Well, we got the tree-huggers, the home-schoolers, the deniers, the conspiracy theorists, and the supermen anti-vaxxer crowds. First thing you gotta do is know your identity. Sounds like you're kind of a superman. Sometimes superman needs to just take off the cape and go to the office. Just be Clark Kent for a few days. Get your shots.

Even though that wasn't meant as a compliment, I'll take it!

OP, I'm in a similar situation as you...very healthy, rarely get sick, and had a very mild case of Covid back in November.

But, I'm looking at this from the opposite perspective. My company hasn't said if they are going to relax restrictions for vaccinated people, but I'm HOPING that they do! I got vaccinated for the very reason that I want these restrictions to be relaxed. I also want to know I've done absolutely everything I can possibly do to minimize spreading this virus to my coworkers, friends, and family.

Also, other than convincing myself I don't "need" to be vaccinated, there is no good reason why I shouldn't be. In 42+ years, I've only had the flu twice, but it was miserable both times. So, I get a flu vaccine every year. My experience with Covid may have been mild, but there is no guarantee that will be the case if I'm exposed again.

In my mind, there is absolutely no downside to getting vaccinated. The vaccine is very safe and effective. The risks and side effects that we are hearing about are the same risks/side effects that exist for just about every vaccine that's out there - and that doesn't stop most people from getting vaccinated against those other illnesses.

Personally, I wouldn't look at it at all like I was being "forced" to take the vaccine. I look at it as the best opportunity to reduce my risk as much as possible - akin to wearing a seatbelt or taking vitamins every morning.

If the CDC recommends everyone get vaccinated, regardless of prior exposure, why not listen to them?

BBQ4Me said:

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If the CDC recommends everyone get vaccinated, regardless of prior exposure, why not listen to them?

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Blindly taking anything the CDC says as gospel is a joke. They've absolutely destroyed their credibility. But there are plenty of other sources of information and data that overwhelmingly support getting the vaccine

BBQ4Me said:

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If the CDC recommends everyone get vaccinated, regardless of prior exposure, why not listen to them?

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Uhhh....have you followed the CDC through all of this? That is why nobody should listen to them.

TXTransplant said:

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My experience with Covid may have been mild, but there is no guarantee that will be the case if I'm exposed again.

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I mean this in the nicest way, but do you know how antibodies work?

Old Buffalo said:

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TXTransplant said:

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My experience with Covid may have been mild, but there is no guarantee that will be the case if I'm exposed again.

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I mean this in the nicest way, but do you know how antibodies work?

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Yes, I do. I was specifically referring to what could happen if I was reinfected without being vaccinated.

As I said above, I had a very mild case - about as mild as a person can have. While rare, there have been documented cases of people being infected twice and being much sicker the second time.

That's part of the reason I opted to get vaccinated - the vaccine dose is proven to be very effective. I did try to get an antibody test after I had Covid (but before I was vaccinated), but the timing with the clinic just didn't work out. I don't want to have to keep going back for antibody testing to "prove" I still have them.

Besides, unless something has changed, the CDC "guidelines" only give me 90 days of immunity after my infection. Since my employer is relying on CDC guidelines, my immunity had effectively "expired" and I would have had to quarantine if exposed again. The antibodies from the vaccine seem to be much more "accepted" than the antibodies from an infection.

And, again, I see absolutely no downside or harm to getting vaccinated. There is no scientific reason why people who have had Covid shouldn't be vaccinated. To me, getting vaccinated is an easy response to counteract/circumvent all the misleading information that has been spread regarding reinfection and how long immunity may or may not last after you have Covid.

Can you ask your company if an antibody test would work?

Then get positive antibody testing regularly.

SVaggie84 said:

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Can you ask your company if an antibody test would work?

Then get positive antibody testing regularly.

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Or just get vaccinated once, instead of going back for repeated antibody testing (which is inconvenient, has a time delay, and may have a cost associated with it).

BBQ4Me said:

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Bassmaster said:

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BBQ4Me said:

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If the CDC recommends everyone get vaccinated, regardless of prior exposure, why not listen to them?

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Uhhh....have you followed the CDC through all of this? That is why nobody should listen to them.

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Fair. They are more apolitical now, so if the experts recommend something, I would listen

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This is a totally inaccurate statement. They are no less political. Telling someone to listen to them is very bad advice. Listen to your local dr instead.

2girlsdad said:

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My job has its main offices up north and they are implementing a rule that everyone in a department has had the vaccine, no mask mandate. There is a good chance our office in Houston will be the same.

I had Covid back in November and it was a non-issue (other than the boring quarantine). I don't want to get the vaccine because I just don't feel it's necessary for me. My wife and I never get flu shots because we never get sick (although I've contemplated it now that we have the two young girls that DO get their childhood vaccines because I believe the data over the decades proves they are needed).

I don't take pain meds. I rarely get sick and when I do, I rarely see the doctor because I believe it's better to let the body do it's job. While I'm almost 40, I work out 6 days a week and not fat (BMI says I'm obese but 4 of those w/o days are lifting).

So if the rule is implemented at my department, I don't want to be the last holdout that requires masks be worn (have to show your vaccine card as proof). My mind also goes down the rabbit hole that not getting the vaccine can cause you to be targeted later on and be cause for dismissal (whether that's the reason stated or not...which I recently received a leadership award/stock so performance would be hard to use). But, the thought of being "forced" to take the vaccine really irks and pisses me off. What do y'all suggest?

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I have basically same situation. Don't get it if you don't feel comfortable about it. HIPPA law, I believe, would not allow your company to "out" you. You can't be required to share your medical if you don't want to.

Now, that may get you terminated so be looking another job.

If my company goes this path forcefully I'll find another company.

There should least be a time threshold "if you've tested positive in the last 12 months you are NOT required to have the vaccine until such time expires" or something this this effect.

Oh and I've had 2 reactions to the flu vaccine. My son had multiple reactions as well. So needless to say we will be some of the last to get the covid vaccine. Would like at least 5 years of data prior to getting the vaccine. My son almost got muscular distrophy from the damn flu shot.

And we are not anti-vaxxers by any stretch of the imagination. We just want more data nowadays since it is more available, before we jump in two feet.

2girlsdad said:

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What do y'all suggest?

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Get vaccinated and get on with your life.

txaggie79 said:

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2girlsdad said:

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What do y'all suggest?

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Get vaccinated and get on with your life.

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Or don't take the vaccine and get on with your life.

You should absolutely still get the vaccinated even if you've already had SARS-COV-2 infection.

Think of your infection as your "first vaccine dose". The vaccination will technically be your "2nd dose" of antigen (virus) that will better train your immune system against the virus. That's why the vaccines are in 2 doses -- first dose is to get your body to recognize the virus and gives the blueprints on how to make antibodies against it, and the 2nd dose trains the immune response to be even better in defending against it. So yes, you should absolutely still get vaccinated in order to make your immune response better than it already is.

Its unfortunate as I have been recommending to people to get the J&J if they already had COVID as its just one shot compared to two which will still be required from the mRNA vaccines, but that option is off the table for the time being. There will be no harm in getting a 2nd vaccine dose, but it probably isn't going to do much for you either.

Some scientific literature about this topic --

Quote:

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Novel mRNA vaccines for SARS-CoV-2 have been authorized for emergency use. Despite their efficacy in clinical trials, data on mRNA vaccine-induced immune responses are mostly limited to serological analyses. Here, we interrogated antibody and antigen-specific memory B cells over time in 33 SARS-CoV-2 nave and 11 SARS-CoV-2 recovered subjects. SARS-CoV-2 nave individuals required both vaccine doses for optimal increases in antibodies, particularly for neutralizing titers against the B.1.351 variant. Memory B cells specific for full-length spike protein and the spike receptor binding domain (RBD) were also efficiently primed by mRNA vaccination and detectable in all SARS-CoV-2 naive subjects after the second vaccine dose, though the memory B cell response declined slightly with age. In SARS-CoV-2 recovered individuals, antibody and memory B cell responses were significantly boosted after the first vaccine dose; however, there was no increase in circulating antibodies, neutralizing titers, or antigen-specific memory B cells after the second dose. This robust boosting after the first vaccine dose strongly correlated with levels of pre-existing memory B cells in recovered individuals, identifying a key role for memory B cells in mounting recall responses to SARS-CoV-2 antigens. Together, our data demonstrated robust serological and cellular priming by mRNA vaccines and revealed distinct responses based on prior SARS-CoV-2 exposure, whereby COVID-19 recovered subjects may only require a single vaccine dose to achieve peak antibody and memory B cell responses. These findings also highlight the utility of defining cellular responses in addition to serologies and may inform SARS-CoV-2 vaccine distribution in a resource-limited setting.

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https://immunology.sciencemag.org/content/6/58/eabi6950

https://www.pennmedicine.org/news/news-releases/2021/april/penn-study-suggests-those-who-had-covid19-may-only-need-one-vaccine-dose

Until you catch one of the variants going around that is showing more severe disease outcomes.

It would be wise to boost your immune system.

Ranger222 said:

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Until you catch one of the variants going around that is showing more severe disease outcomes.

It would be wise to boost your immune system.

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And which would those be? I have only seen variants that are more contagious. Not with worse symptoms.

The South African variant has been associated with worse disease outcomes based on increased mortality of hospitalized patients, although I am not aware if studies are available like the UK variant

If you are a normal, healthy-ish adult without prior vaccine reactions, the shot isn't going to harm you for more then a few days. If you've had vaccine reactions in the past, or you are on special medication for XYZ disease, I would discuss with your doctor.

We don't know what the shot might do to our bodies in the future, but I guarantee even without it we are all going to die of something one day.

For those super worried about the long-term effects of the vaccine, we also don't know the long-term effects of COVID, especially in those who got super sick. There are some that have some really weird changes to their body now and it wasn't necessarily only people who were hospitalized.

I never had COVID, so I got the Pfizer shots in hopes that I give myself a better chance of not becoming seriously ill or dying this year from catching Covid.

As far as getting the vaccine after having COVID, there are many other vaccines where you still take the vaccine after getting sick. Flu, shingles, etc. It's not a hard science and you do have to consider everything else. I would have likely still gotten vaccinated if I had contracted a mild case of COVID. If my body had been compromised, who knows.

As far as my kids I'm waiting on the trials and more time monitoring the vaccines in adults. In particular interest to me are: Are kids who get the vaccine also seeing occurrences of MIS-C without COVID? Is transmission actually slowing/stopping in adults? Are vaccinated adults still getting COVID? Unless the vaccine shows strong proof that it will inoculate a child enough to prevent spread in the classroom, I don't know that I'm interested right now. If they are still going to get sick (but not die, just like now) and still have a chance of MIS-C and have a chance of contracting MIS-C from the vaccine, I don't know if that's worth it.

Now I don't agree with all the theater around masks and 90 day re-quarantines and vaccine passports. That has for sure been used as a way to control the country and there isn't enough unbiased data to for a regular person to judge for themselves what does and doesn't work. I didn't consider any of that when trying to decide whether to get the shot since I know all those are just political tools.

This thread embodies the stupidity society has embraced because of covid. I haven't seen one person suggest a logical scientific reason to get vaccinated if you've had covid. In fact, all the data I've seen suggests that immunity is stronger through infection versus the vaccine. Have a spine and don't engage in nonsensical behavior because of an employer or governmental agency. The only way we move through all this covid nonsense is by people standing up to the mob and advocating for reason.

Take the mask off, invoke HIPPA privacy if your employer asks, and tell them to pound sand if they tell you to put it back on. They don't get to enforce a mask caste system. So sick of this nonsense.

Who is everybody? I read the information they put out, but certainly don't take their recommendations as gospel. You really think some bureaucratic agency should make personal decisions on how you should live your life? I hope you don't have any managerial power over others.