Prelude Link to heading
I distinctly remember the first two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Even though 118 operators were among the first categories to receive the vaccine, due to a bureaucratic issue I was pushed to April 24, 2021 for the first dose, and March 18 for the second. We were still among the first to get it, and I’d be lying if I said it was all done lightheartedly.
I felt a mix of enthusiasm and concern. The first came from the prospect of breathing a sigh of relief — after months of sanitizing everything we touched, with the constant fear of infecting ourselves and our families, the prospect of leaving all this behind brought a considerable sense of relief. The concerns back then weren’t very different from what people feel today: it was still a new treatment, barely tested, with uncertain outcomes. But the cost/benefit analysis left no room for doubt — vaccination was necessary.
The first dose went down like water — I felt nothing except a slight discomfort in my arm. The second, both Pfizer, was much more demanding: from day one I had a fever of 38°C and, initially, some fatigue. Since I worked nights at the time, I couldn’t show up at work with a temperature like that, so I went on for 3 days with paracetamol without any particular issues.
Third Dose Link to heading
Back to the present day. Just a few days ago, the first 6 months from the second dose passed, and the first large-scale studies began to provide disconcerting evidence: after 6 months, the protection provided by the vaccine can drop by up to 55% in effectiveness. A very different situation from the 1 year initially projected. Normally such news wouldn’t have worried me much, but since I’m leaving for Turkey on December 9 — a country where COVID rules aren’t exactly a priority — I decided to get the so-called booster dose. What further convinced me was the fact that to re-enter the country, I’d need to show a negative test taken before returning. Combined with the previous point, it didn’t seem like a given.
So I go to the regional website, book an appointment for the following week, and wait.
Cocktails! Link to heading
On the booking form, the vaccine indicated for administration was Moderna — and having had Pfizer for the first doses, this raised some concerns. When I asked the health authority for clarification, the response was, practically paraphrased: “you get what’s available.” Doing some further research, I discovered the world of vaccine cocktails. According to recent studies, mixing vaccines for the third dose creates a kind of multiplier effect for antibodies, and is therefore recommended, as shown in the table:
So I landed the fantastic 17.3x multiplier! Top of the line for anyone who didn’t get J&J!
November 24, 2021, 09:04 AM GMT+2 Link to heading
I enter the vaccination hub, and after a chaotic and disorganized bureaucratic process, my Moderna dose is administered. All smooth.
3:07 PM Link to heading
I start feeling a slight ache in my arm — nothing major, almost negligible.
8:00 PM Link to heading
I start feeling very tired. Back home, my temperature was around 37.5°C, and after heroically refusing the idea of taking paracetamol, I went to bed (in my head, this unhealthy idea had formed: the more fever you endure, the more you immunize).
November 25, 3:27 AM Link to heading
I wake up in the middle of the night, shaken by chills so strong that if someone had been watching me, they might have hypothesized a convulsive crisis. I felt an unprecedented cold despite the 19°C in the room, my double blanket, and winter pajamas. I immediately measure my temperature and, to my enormous surprise, discover it’s only 37.5°C. I wasn’t sweating at all — I had the sensation of being very hot but not a single drop of sweat (quite absurd for me). I decide to add two more blankets and try to get back to sleep. It took me about half an hour to fall asleep, even though the chills showed no signs of subsiding.
5:31 AM Link to heading
I wake up a second time — this time drenched in sweat, like after the marathon, and with an even stronger sensation of heat. The blankets were clearly doing their job; the chills had subsided a bit. I removed some blankets and fell back into deep sleep.
7:03 AM Link to heading
In the morning, I wake up more tired than the night before. My temperature had settled at 37°C and the chills had almost disappeared. To avoid ruining the day, I decide to take 1g of paracetamol and start the daily routine.
Epilogue Link to heading
After the first night, the situation stabilized. I constantly had a fever of 37°C for the following two days without taking any medication. I felt more tired and weak than usual and avoided sports. Today is the first day I can say I truly feel well.
I asked a few friends and colleagues if they had similar reactions, without finding any match. One thing, however, in my small way, I feel I can highlight: among fully vaccinated people, I’ve found much more distrust toward the third dose than I ever found for the first two. This could prove to be a major problem for the future.
I know adverse reactions aren’t rare, but I never imagined that for someone like me — 30 years old, perfectly healthy, and active in sports — something like this would happen. I don’t know if such parallels can be drawn, but if this is the effect with the vaccine, maybe with COVID I really would kick the bucket.