Spring Covid-19 booster dose

Interactions

by Penguin - 2024-04-21 06:48:24

There must be an interaction checklist to consult - or perhaps a chat with the GP? 

I would take the vaccine subject to reading the PIL - particularly in the light of any new diagnoses that you may or may not have received recently which indicate deteriorating cardiac health and other identified risk factors e.g. age. 

How long do your side effects last and have you ever incurred any residual effects?  If they're short term with no residual effects, a vaccine that protects in the longer term against a disease which can cause long term effects seems to be sensible to me - but I've not suffered any significant side effects to date from Covid or the vaccine. 

Not sure what to do

by Gemita - 2024-04-21 10:41:01

Penguin, thank you for your comments.  Yes I need to think very carefully about this.  I am sure there will be known meds to avoid taking at the exact same time as having the vaccine.  Meds like steroids for example come to mind or other immune suppressive meds for an inflammatory condition or any cancer treatments, may need to be taken apart if they render the vaccine less or more effective.

I have always had difficult symptoms following all my Covid vaccines (mainly all Pfizer + one Moderna).  The following symptoms were troublesome:   increase in all heart rhythm irregularities, swollen lymph glands and shaking chills being the most troublesome and these lasted for long periods, in excess of several weeks, in the case of heart rhythm abnormalities and swollen lymph glands, so not insignificant. 

It was as though my immune system recognised the threat and mounted a massive attack, far in excess of what one might expect following a simple vaccination.  I did report my symptoms on two occasions through the yellow card scheme and spoke to various doctors at the time who felt on balance I should still receive the vaccine.  However they didn’t have to tolerate the symptoms.  I am not sure that I am prepared to go through this again so soon after my last vaccine last October.

I had a long episode of Covid (in April 2020) before the vaccination programme began, so I feel as though my body has built up good immunity against the virus and doesn’t perhaps need the additional booster at this time, but that is only my interpretation of why I am getting such awful symptoms following each vaccination.  We obviously want to do the right thing, but sometimes more is just not necessarily the best approach for each one of us.  

Michael has just confirmed he wants to go ahead with his vaccine since he is afraid that if he refuses, his doctors will not give him the same level of care.  I know this wouldn't be the case, but that is a relief.  I will have to think very carefully what is best for me. I don’t think there is one easy, correct answer for all of us.

A Difficult Topic

by SeenBetterDays - 2024-04-21 10:51:47

Hi Gemita

I understand your dilemma.  We all want to do what's best for our health and the health of our loved ones but sometimes information and evidence is conflicting and this makes decision making difficult.

I have personally chosen never to have a Covid vaccine but I am the exception amongst family and friends.  I just don't have faith and confidence in the vaccine.  I feel that it was developed and introduced rapidly and that this did not allow for comprehensive testing or the identification of potential long term side effects.  There was an element of pressure applied to take the vaccine initially which made me very uncomfortable.  I have always believed in an individual's right to choose and I think that that should be the case in any medical intervention.

Just at an anecdotal level, it seems that pretty much all the people I know who took the vaccine caught the virus so it certainly doesn't seem to act as a preventive measure.  How significantly their symptoms were affected by virtue of the vaccine is open to question and can't really be determined with any certainty.

Sorry not to be more helpful Gemita but I think this has to be a personal choice and I would not want to impose my views on others.  This is a complex and divisive issue.  Interestingly many of the people who condemned my initial refusal of the vaccine no longer take up the boosters so maybe they now question its value.

I hope you are able to come to a decision which you both feel comfortable with and, if you do choose to go ahead, that you don't have any troubling side effects.

Hope the vision is still improving.

Much love

Rebecca x

right to choose to take or not

by new to pace.... - 2024-04-21 11:54:35

As you know i live in Florida where our governor is very against the Booster even the orginal Covid19 shot.  So far I have not heard anything about a spring booster.  I did have side effects from the booster.  My only reason to take it is that i do not want to get as sick and be on a ventilator. 

Have heard from many friends after they got Covid19 saying they had lost their taste and smell senses.  Still tired. 

Do not know if i would take again. That said am trying to stay away from crowds.  Am planning a flying trip in Sept.  Not sure if am going, will have to wait an see if many are catching this.

new to pace

A difficult topic to discuss

by Gemita - 2024-04-21 12:06:14

There is so much truth in what you say Rebecca, so you have been extremely helpful.  Sorry if this will disappoint you, but you could never impose your views on others, however hard you tried!

Yes these are difficult topics but I don’t think they can be swept under the carpet just to keep the peace.  They have to be faced and dealt with in a mature way and what better way than to discuss these things calmly and honestly with members of the Pacemaker Club, family and friends.  

My problem is I can always see both sides of the story and will respect a variety of different views which is why it is so difficult for me to make a personal decision.  I guess I am trying to please everyone except myself?

I have always taken my medication including all Covid vaccines without fail in the past but as we get older and are given more in the way of meds to control our symptoms from mounting complex health conditions, management can become a bit perilous to say the least.  Then add vaccines into the mix and our bodies may become quite overwhelmed.  

Michael’s symptoms following his Covid vaccines last maximum 24-48 hours (and symptoms are mainly arm discomfort).  He seems to sail through any symptoms, while I struggle for weeks on end with residual symptoms, almost as though I am living through my 2020 non vaccinated Covid episode all over again.  I am not sure that I am prepared to do this indefinitely.  I just cannot understand why my immune system is overacting. 

The vision is still a bit blurry from cataract surgery and my bloodshot eye is still present but it seems to be easing now thank you Rebecca.  I have had no discomfort from the procedure whatsoever, so that has been wonderful.  I go back for review in about 10 days time.  Despite our cloudy conditions, it seems so bright out there!

New to Pace

by Gemita - 2024-04-21 12:58:06

New to Pace, I can understand your real fears of being unprotected, then getting a significant episode of Covid and needing ventilator support, a truly frightening thought.  That is something that most of us would fear.  My mother needed ventilator support at the end of her life and she never really recovered from it.  Her quality of life was miserable on ventilator support.

We lost two family members in Italy due to the complications of developing Covid with their other illnesses:  heart disease and diabetes.  Your post has been a sobering reminder of the dangers of Covid and I do appreciate why so many of us continue to follow our doctors advice.  That is why this is such a difficult decision

This time tomorrow I will have had it.!

by IAN MC - 2024-04-21 13:31:25

My wife and I have been offered the updated vaccine and did not even think about the pro's and con's .........we will be having our jabs tomorrow.

I deliberately have not referred to it as a " Booster". The Covid virus is continually changing  ( just like the flu virus )   so an UPDATED  Covid jab is required  ( just like the updated flu jab ) .

Recent variants of the Covid virus continue to make some people very ill indeed and can cause death in some cases . As far as I am aware , there have been no reported drug interactions involving Covid vaccines

For us  , it was a no-brainer.

Ian

Novavax March 31

by doublehorn48 - 2024-04-21 15:15:34

I second what Ian said. My wife and I got the Novavax vaccine on March 31. I had read good reports on the Novavax and read that it was a good idea to mix up the vaccines. Novavax supposedly doesn't have the side effects of the other vaccines, and for both of us, the recovery was a lot milder. When the next updated version comes out I will be one of the first to get in line. 

I'll NEVER take it.

by R2D2 - 2024-04-21 15:25:53

I've had Covid 3 times, and if I'm not somewhat immune by now, a shot isn't going to help. Besides, watch the news; the facts have come out on the nightly news about the creation and release of the Covid virus which should be disturbing enough; then they created a "vaccine" that has made EVERYONE I know sick right after. My own sister got Covid so bad, her oxygen level was at 39% when she finally went to the emergency room. She nearly died. What did they do? The vaccinated her and within 24 hours she was on a ventilator in a coma, for 6 weeks! Why vaccinate a sick person? 

I have personally witnessed several people get the vaccine and then get deathly I'll from it. What kind of real vaccine actually gives you the full blown virus? 

Nope.... never for me. Our immune systems are already compromised, why push it? 

I shall be having it

by atiras - 2024-04-21 15:42:58

I have taken up every offer I have had and will be vaccinated again tomorrow. I have never had any interactions with my various cocktails of drugs and only once (last autumn) had any side effects - a sore arm for a day.

My understanding from the Transplant Team is that the vaccination does not stop you catching Covid but it should reduce the severity of it possibly to the point you won't realise you caught it. If I do get symptomatic covid I will be eligible for treatment with antivirals. And I believe there is a prophylactic available AZD-3152 but not endorsed by NICE yet which might be made available for transplant patients to prevent them catching covid but i havent seen a lot of information about that.

Gov.UK Site

by Penguin - 2024-04-21 16:13:31

You say that you reacted in the Autumn when you last had a Covid Vaccine. 

I've just read on the Gov.UK website that the Spring vaccine rollout is for the same vaccine that was used in the Autumn. 

Does that help with your decision making?  

Vax

by Lavender - 2024-04-21 16:55:47

I had the first four doses of Pfizer. The fourth dose sent me to the emergency room with severe gastro issues. My pcp advised me to never get the covid vax again -so I haven't. I have never had Covid yet either. 
 

Then again, my pcp said not to bother getting the RSV vax and I didn't. Sure enough I got RSV and ended up in the emergency room. I was coughing and sick for eight weeks. He still said it was my choice whether to get it or not. He said he knows RSV won't kill me but he doesn't know what reaction I might have to the vaccine. 
 

I have a very long list of things that have caused reactions in me so I'm not getting the updated covid or RSV vaccination. 

"Vaccine"

by AgentX86 - 2024-04-21 17:01:35

We took the two orignal Maderna, February and March 2020, shots but refused any after that. The reports of significant side effects started coming out, and medical doctors doing the reporting, were cenored.  That's not how science is done.  If they're hiding something (they were), I don't want to be part of it. More, recent, reports (from the CDC, no less) shows what they were burying.

BTW, these are not "vaccinations". A vaccination uses genetic material from the virus to trick the immune system into early action (I've seen this before). The covid shot is essentially gene therapy.  A piece of the virus "spike" is inserted into RNA, which carries it into the cells.  The cells recognize the "spike". Protiens are made to destroy the invader.  This is a completely different process than any vaccine.

One of the problems with this gene therapy is that there is no "off switch".  Once it's in the cell, it stays there waiting to do its thing.  Both Moderna and Pfizer were caught with unreported process problems that caused many (no idea how many) were contaminated with DNA.  The mRNA can transport this DNA into the cell.  Foreign DNA can cause a reaction, much like a transplant rejection, or cancer, as the body tries to kill off this foreign invader. This is thought to be the major cause of "long covid".

Anyway, that's the jist of a peer-reviewed paper reporting on the post-mortum on the hurried vaccine roll-out, and lack of testing. The authors were forced to withdraw the paper for unspecified reasons.  Again, this is not how science is done.

Nope, no booster here and this paper removed all doubt.

Lots to digest

by Gemita - 2024-04-21 18:20:54

Thank you everyone for all your help.   I will respond tomorrow.  I need to sleep on all of this.  I am certainly not going to rush into anything since we have until end of June to get our vaccines, if I decide to go ahead with the Spring booster.

Vaccine

by Julros - 2024-04-21 21:07:50

I've had 5 doses of mRNA vaccine: 2 Moderna, 3 Pfizer. The only ones I reacted to were the Monderna with a delayed feeling of malaise and headache. I was able to get doses early on, because I was working in Public Health and we doing a long of the testing, and later vaccinations, so I was up close to potentially infected people. I did endure one course of COVD in 2021, after flying to a conference. I did not know I had it, as I was experiencing the same symptoms I get with hayfever. It was only diagnosed because I got tested prior to having a medical procedure. 

If I was offered another dose, I would take it. There has been plenty of testing and data collection since the vaccines were originally developed. People are still dying from COVID, and dying on a ventilator, separated from my family is not how I want to go. 

Got mine

by Daedalus - 2024-04-22 00:57:38

Got my 6th Pfizer vaccine in mid March.  Sometime this fall, I'll get my 7th.  
 
Haven't had a single reaction or side effect. 

Vaccine

by piglet22 - 2024-04-22 06:09:54

I will be getting mine once the surgery organises things.

I do have confidence in the scientists and researchers here who did the initial work in developing some of the early vaccines. I certainly don't trust anything the politicians tell me what to do.

I have been taking part in a long term study into the effects of Covid-19.

One of the benefits is getting PCR blood tests and I had Covid in early 2020. I had no symptoms and it came as a bit of a shock in those early days.

I also complete a monthly questionnaire with a comprehensive range of conditions monitored from mental health and physical health.

I wouldn't want any of the long term effects of a Covid infection and am quite prepared to have a day's feeling of being under the weather in exchange for some protection.

Being old enough to have had and survived many of the childhood infections that had no protective vaccines available, I'll take anything on offer.

Poliomyelitis was common as was smallpox. The last surviving patient still in an iron lung died recently.

So Covid vaccine s just something to add to the list, flu, polio, smallpox, tetanus, hepatitis, pneumonia and shingles 

I do respect others rights not to take vaccinations and  listen to some of the arguments against them, but I'll make my own mind up.

So helpful everyone

by Gemita - 2024-04-22 08:00:42

Ian MC, nice to see you posting and hope you are doing okay?  I am well aware of your confidence in the Covid vaccine and your words are always reassuring. I will have a word with a few trusted doctors for advice before coming to a decision.  Maybe I can afford to “safely” miss the Spring dose, but I will consider all my options carefully.  In September 2023, my booster Covid-19 vaccine was Pfizer (Comirnaty Original/Omicron BA.4-5).  

doublehorn48,  I believe I will be offered either Pfizer or Moderna again, although Novavax (Nuvaxovid) was approved for use in those aged 12 years and older in the last several months by the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.  I don’t think our GP surgery will have this though, but I will ask which vaccine will be given?

Penguin, I must have read the same link, although I have seen another link (attached) which clearly states for Spring 2024, the latest monovalent Omicron vaccines are considered preferable; and mRNA Omicron XBB.1.5 COVID-19 variant vaccines that have been pre-procured as part of the UK’s pandemic emergency response are considered the most cost-effective vaccines for use under existing circumstances.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-spring-2024-and-future-vaccination-programmes-jcvi-advice-4-december-2023/jcvi-statement-on-covid-19-vaccination-in-spring-2024-and-considerations-on-future-covid-19-vaccination-4-december-2023

I will need to find out if the Spring vaccine is basically the same one I had in September 2023, (Pfizer Comirnaty Original/Omicron BA.4-5)?  If it is, then this would probably help me to come to a decision.

R2D2, I have clearly not been following the news, but I do know that as usual, further studies are needed to rule out the idea that this pandemic was the result of a man-made action.  I still believe this is a natural born virus from an animal host.  I am glad you are confident with your decision not to accept vaccines and I respect this.  I hope you will remain Covid free and safe. 

Atiras, it is reassuring to know that even with a new heart you have not had any major problems from the Covid vaccine.  Thank you for letting us know about the Astra Zeneca AZD3152, investigational long-acting COVID-19 antibody that will hopefully be available soon to all transplant patients to prevent them catching Covid.  Amazing advances.

Lavender, you have been in the wars recently and I can understand your reluctance to receive any form of medical intervention.  I didn’t realise that the Covid vaccine was felt to be the cause or trigger for some of your severe gastric issues.  I know there were other specific causes identified like if I recall Lactose intolerance.  

AgentX86, I have not been “actively” following reports of significant side effects from the Covid vaccine, since to do so would make me even more nervous, so I cannot with confidence comment on or confirm your findings.  

I see your Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), rather like our own UK Yellow Card reporting scheme run by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, is not designed to determine if a vaccine caused a health problem but is used for detecting unusual or unexpected patterns of adverse event reporting that might indicate a possible safety problem with a vaccine.  Much like with our Yellow Card scheme, the reports on their own cannot be used to determine whether a vaccine caused or contributed to an illness or death, nor can they be used to reach conclusions about the existence, severity, frequency, or rates of problems associated with vaccines.  

I am trying to keep an open mind about all of this AgentX86, since I find it hard to believe that good doctors, pharmacists, scientists who study the benefits and risks of medicines would deliberately set out to give false information or cover up a known risk.  For reliable advice on COVID-19, I always refer to the World Health Organization or to my own national healthcare authority and of course I continue to speak to my doctors who know me best.  Do you want to attach a link from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to confirm what you are saying, if this is still available?

Julros, thank you.  I do value your opinion because I know you have worked in the Public Health sector and have seen directly what havoc Covid can cause, especially to a patient with other complex health problems.  I have witnessed this too with family members.  I will certainly not be giving up the vaccine entirely, but I might consider missing the Spring dose if my doctors feel this might be a sensible plan.

Daedalus, oh you are so fortunate!  Not a single reaction.  What do you put that down to?

Piglet, thank you for your contribution.  I too have respect for the scientists and researchers who did the initial work in developing some of the early vaccines.  I was interested to hear that you are taking part in a long term study into the effects of Covid-19.  Did you volunteer, or did they ask for help?  Several doctors believe that some of my ongoing symptoms are due to long Covid from my illness in April 2020.  We are only now beginning to understand how long Covid can affect us and it can be truly debilitating.

GI issues

by Lavender - 2024-04-22 09:26:56

Gemita, you stated, "I didn’t realise that the Covid vaccine was felt to be the cause or trigger for some of your severe gastric issues.  I know there were other specific causes identified like if I recall Lactose intolerance. "

I did not have lactose intolerance when I received the covid vaccine. (That was only diagnosed last year after different symptoms, 😉)

Within 24 hours of receiving the last covid vaccine, I developed such severe bowel pain that I went to the ER.  After multiple tests, including xrays and a CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis, it was determined that the vaccine could've caused the symptoms. 

It has been found that others developed GI issues as well from the covid vaccine.  I realize that the majority of folks get through the vaccine just fine.  My own body reacts to most medications and supplements etc differently.  

See this article which states "Digestive symptoms included abdominal pain, diarrhea, dyspepsia, and nausea, which usually developed within 1 day following the first vaccination."

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9144838/#:~:text=Patients%20were%20classified%20with%20mild,%25)%20following%20the%20first%20vaccination.

There are many other articles on this topic. I am not anti vax but have to keep in my mind my own risk vs benefits. 

I get them all

by Tracey_E - 2024-04-22 09:55:50

My doctor feel strongly that with very few exceptions, everyone should continue getting the boosters. I tend to agree. I have asthma now, an aftereffect of covid. It stays under control with medication, but even the mildest cold sets it off for weeks. I get flu shots now, too. I'm more worried about the effects of another bout of covid than the effects of the vaccine. 

No Thanks For Now

by DoingMyBest - 2024-04-22 11:03:49

It's a conundrum. I agree with AgentX86, this is not a "vaccine." We have been seriously mislead by this. The long-term effects of the irreversible gene therapy is worrisome. The effectiveness is far from 100%, but that's mostly due to the constantly mutating virus. It's a moving target. Likewise, if you've had COVID, you have some natural immunity, but it's not 100% effective against the next varient either. Both kinds of immunity simply give your body a head start, and lessen the symptoms when you catch it.

I've had the first three shots, primarly due to the fact that my 89 year-old mother-in-law lives in assisted living nearby and we wouldn't have been able to see her without proof of shots. But also, we simply didn't want to be the ones to expose her.

I've had COVID twice (despite the shots). Each time I had a day or two of fever, muscle aches, and malaise lasting about a week. Curiously, the second time I did not test positive. But when my wife got it within a few weeks, did test positive, and I did not get it again, it pretty much convinced me I'd had it a second time. (Her symptoms were milder than mine).

At 68, I'm willng to take some risk of longterm effects that I wouldn't want in my younger, child-spawning days. But, given the lessened symptoms of the ongoing varients, I'm willing to take my chances with it until or unless I'm forced to comply again. At the assisted living home, my mother-in-law has had multiple "boosters," so I'm less concerned that we will be a vector. We simply need to stay away when feeling ill. So, I'll pass on the "boosters" for now.

Respect your comments DoingMyBest

by Gemita - 2024-04-22 12:06:23

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/facts.html

I can see this has a long way to run and most of us will go on believing what we believe.  There is no right or wrong in any of this.  We are all trying to protect ourselves in the only way we can.

I have also seen “claims” that the Covid-19 vaccines are a gene therapy not a vaccine but I have also read that the Covid-19 vaccines do not change a person’s genes, as gene therapy does and that none of the vaccines can alter humans’ DNA, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, so what are we to believe?

It seems the genetic material delivered by mRNA vaccines never enters the nucleus of our cells, which is where DNA is kept, so the vaccine does not alter DNA.  I would like to believe according to CDC (see link) that Gene therapy provides long-lasting protein expression to fix a broken gene and its broken protein, whereas a vaccine like Covid gives a short burst of protein expression to stimulate the immune system and after the body produces an immune response, it gets rid of all the vaccine ingredients just as it would get rid of any information that cells no longer need.  This process is a part of normal body functioning.

Severe bowel pain

by Gemita - 2024-04-22 12:58:48

Lavender thank you for the link.  I suppose nothing in life is risk free but then nor is Covid so we all have to make the best decision we can.  

I appreciate you are not anti vax, so I was surprised to see your comments because I always remembered you getting the Covid-19 vaccine.  

I wonder exactly how the vaccine caused such gastric pain, what it actually does to the colon or whether it adversely affects motility/function only which cannot always be seen or confirmed without specific tests.  Clearly they were looking for an obstruction and found none, so made a diagnosis based on a potential cause after excluding all other possibilities.  

I have read about a case of peritonitis that was diagnosed 2 days after first dose of Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 mRNA vaccine and that recurred after second and third dose of vaccine.

Choice

by AgentX86 - 2024-04-22 15:36:09

Obviously each of us should choose for ourselves (except those who the employer/government chooses for them). The decision has to be informed, and there lies my problem.

Gemita: "I find it hard to believe that good doctors, pharmacists, scientists who study the benefits and risks of medicines would deliberately set out to give false information or cover up a known risk."

I find it rather easy.  Follow the money.  There is billion$ at stake here.  It's an unholy alliance between government and pharma (each bad enough), rather like government and defense.  There is a huge incentive to gaslight the people. If everyone is so pure, why is/was discussion amd challenge to the orthodoxy disallowed?  Under scruitiny, research should stand on its own. Science without falsifiability isn't science at all. I'm not saying that the covid (whatever-it-is) is unsafe today but not being able to know, or even discuss, the truth tells me to sit this one out.

The original paper:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/377667508_COVID-19_mRNA_Vaccines_Lessons_Learned_from_the_Registrational_Trials_and_Global_Vaccination_Campaign

The senior author's response to the paper's withdrawal:
https://rumble.com/v4gkhxo-stunning-act-of-scientific-censorship-valid-paper-retracted-after-record-vi.html

More of a lay explanation of what's going on:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3F38nsP5Rw

To each his own

by Daedalus - 2024-04-22 20:37:37

Several "doctors" out there seeking attention and a following and have been outed for disseminating false and incorrect information. 

Let's see now.... suffer with Covid or deal with any possible and rare side effects from a vaccine?  Hmmmm.   

Thank you very much, but I'm at ease seeking and following science and the CDC. 

Seventh jab coming this Fall.   Can't wait. 💉 

(And I'm out of this thread.) 

To Each...

by AgentX86 - 2024-04-22 21:07:35

I guess you didn't read the links.  This a peer-reviewed paper that was pulled for political reasons. It's not some crackpot with goofy ideas.  Many doctors have been saying the same for years, and get dismissed and censored because they don't bow down to the party line.  That's not science.

Take the information and do what you will with it but  argumentum ad verecundiam is a logical fallacy. As such, it has no place in science but is the staple of politics (the CDC was been politicized years ago).

Pulled for inaccuracies

by Daedalus - 2024-04-22 21:16:29

From Feb. 2024:

https://www.factcheck.org/2024/02/scicheck-review-article-by-misinformation-spreaders-misleads-about-mrna-covid-19-vaccines/

LOL!

by AgentX86 - 2024-04-23 00:33:16

Of course, you still haven't read the articles or even watched the videos.  No interest in critical thinking. Why am I not surprised.

A lot to go through!

by Gemita - 2024-04-23 01:12:14

AgentX86, Thank you for providing the links and for changing the third link since the one you originally put up didn’t seem to be relevant to this discussion.

The Review is long, actually very long, and I will need to go back over it many many times.  It raises important concerns, but until I have digested it and challenged it, I am certainly not in a position to comment on the findings or on its accuracy.  This will be a work in progress for me, but I am grateful for your time in putting your views across and posting the review.  I asked for a discussion and I am certainly getting one.

A Helpful Resource - All Things COVID and Vaccines

by DoingMyBest - 2024-04-23 12:57:33

An all-things-COVID resource I find helpful is John Campbell's YouTube channel. John is a teaching nurse in the UK. He has published textbooks. He is very good about researching, finding pertinent information, and conveying the contents of scientific and medical research papers in easy to understand english (always with references). He was very pro-vaccine in the early days of COVID. As evidence became apparent of lies, deceptions, coercions, and contrary medical reports, he delved into the details and has completely flipped on his opinion of the vaccines. He has been very rigorous with his finding and presents information we need to know to be properly informed. His study of COVID and vaccine related effects is a passion that continues. He posts frequently, often multiple times a week.

I looked for some of his talks about the mRNA vaccines. Here are a couple examples. There is much more in his archive.

mRNA pathophysiology [May '23]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQgVV7DsZr0

Paper cited: https://www.niaid.nih.gov/news-events/clinical-trial-mrna-universal-influenza-vaccine-candidate-begins

    mRNA Vaccine for Influenza - link to myocarditis

mRNA in blood after 28 days [Feb '23]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWVxVd6IGgg

Paper cited: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/apm.13294

    Unexpected, previously unstudied effect - contrary to what we’ve been told

A couple other posts that you'll find interesting,

One in 35 myocardial injury [July '23]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cd_RTf_ForA&t=769s

Paper cited: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ejhf.2978

    "mRNA-1273 vaccine-associated myocardial injury was more common that previously thought," 1 in 35, "and more frequent in women versus men."

Astonishing rise in atrial fibrillation says BHF [May '23]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zoso8Um9P2M

Paper cited: https://www.bhf.org.uk/what-we-do/news-from-the-bhf/news-archive/2023/may/new-figures-show-the-number-of-uk-people-with-heart-rhythm-condition

    Many unanswered questions as to the cause. No chart/graph/data in this paper to provide detail

Is John Campbell really a Helpful Resource ?

by IAN MC - 2024-04-23 14:24:16

Out of curiosity I looked him up on Wikipedia. This is their comment :-

" John Lorimer Campbell is an English YouTuber and retired nurse educator known for his videos about the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially, the videos received praise, but they later veered into misinformation.[2] He has been criticised for suggesting COVID-19 deaths have been over-counted, repeating false claims about the use of ivermectin as a COVID-19 treatment, and providing misleading commentary about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines.[3][4][5] As of March 2024, his YouTube channel had 3 million subscribers and over 750 million views."

While I am here ............  My wife and I had the latest Covid jab a couple of days ago. As always it was totally uneventful apart from very slight arm soreness. I feel much happier with the enhanced immunity which we both now have.

Ian

Wikipedia

by AgentX86 - 2024-04-23 15:17:27

Wikipedia is not to be trusted on anything of any political nature, never has been.  It's great for looking up randon trivia but cannot be trusted for anything serious.  If you doubt it, do some research on Katherine Maher, preferably her posts online (from the horse's mouth, not Wikipedia). Her words say all you need to know about Wikipedia. 

Fact checks, aren't. Ever.

Agent

by IAN MC - 2024-04-23 15:30:32

I totally agree with your comments on Wikipedia..............but I WAS looking up " Random Trivia "  !

Ian

DoingMyBest

by Gemita - 2024-04-23 15:47:05

I am grateful for your time in providing the links.  I have never listened to John Campbell but I found his YouTube lectures of interest and plausible.  I was particularly interested to hear about the Danish peer review study (second YouTube link).  Thank you again

He Has My Endorsement

by DoingMyBest - 2024-04-23 15:53:27

Gemita, forgive me if this strays too much from your topic. I just can't stand seeing someone as good as John Campbell besmirched.

I find John Campbell to be humble, well-reasoned and ALWAYS provides references. I don't think there is a malicious bone in his body. He is honest, well-intentioned, a-political, and traditionally science-based. His agenda is your safety and health. He's not selling anything. He has no reason to mislead you. As far as I'm concerned, he's as rational and trust-worthy a person as you'll find.

Edit: I would also like to point out that John Campbell has had a YouTube presence for many, many years, long before COVID. He posts lessons for nursing students on every medical topic under the sun. Look up his posts related to cardiology, cardiopulmonary system, and related topics. He'll teach you to interpret ECGs, understand arrhythmias, and so much more. He is a great teacher and very easy to understand. On top of this he has been making his textbooks available for free download. And he travels and works with Africans to bring better health care to them. He's a very kind person.

Interesting Links

by Penguin - 2024-04-23 17:22:47

Some of the most experienced and well reviewed doctors, medical researchers and people in public health and national governance have had to eat humble pie in the fullness of time when research is flawed.  I too found your links interesting DoingMyBest.

I also completely agree with AgentX that it is unscientific and very unhelpful to shut down the feedback loop and independent choice. Feedback is the ultimate learning experience and when we dismiss it we deny ourselves the opportunity to learn, do better next time and improve public health.  Personal choice is a right that we should all feel free to exercise when we need to without fear of recriminations.

I don’t envy your decision making Gemita. 

Informed Consent Requires Transparency and Full Disclosure

by SeenBetterDays - 2024-04-24 07:13:31

I am with Agent and DoingMyBest on this.  It is important to remember that pharmaceutical companies are businesses whose aim is to make profit.  What would their incentive be to provide one off solutions to problems?  This would be a flawed business model.  Far more profitable to find a problem which requires ongoing treatment, in this case booster vaccinations.  You might call me cynical but it seems to me that companies such as Pfizer who carry out clinical trials for their own products have no interest in highlighting adverse outcomes or potentially harmful long term side effects.  It is up to the relevant regulatory bodies and the Government to ask the right questions and ensure public safety. I am not confident that this has happened in the case of Covid.

I personally felt very uncomfortable with the UK introduction of "Covid passports" which effectively marginalised people who had chosen not to take the vaccine by denying them access to public events.  This was a clear example of railroading individuals down a path of vaccination.

I also believe it was completely wrong to roll out the vaccination to children who, on the whole, were only experiencing mild symptoms of the virus.  I chose to withdraw my teenage children from the vaccination programme as there was no long term safety data.  It seemed absolutely irresponsible to vaccinate a whole generation of youngsters with no absolute knowledge of the future impact on their health.  

The only way we can make a balanced and informed decision about medical interventions is if we have full transparency including uncensored access to the relevant data and objective advice from medical professionals.  

Thank you all for your contributions

by Gemita - 2024-04-24 09:58:45

I am relieved we have had a sensible discussion about the Covid vaccine and that opinions on either side of the debate have been safely aired.  I have learnt a great deal from your answers (and helpful links AgentX86 and DoingMyBest) and I will be seeking further advice before committing to another booster in the future.

For me, this is about self preservation (and I am sure it is for you too), to do what I feel is best for me and for my family.  Based on my symptoms following vaccination, all I want to know is that the Covid-19 vaccine will do no lasting harm and will in fact do some good.  This question, at least for me, still remains unanswered in some respects and I need more information and guidance before I can move forward with confidence

Covid 19 booster dose

by Aberdeen - 2024-04-24 14:36:19

I have had 5 COVID vaccinations and will get my 6th in Autumn. The only side effect I had was a tender arm at the vaccination site. The flu vaccine has the same effect on me. It lasts for a day. 
I have had Covid once and have travelled to the States , Canada , Europe a few times since the pandemic. 
When I had Covid I had a dry throat for one day and then I was all right. A more worrying side effect was that I didn't want a glass of wine for 10 days!

I don't know how often I would have had Covid or how ill I might have been without the vaccine but I am happy to keep getting it.

Good for you, Aberdeen

by Daedalus - 2024-04-24 16:51:39

Glad they're working out fine for you.  I'm like you and will take the vax boosters as often as they're recommended.  
Had friends and acquaintances die of Covid and don't ever want to be intubated in a hospital far from family.  Not a pretty scenario. 

Late Weighing In But..

by benedeni - 2024-04-24 16:57:00

Had my umpteenth vaccination yesterday.  I've had them all.  Usually never give it a thought.  I hear another vac is available so I schedule with my pharmacy.  This time I did think about it a bit more because of this thread.  Came to the conclusion that since I've never had Covid at all and very few reactions except for the sore arm, that I would continue down the vaccination road.  

I know in the end you will make the best decision for You, Gemita.  It is very difficult though.  Let us know what you decide for you and Michael.

So nice to hear from you all

by Gemita - 2024-04-25 03:29:11

Aberdeen, Daedalus and Benedeni.  I haven’t missed my Covid-19 vaccine since the vaccination programme started, so it seems strange to be considering this now. 

I have to be guided though by my symptoms that have lasted for long periods and been difficult to tolerate following each Covid-19 vaccination. 

Lots going on health-wise this end, so not sure that we will be well enough to have a Covid-19 vaccine in any event.  I don't think it is recommended during an acute illness (ongoing infection) 

Better to wait....

by Daedalus - 2024-04-25 11:16:25

Gemita.... I can understand your concern, and if you're dealing with an infection, I too, would hold off. 
Should you pass on the booster vax this time around, just make sure to follow the longstanding protocols.... mask in crowded indoor areas, keep some space from others in public, wash hands often, etc.  You know the drill, I'm sure. 
Best of luck to you!