UKC

Has anyone else here had the Comirnaty/Omicron covid vaccination? I had mine yesterday morning. It seemed quite trivial but my arm started to ache in the evening, and today it's hurting quite badly. Also, I'm feeling generally unwell: various aches over the whole body, plus slight headache, plus stiff neck, and eyes aching. No appetite. In other words, markedly worse side effects than with the previous three injections.

I had these side effects with all 3 covid jabs. Lasted 24 hours. I think there is real variation in the effects on patients.

Yes, the first three were quite trivial, but for me this fourth one is worse. I'm staying in bed at present; not feeling well enough to get up.

I had some variety of bivalent vaccine yesterday.  I thought its purpose was to make me more accepting of the LGBTQ community; I didn't ask for more details as I didn't want them to think I was curious.

Today, I feel like I've been trampled by a pack of horses.  Really bad aches and stiffness across the small of my back and top of the pelvis.  Disturbed night's sleep (my wife tells me I woke her up murmuring about something, though she sensibly went straight back to sleep and can't remember what), such aches all over my body that getting out of bed was very difficult, splitting headache and the site of the injection is quite tender.  Zero appetite too.  Like you, the previous three injections caused me no difficulty.  I haven't, so far as I know, had Covid.

So based on a small sample size of you and me, I hope this is just par for the course.  Rest, fluids and, eventually, food should get things back in balance, I hope.  It's a less than ideal way to feel though.

T.

Well, my aches and pains don't sound nearly as bad as yours, but it's definitely keeping me in bed.

They give you a list of side-effects when you get the vaccination, don't they? Are all the ones you listed on the list?

I know I had very different levels of side-effects for each of my different shots. I forget what order but for one I had basically no effects, for one I had lots of the common side effects like you describe and felt wiped-out for days and for one I had about a day of feeling tired and achy but it wasn't that bad.

It doesn't sound like you have anything to worry about, just standard side-effects of your body fighting unwelcome visitors.

I had the very similar* Moderna bivalent just over a month after having COVID for the first time, and all I got was a sore arm, which went away fairly quickly but has returned after my flu jab.  I thought I felt a bit weak for a couple of days too, but that may have been psychological.

Odd how some people get a big reaction and others don't.

* The two mRNA vaccines are basically the same, to the point they're suing each other over it, I forget which way round.

Yes, they did, a very comprehensive list of those that affect '1 in 10' people. Obviously, it affects different folks differently.

My last one was the Moderna and the aftereffects for me were relatively trivial.

I'm not worried about it at all. This post was just a warning for those who are about to have this particular concoction, that it has stronger after effects.

My other 3 were Pfizer and I didn't have anything noticeable from any of those.  Possibly slight tiredness/weakness, but as I said that could be psychological.

I expected to get a big reaction this time due to being so close to when I actually had COVID.  (It was near enough exactly on the recommended minimum of a month from testing negative).

Interestingly, this new one is made by Pfizer. But for me the effects are a notch up. Symptoms of a mild temperature (which I probably have): weak and shivery when I get up to go to the loo.

At least one of my previous vaccines, can't remember which, gave me a dreadful headache, awful nausea and racing heart. I felt like death and stayed in bed for a week. Not looking forward to dose 4 tomorrow. 

I had flu and Moderna vaccines yesterday, previous 3 were Pfizer.

I feel like shit now.

Good luck. All these drugs affect people differently. It may not affect you too badly.

I'm actually just about to get out of bed. Feeling better, the only remaining odd symptom being aching eyeballs

Very common Gordon......I'm NHS and most staff who've had it are reporting similar.... I'm off for mine next week plus flu jab in the other arm....will buy myself a decent bottle of red for the evening!

Had mine on Saturday with a flu jab in the other arm. Little bit of a sore arm for 2 hours and that's it. 

You're one of the lucky ones. I was talking to the guy working in my local corner shop a couple of minutes ago, and he knows a friend of a friend, aged 59, who had an allergic reaction to it, was rushed to hospital, put into an induced coma, and died 5 days later.

With me the main reaction was the following morning (well, woke at 5 am today feeling bad and arm hurting a lot more).

Shopkeepers friend of friend....

This is obvious bullshit, antivax stuff, don't spread it further 

My bivalent covid jab a couple of weeks ago was moderna, and I suffered a sore arm for a couple of days. But my very first pfizer one back in the day gave me chills and fever etc for a day or so, it was the worst reaction I'd had. 

I figured it was a good thing as it gave my system a proper kick up the arse to take the disease seriously, without killing me!

Hope you recover quickly. Love your books by the way.

No, the shopkeeper (who's pro-vax) was simply reporting a true sad fact re a friend of a friend. I suspect that such extreme reactions to this vaccine are extremely rare, because 100s of 1000s have already been vaccinated with it, mostly with no more than side effects that I had. Before it's given to you you are warned not to have it if you are allergy-prone, and are given quite a grilling (list of questions) before it's administered.

You don't have to "suspect", you can read that severe reactions are almost zero and no vaccine deaths were recorded at all in the tests 

https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/medicines/human/EPAR/comirnaty#assessment-hist...

Given this, the idea you shop keepers mates mate died of it is ridiculous and you should be stop propagating nonsense.

Still feeling grim after yesterday's booster, I did a Covid test; positive result.

Anyone know if this is a consequence of inoculation or proper 'Oh, arse' moment?

T.

Well, I wasn't propagating it, just mentioning it. I suppose a) the person must have had other medical probs, or b) the story has been falsely reported. So, as you say, let's forget it.

I think it may be a consequence of the inoculation, and nothing to worry about. I'm sure I've read that somewhere, but no doubt some expert here may know.

Repeating a story in a public forum is propagating it; you are passing it on, or transmitting it, or spreading it from one to another.

propagate prop¢e­gat, 
verb transitive to increase by natural process; to multiply; to pass on; to transmit; to spread from one to another; to increase (obsolete).

(c) Larousse plc.  All rights reserved

Yeah, Mum had 3 Moderna's previously and got a Pfizer this time. She was fine for the first 3 but this recent Pfizer one knocked her off her stride for a couple of days. Must be strong stuff as she's hard as nails. 

Amazingly - much to my surprise, having felt so extremely grotty - at around 9-10 this evening I suddenly started feeling fine, and now I'm more or less 100% OK, apart from my arm still aching a bit. Astonishing how fast it went away.

Had my 4th jab just over a week ago, along with the flu one.

A few hours later I felt awful - cold, shivering, arm aching, the works. Lasted throughout the night, so had to take the next day (Friday) off work. Definitely worse than before, but not for so long (thankfully). Felt OK by Saturday evening, but the arm ached for a couple more days - possibly because I had to have both jabs in the same arm due to having smashed the other shoulder in a motorbike accident.

All these symptoms you describe post vaccine are classic covid symptoms.

I felt dreadful after my third jab, but agreed with a friend who was also suffering that we'd be happy to be vaccinated again if it avoided us actually catching covid again. The reactivation of symptoms (including those I'd forgotten about in the brain fog fatigue of recovery) was an excellent reminder of just how ill we had been with the initial infection, and why we didn't want to catch it again.

A few words in praise of the NHS.

Like a good citizen, I reported my positive test result through the NHS Covid app at about 7.30 yesterday evening.  As I have MS, and hence an immune system that's less than ideal, there's a flag attached to my file.  An email came through within 10 minutes alerting me to the possibility of enhanced treatments.

I struggled out of bed at 9 this morning after 11 hours being mostly asleep.  Before noon, I'd been contacted by someone from the NHS about my result, discussed the result and possible treatment options with a neurologist and had a blood oxygen monitor delivered to my home.  There is a clear path about what I do in the future and who to contact if it all goes to muck and nettles.

I'm gobsmacked.  I could not have wanted anything better.  Well done the NHS!

T.

Colleague had the flu vaccine and had a fairly strong reaction to it this year.  He had a booster for covid with barely any side effects earlier in the year.  Interesting how they all have different outcomes.

I was due to get my 4th vaccine on 28th Oct but given I want to race a half-marathon 2 days later I have moved the appointment to the 31st. I ran 30km 2 days after my first Pfizer with no apparent effect, none of my 3 jabs has bothered me at all, but my wife has been give the bivalent Moderna half-dose as her booster and I suspect that I shall get the same. No effect on her, not taking the risk for me. Not yet decided about the flu jab, never had one before, not had flu for many years.

I was invited in to a Facebook group, there were a few hundred thousand people all posting about life threatening complications that they or people then new had.

I got kicked from the group when I relayed my story. I had a blood clot that caused a heart attack. I'm 100% certain it was a result of my first covid vaccination. I mean what else could have caused it, okay okay fair enough I admit I had my first vaccination about 4 weeks after the heart attack but that must have been the cause. I mean if it wasn't that then I might have to take some responsibility for eating a very excessive amount of crisps and pork scratching my entire adult life. 

As far as I can tell it's random. I've had two AZ and two Pfizer's now. Jabs 1,2 and 4 had no ill effects, jab 3 I felt properly crap for 24 hours.

Just to report back. The bad side effects for me turned out to be remarkably short-lived. The morning after the vax I felt rotten and my arm was hurting a lot. I stayed in bed all day until about 5 pm, when I got up, feeling a bit better. At about 9, an extraordinary thing happened. In the space of not much more than 10 minutes I went from feeling unwell to 100% OK, apart from the arm still aching a bit. It really was an astonishingly rapid recovery. Have felt fine today (well yesterday now), and arm is scarcely hurting at all. 

I have to commend again the organisation behind the vaccination programme. Mine was done in a small local chemist (Allestree). Very efficient, running slightly ahead of schedule.

It’s one thing to share experiences on here but I hope people are reporting all these side effects using the Yellow Card system.

Curious number of dislikes to any pro vaccine report. I thought that Vlad and his colleagues have more pressing matters at the moment.

As for Gordon's shopkeepers friend of a friend death. People can have anaphylactic shock reactions to all sorts of triggers. From insect bites, foods, to common medicines such as antibiotics. Its not beyond the realms of possibility that might have been the cause. However, it would have been extremely rare and been apparent very quickly after the jab.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-55244122

Annecdotally, the bivalent vaccine that is being used for the current round of boosters does seem to have stronger side effects than previous Covid vaccines. Nothing out of the ordinary for a vaccine, but it does seem to be hitting people pretty hard. We've have multiple people off work for a day or two after having it this time. My partner had it yesterday and was feeling pretty rough this morning, and family members who've had it all reported feeling crappy after it as well.

Edited to add: with my immunologist hat on, the side effects are annoying, but nothing to worry about, and if you are eligible you should get it  

Not really. Everyone's immune system is primed to react in slightly different ways. The mechanisms behind this are complex and has both genetic and environmental components.

You can see these differences all over the place. For example, I get a big reaction to cats, but most people don't. Other people may get big reactions to peanuts, or strawberries or shellfish. Some people react to their own bodies (MS, coeliac disease, rheumatoid arthritis). In some ethnic groups, there is a high rate of failure to control Epstein Barr virus, resulting in nasopharyngeal carcinomas later in life. 

All a vaccine is doing is putting a protein into your body for your immune system to respond to. With such a wide variety of differences in how people respond to, say, peanut proteins, why should responses to Covid spike proteins be any different?

I got a dislike for saying I felt shit. Hopefully just a criticism of my bad language.

It wasn’t me, but if I had hit dislike it would have been because I dislike you feeling unwell. It would feel wrong to me to hit like on it. It’s perhaps why Facebook added the care reaction, not that I’m suggesting we have more on UKC.  

Fingers crossed but Maderna covid in left arm and flu in the right today is going OK.  

Good luck to you. If it's like Comirnaty vax, although the after effects were bad they didn't last too long, but went away very abruptly after about 12 hours.

FB took the view that it was worth having a set of emotions rather than just "dislike".  I am inclined to agree.

I think the UKC dislike is mostly used as per the FB angry emoji.

Gordon, how are you doing.

Me and the missus had our jabs yesterday afternoon. drove home and straight over the road to the pub for a drink and meal. We have done this after each Covid jab.

No jab side effects to report for either of us.

John

Fingers crossed for you, I had it for my 4th jab and felt horrible the following day. Woke up sweating and shivering, full body aches followed by vomiting. Thankfully only lasted until mid afternoon and then happily a rapid recovery. 

I had Moderna and suffered flu like discomfort on the day following the jab.  Soreness round the injection point is just the local wound reaction and I always have this for a day or two.

The biggest excitement was walking though the now deserted and closed Newton Rigg Campus (imagine the closure of a Cumbrian agricultural college now in the context of levelling up!!!) and encountering an armed band of men!

Impressively armed police undergoing tactical training!  Livened up the vaccination trip - they looked bemused as I approached asking for directions.

We had the same experience in June - felt like a scene from a movie rather than a nice walk through a Cumbrian village!

Hi John,

It's interesting because these jabs seem to affect different people very differently. My first three had virtually non-existent side effects.

It would be good to meet up again some time, maybe in Derby?

I had the cominarty friday teatime. 24 hours later I was shaking, sweating and cold. Strong agues sums it up, and pretty painful all over. I whacked a hefty dose of codeine down me (prescribed for other reasons) and felt less rough by the morning, but it's only today I feel right. Much worse than the other three jabs. 

We had ours yesterday,  so far so good, no side effects. Had no side effects after previous ones.

Used the same post jab preventative measure as for the others; scoffed big portion of fish and chips immediately after it.

Did vary the treatment slightly and went for cheesy chips and am hoping that doesn't make a difference. 

there's a new kid on the block- let's hope it doesn't escape..

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-11323677/Outrage-Boston-Universi...

I guess it could just mean that your immune response was already pretty well primed and so you got quite a brisk cytokine response (the feeling crap part) and cellular response (the local pain and swelling).  This is a good sign because it turns out SARS-CoV-2 isn't all that memorable compared to some pathogens where immunisation gives practically life-long protection.  Have you had COVID recently?  Maybe you have and didn't even notice and this has already given you a boost, hence the reaction to the vaccine.

If there's a pattern of progressively more acute response to repeat vaccines, then you should tell them before having another one but that doesn't sound like what's happening to you.  (But I'd take some convincing ever to have another cholera vaccine, for example).

I suppose the other possibility is that one of the other components of the vaccine (the components of the lipid nanoparticles) is different from what you've had before, but it doesn't seem that reactions against the excipients has been an issue so far. 

I had one Sunday afternoon, almost posted yesterday to say no effect but then I felt a bit rough last night.  Headache and some muscle aches after a session at the bouldering wall.  (More muscle aches than usual.)  Fine again now, other a little bit of residual soreness in that shoulder and a swollen lymph node in my armpit on that side.

It's hard to tell whether any part of that story is true.  There's no link to any paper and it looks to me like part of the general hysteria about gain of function experiments and the Wuhan Institute.

For context, there's a clickbait story further down about how men can become allergic to their own orgasms...  

It's the Daily Mail, so a sensible starting point would be to assume it's bollocks.  No doubt there's a germ of truth in there somewhere, "research facility does research" perhaps.

is this better? https://www.statnews.com/2022/10/17/boston-university-researchers-testing-o...

in fairness, the original wuhan virus apparently killed all mice

Well, it's true that NEIDL exists and it's at Boston University.  It also has a policy of research transparency and an Institutional Biosafety Committee, which publishes the minutes of its meetings.

https://www.bu.edu/researchsupport/compliance/ibc/about-the-ibc/ibc-meeting...

I haven't bothered to trawl through them.  I wonder whether anyone at the Daily mail has.  

Yes, so the main point of the story is, unsurprisingly, not true.

"Rachel Lapal Cavallario, associate vice president for public relations and social media, said that the work was not, as claimed, gain of function research, a term that refers to manipulation of pathogens to make them more dangerous. “In fact, this research made the virus [replication] less dangerous,” the email stated, adding that other research groups have conducted similar work."

just as well eh? more dangerous than Omicron tho..

GoFR is poorly defined and this story shows it's not very transparent either

In mice.  Which had not been previously exposed or vaccinated, presumably.  

which raises the question of how good mice are at replicating the pathology of the virus in humans if they all die with original virus and none die with omicron..