Vaccines have been in the news this past week. Different companies announced early results from tests on their vaccines to fight COVID-19 (Pfizer and its German partner, BioNTech, and the other by biotechnology firm Modern.)
It was about this time last year when I got a flu shot. And this past week I got my flu shot, so now two years in a row I got the flu shot. With almost every news story about COVID-19, illness is top of mind.
Just a few minutes ago, my daughter texted me and my husband about getting a pneumonia vaccine. Neither of us have had that vaccine, but perhaps we should. The way I understand it, there are three causes of pneumonia (viral, bacterial and heart-related) and the shot protects from viral.
In August I got the Tdap vaccine. It’s an every 10 year shot to protect from Tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough.)
Flu shots and vaccines are definitely on my mind.
A few years ago I had two friends, both in their 40’s who had terrible bouts with shingles. At the time, I wanted the shingle shot. I asked at two different places (a clinic and my doctor) but both said that I was too young (under 60) and refused to give me the vaccine.
Now that I’m over 60, I still don’t have the vaccine, but have it on “my list” of things to do for my ongoing health. The CDC now recommends the shingle vaccine when you turn 50 years old.
With the pandemic on my mind so much this year, it seems like I have said “When COVID is over, I’m going to…” so many times. As of today, there are 182 vaccines in development to stop COVID.
Have you had the flu shot? Shingles? Pneumonia? Are they part of your healthy plan? What are your thoughts about 
with vaccines?
I got the flu shot this year. Some years I get it, others I don’t. The first year that I got the flu shot was when my doctor suggested it because I was going to see one of my parents who was in the hospital. She said I didn’t bring the flu to my parents. I got it this year simply because I figured with all of the illness going around, I’d be better off trying to avoid the flu.
They’ve changed the shingles vaccine and I got the new version. I couldn’t lift my arm over my head for a day or two after the first shot. The second one wasn’t as bad. Both of my parents had shingles and I’d really like to avoid it.
The question I have about shingles is about the kids who got the chicken pox vaccine. Do they have the virus in their system or not? If they don’t, they probably won’t get shingles.
Nobody has suggested I get the pneumonia vaccine yet.
I know that there’s some controversy over all of these immunizations but I know I really don’t want to have shingles.