Very little news to report on Covid-19 or the vaccines. There still is a question among scientists and physicians about the need for booster doses of the vaccines for the general population. Those who have compromised immune systems have already been getting their 3rd doses. That includes people who take strong immune suppressing drugs to prevent rejection of transplanted organs or bone marrow, somewhat less strong immune suppressing drugs to treat auto-immune diseases, or take anti-cancer medications that block the bone marrow's ability to generate new white blood cells.
On Tuesday, I received my 3rd dose of the Moderna vaccine. My 2nd dose was 5 months earlier. That evening, the injection site on my shoulder was sore, as were the lymph nodes under the arm. The next day, about 24 hours after getting the shot, I felt poorly, with low-grade flu-like symptoms. They lasted about 5-6 hours, disappearing with ibuprofen. I never took my temperature, so I don't know if I ran a fever. Since then, my shoulder remained a bit sore, but no other symptoms remain.
All those 'symptoms' are what I expected and hoped for from a vaccine boost. They are signs it was working. My immune system was reacting. Because I regularly take two immune suppressing drugs to treat an auto-immune disease, I was glad to feel those reactions to the vaccine. One of those drugs, methotrexate, I normally take once each week. I was advised to skip the methotrexate dose before getting the shot, and again afterwards.
