Yesterday morning, I had both my 4th Covid booster (the Pfizer bivalent) at the same time as my Flu vaccine. One in each arm. This is perfectly fine and safe to do. You can do both arms or both on the same side. I would not recommend getting the shingles shot simultaneously however. Shingles can be a bear.
I was planning on delaying the flu shot by another month or so but am doing some traveling in a few weeks and decided to just go for it.
Other than some injection site pain (I’m a skinny runt), I have been fortunate not to have had any reactions to the Covid vaccines previously. I similarly have never had a reaction to the Flu shot nor the Shingles series which I got last year (that one is notorious for a few days of side effects).
I have a few stable immune issues going on and I was nervous enough about the lack of symptoms that I tested myself for antibodies and indeed, I have a robust response to previous vaccines (and have no evidence of previous Covid infection as well – also very surprising given my line of work).
This time, 24 hours in, the main symptom is injection-site pain, although not as bad as before. I do feel a little fatigued and a bit achy all over (although I also felt great yesterday afternoon and went for the longest run I have done in over a year with some serious hills). No fever, headache or any other symptoms. Symptoms are already diminishing by mid morning. Seeing a full complement of patients.
Just a reminder that the “bivalent” vaccine means that it is 50% vaccine against the original SARS-Cov-2 virus strain (called the wild type) and 50% against the Omicron 5 sub variant. Studies have shown reduced protection against infection against 5, the predominant strain worldwide, but significant reduction in serious illness, hospitalization or death.
Please get vaccinated or boosted. 6 months after your last shot is the target. If it has been more than 6 months, the immune protection is questionable. Antibodies are surely almost gone. Other types of immune cells against the virus are present but the problem is that this virus moves so fast, the cells are too slow to ramp up antibody production to make any significant dent in the disease progression. Boosting “tops off” the antibody tank and re-stimulates the immune cells.
This pandemic is nowhere near over and as I have mentioned in previous posts, we are seeing a lot of chronic symptoms. But we don’t know what will happen in the years to come. Yes of course you can argue that we do not know what the long term side effects of the vaccine may be, but the data from the last 3 years of this pandemic and 2 years of vaccine availability is that they are safe and effective.
The most commonly taken medication by Americans are acid reducers. The most potent ones are unfortunately now available over the counter. Recent studies show a 30% increased risk of heart attack or stroke with chronic use of these drugs. NSAIDS, like motrin, advil, aleve… relieve pain but actually increase the risk of needing a joint replacement because long term use impairs our bodies ability to regenerate and repair cartilage. Meds for osteoporosis may strengthen bones in the short term, but they make bones brittle within a few years and actually increase fracture risk. All three of these classes of drugs have numerous other common, but overlooked side effects as well.
But people keep taking these drugs.
Don’t argue about taking a vaccine, which may prevent chronic side effects or even save your life, while consuming other products well documented to cause harm.
I’ll give a symptom update in a couple of days.
Stay safe and be well.
AC