Vaccination Time: How I Chose Which Vaccine To Get and Why

With 3 different COVID vaccinations to choose from in the U.S. (at my time of choosing at least), I had an important choice to make. I had to consider elements such as scheduling, recovery time, and the severity of the average harmless side effects after each vaccination. This article is about those options, and ultimately which choice I made. Looking at the vaccines available, I had two main groups to choose from; the double shot vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer, and the single shot vaccine from Johnson and Johnson.

Author’s Note: 

This article is about the choice I made, and the general aspects of each vaccine. Options and conditions may have changed since the time of my vaccination or the time of writing this article. I am not making any health statements, nor am I responsible for any choices made based on this article.    
 

TIME AVAILABLE TO SCHEDULE A VACCINE (OR TWO)

This factor was probably the first thing that made me lean towards receiving the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. Thanks to colleges taking away all our break days in the semester, I barely had time to schedule one vaccine appointment, let alone a second. While I would need to schedule in more recovery time if I got the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, I would be at home recovering in a place I could immediately resume schoolwork after the side effects wore off. On the contrary,  each trip out to a vaccination appointment puts my effort into transportation and arriving on time to get vaccinated. This meant that the Johnson and Johnson vaccine would be a better vaccination for a tight schedule.  

SIDE EFFECTS (THE NORMAL ONES ALMOST EVERYONE GETS)
Most people are sore or sometimes feverish after a vaccine. The difference is, these side effects were more pronounced in the Johnson and Johnson vaccine (at the time of my decision, so was the blood clot issue. However, that was specific people from a specific demographic, all with a low-platelet count, so based on these factors, I assumed I wasn’t at risk). Because of this, recovery time from the side effects was definitely a benefit of the Pfizer or Moderna options.

EFFECTIVENESS 

While the effectiveness of each vaccine is definitely adequate, I wanted to look into the specific numbers that really showed which one was right for me. At the time of my decision, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were much more initially effective than the Johnson and Johnson option, but the Johnson and Johnson vaccine was said to have a greater “long term effectiveness” in regards to preventing bad cases of COVID (some sources I read even said 100%). When looking at long-term protection versus initial effectiveness, each vaccine had their benefits in different ways.

AVAILABILITY

What really convinced me that the Johnson and Johnson vaccine would be better for me was the availability. I looked at other vaccination locations, and they were either extremely far away, or required a specific PCR test before I showed up (which would have brought me back to the first issue with the scheduling). Fortunately, I found a vaccination site that offered me the Johnson and Johnson option, it was relatively easy to get to, and there was no hassle. I was in and out in less than an hour! Ultimately, I think availability is a major factor in which vaccination is chosen, and has the opportunity to put one vaccine over the others depending on location and alternatives.

PERSONAL PREFERENCE 

Admittedly, this is less important than the other factors in my decision, but I felt this aspect of my choice was important nonetheless. I’ve always had a personal preference for stronger vaccinations because they can offer greater protection. This started when I always got the flu mist instead of the flu shot as a child, as the flu mist is made with live flu viruses, and was sometimes reported to work better in children. While the concept of using a live strain over a dead one, or artificially creating antibodies, isn’t always a guarantee to be more powerful when vaccinating, I still felt it was worth it. 

Ultimately, these different factors were all what influenced my choice to receive the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. Almost a week later, although I know vaccination doesn’t mean the pandemic is over and we all still have to wear masks and socially distance, I’m glad I made the choice that I did, and am happy to have my vaccination out of the way. I can only hope the world will be responsible enough so that I don’t have to receive another one next year, in addition to my flu mist or flu shot.