The latest versions of the COVID vaccines are finally out for distribution, and not before time too, as cases in New Brunswick are on the rise. Having not had a proper booster shot since last August, and not wanting to repeat my experience with COVID last December, I booked an appointment with the local pharmacy, and got my shot on Tuesday.
Having had both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines during the earlier years of the pandemic, I can tell you I preferred the Pfizer more, as it did its job without anything in the way of side effects, while the Moderna wore me out for a couple of days. This time around, I had to get the Moderna, as it was the first to have been approved.
So: the next two days had me tired enough to sleep eleven hours a day and with the general aches and fever on the second. But better two days of discomfort than the risk of getting infected while waiting for the Pfizer to arrive. Despite people’s insistence that the disease is “just like the flu now” and so on, it is so very much not. Long Covid can still strike after the initial infection and it will screw you over for weeks or months, long after you would have recovered from the flu. Plus, there’s the enhanced risk of heart attack or stroke that can also last for months afterward.
Believe me, if you’re still on the fence about getting the vaccine or getting the booster (and if you are on the fence at this late date, why?!) you really should get the shot. Holidays are coming up, and COVID is a terrible gift to give to the family.