Camlan said: "This year, I think I had a brand-new student nurse giving me the shot (under supervision of a qualified nurse, of course). She was a bit nervous, but did an okay job--the shot hurt a bit more than other times, but was that her or me? And it didn't hurt that much, to be honest, although it bled a lot and I ended up with a SpongeBob SquarePants bandaid on it. Worse things have happened." Students giving their first injections tend to push the needle in rather than going in like a dart and that hurts. I taught nursing at our community college before I had my twins and we had our students practice on oranges. We did not let them practice on each other (that's what I did as a student nurse---stupid, stupid, stupid.) Sometimes, I even had to take the students hand and push the needle in. Thank heaven for people that like students. It's funny, watching the newscasters on morning TV get their flu vaccine on live TV by physicians rather than nurses and watching them squeal like babies. Not putting down physicians--my brother is family practice--but they don't give that many injections. Most injections should not hurt except for the occasional liquid that burns going in.

My ears perked up with this as I do have a shellfish allergy. From what I understand, the reactions was from people with severe allergies, and they were treated and fine. I will make sure to declare my allergies when I get the shot. I have not had any reactions to other vaccines (I got hep A and B vaccines last year, and had no issues) I used to eat shellfish and then one time about 25 years ago, after eating shrimp I broke out in crazy hives. I had no idea what was going on, as the hives came out a day after and kept going. I had never had this reaction before and actually thought maybe it was chicken pox. It was very uncomfortable, but no issues with breathing. I was tested later on and confirmed that I am allergic to shellfish. So of course, I avoid it . I have no problem if someone at the table is eating it as long as I don't.

No! It means you just didn't have a noticeable reaction. I've read that you shouldn't put stock into the effectiveness of your vaccine based on whether you have a reaction or not. I read something really wonderful about different people's "styles" of immune systems but darn if I can put my hands on it now. ETA: I linked the article at the bottom, (it is one of the best I've read about how the vaccines work-there is no paywall) but this is the part I was remembering: "People shouldn’t be perturbed by a lack of vaccine side effects either. As our bodies churn through new information, “some people’s immune systems are louder than others’,” Marcelin said. But the quiet ones are still hard at work. My husband’s immune system certainly fell into the diva category. The night after his second shot, he pinwheeled between cold and hot, alternately bundling himself in blankets and tossing them away. The flux seemed to bleed a bit into his emotional valence too. After snoozing on the couch for several hours, he perked up and couldn’t stop laughing at a picture of an orange cat curled up next to a box of similarly crescent-shaped croissants. But within 24 hours of his shot, he was feeling well enough to run (yes, run) to work and finish an 11-hour shift. In a couple of weeks, he’ll join the millions of other Americans who, thanks to a pair of injections, will be cloaked in an extra layer of armor against the coronavirus." I just got my 2nd dose of Moderna tonight. I told the workers that if it wasn't the middle of a pandemic, I'd kiss them all! I think they might have found one benefit to the pandemic, lol! I have Kaiser healthcare and have been more than impressed with their handling of this. They had vaccines available before anyone else in my area and made our 2nd appts when we booked our 1st. Other major vaccine sites have been canceling 2nd appts because of lack of vaccine, so I was concerned that Kaiser might do the same. But they didn't. I guess they must have ordered enough vaccine in the beginning to ensure 2nd shots and just stored it themselves. IDK, but I am grateful for their forethought. Atlantic article about vaccines

We're Kaiser members, altho they suggest signing up with the county as well and just taking the first appt that comes up. We're both over 65 so just got our 2nd shots with Kaiser. Takes a bit of standing in line, but they're pretty efficient about it overall. No worse than waiting for a flu shot at peak times, LOL. One volunteer gives her own speech in the after-shot waiting area. I was told this but my spouse, who went on a much more crowded weekend, did NOT get told this by other volunteers working that day: SAVE THAT WHITE CARD! Even if you get a shot from Kaiser or Blue Shield (or wherever), this is a federal vaccination program. This card is the ONLY proof you will have that you have been partially/fully vaccinated. Zip, nada, nothing else. If you lose it, it CANNOT be replaced. There is no federal identification database - V-safe, the CDC's cellphone app (which is strictly voluntary sign-up), only tracks side effects per mfg type/batch # for statistical purposes. Thus, even tho we got our shots through Kaiser (showing our membership cards etc.) our assigned GPs were not involved nor aware of our vaccinations. Due to HIPAA regulations and the fact this is a federal program, Kaiser cannot issue any card replacement for its members. I would assume it is the same for any Blue Shield recipients, et. al. The volunteer suggested taking a photo of front and back of the card with your cellphone camera, so it's easily accessible. She keeps her card with her passport, in a safe place. I thought this was useful info, so hope it's of help to others.