I just got my COVID booster! I'm quite happy about this but it was a rather strange experience. Here's why.
Back in February, when I got my second Covid shot in Manhattan, I never would have guessed that I'd be heading over to CVS for a booster. But that's just what happened last week. And I didn't have to wait until September 20th because of a seriously crazy system for signing up.
And I was fortunate to get it. More on that later.
Shot #1 (January)
Surprisingly, my reaction to the third shot was quite different from either of the first two. For example, as I wrote in January, after shot #1, I did not notice any pain or discomfort in my arm, a common complaint. My arm was perfectly fine.
January 2021
Shot #2 (February)
With shot #2 I did experience some arm pain...
And that night, I slept restlessly and had some vaguely disturbing dreams...
February 2021. Images: Pixabay, Wikimedia, Amazon
...but all in all, it wasn't too bad.
Shot #3 (Booster)
Shot #3 provided all kinds of surprises. My body's reaction was quite different and, instead of having to schlep to a gigantic armory in New York, I took a quick trip to a CVS on Long Island - where things got strange.
Much to my surprise, the pharmacist who was supposed to administer the shot looked a whole lot like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a well-known fruitcake anti-vaxxer (1). I mean, a dead ringer! But why would RFK Jr. be giving jabs at the CVS in West Islip, NY? Was it really him? I can't really say, but I think my suspicions were justified...
August 2021. A Robert F. Kennedy Jr. lookalike administering my COVID booster. With a spaghetti colander on his head.
This time the arm pain was pretty bad but did not interrupt my daily routine. No sir, I handled the pain with fortitude, grace, and dignity...
Original image: YouTube
Fortunately, I made a full recovery. Aside from some more immunity, I was essentially unchanged.
Joking aside
Let's be serious for a moment. I've fielded a bunch of questions and comments from readers about the Pfizer mRNA vaccine and the need for a booster. Here are some.
Q: I read that the vaccine can give you COVID.
A: No, this is impossible. Read this.
Q: I don’t understand how the booster shot helps against the Delta variant. It seems obvious that the Delta variant is sufficiently different that it can breakthru [sic] in people who are vaccinated, which means that whatever spike protein that the vaccine targets is not as effective as it was before. How does injecting more of the wrong spike protein vaccine help when we know that regular vaccine doesn’t give full protection? It doesn’t make any logical sense.
A. Alpha and Delta differ by exactly one amino acid out of the 1273 in the spike protein, so it's not at all surprising that the "wrong" vaccine would protect against multiple variants. I wrote about this recently https://www.acsh.org/news/2... . We know without a doubt it works against delta. It prevents serious disease. Almost all of the people dying are unvaccinated. Regarding boosters, It is not unusual for vaccines to be given more in multiple. Boosters are used for hep A, hep B, DTP, shingles... others, so it makes perfect sense that another shot would provide more immunity.
Q: I read that the mRNA vaccine can cause Alzheimer's.
A: It cannot. My former colleague Dr. Alex Berezow explained this in detail back in February
Q: What about using monoclonal antibodies to fight Covid? I read they are more effective in fighting different variants than the original vaccines?
A: It is always better to prevent infection than treat it. It is silly to catch something avoidable, if only partially, then wait until you're in trouble and use a drug that may or may help.
Q: I read that there is a microchip in the vaccine so that government can keep track of where I am.
A: They already can. The microchip is in your phone. And Bill Gates is partially responsible for this
NOTE:
(1) Who does enormous damage every time he opens his mouth. He really needs to STFU
