The Great 2021 COVID Vaccine Chase

My parents both got their second shot of the Moderna vaccine yesterday and my mom said her reaction to it was pretty bad. She was vomiting, had headaches, and I think she said a fever. My dad also felt some symptoms but nothing like what my mom said she had.

My second shot of the Pfizer vaccine will be on the 25th, I believe. No symptoms that I can tell from the first shot that I got the day before yesterday.

 

Got my first Moderna shot 4 hours ago.

 

Haven't read the thread her, but have we gotten any proof that you cannot spread the virus after you get vaccinated? I know Astra Zeneca put out an anecdotal survey, but that's all I've seen.


This seems to be glossed over everywhere....it's crazy....

 

You definitely can spread the virus after being vaccinated. The vaccine protects the recipient from the very severe symptoms of covid; it doesn't prevent you from getting it or passing it along.

 

Exactly. What kind of a bizarro world are we living in where we're pretending this isn't the case? Literally 80% or more if the people I come into contact with think this isn't the case. No news will say it. They pussyfoot around it and skew words to make it sound the opposite way.

I work in the medical field and I think that all my coworkers except one think that you can't get covid once you get the vaccine.

It's literally maddening.


I told one of my co-workers that I was choosing not to get the vaccine because I feel that I'm statistically not at great risk from covid, and I didnt want any symptoms of me having it to be masked, thus risking me giving it to immunocompromised patients that hadn't had a chance to get the vaccine. He responded to me by saying "I got the vaccine because I just don't want to get anyone sick."


W. T. F.

 

I am sure this is possible, but I don't think it is a high probability. If your body knows the virus and how to kill it then when you get the virus your body will kill it. The virus has to multiply before it can spread; that is why it takes a few days for you to get it before you can spread it. In those few days I am pretty sure your body can handle it.

 

My mom had her 2nd shot last week. Only a sore arm.

 

Yeah I think it lessens the likelihood that you pass it on. A study referenced in the link below suggests that as well.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-55913913

 

If you get the shots, you are supposed to still wear masks in public and follow covid guidelines. First it’s not 100% protective and 2nd, yes you may still get infected, do not know about it and spread it - although it’s also very likely that there isn’t enough virus for you to spread it. We just don’t know yet.

 

The vaccines should both lower the chance of infection and transmission. We just don't know by how much and we have to prove it.

It lowers the chance of infection by herd immunity.

 

It will also depend on the strain. Different strains should be lowered transmissibillity post vaccination by different degrees.
For example the South African strain.
As more people get vaccinated older strains will be taken out of the game and the ones in circulation left will be the ones who aren't covered by the vaccines well or are too highly transmissible.

 

I just talked to my dad and he said in Hong Kong they haven't started vaccinating anyone at all. I find that pretty surprising.

 

The US has seen a decline in rates of infection the last few weeks. I'm wondering if that is due to vaccinations getting more widespread.

 

This is the study I was referencing above. The numbers are fairly small, as far as the participants go.

I'm sure the vaccine reduces viral load, which reduces probability of transmission, but if this had been proven, it'd be everywhere. It's not.

I'm not saying that it doesn't. I'm just saying that the extent is not known, just like other posters here have stated.

People need to educate themselves on these things is my point. I think a large percentage of people, at least the ones I talk to, think that once you get the vaccine, you're good to go back to normal. You're not.

 

Yes you are right. Without proof we can only go by precedent and logic but this isn't enough. There need to be studies and evidence.

I hope at the very least at the vaccination sites people are informed that there needs to be 2 weeks after the SECOND dose before they are protected.

 

My point is that people also need to be educated that they can't just pretend life is back to normal after receiving their vaccine, either. It's not.

This seems to be happening.


Especially with more and more variants being discovered.

 

Treat the COVID vaccine like the flu vaccine, but with better efficacy. It's gonna protect you from the big strains. You'll likely not develop mild symptoms. There's a high chance you won't get severe symptoms. If you feel mild symptoms, you may be contagious. New strains may require boosters. Otherwise, you probably won't be spreading the virus due to your immune system keeping your COVID levels too low to spread.

 

So, I don’t understand why you don’t want to get the vaccine. If it reduces the viral load and reduces the probability you will transmit the virus to someone else, then why not try to help protect yourself and others. You can and should still use all the precautions to avoid acquiring and spreading the virus such as wearing a mask and social distancing after receiving the vaccine. I just don’t see the downside to taking the vaccine.

I do agree with you that people need to be aware that they could still acquire and spread the virus after getting the vaccine.

 

Agreed. I have also heard people talk about the vaccine as if it's a switch they can flip to just return to how things were in January 2020. That's not the case.

 

My guess is that the vaccine has made little impact so far. Less than 3% of the US population have had two doses of the vaccine, and less than 10% have had at least one dose. The rate of infection has decreased, but I would say that is just part of the natural ebb and flow of the pandemic, and getting past the holiday season.