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NFT: Moderna vs. Pfizer Vaccines - Which is better?

Grey Pilgrim : 4/5/2021 10:24 am
I just got my first Moderna shot, but I was hoping for a Pfizer.

Questions:

Are they both comparable in terms of efficacy? Side Effects?

TIA
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and thanks to everyone  
Dave on the UWS : 4/5/2021 12:20 pm : link
who is sharing their vaccine experiences.
The common theme is some had no symptoms, some did, but they went away within a day or two. That's the norm.
My wife and I get our second Pfizer shot next Tuesday  
bigblue1124 : 4/5/2021 12:22 pm : link
The first shot no side effects other than both of us felt like someone hit us in the arm with a sledgehammer. We were both happy we got the Pfizer shot for the only reason we had heard Moderna side effects were worse but that is only threw friends so really no evidence it's true.


Curious if anyone has heard or knows if this will need to be a yearly vaccine like the flu shot or not?

I just got my first dose of Pfizer  
Ten Ton Hammer : 4/5/2021 12:27 pm : link
Bit of a sore arm, that's all.
RE: I hope this clears it up  
jpkmets : 4/5/2021 12:32 pm : link
In comment 15209650 sb from NYT Forum said:
Quote:
Pfizer:

If you prefer a lighter style vaccine, definitely consider Pfizer. Unlike thick-skinned Moderna, Pfizer vaccines have very thin, delicate skins which produce a much lighter bodied injection, with a transparent ruby red color and classic flavors of red cherry, red currant, and wild strawberry. The warmer the climate, the richer expression you may find-think cherry cola-while cool-climate Pfizer reveals more earthy flavors and savory aromas like mushroom and forest fruits.

Moderna:

Considered by many vaccine lovers to be the king of hearty vaxes, Moderna is originally from the Bordeaux region of France, where's it's most commonly blended. The Moderna vaccine has a thick, hearty skin, which, along with its seeds and stems, contributes tannin to the injections-that's the compound that makes your tongue turn prickly and dry and it's also commonly experienced in black tea. Anyone that has ever over-steeped a cup of black tea knows exactly what this sensation feels like.


BRAVO!
RE: My wife and I get our second Pfizer shot next Tuesday  
Bill L : 4/5/2021 12:33 pm : link
In comment 15209835 bigblue1124 said:
Quote:
The first shot no side effects other than both of us felt like someone hit us in the arm with a sledgehammer. We were both happy we got the Pfizer shot for the only reason we had heard Moderna side effects were worse but that is only threw friends so really no evidence it's true.


Curious if anyone has heard or knows if this will need to be a yearly vaccine like the flu shot or not?


My personal opinion is that...it depends.

If we get *really* good buy-in, and that includes convince the anti-vaxxers and the "vaccine hesitants" to overcome their objections (even if it's done by policy, which I have no aversion toward but don't think will happen), and this includes, because of travel, everywhere in the world, then I don't think there would be a need. The virus can be quashed.

If vaccination isn't as successful or as speedy, then there is a possibility that we will need boosters because the unvaccinated will become a breeding ground for mutations that escape the vaccine response.

There is a third possibility and that is the S African variant escapes a lot of the vaccine response (not all) to the current vaccines. But, there is data which shows that if you're infected with the S. African variant first, you are immune to the earlier (and other variants) virus. SO, potentially, if they switch the vaccine over to the S. African virus, which both Moderna and Pfizer (probably the rest too) are beginning to do, then you might have broader protection which would include immunity against new variants
JPK - that would be a great entry  
Dave on the UWS : 4/5/2021 12:35 pm : link
for "the Lighter Side" comic strip from years ago. :)))
they're the same  
Producer : 4/5/2021 12:35 pm : link
I got Pfizer. No big problems.
Probably will need boosters  
Payasdaddy : 4/5/2021 12:35 pm : link
But they won’t know until late this yr or 2022
FLU. Gonna be dangerous later this yr
Reason is there is little data from current flu season to put together a proper flu shot
They are always doing their best guess scenario for next yrs flu vax. Next yr will be more difficult
Probably a good reason to mask up in crowded public areas at for another yr and keep hand sanitizer/ washings hands as protocol, probably forever
Which is a good thing since that is a great way to keep flu down every yr.
Get my second Pfizer next Monday  
AnnapolisMike : 4/5/2021 12:39 pm : link
I would have preferred one shot over two. But beggers.... I am curious if anyone has really been given an option.
My wife gets her first Pfizer shot today  
nygiants16 : 4/5/2021 12:39 pm : link
I get mine wednesday..Excited and oddly nervous, not anti vax by any means, just nervous about the side effects
High likelihood that it will be recommended to receive annual boosters  
ColHowPepper : 4/5/2021 12:42 pm : link
vs Covid/one of its variants, just like common flu booster is recommended to protect against the prevalent strain of flu for the vaccination year. all imo

Posted this on another thread:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/04/05/brazil-variant-coronavirus-south-america/

This strain is hitting BC province hard
url, sorry  
ColHowPepper : 4/5/2021 12:43 pm : link
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/04/05/brazil-variant-coronavirus-south-america/
I Got The 2nd Pfizer Vaccine On Good Friday  
Trainmaster : 4/5/2021 12:46 pm : link
As with the 1st Pfizer vaccine, only some very minor pain at the site of the injection. For me, zero difference at the injection site from a flu shot.

My wife and I got the 1st Pfizer on the same day (late in the day, around 5 PM), both of us had a very restless night's sleep (I probably woke up 4 or 5 times; same with her). After the 2nd shot (which I got at around 7:30 AM), I didn't get a good night's sleep either.

Zero other symptoms for me. I was very physically active both the day of 2nd Pfizer shot and the day after; no issues.

Anecdotally, it seems as if the Moderna vaccine has more initial side effects. My daughter and son in law got Moderna and both felt crummy for a day or two with flu like symptoms.

My son got Pfizer, no issues.

As others have stated, Pfizer and Moderna use the same technology. I wanted Pfizer for the reasons others had stated (more established company, shorter time between vaccinations). My mother in law has a very well regarded cardiologist. He had got the Pfizer and recommended she get Pfizer.

But as others have stated, the most important thing is get some kind of vaccine as early as you can.

I still have some friends that aren't comfortable getting any vaccines. I think they're make a poor choice.

RE: High likelihood that it will be recommended to receive annual boosters  
Producer : 4/5/2021 12:47 pm : link
In comment 15209869 ColHowPepper said:
Quote:
vs Covid/one of its variants, just like common flu booster is recommended to protect against the prevalent strain of flu for the vaccination year. all imo

Posted this on another thread:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/04/05/brazil-variant-coronavirus-south-america/

This strain is hitting BC province hard


yes it does seem annual boosters will be in the cards for at least the next few years until (or if) this virulent strain of covid is eradicated.
Some are taking my "rushed" comment in the wrong direction  
widmerseyebrow : 4/5/2021 12:57 pm : link
No where did I say "don't get vaccinated" or even "don't take Moderna." Getting vaccinated is the most important thing. But many here are also correctly pointing out that research is still ongoing and there are still unknowns for several groups. Given that, if I have equal choice of Moderna vs. Pfizer (the question in the OP), I'm picking the more reputable company that's been doing this for a long time. That's it. Do what you want.
Since we're sharing experiences:  
81_Great_Dane : 4/5/2021 1:15 pm : link
My wife and I got our first dose of Pfizer on the same day at separate facilities. I had a very mild reaction, barely noticeable. My wife got quite sick with "flu-like" symptoms for about 3 days.

I had my second dose last week and I had a more noticeable reaction: Headache, body aches, maybe a low-grade fever. Set in about 8 hours after the shot and lasted about 36 hours. Got the shot on Wednesday morning; Friday morning I felt fine.

My wife gets her second shot on Wednesday and is planning on another bad reaction. Her immune system always sort of "goes to 11" so we weren't surprised that she had a strong reaction.
The important thing to remember is  
BurlyMan : 4/5/2021 1:25 pm : link
that these efficacy percentages are in terms of contracting COVID. In terms of keeping you out of the hospital and alive they are close to 100%.

81 Great Dane.  
SFGFNCGiantsFan : 4/5/2021 1:53 pm : link
I'd advise your wife to take Thursday off if she's getting it Wednesday just in case she has bad reaction. My wife was bedridden for 2 days after her second shot.
Get which ever you can as soon as you can...  
trueblueinpw : 4/5/2021 2:01 pm : link
The clinical trials of Pfizer were marginally better than Moderna but in real world data available recently both are tracking around 90% efficacy after 2nd shot to prevent infection. The real world data, as opposed to the clinical trials, seems to indicate that the vaccine *prevents* infection and does merely mitigate the symptoms of the disease. This is an important and nearly miraculous element to the vaccine. As far as I know, there are no cases of anyone being vaccinated and subsequently dying from covid. So even if you get vaccine and then get covid, which is highly unlikely, your overwhelming probability is for a mild and eminently survivable case.

The J&J vaccine is also highly effective though maybe slightly less effective in the after shot near term. However, there's considerable thought that the J&J vaccine may offer very similar efficacy over a broader timeline.

Regardless, get vaccinated. We're in a race now with the variants so the more people vaccinated the less people this horrible virus can infect.
My wife got the second Pfizer shot Friday  
cjac : 4/5/2021 2:37 pm : link
Saturday she was tired, sluggish and complaining to me all day

So basically zero side effects
Had my second shot of Pfizer on Friday afternoon  
Gary from The East End : Admin : 4/5/2021 2:41 pm : link
Woke up the next morning feeling a little off. In the early afternoon, about 22 hours after the shot, it really started to hit me. I had symptoms similar to early onset of a cold or the flu - mild fever, chills, body aches, etc.

I took Tylenol every four hours and chugged a bunch of Gatorade. When I woke up the next morning, I was fine.
RE: Yes  
PwndPapi : 4/5/2021 2:41 pm : link
In comment 15209630 Bill L said:
Quote:
and yes.

If you have a choice of which vaccine to get, and this includes the Janssen (J&J), get the one which you can have first.


Bill nailed it. The question isn't which has the highest efficacy (which is merely a snapshot measuring how effective the vaccine performed in clinical trails at preventing infection). This is largely meaningless once the vaccines are approved because efficacy changes as the virus mutates and population pool changes. The important question is which vaccine will keep you alive and out of the hospital. That's all of them.

Don't vaccine shop. Just get one. Here's an excellent video explaining this in depth.

Why you can't compare Covid-19 vaccines - ( New Window )
Another fun fact....  
PwndPapi : 4/5/2021 2:50 pm : link
Katalin Kariko, a Hungarian-born biochemist and professor at University of Pennsylvania first raised the idea of using mRNA as a means of gene therapy in 1990. She was demoted in 1995 after being rejected for several grants to begin research on mRNA which was seen as a dead end.

Fast forward. She is now a Senior VP at BioNtech and hailed as the mother of mRNA based Covid-19 vaccines.
RE: RE: High likelihood that it will be recommended to receive annual boosters  
Jim in Fairfax : 4/5/2021 2:55 pm : link
In comment 15209885 Producer said:
Quote:


yes it does seem annual boosters will be in the cards for at least the next few years until (or if) this virulent strain of covid is eradicated.

Expect it to be ongoing for the foreseeable future. As long as COVID persists anywhere in the world it will mutate. The third world has barely been touched by vaccines at this point. And given that the drive to eradicate polio has gone on for decades and still hasn’t succeeded, it’s unlikely COVID can be eradicated worldwide. So: regular boosters will be in our future.

The only viable way to stop the need for annual boosters is to develop a vaccine that works against ALL coronaviruses. Scientists began working on it after SARS & MERS, but they lost funding since those diseases were stopped with few deaths. Well, they’ve got funding now. They are optimistic about the project, but we’ll have to wait and see.

I'm going with 1-shot J&J  
mavric : 4/5/2021 4:12 pm : link
appt on Saturday at the NYS Fair Grounds in Syracuse. I had my choice between Pfizer and J&J and it was a no-brainer for me - one and done!
I'm scheduled for 2nd Moderna  
Gregorio : 4/5/2021 4:22 pm : link
shot on Friday 4/23. Next day I have a 4 hour outdoor gig to play with my band. I'm dreading side effects, because performing with fever sucks. I tried to reschedule the shot but it's next to impossible.

Advice I got was to just do it and not play games with the appointment.
As I mentioned I got the first Moderna vaccine shot this morning...  
Grey Pilgrim : 4/5/2021 4:44 pm : link
My shoulder hurts, I'm tired and have a slight headache.

As I mentioned I think I'd prefer the Pfizer shot. I may have had the option, but it never occurred to me to request it.



I assumed it was the Pfizer shot...  
Grey Pilgrim : 4/5/2021 4:48 pm : link
because my brother went to the same place and got the Pfizer.

:mad:
Great advice here,  
section125 : 4/5/2021 4:51 pm : link
get the first one offered and show up for the 2nd one.
RE: I'm scheduled for 2nd Moderna  
Del Shofner : 4/5/2021 4:58 pm : link
In comment 15210219 Gregorio said:
Quote:
shot on Friday 4/23. Next day I have a 4 hour outdoor gig to play with my band. I'm dreading side effects, because performing with fever sucks. I tried to reschedule the shot but it's next to impossible.

Advice I got was to just do it and not play games with the appointment.


Good luck. FWIW, I had no adverse reaction to my 2nd Moderna.
Which vaccine is less likely to have deep-state mind control elements?  
WideRight : 4/5/2021 5:06 pm : link

I don't want my brain to be overcome by crazy ideas.
Got the J&J  
adamg : 4/5/2021 5:45 pm : link
Sore arm for 3-4 days. Knocked out the day of the injection. A little weary the next couple days. Fine since.
RE: Which vaccine is less likely to have deep-state mind control elements?  
Jim in Fairfax : 4/5/2021 5:46 pm : link
In comment 15210315 WideRight said:
Quote:

I don't want my brain to be overcome by crazy ideas.

Too late.
Had Both Doses of Pfizer  
Jeffrey : 4/5/2021 5:55 pm : link
as did my wife. I had a sore arm for a day after the second dose. She had chills and felt very weak for several hours. Daughter got the J&J shot with no side effects and neighbors got Moderna with no side effects. Have yet to hear of anyone who regrets getting the vaccine though.
got my 2nd Moderna  
KDubbs : 4/5/2021 5:58 pm : link
on friday at 2pm. the second shot stung like a B where the first I did t realize the guy stuck me. Arm was 1000x worse than the first. By 1am minor chills and aches. slept well. woke up feeling like I was tackled by James Harrison. Body aches all over. by 11am full on flu like symptoms just about as bad as any flu I have had. 8pm felt normal. Arm stopped hurting today but I have a massive headache. not sure if shot or just weather
I got Pfizer  
Bramton1 : 4/5/2021 6:24 pm : link
Took the injections like Ivan Drago in Rocky IV.

No side effects.
RE: Which vaccine is less likely to have deep-state mind control elements?  
PwndPapi : 4/5/2021 6:29 pm : link
In comment 15210315 WideRight said:
Quote:

I don't want my brain to be overcome by crazy ideas.


RE: I'm fully vaxed now with Pfizer  
LauderdaleMatty : 4/5/2021 8:54 pm : link
In comment 15209802 Stan in LA said:
Quote:
But I am not taking off my mask anytime soon. Does anyone realize why there was no flu season this year?

Yes, that's right.


It only stupidity as fatal
I have heard from a few clients  
Bergen346 : 4/5/2021 9:00 pm : link
Who have a lot of doctors as their clients, that for younger people the Pfizer vaccine has shown less side effects. In fact, many of my clients who do a lot of work with doctors have gone out of their way to drive to/find locations where they could specifically get the Pfizer vaccine.

I have no idea if it is proven that the Pfizer vaccine has less side effects for younger people, but that is what I have heard. Please don’t take the above as factual/completely accurate. Purely anecdotal.
The one  
Beer Man : 4/6/2021 9:21 am : link
inside your body (8>
Got my first Moderna the second week of March  
Beer Man : 4/6/2021 9:25 am : link
Now when I walk past any speaker system it gives off static and starts playing "Go away little girl" by Donny & Marie. Whats that all about?
For those who think this was rushed  
Jeever : 4/6/2021 9:38 am : link
they've been working on mRNA technology for 17 years.
RE: I have heard from a few clients  
Mike in NY : 4/6/2021 9:41 am : link
In comment 15210607 Bergen346 said:
Quote:
Who have a lot of doctors as their clients, that for younger people the Pfizer vaccine has shown less side effects. In fact, many of my clients who do a lot of work with doctors have gone out of their way to drive to/find locations where they could specifically get the Pfizer vaccine.

I have no idea if it is proven that the Pfizer vaccine has less side effects for younger people, but that is what I have heard. Please don’t take the above as factual/completely accurate. Purely anecdotal.


Physicians I know have bascially said whatever you can get sooner of Moderna v. Pfizer you should take. The only contraindication is that if you have had anaphylactic reaction in the past you are better off getting Moderna.
Jeever  
redwhiteandbigblue : 4/6/2021 11:20 am : link
You are absolutely correct. That is why it came to market so fast because they basically were tweaking what they had. Additionally the mRNA vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) are easier to tweak and because of this, they will be relatively easy to adapt to new variants and down the road for booster shots. Nonetheless, it was a Herculean effort to perfect a vaccine with 94.1(Moderna) and 95.0 (Pfizer) efficacy.
Beer Man I feel for you.  
redwhiteandbigblue : 4/6/2021 11:23 am : link
Could be worse though. What if what you were hearing was "I'm a Barbie Girl, in a Barbie World"?
RE: Which vaccine is less likely to have deep-state mind control elements?  
Ten Ton Hammer : 4/6/2021 11:29 am : link
In comment 15210315 WideRight said:
Quote:

I don't want my brain to be overcome by crazy ideas.


Why do you post here then? :)
Apparently they only have once shot or the other..  
Grey Pilgrim : 4/6/2021 11:38 am : link
not a choice of both, so I'm glad I got the Moderna.

Still a bit sore and tired, but no headache.


RE: For those who think this was rushed  
PwndPapi : 4/6/2021 1:13 pm : link
In comment 15210977 Jeever said:
Quote:
they've been working on mRNA technology for 17 years.


30 years.
RE: RE: I'm fully vaxed now with Pfizer  
sb from NYT Forum : 4/6/2021 4:54 pm : link
In comment 15210601 LauderdaleMatty said:
Quote:
In comment 15209802 Stan in LA said:


Quote:


But I am not taking off my mask anytime soon. Does anyone realize why there was no flu season this year?

Yes, that's right.



It only stupidity as fatal


Unintentionally ironic post of the year right there by LM.
Feeling better...  
Grey Pilgrim : 4/7/2021 1:41 pm : link
Arm is not a sore. Not as tired/no headache.
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