I’m not in the class of first recipients, so I imagine by the time I’m up, some side effects will be known. I certainly had my kids vaccinated, but a new one came out for each of them, and I hesitated, and I’m glad I did because serious problems arose with both. The vaccines were eventually “fixedl, the kids have both subsequently received one of them, the other they outgrew the need for. I feel the same way about this vaccine. The virus is so new, and new issues are coming up with it all the time. I have no doubt the vaccine will be the same.

Getting vaccinated as soon as it is available to you is your civic responsibility. Just like wearing a mask is now.

Don't be complaining & whining about the people who refuse to wear a mask or someone who has a cough in public now if you're not prepared to step up & get vaccinated.

Getting vaccinated is not about you. It is about building herd immunity.

If you can't do that much, you're just as selfish as those who refuse to mask up.

(Surely several authors and journalists are already writing...!)

yes, we are

ASAP

While I do know people who will willingly get the first available shot, it won't be me.

And I must disagree that it's "my civic responsibility" as ci_lantro says. I wear a mask, I'm careful who I'm around and how I behave. But no, it is NOT my civic responsibility to get vaccinated by something that I'm not comfortable with the background and rush to market. If you're comfortable, as is my friend, then I'm glad it will be available to you! I do get flu shots, pneumonia shot, shingles shots.

As soon as offered, I will take it.

I want to get it pronto, but if there will be a shortage in the country, I will wait and not be pushy about getting one because my mate and I are able to stay masked, pretty isolated, and not go bonkers. So someone who has greater risk or need to be out in the community can go before me.

bragu, really? that's great! what the public needs now is clear, calm, communication!

For those who are getting the vaccine pronto do you have qualms about the type?

Live attenuated

Inactive

Genetic altered

Or

subunit, recombinant, polysaccharide,conjugate.

Definitely getting it. If I am being honest, I am getting it mostly for me because while I know things could be worse, I really am having a hard time with this covid life. I want to get back to normal or something more normal as soon as it's possible

We're trying to follow what data we've been given, and assume we'll be vaccinated as early as possible. #1 - we're ready to have a normal life again, and #2 I don't know how we'd be allowed inside my mothers facility not vaccinated. I want to spend some time in her apartment, take inventory and catch up anything she might be low on. Update some clothing I'm sure, and just sit and watch a movie with her.

salon

it is going to be another year, at least .... look at 1918

We will be getting the vaccine as soon as it is available to us. Our physician has been sending out messages all through the pandemic, and he recommends it too. Generally, he is fairly conservative in his recommendations, but he gave us a more detailed explanation of the vaccine, why it is administered in 2 doses, etc. and we feel much more informed and comfortable with our decision.

Nice explanation. Amazing what can be done when a lot of $$$$$ is devoted to a problem.

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/hcp/mrna-vaccine-basics.html

I will get one of the vaccines when they offer it at my workplace like they do flu shots. No idea when that will be but I'd guess sometime in the spring.

We have a large workforce that must work on-site so I imagine they will be the first to get the shot(s) and those of us that have been working from home will be offered it later.

Nope. This is being rushed through without proper long-term testing, imo.

It takes years for the FDA and Health Canada to approve any meds, and this is too fast.

Years ago I was part of the final group of clinical trials for the HPV vaccine, and I was in that study for 2 years.

Qantas has already announced that passengers will be required to be Covid immunized to fly Qantas international flights. Countries are going to require this prior to entry. (Vaccination passports/ travel passes)

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/qantas-coronavirus-vaccination-intl-hnk-scli/index.html

For all of those cautious people (and caution is a rational response) , most of us on this forum won't get tickets to the early show, those will be for first responders, the active medical community, and so on. By the time they get to us, plenty of time should have passed to observe side effects. When they say 'as soon as available' for us, that will still be some time elapsed from the time it first became available to anyone.

By the time I get to the front of the line it will be known whether or not it's working. I'll wait for those who are at risk to get theirs before I get mine.

Pfizer vaccine is expected at our hospital in January. Our doctor is a personal friend, he called us Thanksgiving to tell us we were in tier one to receive. He said the hospital was using their records to see who was most at risk. He checked records and due to our age , we were tier one, He said it could be May before the healthcare workers finished and would start with us seniors. We will take when it’s available. We will continue wearing mask and trying to stay safe.

I will get it when Dr. Fauci gets it. Or as soon after that as it's available to me. He's the one I trust.

I just became a senior, and would expect to get the vaccine when it's 'my turn' meaning for seniors with no pre-existing medical conditions. Of course, first responders and anyone with conditions that could make Covid19 more difficult to overcome, should get the vaccine first.

Yaya, Canada provides free downloading of the Covid exposure notification app. But unfortunately, some people don't read the info correctly and misunderstand how it works. The other day I joined a 2 person lineup (each masked and spaced 6' apart) in the check out line at a grocery store. The first customer was right at the cash register, ready to pay, then another customer, then me. I'd say about 10 minutes passed from when I got in the line, to when the woman in front of me was loading her groceries onto the conveyor, because the fellow in front of her had a very full cart of groceries.

Suddenly, the woman in front of me starts frantically waving and pointing to the gentleman paying the cashier, and yells "Hey, are you infected with the Corona Virus?!!!' He turned and looked at her saying "What do you mean? I've never had the virus, I'm perfectly healthy." She still screamed at him "No, my phone is telling me someone is in close contact to me that is infected with the virus!!!' The elderly gentleman kept trying to explain that he was not sick and had never had the virus, no matter what she thought her phone was telling her.

But she kept yelling at him, so the cashier paged Security, as the woman was also moving closer to him in a threatening way (which made no sense if she actually thought he had the virus.) I quickly left that lineup, and switched to a checkout a few rows over, before this woman thought to turn around and start accusing me as well.

I could see Security ushering her away, telling her that she was not understanding the app and that it meant she HAD been exposed to someone who had tested positive for the virus, not that she was currently being exposed to it. People shouldn't download things if they aren't going to read how they work.

Depending on the type of vaccine, I will give it up to 5 years to see what after effects develop before receiving the vaccine.

How long does it normally take to develop a vaccine?

Research and development of new vaccines can take an average of 10 years under normal circumstances, although some are developed faster as we’ve seen with previous outbreaks. Taking a vaccine from conception to the clinic is usually a long path and for good reason. It is essential to show that vaccines are safe and effective, so they undergo rigorous testing in multiple phases before they reach humans.

https://youtu.be/4bOHYZhL0WQ

Recently the PREP Act was amended to authorize immunity for the “manufacture, testing, development, distribution, administration, and use” of the COVID-19 vaccine.

I will get it as soon as I am able. I am not understanding bragu what you mean about 1918. I get that was the Spanish Flu, but that had "run its course" as I understand it. This is a vaccine. I am not super high risk, but I am over 65 and will be looking for when it's available.

Jody....yes. Me....no.

My husband does commercial remodels. In order to get on a job site that has high-risk residents...say ...an elder home....you have to be tested for covid once a week with a quick test. Then a daily temperature and blood oxygen test. He'll be getting the vaccine....so I will too. I don't want to be a carrier and not know it.

I fear the virus more than the vaccine. So yes, I’ll get it when offered (if I’m still around).

Our vaccines are in the post! The Pfizer/BioNTech product has been approved here and it's being packed and distributed by the makers right now. Vaccination could start next week. Other vaccines, easier to transport, will be used as they are approved. There's a strict rota and I'm in the 5th category, so I'll have to wait a bit before my turn comes around. But when it does I'll be there. This is the list of priority groups in the order they will be offered the jab:

1 Residents in a care home for older adults and their carers

2 All those 80 years of age and over. Front-line health and social care workers

3 All those 75 years of age and over

4 All those 70 years of age and over. Clinically extremely vulnerable individuals

5 All those 65 years of age and over

6 All individuals aged 16 years to 64 years with underlying health conditions which put them at higher risk of serious disease and mortality

7 All those 60 years of age and over

8 All those 55 years of age and over

9 All those 50 years of age and over.

I’ve not even thought about that yet. It’s going to be a while before it’s available to people with my circumstances and we’ll know a lot more about the vaccines by then. I’ll decide when it’s time.

I will get vaccinated as soon as possible. Using the UK guidelines posted above, my husband and I are fortunate to be in band number nine.

Not sure if I would be in band number six or eight. I am about to turn 58 but I have RA and take a immunosuppressant medication for that.

If the US does it like that I will be in band 5. I thought healthcare workers were to be in first group but whatever. I can't wait.

Really I cannot wait.

I'd be in band 4. And I plan on getting it as soon as it is available for my group. I'm not overly concerned about any potential side effects. They can't be any worse than being dead!!

Though my preference would be to wait awhile, DH is anxious to resume traveling and as a health care provider will be getting vaccinated early; therefore, I'll get it when available to me.

Floral, I’m jealous. It’s going to be a while longer until we approve and get shipments here in Canada.

But....healthcare workers and the elderly first. Something close to 90% of the deaths and serious illness here in Canada are in old age homes. Most of the rest have been senior citizens who are not in old age homes.

The rest of us can afford to wait.

I will wait a while to see the side effects. In the mean time, I will continue to limit my contact, wear a mask and social distance.

My concerns are not without merit. I was in college, back in the fall of 1976 when the Swine Flu vaccine was rushed into production and President Ford issued a madate regarding the Swine Fly vaccine. If we lived on campus, we were required to get the vaccine which consisted of two shots. After receving the first shot, I became very ill and ended up with pneumonia. My issues were attributed to the vaccine. I never did get the second shot.

Since then I have tried to avoid getting flu shots though the few times I did, I became ill until this year. This fall I got a flu shot and so far so good.

United Healthcare invited me to get a Covid vaccine as an experimental subject for Johnson & Johnson's vaccine, but it was set up so I could also get a placebo. I decided not to participate in the study and just wait my turn.

My state(Washington) is about to get 200,000 doses of one of them. I am not sure which. They already have a list of who gets it when. I believe they are starting with front line care people and nursing homes. I will be contacting my doctor to find out when and where I will get mine when it is the turn for my level. My risk is high.

For those who are thinking of contacting their doctor to find out when they can receive the shot I would advise them to hold off for a while. Your doctor would not be able to tell even when they are receiving the vaccine or if their office will be administering it for several weeks. It may be administered there or it may be administered at a walk in clinic. Right now other than knowing a vaccine will be delivered to your area it would be guesswork on the doctor's part.

From what is being reported, most of us will be waiting until spring or summer at the earliest. Hospital doctors, nurses, health care workers, etc. are first along with first responders. Then elderly people in nursing homes. Don't forget that everyone will need two doses. Also, in the US we have almost 400 million people and we are not the only country buying vaccines.

I just hope that people continue to be careful and wear masks, social distance, wash hands. We all want this over, but we need to be so careful and realize we may be coming into the worst time in January and February.

I’d be concerned about drug interactions. As we get older, we take more medications, and elderly in care homes perhaps most of all. We also have more medical conditions. Has the vaccine been tested against enough other meds and conditions? And in medications not uncommon in younger adults?

How will it be guaranteed that people who take the first dose, return for the second dose?

The two vaccines by Pfizer and AstraZeneca use different methods, but both appear effective. Pfizer is a little ahead of AstraZeneca in the approval process and is expected to be the first one available.

However, there is a serious storage and transportation problem with Pfizer's vaccine. It must be stored at -70 C (-94 F). I believe this is beyond the capability of present refrigeration at most pharmacies. That depth of refrigeration is found only in special units in a some test labs. That equipment is not widely available. Special chests with compressors are needed to transport the vaccine over distances requiring significant time, and the refrigeration unit will need a continuous power source.

Furthermore, there has been a strange lack of data about how long the vaccine remains viable once warmed to 35 to 40 F (kitchen refrigerator temperature). This stirs my suspicion that it is not a very long period.

My view: Pfizer will be the first one deployed, and in the longer run AstraZeneca will win due to the storage demand of Pfizer's offering.

Yes, the trials on these vaccines were very limited compared to the norm. I just heard on the radio that the US could approve Pfizer's vaccine in a few days.

I read an article that doctors are worried that people will not return for the 2nd shot due to the after effects that are the same symptoms as having covid itself. But it only lasts a day or two.

With 50% of the population not getting the vaccine and the other 50% of the population having to wait until spring or summer this vaccine might take the same path as the fast tracked swine flu vaccine. By the time it became available to the general public the virus ran its course and people just weren't going for the vaccine.

Something that just showed up on my phone was a story about the need for two shots. The question was would if people were unable to receive the second shot, and probably from the same company, would the virus become more resistant to the vaccine. I did wonder about this and hoped that there would be a single shot vaccine developed. The shortage of the shingles vaccine in this area which made receiving the second shot on time is the reason I have not received the shingles vaccine. While the number of doses sounds large when spread across the country the number given and the slowness to manufacture it may create problems.

I'll get it but I won't wait in line for 5 hours for it

The first consignment of the Pfizer vaccine has arrived in the U.K. It is being distributed to hospitals round the country where, initially, it will be administered because they already have the cold storage facilities. Vaccination is due to begin early next week. I hope no one will be waiting five hours because it’ll be done by appointment. You can’t just roll up and demand it.

I had my yearly Wellness Check Up yesterday by phone. My doctor told me that for people my age it won't be available till probably March or April. That it will not be given at the doctor's office but at a special place that can keep the vaccine very cold. I will probably get it.

Sue

samkarenorkaren, I hear ya. Although I am not getting the shot, I remember as a youngster standing in the line that weaved out the school cafeteria door and around the building to get the polio immunization.

I want a miracle just as much, if not more than most. But, as others have mentioned, the process has been rushed. I know this sounds morbid, but what happens if all the first responders get the vaccine and 3 months later all drop dead from serious side effects (that they don't know about yet or aren't sharing with us)? THEN, we're screwed. Or what's the point of getting a vaccine, only to find out any immunity only lasts 3 months? Everybody would need to get quarterly vaccines, IF they can produce them fast enough.

I know these are just "what if's", but, what if?

The question was would if people were unable to receive the second shot, and probably from the same company, would the virus become more resistant to the vaccine. I did wonder about this and hoped that there would be a single shot vaccine developed.

Maifleur,

To answer the last part... yes, the Johnson and Johnson vaccine is a single shot.

To address the first part... not exactly. Remember, a vaccine is not a drug. It does NOT fight the disease. The vaccine introduces the disease to your body, and it is your body that gears up it’s natural defences to fight off the disease. So, viruses do not evolve to become resistant to vaccines because vaccines do not fight viruses.

However, what can happen (and is sometimes referred to as vaccine resistance) is that the virus evolves to a point that it is no longer similar enough to the virus (or component) introduced by the vaccine. This happens a lot in flus because the flu is a quick evolving virus. (Coronavirus is slow evolving).