendation vs 5 1/2 weeks. Tomorrow’s appointment is a 15 minute drive vs a 2 hour drive for his original date. So excited. Feel like we won the lottery!

@rcjtraveler Thats wonderful news! My second Moderna shot is due next Thursday. I’m holding my breath hoping I don‘t get rescheduled. I live in Pa where a big mix up happened. Some pharmacies and other providers used the second shots reserved for the people that already had the first dose..They used them for first shots creating a shortage of the second doses...I may get my dose rescheduled to after 28 days.

 

[MamaBee]

Was supposed to get my 2nd shot today, they ran out. They don't expect anymore until next week. I wonder if the delay in 2nd shot will have affect on how "vaccinated" I am?

I’m sorry @autumngems...I will probably have the same problem. Which vaccine did you have?