Since we last did a COVID-vaccine update on our site, Johnson and Johnson has come out with their new vaccine called the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine. Now compared to the Moderna and Pfizer vaccine (which are similarly made and work the same way), this one is different in how it is made, dosage and efficacy, so we would like to briefly go over if anyone is hesitating getting it.
How is the Janssen vaccine made different from the others? Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines work by delivering mRNA instructions for the spike protein inside of a lipid ball that enters your cells, triggering the immune system. This technology has been researched before now, but the common vaccines you have gotten up to now don't use mRNA. The Johnson and Johnson vaccine works like other common vaccinations you get throughout your lifetime (such as the yearly flu vaccine). They use a harmless cold virus to deliver instructions to our cells for making the spike protein used by the COVID-19 virus to get inside our cells. The immune system then responds to the spike protein, thus creating antibodies. Another difference between the two is that the Janssen vaccine only requires one vaccination compared to the two needed for Pfizer and Moderna. How effective is this new vaccine? The Janssen vaccine has 66.3% effectiveness overall and 74.4% effectiveness in the United States against preventing COVID-19, which if you compare it to other vaccines made the same way, such as the flu shot or pneumonia shot is around the same effectiveness similarly. However in trials this vaccine has proven 100% efficacy against hospitalization and death from the virus, which is what's super important because that is what we are trying to focus on in this pandemic, keeping a mass amount of people out of the hospital so we don't overload them at once. Does this vaccine have worse side effects than the other two? There are possible side effects with any medicine, procedure, or vaccination you get, and while you need to be informed of them before you make a decision, it doesn't mean you are guaranteed to get all (or any). The whole point of vaccinations is to strengthen your immune system, so it is likely to experience side effects afterwards. But it's a good thing to get side effects, because that means your body is doing it's thing, and learning how to make the proper antibodies. Some possible side effects of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine is, pain, redness, swelling at the site, alongside headache, muscle pain, fever, chills and nausea. Overall no matter what vaccine you end up getting, what's important is that your building immunity to protect yourself and others against COVID-19. Mostly it depends on the site you are getting the vaccine from, and what they are able to stock. If you have any further questions please research further at the links below to gain more information.
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Across the nation, COVID-19 vaccinations are being made more available. As of the time this post was created, in Illinois, we are in phase 1B which means that you can get the vaccine if you are: a healthcare worker, an essential worker (you have to work in person), a caregiver for an elderly individual, over 65 years old, and/or have a underlying health condition that would make you be considered high risk. You might be wondering, what is a high risk health condition? A high risk health condition means that if you were to get COVID-19 you would have an increased chance of needing to go to the hospital, be put on a ventilator, or even have a higher risk of death. The CDC has outlined what conditions are considered to be high risk. Click the link below to learn more. This post is geared towards people who live in Cook County, IL. If you live elsewhere and are having difficulty signing up for a vaccine, send us an email, we'd be happy to do a little research to see if we can find an option for you! We were part of Phase 1A (healthcare worker) so we have both received both of our vaccines. Both of us received the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine. There are many different ways to sign up for a vaccine, we will share all the ones we know of here, but please know that it is extremely difficult to sign up for a vaccine right now due to shortages (this may change in the next few weeks of course, but we can't guarantee it). Don't be discouraged if you can't find a vaccine right away, keep looking every day, eventually one will show up! You MUST have an appointment to get a vaccine at this point, no walk-ins are being accepted anywhere!!! Be prepared to drive a far distance to get your vaccine, we've heard of people driving 1-2 hours to get a vaccine. The first thing you should do is check with your employer and doctors office to see if they can get you the vaccine. If that doesn't work, we have found these options below (just click the link and follow the directions from there). We discovered that the one that has proven to be the most successful for getting an appointment is calling the phone number (Cook County Public health). You'll be put on hold for a little while, just be patient and eventually you should be able to get through and hopefully sign up. We also recently discovered vaccinefinder.org which helps you to find vaccines near you! Be sure though to look at what time it’s been updated, sometimes it takes them awhile to update so the information may not be up to date completely. However, we have heard of people who had success with it. Most places are releasing appointments at 6 am. Try going on the websites then (go straight to Walgreens, Mariano’s, or Jewel’s websites, if that doesn’t work then try vaccinefinder.org) Okay so you've signed up for the vaccine, you're probably wondering, what should I expect when I get there? Each place varies, however you will have to sit for 15 minutes after your vaccination in an observation room to make sure you don't have any allergic reactions. If you have never had an allergic reaction before to a vaccine or medication, most likely you will be okay! Talk to your doctor or the professionals at the facility if you are concerned about anything. Remember too, they are prepared for any situation there, you'll be taken care of if something were to occur! There are also different rules/symptoms for the Pfizer-BioNtech and Moderna vaccine. You will receive a vaccination card when you get your vaccine that will tell you which one you got. You MUST sign up for the same brand for the second vaccine! We will outline here the differences between the two vaccines (we might be missing things as well, this is not a full comprehensive list, be sure to do your own research as well). Depending on where you get the vaccine, you might not be able to choose which one you get. Most of the Cook County Public Health vaccination sites give out Pfizer with a few exceptions. We wanted to note, symptoms can happen after the first dose but more often happen after the second dose. However, 24-72 hours of symptoms is better than getting Covid-19! Another thing to be noted, these vaccines have received emergency use authorization from the FDA. This is not the same as being approved or licensed by the FDA. There are risks to getting these vaccines, we recommend talking to your doctor before getting it, especially if you have an underlying health condition. You probably noticed as well that we didn't include information about Johnson and Johnson. As of the writing of this post Johnson and Johnson is not being used for the general public yet. If you would like information about Johnson and Johnson, check it out here: UPDATE: We found information from the FDA on Johnson and Johnson’s vaccine, check it out here:
You might be thinking, wait how do these vaccines even work? Do they have the live virus? Will my DNA be altered? Never fear! The vaccine uses mRNA from the virus that codes for the spike protein on the virus. mRNA is present in our bodies 24/7 and is how our bodies make proteins. So when this mRNA is given to us from the vaccine, our cells take it up and make the spike protein which our body sees and builds a defense to it, so when the COVID virus enters our bodies our bodies know how to defend against it Please remember this above all, getting vaccinated does not mean you are immune to Covid-19 and/or that you can't give it to someone else. The vaccines are not 100% effective and there is not enough research yet to determine if someone who has been vaccinated can still spread the virus. Keep wearing your mask, social distancing, and washing your hands! Together we will get through this, there is a light at the end of this long tunnel, but we need to stick it out to the finish to make this pandemic end sooner rather than later.
COVID-19 has officially become a pandemic, which is understandably scary and worrisome to think about! But while we should remain alert and safe, we should avoid panicking as much as possible. Here is some reliable information and tips:
Of course everything changes all the time, considering this is an on-going situation. It's important to keep updated with new information, and equally important to make sure it's coming from reliable sources! For more info (that is both updated and reliable!) : Both of our lives have been touched by family members, teachers, and/or family friends being diagnosed with breast cancer. Most notably, Elizabeth's grandmother and great aunt lost the battle to breast 20 and 10 years ago respectively with breast cancer, and an amazing math teacher from our high school also lost her battle. We participated in the Color the Town Pink walk at Deer Park Town Center this morning to honor our families and friends who have had/have this disease. It was an amazing event with a fantastic turn out, and all of the proceeds at this event went to the American Cancer Foundation. Being in the healthcare field, we wanted to mention how essential it is for women to go in and get their mammograms, and not ignore pain or unusual problems in the body. Some types of breast cancer cannot be determined by mammograms alone, so if you believe something is not quite right in your body, PLEASE reach out to your healthcare provider. Early detection of breast cancer is key to helping beat the disease. as you get older, your risk for breast cancer goes up and other factors such as smoking and other health conditions can increase your chances of getting breast cancer. And men, please don't disregard breast cancer as a women's disease. Men CAN get breast cancer, and it is often far more serious than for women, so if something doesn't seem right, go to the doctor! We are including some pictures from today's event and including some links that we highly encourage you to check out. Remember, you know your body best, if something doesn't feel right to you, get it checked out. |
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