Will you get the vaccine as soon as available to you?

I have my second shingrix scheduled for a few weeks from now.
Doing it on Friday morning and taking the entire day off of work.
Hopefully this one goes smoother than the first one, which was literally one of the worst experiences of my life.

I feel very sore now from yesterday’s Shingrix shot but no other harmful effects to the best of my knowledge. The pain is certainly worse than any flu or COVID shot I have had.

I think that’s to spare the patient extra-unpleasantness. My PCP generally advises against getting anything with the Shingrix or COVID vaccines because it’s so common to feel rough after them. Combining them with other vaccine reactions can be very unpleasant.

I had my second Shingrix with something else…I forget whether it was flu or COVID. I was almost completely out of commission for a couple of days after.

Of course, vaccines tend to hit me harder than many people…which is why I’ve been getting multiple vaccines at the same time, opting for a couple of days of nasty unwellness rather than multiple rounds of single-days of unwellness.

Everything I read says the second shot of Shingrix usually has nastier side effects than the first. Not looking forward to it but I know people who have had shingles and it is to be avoided.

For me I seem to recall the first being worst than the second. Though I was not a fan of either and spent most of the next day in bed both times. Anecdote = anecdote + 1

It does appear as if shingles’ shots generally produce reactions.

I was aching all over and lethargic for 36 hours after Friday Shingrix shot but felt fine this morning except for some lingering arm soreness. If this is as bad as it gets I guess I shouldn’t complain.

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2nd shingles shot this past Friday morning.
Started hitting me again mid-day with full body weakness.
Saturday was bad (not as bad as the triple shot in June).
Could barely stand up under my own power and had to use a cane inside to get to the bathroom (which is not normal).
Sunday i woke up fine, and had enough energy to weed whack the front yard.

I am so glad it is behind me now.

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:swear: Major unhappy about “as soon as available to you”. Leaving on vacation late September. Had decided to wait and see if new vaccine would be out in time, if not get the old.

My wife checked with two local drug chains today about availability in light of the FDA decision yesterday. Both (CVS and Walgren’s) say that it is now illegal to give the old vaccine, and that the new will not be available before October.

ETA: CVS’s website confirms that the chain believes the old vaccine is no longer authorized, so no chance the pharmacist just gave her the wrong info. Can’t currently book an appointment for the vaccine. Scheduling will resume once the CDC has a recommendation about the new vaccine, but the website doesn’t say how soon vaccinations will resume after the recommendation.

The CDC is supposed to issue recommendations tomorrow, and what I’m reading suggests that there will be shots available by Friday. I’m sure they can’t schedule an appointment until after the CDC announcement, but I think you have an excellent chance of getting it before you leave.

(You might need to get an mRNA vaccine. The Novavax traditional antigen_adjuvant vaccine is expected to be available this fall, too, but it hasn’t yet been approved by the FDA, so who knows when.

Related – are the managers of Novavax incompetent, or does someone at the FDA have it in for them? They were expected to be approved at the same time as Moderna and Pfizer, I thought. They missed all the big money in the first round because they were a little slower, but that seemed reasonable, as they had a different process. But this time they have the details all worked out, and everyone knew the timeline. So what’s up with that?)

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I am leaving 20th, would like to get new COVID and Flu shot before leaving, with a few days to spare

Does this not worry folks who already got the old vaccine?

No, why would it?

If it’s helpful in fighting COVID, then why is it now illegal?

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Because it’s targeted for an older strain and the new one is being released this week?

Are you equally upset that they’re not giving last year’s flu vaccine now?

So the older strain is eradicated entirely then?

I just don’t get why it would be illegal…it’s not harmful, right? Just going to flush all the unused supply I guess?

This is not the gotcha you are looking for.

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it doesn’t worry me. it seems wasteful that they don’t just keep giving the old one until the new one hits the store since i bet it does something.

the handoff should be smoother IMO

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There is a non-zero chance of side effects if you take the older vaccine.

You are exposing yourself to a possible side effect from the shot, even as the shot itself targets a variant that has now mutated millions of times thus rendering it ineffective.

Thats why its banned. Lets try to use some medical logic here.

Just a few days ago my doctor was recommending I get the old vaccine, since it was not clear whether the new one would be available before my trip. That surely sounds like medically the old was a good thing, not a senseless danger.

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Seems like a boost of the old one is better than nothing, but with the new one coming out it’s better to wait for that if you can. Not sure the logic of banning the old one, but I imagine it is likely not for medical reasons.