Category: Covid-19 Vaccine

BC Healthline community members describe their experiences getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

For many people living with chronic health conditions, the decision to get a COVID-19 vaccine can feel overwhelming.

If youre immunocompromised, you may be nervous about the side effects of the vaccine.

However, being immunocompromised also comes with a greater risk of developing more severe COVID-19 complications and requiring hospitalization.

Whether you are currently undergoing treatment or have completed treatment for breast cancer, you likely have questions about how the vaccine may affect you.

Talking with your doctor is a great first step to figure out the best time to receive your vaccination. There are a few specific instances when a doctor may suggest adjusting the timing of your medication.

If your doctor has recommended that you get the vaccine, but you still feel anxious or confused, that is perfectly understandable, too.

It can be helpful to hear from others who understand the emotions you are feeling firsthand.

We asked BC Healthline community members about how they felt receiving their COVID-19 vaccines. Heres what they had to say.

I have had both shots of Moderna. I only experienced a sore arm with the first shot. After the second shot, I had no side effects. I am glad I got the vaccine. Anonymous

I have had both shots. Minimum side effects. I wanted to do it for my family. Everyone was so worried they would give the virus to me so now no worries! Cynthia

I actually received my first shot of the Pfizer vaccine while I was still doing chemo. I only had two rounds left and my oncologist encouraged me to get it. He said it wouldnt cause harm because of the chemo.

Chemo may make the vaccine not quite as effective, but it will still offer a lot of protection. If you still contract COVID-19 after being vaccinated, it decreases the chances of death.

My rationale is: Im not going to endure all these treatments with awful side effects and changes to my body to survive cancer only to die from a virus! Jessica

I felt very safe. I showed up at my local hospital where they had parking spaces for the vaccine center only. I was given hand sanitizer and a fresh mask if I wanted it.

Everything was spaced far apart. Everything was like a well-oiled machine. From parking to getting the actual shot was maybe 15 minutes, tops. Then I waited 30 minutes to monitor for a reaction and left.

I came home, had lunch, and took a nap. I was feeling sleepy. Monica Haro, BC Healthline Community Guide

My doctors highly recommended getting vaccinated. Ive already had both shots. Im still on immunotherapy infusions with Herceptin and Perjeta. Plus, I was in radiation during my first shot.

I had the Moderna shots and everything went just fine. I went to get vaccinated with my 102-year-old grandmother. She didnt skip a beat and felt fine with both shots too! Montana35

I had both shots of Pfizer. I experienced fever, headache, chills, and fatigue for about 24 hours. But I also heard that a reaction is good because it shows your immune system kicked in. Linda Lee

I took the vaccine as soon as I could get an appointment. I havent gone through surgery and chemo and radiation in the hopes of getting rid of my cancer, only to die from COVID-19 if a vaccine can prevent it! June R.

Getting a COVID-19 vaccine may feel like a big decision, but it doesnt need to be scary.

If youre looking for a community that understands what youre going through as you navigate vaccines while living with cancer, the BC Healthline community has your back.

Elinor Hills is an associate editor at Healthline. Shes passionate about the intersection of emotional well-being and physical health as well as how individuals form connections through shared medical experiences. Outside of work, she enjoys yoga, photography, drawing, and spending way too much of her time running.

Read the original here:

7 Women with Breast Cancer Share Their COVID-19 Vaccination Experiences - Healthline

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) There was no vaccine hesitancy at New Hope Baptist Church in Grand Rapids Friday as people left the church with their first or, in some cases, second shot of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.

The church hosted one of about a dozen vaccination clinics set up throughout Kent County.

For Mackenzie Eoll, getting vaccinated was an easy decision, despite what she has heard from some friends.

They just are mainly hesitant about the timing, because it came out so quickly. But always just do your research, Eoll said.

For Ayana Jones and her mom Bonita Agee, who received their first dose at the clinic, the decision didnt come as easy. Both had concerns.

Part of those concerns are based on the well-documented historical mistrust among the Black community toward the medical establishment. Part are worries shared by Americans from all walks of life.

It came about really quickly, Jones said. I feel like I needed more research, more answers. Those would be my main reason for hesitation.

So both mother and daughter did their research and reached out to friends.

Friends who are doctors, Agee explained. So Ive had lots of conversations and just came to the realization that something I will do and something that I must do.

So goes the latest battle in the fight to get coronavirus under control. Public health officials across the country are, more and more, battling vaccine hesitancy.

Were seeing the same thing. We are seeing less interest in people getting vaccinated in Kent County, Kent County Health Department Medical Director Dr. Nirali Bora said.

Statewide, age appears to be a factor. Across Michigan, 38.9% of those ages 50 to 64 have received at least one dose of a vaccine. But as ages drop, so do the percentage of takers: 23.5% of those 40 to 44 have been vaccinated; 20.4% of those 30 to 39; and 13.3% for those 20 to 29.

The hesitation is based on a number of factors. Some are taking a wait-and-see approach. Some say they dont have time to make an appointment, so expect to see more walk-in vaccination clinics, like the one at New Hope, to address that part of the problem.

We hope its more convenient, so people dont have to think about it. They have time after work, time between meetings; they can swing by, Bora said.

Then are those who, for a variety of reasons, will never take it.

One of the arguments against vaccinations has been to let nature take its course when it comes to herd immunity. Bora agrees that we could get to herd immunity with or without vaccinations, but were already seeing the price of the non-vaccine approach.

The hospitals have been very busy. The ICUs have been busy, Bora said. There are sick people right now in hospitals in Kent County who are young, who dont have underlying health problems, but they have COVID and they are very sick.

Back at New Hope, Cecelia Leary brought her mother Betty Reilly to get her vaccination on Friday. Leary got hers weeks ago. The decision wasnt easy for them. Research and love of family helped Leary overcome her hesitation.

I just needed to be protected, because I wanted to be around my family and be around my grandkids, Leary said. I definitely didnt want to bring anything their way.

Read more:

Hesitancy starting to slow COVID-19 vaccination effort - WOODTV.com

President Donald Trump called COVID-19 vaccines "a miracle" and said he "strongly recommend[s]" people get their shots in a new interview with the New York Post. It's the former president's most full-throated endorsement of vaccination yet.

"I'm all infavor of the vaccine," Trump told Post columnist Michael Goodwin. "It's one of the great achievements, a true miracle, and not only for the United States. We're saving tens of millions of lives throughout the world. We're saving entire countries."

Read more: All signs point to a Justice Department Trump investigation taking a backseat to efforts in New York and Georgia

Trump confirmed to the Post that he and First Lady Melania Trump received their first vaccine doses at the White House in January and their second vaccine doses in Florida. It is unknown whether they received the Pfizer and BioNTech or Moderna vaccine.

The former president said that both Trumps, who were sick with COVID-19 in early October 2020, didn't have any side effects to the vaccines, "not even a bit of arm soreness."

"The vaccine is a great thing and people should take advantage of it," Trump told the Post, adding, "nobody should be forced, we have our freedoms. But I strongly recommend it because it's a real lifesaver."

Even while taking credit for the development of COVID-19 vaccines, Trump did not get his shot publicly, on camera, or participate in a PSA that included all living former Presidents and First Ladies.

And despite touting its own efforts to encourage vaccination, including an editorial board op-ed and front-page spread telling New Yorkers to "GET VAXXED" in all caps, the Post itself has recently published a number of stories that were widely criticized for irresponsibly raising doubt about vaccines.

One story (that has since been taken down) linked, without evidence, the death of a 21-year-old college student to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and another claimed that COVID-19 vaccines were linked to herpes while using a stock photo that appeared to show a person with shingles.

The United States has administered nearly 219 million vaccine doses, according to the Centers for Disease Control. As of Thursday, about 52% of the US population over 18 has received at least one dose and 34% has been fully vaccinated.

After a four-month push to get the most vulnerable individuals vaccinated, all states opened up vaccination to everyone 16 and older on April 19, following guidance from the Biden administration.

With seven-day averages of vaccination rates beginning to slow, experts predict that the US will reach a "tipping point"of vaccine supply exceeding demand. Both public opinion polls and analysis of vaccination rates in counties that voted for Trump indicate that Trump's supporters, particularly white, Republican men, remain the most hesitant to get vaccinated.

See more here:

Trump endorses COVID-19 vaccination as a 'miracle' and 'a real lifesaver' in interview with New York Post - Business Insider

The FEMA mobile COVID-19 vaccination van is in Meriden this weekend and is available for walk-up appointments.

City officials said anyone who is 16 or older is eligible to come and get their Pfizer vaccine from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. Walk-ups are welcome.

Connecticut could be able to utilize a new mobile vaccine trailer from FEMA that could give out 250 vaccinations a day.

The van is parked at 13 Orange Street, they added.

Any minor must be accompanied by an adult.

Read the original post:

FEMA Mobile COVID-19 Vaccination Van in Meriden This Weekend for Walk-Up Appointments - NBC Connecticut

Shari Norte tested positive for COVID-19 just two weeks after her second dose of the Moderna vaccine. Her doctors tell her it helped prevent severe symptoms

TOLEDO, Ohio When the first COVID-19 vaccines hit the market, there was little data on the possible effects on pregnant women. But now, as some pregnant women have started getting their vaccines, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is making a recommendation based on new data.

Shari Norte, who lives in Toledo, received both doses of the Moderna vaccine. Two weeks later, she tested positive for COVID-19. Shari's doctors believe the vaccine saved her from more serious symptoms.

"Once I had COVID, everyone got really concerned," said Shari.

Norte is praising her doctors and her decision to get the vaccine. She said she had a mild headache and fatigue from the shot.

"I wasn't sure if it was just pregnancy symptoms or not," she said, "but at 48 hours, the symptoms just lifted."

Shari's doctors told her the threat of COVID-19 was more serious than any of the possible vaccine side effects. After receiving her second dose on April 1 however, something unexpected happened: she tested positive for COVID-19.

She said she believes it came from her infant son, who was exposed to a positive teacher at daycare. But she says her choice to get vaccinated paid off.

"I'm just so at peace and so at ease that my symptoms are not going to be severe because I had the vaccine," said Shari.

Nine days in, Shari's only symptoms were nasal congestion and loss of taste and smell for two days.

"Everyone is very confident had I not had the vaccine, I would have had some other issues that would've been much more concerning," said Shari.

Norte's doctors and CDC guidance states that pregnant women are more at risk for complications from the coronavirus.

At the same time, a new study from the New England Journal of Medicine found no safety concerns among 35,0000 pregnant women, leading the CDC to now recommend the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines for pregnant women.

"Importantly, no safety concerns were observed for people vaccinated in the third trimester or safety concerns for their babies," said CDC director Rochelle Walensky on Friday.

Norte said she thinks pregnant woman should consult their doctor about the choice to get vaccinated. But as for her, she's confident she made the right choice for herself and her baby and she encourages others to get the vaccine as well.

See the original post:

Fully vaccinated and pregnant, Toledo woman tests positive, but says vaccine helped with symptoms - WTOL

With COVID-19 vaccines becoming more accessible throughout the world, the Missionary Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is recommending that all current and prospective missionaries receive a COVID-19 vaccination.

Those who decide not to be vaccinated will be assigned to serve in their home countries.

The message was communicated to church leaders in the United States on Friday, April 23, according to a church statement.

All missionaries and prospective missionaries are encouraged to safeguard themselves and others by being vaccinated, the statement said. Individuals are responsible to make their own decisions about vaccination.

The churchs vaccination policy was emphasized in a recent update of the General Handbook.

President Russell M. Nelson and other senior church leaders were vaccinated in January.

We have prayed often for this literal godsend, President Nelson said in a message published on his Facebook and Instagram accounts at that time.

For missionaries currently in the field, mission leaders and medical coordinators will monitor and enable the COVID-19 vaccination as it is available, the April 23 letter said.

Missionaries who have started a COVID-19 vaccination series should complete it before traveling.

Prospective missionaries in the United States with assignments outside their home country on or after Aug. 1, 2021, should receive the vaccination before departing.

Where visa and travel conditions permit, senior missionaries may travel to their assigned mission after they have been vaccinated, the letter said.

The COVID-19 vaccination will now be among the required immunizations for missionary service, the April 23 letter said.

Missionaries who choose not to receive the required immunizations, which will now include the COVID-19 vaccination, will be assigned to a mission in their home country in accordance with existing Church policies, the letter said. As the COVID-19 vaccination becomes more widely available in other countries, these missionaries will be asked to be vaccinated before leaving their home country.

Follow this link:

Church recommends all missionaries receive the COVID-19 vaccination - Deseret News

If someone gets a headache or feels a bit under the weather after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, its become common to hear them say something like Oh, it just means my immune system is really working hard. On the flip side, when people dont notice any side effects, they sometimes worry the shot isnt doing its job or their immune system isnt reacting at all.

Is there any link betweenwhat you can notice after a vaccineand whats happening on the cellular level inside your body?Robert Finbergis a physician who specializes in infectious diseases and immunology at the Medical School at the University of Massachusetts. He explains how this perception doesnt match the reality of how vaccines work.

Your immune system responds to the foreign molecules that make up any vaccine via two different systems.

The initial response is due to whats called theinnate immune response. This system is activated as soon as your cells notice youve been exposed to any foreign material, from a splinter to a virus. Its goal is to eliminate the invader. White blood cells called neutrophils and macrophages travel to the intruder and work to destroy it.

This first line of defense is relatively short-lived, lasting hours or days.

The second line of defense takes days to weeks to get up and running. This is the long-lastingadaptive immune response.It relies on your immune systems T and B cellsthat learn to recognize particular invaders, such as a protein from the coronavirus. If the invader is encountered again, months or even years in the future, its these immune cells that will recognize the old enemy and start generating the antibodies that will take it down.

In the case of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, it takes approximately two weeks to develop the adaptive response that brings long-lasting protection against the virus.

When you get the vaccine shot, what youre noticing in the first day or two is part of the innate immune response: your bodys inflammatory reaction, aimed at quickly clearing the foreign molecules that breached your bodys perimeter.

It varies from person to person, but how dramatic the initial response is does not necessarily relate to the long-term response. In the case of the two mRNA COVID-19 vaccines,well over 90% of people immunizeddeveloped the protective adaptive immune responsewhile fewer than 50%developed any side effects, and most were mild.

You may never know how strongly your bodys adaptive immune response is gearing up.

The bottom line is you cant gauge how well the vaccine is working within your body based on what you can detect from the outside. Different people do mount stronger or weaker immune responses to a vaccine, but post-shot side effects wont tell you which you are. Its the second, adaptive immune response thathelps your body gain vaccine immunity, not the inflammatory response that triggers those early aches and pains.

Side effects are normal responses to the injection of a foreign substance. They include things like fever, muscle pain and discomfort at the injection site, and are mediated by the innate immune response.

Neutrophils or macrophages in your body notice the vaccine molecules and produce cytokines molecular signals that cause fever, chills, fatigue and muscle pain. Doctors expect this cytokine reaction to happen any time a foreign substance is injected into the body.

In studies where neither recipients nor researchers knew which individuals were getting the mRNA vaccine or a placebo, approximatelyhalf of people aged 16 to 55 who received a SARS-CoV-2 vaccinedeveloped a headache after the second dose. This reaction may relate to the vaccine but a quarter of people who received just a placebo also developed a headache. So in the case of very common symptoms, it can be quite difficult to attribute them to the vaccine with any certainty.

Researchers anticipate some reports of side effects.Adverse events, on the other hand, are things that physicians do not expect to happen as a result of the vaccine. They would include organ failure or serious damage to any part of the body.

The blood clots that triggered the U.S. topause distribution of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine JNJ, +0.21% are a very rare event, apparently happening with one-in-a-million frequency. Whether they are definitely caused by the vaccine is still under investigation but if scientists conclude they are, blood clots would be an extremely rare side effect.

Read: Why comparing blood clot risks from COVID-19 vaccines and birth control pills doesnt work

Also: Johnson & Johnson vaccine pause: What to know if you got or scheduled the shot

The only active ingredientin the Pfizer PFE, +0.05% andModerna vaccines MRNA, +3.29% is themRNA instructions that tell the recipients cellsto build a viral protein. But the shots have other components that help the mRNA travel inside your body.

To get the vaccines mRNA into the vaccinated persons cells where it can do its job, it must evade enzymes in the body that would naturally destroy it. Researchers protected the mRNA in the vaccine by wrapping it in a bubble of lipids that help it avoid destruction. Other ingredients in the shots like polyethylene glycol, which is part of this lipid envelope could cause allergic responses.

Scientists havent identified any relationship between the initial inflammatory reaction and the long-term response that leads to protection. Theres no scientific proof that someone with more obvious side effects from the vaccine is then better protected from COVID-19. And theres no reason that having an exaggerated innate response would make your adaptive response any better.

Both the authorizedmRNA vaccinesprovided protective immunity to over 90% of recipients, but fewer than 50% reported any reaction to the vaccine and far fewer had severe reactions.

Now read: Young, healthy adults will be deliberately reinfected with COVID-19 to boost vaccine development

Robert Finberg is a professor of medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. This was first published by The Conversation No, vaccine side effects dont tell you how well your immune system will protect you fromCOVID-19.

Excerpt from:

What does a strong reaction to a COVID-19 vaccine mean? - MarketWatch

DANBURY, Conn. Just under 40% of the inmates inside the federal prison complex in Danbury have refused to take the COVID-19 vaccine, according to federal officials. The U.S. Attorney's office in Connecticut disclosed the latest vaccination numbers in a court filing Friday as part of a class-action lawsuit over an alleged failure to protect prisoners from the coronavirus inside the institution.

There are currently 756 inmates at the Federal Correctional Institution Danbury, according to the federal Bureau of Prisons website. Prosecutors said that since the prison first began offering the vaccine to inmates in January, 296 have refused to take the vaccine.

Read the original here:

Nearly 40% of Danbury FCI inmates refusing COVID-19 vaccine - FOX 61

Today, on day 92 of his presidency, Joe Biden has reached his goal of administering more than 200 million vaccine doses to Americans, 8 days ahead of schedule.

Originally, Biden had set the goal of 100 million shots in arms during the first 100 days. But after reaching that goal in 58 days, a second goal of 200 million shots within the first 100 days was set.

"It's another month or so before we see the full benefits of this effort, but already there's been a dramatic decline of deaths among people age 65 and older," said Biden in remarks to the press. "Still, far too many lives have been lost."

More than 50% of Americans have had at least one dose of vaccine, and more than 80% of Americans age 65 or older have had at least one shot.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID Data Tracker shows 272,030,795 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been delivered in the US, and 213,388,238 have been administered, with 86,223,506 Americans fully vaccinated.

Today Biden said it was time for all Americans 16 and up to get vaccinated, as they are eligible in all states. Currently, teens ages 16 to 18 can get the Pfizer vaccine, while those 18 and older can get either Pfizer or Moderna.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which is approved for use in those 18 and up, is on pause until at least Friday, as the CDC and Food and Drug Administration investigate whether and to what extent that vaccine is linked to rare blood clots.

Biden encouraged all employers to give employees paid time off to get the vaccine and recover from any adverse effects. He also said he was encouraged by some employers who were giving employees incentives to get vaccinated.

And though it wasn't mentioned today, reaching those who are hesitant about COVID-19 vaccines will be the next challenge for the administration. A new report from the Kaiser Family Foundation estimates the United States will likely reach a tipping point on vaccine enthusiasm in the next 2 to 4 weeks, when supply will outstrip demand.

Young adults have been a diving factor in the latest wave of virus activity. The United States reported 54,672 new COVID-19 cases yesterday and 776 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 tracker.

Michigan is still the epicenter of virus activity. Michigan's largest health system is straining under the weight of the state's third COVID-19 surge, according to Michigan Public Radio. The CEO of Beaumont Health System says there are 800 COVID-19 patients in Beaumont's eight hospitals, and some hospitals have had to set up outdoor emergency triage centers.

Nursing home staff and residents were among the first groups to receive vaccines in the United States, and a new CDC study shows they had limited breakthrough infections once two doses had been administered.

The study was based on 7,931 skilled nursing facility (SNF) residents and 6,834 staff members who received two doses of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines in 78 Chicago-based SNFs.

Only 22 breakthrough infections were detected 2 weeks or more after completing vaccination, 14 of which were asymptomatic. No facility-associated secondary transmission was detected. Two nursing home residents were hospitalized with infections, and one death was recorded.

"The results in this report highlight the importance of COVID-19 vaccination in high-risk congregate settings such as SNFs; most fully vaccinated persons were not infected, did not have COVID-19like symptoms, and did not have severe illness," the authors concluded.

Read the original:

US administers 200 million COVID-19 vaccine doses - CIDRAP

COVID-19 vaccine efficacy and effectivenessthe elephant (not) in the room  The Lancet

Read more:

COVID-19 vaccine efficacy and effectivenessthe elephant (not) in the room - The Lancet