Up until now, I’ve only gotten the Pfizer vaccines. And while I’ve reacted to them, it was never particularly bad. Light muscle aches and some fatigue were basically it. Worst was the second one - I could feel my hair follicles and eyelids with that one.
But the Moderna one seems to be quite the beast.
When I found out I could get the new Moderna, I was excited, since I’ve heard that mix-and-match is probably the strongest immunity you can get. And I figured it wasn’t going to be that bad when after several hours, I only had some light fatigue.
But today has been awful. Consistent fever around 102.3, chills, headache, nausea, whole-body aches, and ludicrous levels of exhaustion. I’ve been utterly useless.
Is this what Moderna vaccines have been like all along? I’ll take it over contracting COVID-19, definitely… but ouch. It’s hurting me plenty.
Next morning update: Chills are gone, fever seems to be gone, muscle aches aren’t entirely gone, but they’re fading. All in all, 10/10 would feel like shit for a day again to help stop the spread of a dangerous disease.
I’ve been lucky not to catch COVID at all so far. I’ve got extended family who have, and it’s been an object lesson in why vaccinating is so important. With vaccines, I feel crummy for a day or two. My father-in-law is on year three of feeling crummy due to long COVID, and my brother-in-law is on year two.
I travel a lot for a living, so I’m more exposed than most. Both times I’ve caught it was in the US