Have you gotten a COVID vaccine?

[CaliforniaGirl09]

DH, DS, and I just received our 2nd shots (Moderna) in California (East Bay) via Sutter Health. We had to drive 1.5 hours to the drive-through site again in Santa Cruz, but well worth it. They are so efficient down there. It probably took 15 minutes to get to the waiting area.

Received our shots about noon, and this time I felt the needle. Last time I didn't feel it at all. This time it was more of a flu shot type slight discomfort. After our first shot, we all had arm pain much later that night and no other symptoms. This time DS and I started having arm pain a couple hours after (even with plenty of moving around), and we are all feeling a little tired. Nothing to prevent me from working, etc.--more like I just didn't sleep well the night before. We'll see how the rest of the night goes! Already received my email from v-safe asking whether I received my 2nd shot.

 

[Mango7100]

I developed COVID arm over a week after my injection. It’s still a little swollen and itchy.

We are afraid she won’t get the second dose. She barely was convinced to get the first dose, but she lives in a senior facility and is almost 80. She has already sent us numerous texts that she thinks her immune system can’t handle a second dose due to all her self-reported sensitivities to medications (she is not immunocompromised). We have tried to tell her covid arm can happen but it’s not serious and will resolve on its own, but she is not having it...oh well all we can do is hope she gets her second dose.

 

[CookieandOatmeal]

RI is finally opening up vaccine appts to 65+ on Monday. I'm aiming to make an appointment for both my dad and my FIL. I was wondering if anyone could tell me if they registered for appointments via CVS...do you need to set up an account in order to register for an appointment? I already made an account for them on Walgreens. I will also be trying for an appointment through the new mass vaccination sites too.

 

[ORD2KOA]

No, Pfizer is recommended for 3 weeks, and Moderna for four weeks. That's how it's been since the vaccine became available for emergency use.

That said, some countries are experimenting with longer wait times between 1st & second doses so they can give more people at least one shot.

We were told by the nurse that the most important thing about the 21 day / 28 day dose spacing is that it is more about the vaccine being in your body for at least 21/28 days. You do not want the second shot before at LEAST that many days have passed.

The question was asked because we were told we'd get Moderna, but we got the Pfizer instead.

ETA - I just read that the second shot can be within 6 weeks, but not later.

 

[TLSnell1981]

We are afraid she won’t get the second dose. She barely was convinced to get the first dose, but she lives in a senior facility and is almost 80. She has already sent us numerous texts that she thinks her immune system can’t handle a second dose due to all her self-reported sensitivities to medications (she is not immunocompromised). We have tried to tell her covid arm can happen but it’s not serious and will resolve on its own, but she is not having it...oh well all we can do is hope she gets her second dose.

Hopefully it will resolve quickly and she will change her mind.

 

[snappy]

I received shot 2 of Pfizer yesterday at 2 pm. Both shots received at a private family practice clinic associated with one of the big local hospitals. They called me to reschedule my appointment from Monday to Wednesday due to the icy roads from the winter storm. I felt fortunate to have gotten it since when I arrived the area at the entrance and just inside the door were a mess due to an upstairs busted water pipe. People were busy taking care of that. It was busier than when I went for the first shot either because of all the rescheduled appointments or because they are receiving more vaccine now. They handled it beautifully by opening a second larger waiting area, had more cubicles to administer the shots as well as more nurses. Seating was social distanced so it felt safe and I got out of there quick.

I woke up around 1 am and noticed my arm was a bit sore. Also had a brief pain in one calf that felt like a Charlie horse and another brief moment of vertigo. Both were like a second long so odd. I had trouble going back to sleep but our dog woke us up at usual at 5:30 am. I feel ok now except for a sore arm.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I received my second Moderna dose around 3 PM yesterday, and I basically have a sore arm. I wake up often in the night and did so last night, so except for not being able to sleep on that side, I am fine.

 

[HeatherC]

RI is finally opening up vaccine appts to 65+ on Monday. I'm aiming to make an appointment for both my dad and my FIL. I was wondering if anyone could tell me if they registered for appointments via CVS...do you need to set up an account in order to register for an appointment? I already made an account for them on Walgreens. I will also be trying for an appointment through the new mass vaccination sites too.

You do not need to set up an account on CVS. You will need their Medicare card numbers, however.

My 80 something parents received their first dose last Friday at the CVS in Westerly. I booked the appointment on Wednesday morning, but it too me over 2 1/2 hours on the IPAD and phone trying to get them. I had to open like six or seven pages on the IPAD because each one kept freezing up. You log on and they they put you in a “waiting room”. But then that is where it got stuck and took over 2 1/2 hours waiting.

Luckily one went through on my phone and the other on the IPAD so I was finally able to book them both an appointment for Friday. One was scheduled for 10:30 and the other for 12:45. But when they went, they did both at the same time. They said it was very organized and they were in and out very quickly.
They also have you book the second dose at the same time. My parents are scheduled for that on March 13.

My suggestion would be to do two pages at the same time to get appointments the same day if that is what you want. I was also up early doing it so they still had appointments at that point. I started at 6am and finally got them around 8:40am.

Hope this helps and that it is quicker now that they have been open for bookings for about a week.

 

[ohiomom28]

I received the 2nd Pfizer vaccine yesterday at 9am. So far, I have a headache and my entire right arm aches. I don't feel any more tired than normal. I'm a 3rd shifter so I feel tired a lot. I'll update if anything changes.

 

[CookieandOatmeal]

You do not need to set up an account on CVS. You will need their Medicare card numbers, however.

My 80 something parents received their first dose last Friday at the CVS in Westerly. I booked the appointment on Wednesday morning, but it too me over 2 1/2 hours on the IPAD and phone trying to get them. I had to open like six or seven pages on the IPAD because each one kept freezing up. You log on and they they put you in a “waiting room”. But then that is where it got stuck and took over 2 1/2 hours waiting.

Luckily one went through on my phone and the other on the IPAD so I was finally able to book them both an appointment for Friday. One was scheduled for 10:30 and the other for 12:45. But when they went, they did both at the same time. They said it was very organized and they were in and out very quickly.
They also have you book the second dose at the same time. My parents are scheduled for that on March 13.

My suggestion would be to do two pages at the same time to get appointments the same day if that is what you want. I was also up early doing it so they still had appointments at that point. I started at 6am and finally got them around 8:40am.

Hope this helps and that it is quicker now that they have been open for bookings for about a week.

Thank you! That is very helpful. My hubs will try for his dad and I will try for mine. We will have multiple devices going just to increase the odds. My brother will be trying for an appointment for the mass vaccination sites.

 

[kymom99]

It’s getting to be like the hunger games here in Kentucky. We are vaccinating 70+, healthcare, teachers, etc. the 60+ crowd is itching, my husband included. Some people are making appointments even though they don’t qualify. Some are being successful in getting vaccinated. It’s frustrating.

 

[summerlyangel]

I'm in SC and a healthcare employee of a hospital. When the original doses were administered to employees, I was down with a pretty serious case of Covid so couldn't get the shot. I was still symptomatic in Jan, so missed it then, too. Now, our hospital is no longer offering the shot for employees and we have to go through the VAMS system. They are hosting a community event every Tues-Sat, so theoretically, I should be able to get the shot easily. I've been searching 20x/day for a week at all hours and haven't see any appts yet! There are some in March at a Family practice that I'm not a patient at and is about 25 miles away. I also read on our city website that this week's vaccine allotment was super small and delayed. It is so frustrating! And my mom is homebound and she has medical transport, but they will not approve it for her to get to a vaccination site. I was able to get it for my dad, so happy about that. Ugh!

 

[JimMIA]

Woke up to find the scheduling email in my Inbox this morning for Pfizer #2. Selecting a time and registering took almost a minute, but that was because some of the directions were in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole.

All I had to do was copy and paste my secret code, select a time, and done. Tomorrow afternoon at Zoo Miami. It's kinda fun when government works well!

I'll update in a few days on side effects.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

So 20 hours after Moderna shots #2 and I'm cautiously optimistic! All three of us are doing well other than slightly sore arms and DS says he has a mild headache. Weirdly my arm is less sore this go around. I was even able to sleep on it last night. I actually slept like a baby. I had Tylenol ready to go, but none of us needed it. I was told by the nurse when I asked that Tylenol was preferable to ibuprofen, but to avoid anything unless I needed it. They basically just don't know.

 

[HeatherC]

Thank you! That is very helpful. My hubs will try for his dad and I will try for mine. We will have multiple devices going just to increase the odds. My brother will be trying for an appointment for the mass vaccination sites.

Good luck to you! If you can’t get them today, maybe try after midnight when they might open up more for future dates. I felt like I won the lottery when I finally got them. Will keep my fingers crossed for you!

 

[bobbiwoz]

25 hours after second Moderna, my temperature is a bit over 99°. No chills, but feel tired.

 

[disneypharm]

For those who don't want the vaccine: Herd immunity at UC Davis

 

[Snowysmom]

I spent all day on the MA vaccine website and got nothing. It crashed first thing this morning and was off for awhile. The Gillette booking website was glitchy and down sometimes too. I could get just so far and it would kick me out. All slots are gone now. CVS does not have any appointments here in MA right now. I think they will have to add time to the 65+ group if this is how it is going to go. I keep thinking there has to be a better way. Hopefully Johnson & Johnson will be out in a few weeks even though they are behind in production. I may see a vaccine in July the way MA is going.

 

[Denise W]

I also was unable to get anything on the MA site today.
Denise

 

[CookieandOatmeal]

I'm a MA resident and a RI teacher. I'm really counting on MA to get to teachers soon. RI...I'll never see a vaccine at this rate since I'm only 35.