I decided to make this post because I've kept track of most of my previous covid vaccinations on this blog, and my cancer-related medical history is a big reason why I remain covid-cautious.
I got the new updated 2024-2025 covid vaccine on Wednesday, the first day it became available at my local CVS. I didn't have a choice for the brand and it happened to be Pfizer. Primarily I wanted to get my daughter vaccinated before she moved into her college dorm, and I was so relieved it was possible, since earlier estimates put the new vaccine roll-out in early September. Once I decided to get her vaccinated ASAP, it made sense to schedule my son to get vaccinated at the same time because he'll also be facing crowded classrooms again soon. Then it was just a matter of convenience to make it a group appointment for all of us.
My experience this time was pretty similar to my previous mRNA shots. I got the vaccine at 10:00 AM, and felt mostly fine all day. By the evening, though, my left arm (where I received the injection) hurt a lot, from my elbow through my shoulder and back. I couldn't raise my arm above my head. That night I hardly slept at all, I felt achy all over and couldn't get comfortable. Around 6:30 AM I had a headache and a fever of 100 F, so I took 2 Advil and went back to sleep. When I woke up again around 9:00 AM, I felt a whole lot better. For the rest of the day, besides feeling a little extra tired, I just had the sore left arm.
It occurs to me that since I had a lot fewer side effects with last year's protein-based Novavax vaccine, it might be worth it for me to hold out for Novavax each year instead of getting the first available mRNA vaccine. Apparently it takes longer to produce the protein-based vaccine, which means Novavax will almost always be released later than the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna. But there's a lot to be said for the convenience of the whole family getting vaccinated together, and with my kids still in school, I think I'll always want them vaccinated as soon as possible when classes start.
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