4 ms·

Not the OP, but let's rephrase: if you go to the clinic to get the shot and they tell you they have so many doses of all vaccines available that it's up to you

Not the OP, but let's rephrase: if you go to the clinic to get the shot and they tell you they have so many doses of all vaccines available that it's up to you to choose which one to take, and either way, you are going to get the shot today, which one should you choose? And how much does this choice matter in your expected health outcomes?

josefresco 6y ago
I would ask the doctor and not trust my ignorance (as a non-medical professional) to provide me the answer. Everything being equal? I'm taking the shot that doesn't require me to come back for a second.
- smnrchrds 6y ago
  And what would the doctor say? And please don't reply "whatever the correct answer is", because then I will have to ask "what is the correct answer" and we end up in an infinite loop.
  - 35fbe7d3d5b9 6y ago
    The guidance provided so far is that all three shots are equally effective. That's likely what the doctor would say. From my own, semi-informed research: * The effectiveness of J&J is likely under-reported because it was tested during a significant outbreak. * Moderna seems to have slightly higher reports of side effects compared to Pfizer, though unlikely to be statistically significant. * I am a young, healthy person. With that calculus: 1) I'd pick whichever was available to me the fastest. In my area immunizations are by appointment and segmented by vaccine. I'd rather have Moderna tomorrow than wait a week for an appointment for another to open up. 1.a) In the unlikely case that I had a choice between the shots, I'd select J&J, as it has been shown to be safe and effective with one shot. This simplifies my life. In reality, scheduling a vaccine seems to be the hardest. No one of the ~10 or so I've talked to who have had their first shot between January and early March have had the ability to chose. When I received my first dose of Pfizer last month I didn't have a choice of options; I was on four or five call lists and took the one that offered me an appointment. My wife received Moderna because her work coordinated mass vaccinations and that's what they offered. A coworker received J&J because there were leftover doses that needed to be administered. Perhaps that's changed, but as many states open up to 16+ I suspect it'll remain the biggest challenge.
    - casefields 6y ago
      Using the words equally effective is a lie though. An uncharitable take being government propaganda being repeated because bureaucrats/politicians see it as a noble lie. If these studies only produced a pass/fail then that would be acceptable, but we all know that's not how studies are done.
balls187 6y ago
Which is a fair question, and a fair way to raise it. Calling the standard answer infantile was where I took issue. Assuming your question wasn't rhetorical--in the hypothetical scenario you described based on today's info, I would opt for J&J, 1) as a matter of convenience 2) The technology behind J&J is more mature
neither_color 6y ago
J&J, one and done. In any future scenario where the vaccinated have privilege over the non-vaccinated(as has been proposed with vaccine passports), then J&J is the better choice. 1.5 months to freedom vs 15 days. People can say out loud otherwise because it's not the right thing to say, but deep down J&J offers the best incentive for a non-vulnerable risk-group member. "Whichever one is available to you" is a platitude that assumes all our motivations for getting it are the same. You're doing it out of concern for X, I'm doing it because chances are I'll have to, etc.
- bgentry 6y ago
  Data from the study released this week (of frontline healthcare workers vaccinated in December) showed that the mRNA shots had a high efficacy just two weeks after the first dose, likely higher than the efficacy of the J&J shot. Just a single data point from one study, but I raise it only to point out that it may in fact not be the case that the J&J shot provides better immunity vs two weeks after the first mRNA dose.
  - paconbork 6y ago
    If your goal is just to get a vaccine passport then J&J will still be the better option until regulators acknowledge that one shot of mRNA is about as good shrug
- balls187 6y ago
  There is new data showing the efficacy for Pfizer is better for children age 12 and up. The point being; it's way too early to know which is better and why, and to base a decision on that data.
- ghaff 6y ago
  That assumes that, at this point in time, having a "vaccine passport" confers some concrete benefit. It's also more like 2 weeks vs. 5 weeks. The other factor is if you end up getting a vaccine somewhere 2 hours away or something like that. Which is a reasonable consideration but fairly minor in the scheme of things.

josefresco 6y ago

I would ask the doctor and not trust my ignorance (as a non-medical professional) to provide me the answer. Everything being equal? I'm taking the shot that doesn't require me to come back for a second.

smnrchrds 6y ago
And what would the doctor say? And please don't reply "whatever the correct answer is", because then I will have to ask "what is the correct answer" and we end up in an infinite loop.
- 35fbe7d3d5b9 6y ago
  The guidance provided so far is that all three shots are equally effective. That's likely what the doctor would say. From my own, semi-informed research: * The effectiveness of J&J is likely under-reported because it was tested during a significant outbreak. * Moderna seems to have slightly higher reports of side effects compared to Pfizer, though unlikely to be statistically significant. * I am a young, healthy person. With that calculus: 1) I'd pick whichever was available to me the fastest. In my area immunizations are by appointment and segmented by vaccine. I'd rather have Moderna tomorrow than wait a week for an appointment for another to open up. 1.a) In the unlikely case that I had a choice between the shots, I'd select J&J, as it has been shown to be safe and effective with one shot. This simplifies my life. In reality, scheduling a vaccine seems to be the hardest. No one of the ~10 or so I've talked to who have had their first shot between January and early March have had the ability to chose. When I received my first dose of Pfizer last month I didn't have a choice of options; I was on four or five call lists and took the one that offered me an appointment. My wife received Moderna because her work coordinated mass vaccinations and that's what they offered. A coworker received J&J because there were leftover doses that needed to be administered. Perhaps that's changed, but as many states open up to 16+ I suspect it'll remain the biggest challenge.
  - casefields 6y ago
    Using the words equally effective is a lie though. An uncharitable take being government propaganda being repeated because bureaucrats/politicians see it as a noble lie. If these studies only produced a pass/fail then that would be acceptable, but we all know that's not how studies are done.

balls187 6y ago

Which is a fair question, and a fair way to raise it. Calling the standard answer infantile was where I took issue. Assuming your question wasn't rhetorical--in the hypothetical scenario you described based on today's info, I would opt for J&J, 1) as a matter of convenience 2) The technology behind J&J is more mature

neither_color 6y ago

J&J, one and done. In any future scenario where the vaccinated have privilege over the non-vaccinated(as has been proposed with vaccine passports), then J&J is the better choice. 1.5 months to freedom vs 15 days. People can say out loud otherwise because it's not the right thing to say, but deep down J&J offers the best incentive for a non-vulnerable risk-group member. "Whichever one is available to you" is a platitude that assumes all our motivations for getting it are the same. You're doing it out of concern for X, I'm doing it because chances are I'll have to, etc.

bgentry 6y ago
Data from the study released this week (of frontline healthcare workers vaccinated in December) showed that the mRNA shots had a high efficacy just two weeks after the first dose, likely higher than the efficacy of the J&J shot. Just a single data point from one study, but I raise it only to point out that it may in fact not be the case that the J&J shot provides better immunity vs two weeks after the first mRNA dose.
- paconbork 6y ago
  If your goal is just to get a vaccine passport then J&J will still be the better option until regulators acknowledge that one shot of mRNA is about as good shrug
balls187 6y ago
There is new data showing the efficacy for Pfizer is better for children age 12 and up. The point being; it's way too early to know which is better and why, and to base a decision on that data.
ghaff 6y ago
That assumes that, at this point in time, having a "vaccine passport" confers some concrete benefit. It's also more like 2 weeks vs. 5 weeks. The other factor is if you end up getting a vaccine somewhere 2 hours away or something like that. Which is a reasonable consideration but fairly minor in the scheme of things.