Pfizer vs J&J vaccine

[Jeannie]

UPDATE IN POST #30

If you had the choice between the J&J (1 shot) vaccine and Pfizer (2 shots), which one would you choose and why? (Assume that you have ready access to both.)

 

[boop0524]

Imo, Pfizer. It's more effective than J&J (95% vs 66.3%). From research I felt it was the better option for me. Would recommend to do the same--research and do what feels right for you! DH and I both received dose #1 of Pfizer and will get #2 later this month.

 

[TwoMisfits]

If you had the choice between the J&J (1 shot) vaccine and Pfizer (2 shots), which one would you choose and why? (Assume that you have ready access to both.)

Originally, I was gonna wait for J&J b/c I wanted the shot that the most Americans would get (therefore, if anything ever went wrong with it, there'd be the biggest public push to fix it), since I figured with only one shot, it would be the under-65 choice and get the most people vaccinated...then, they had tons of production issues and haven't delivered much, so I changed my mind to Pfizer b/c that's the one the most people in my state have had (and thus, I think the US, too, b/c the states have gotten proportional doses). I am encouraging all friend and family holdouts to go "Pfizer" (and I myself took it), so I did put my "money" where my mouth was...

 

[Southernmiss]

If you had the choice between the J&J (1 shot) vaccine and Pfizer (2 shots), which one would you choose and why? (Assume that you have ready access to both.)

I chose first available to me-Pfizer.

2 shots no big deal. Only side effects were sore arms.

When shots were first announced, I really thought I would get the J&J because of my age and rollout time lines.

Turns out, Pfizer was first available to me, dh, and 3 of our college age kids.

 

[robinb]

I am half-vaxxed with Pfizer. I get my second jab in about 10 days. I think that the Pfizer vaccine is a bit more effective than the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. I'm in my late 50's, so the added effectiveness was worth waiting a little longer to be fully vaxxed. I personally don't think that the difference is as great as the numbers show (95% v/s 66%) because the J&J vaccine was tested at a different time with different variants in the wild. But ... I'm no medical expert so it's just my opinion.

My DD21 will get the Johnson and Johnson vaccine in about a week. She's young and healthy and has already had Covid a year ago. It's worth it to her to be fully vaxxed in 2 weeks so she can stop getting tested in college 3x per week. even if she does get sick, the J&J vaccine protects against against hospitalizations and death (as does Pfizer) so if she gets sick again it will probably be milder than what she had before. My DD wasn't hospitalized, but she was down for the count for over a week. Luckily, her college extended Spring Break so she didn't have to be sick and do school work.

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

Pfizer, but I don’t really have a logical reason for it. I would have taken whatever I could get though. I did end up with Pfizer and get my second dose next weekend.

 

[JimMIA]

I went with Pfizer and am glad I did, but I don't know how much importance to attach to the effectiveness percentages from the studies.

The Pfizer and Moderna studies were done first, in different places, at different times, and most importantly, before any variants had been discovered. So those two vaccines were tested against the original Covid.

J&J was tested when several variants were present, but as health officials stressed from the start, J&J was 100% effective in preventing severe disease and hospitalization.

I'm glad I got Pfizer, but I think they're all good.

 

[GreatLakes]

I did my best to get the J&J because the science behind a viral vector vaccine is older than mRNA. If the only option was mRNA I would have gotten that.

I don't think you can draw a lot of comparative conclusions between the different options as far as efficacy goes. They were not all tested homogeneously so comparing their different outcomes isn't all that useful.

 

[kerry1379]

What JimMIA said. Everyone compares the 95% and 66% numbers but they aren't an apples to apples comparison. I too, hadn't realized that Moderna and Pfizer tested theirs during the summer in the US when our numbers were better. J&J tested theirs in the fall when numbers were climbing again, and outside the US in places that were starting to see the variants emerge. (Assuming the video I saw on this is correct.)

 

[AndreaA]

I’ve been Team J&J from the start but I’m wavering. The Astra Zeneca clotting issues bother me because J&J is the same type of vaccine - just uses human adenovirus rather than chimpanzee - and I already get migraines and am a woman under 60 both of which seem a higher risk for clots.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

A good vaccine is the one you can get!

 

[easyas123]

Pfizer, but I don’t really have a logical reason for it. I would have taken whatever I could get though.

Same situation here.
Myself, my husband & one of my 2 brothers got Pfizer. Youngest son got Moderna curtesy of Uncle Sam, Folks got Moderna, SIL signed up yesterday and is getting J&J tomorrow. Taking what's offered, and ok with it.

 

[disneychrista]

Add me to Pfizer list. I hate shots and hate the idea of having to get two but I still think I would prefer to get the Pfizer.

 

[Neapolitan Ice Cream]

Has anyone experimented with multiple vaccines? The Pfizer one is very effective but needs to be stored at silly temperatures. What about combining two of the lesser (and I use the term loosely) vaccines? Will their effectiveness be amplified? Or will they react and do a nasty?

 

[tvguy]

I didn't care. Got my first dose of Pfizer Saturday. Johnson and Johnson is here, but because it is just one shot, they tend to save that for at risk communities such as residents of Nursing homes, and it is what they use then they go out and vaccinate the homeless community.

 

[spiders]

Pfizer only because it's more effective.

 

[RamblingMad]

A good vaccine is the one you can get!

This.

But I'm not going to lie. I searched out and got the Pfizer one. If I was in the UK, I'd go for Moderna over AZ.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

One cannot compare the efficacy rates between the two. The trials were conducted at different times under different conditions and sampled different populations.

Get whichever one you have access to and go with it unless you have reason to believe the difference in how the vaccines are made is important for you.

For me, there wasn't even a possibility of getting an appointment for Pfizer until May.
Meanwhile, I'll be fully immune two weeks after my 2nd Moderna shot just about the time I'd be trying to get a first appointment for my first shot. for Pfizer. And who knows when that appointment would actually be.
There is no J and J vaccine in my county. The J and J went to drive through mass shot clinics in the biggest population areas in the state.


Also note that 95% efficacy does not mean 5% failure and 66% efficacy does not mean 34% failure. It means the vaccine group percent positive was reduced 95% (or 66%) from a control group whatever those two rates were. And again we can't really compare them. Different times, different conditions, different places, different populations sampled.

 

[martikus]

I wanted Pfizer as I wanted higher potency (though I understand it’s not apples to apples comparison). My parents got Moderna and my mom had covid arm which isn’t bad but I figured Pfizer might be better.

We lucked out that our city is only doing Pfizer and doing like 1000 shots a day. It’s amazing how organized it is. My husband also got one shot of Pfizer (he didn’t care which) as it was what was open and gets his 2nd next week. I could have had Moderna at Publix so I knowingly picked Pfizer.

My son is 14 so it will have to be Pfizer as I believe they will be done testing first.

All that said - any vaccine is better than nothing and we need so many more in arms to get back to normalcy.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I just wanted everyone in my family to get the same brand. If we need boosters down the road (and if you are required to stick with your original brand), I think it will be easier if we're all looking for the same one. That said, I was hoping to get Pfizer and all four of us did. We each got vaccinated at different times and places. DS22 got his in another state near his university. I went to a clinic that had reserved spots for educators. DH went to a public vaccination site and DS25 went to a CVS.