A dozen pro-tips about the vaccines which are readily available here in LA County almost every day with appointments – please read this even if you’ve already “gotten your shot”, and pass this info around; you’d be surprised how many people don’t realize they are eligible each step of the way, or how easy appointments usually are to find if you look in the right places:
- Everyone over 50 is eligible here in California in just 2 days! You can already sign up on this website now: https://carbonhealth.com/covid-19-vaccines/los-angeles
- While I find that to be the easiest place to find appointments, the other two great hubs to sign up are:
https://myturn.ca.gov/ and Kaiser. For Kaiser you can go online or just call this number 833-574-2273 And press 0 a few times until you push your way into talking to a human. And no you do not need to be a Kaiser member to sign up there!
- Everyone 16 and older will be eligible here in CA on April 15th. Pfizer is the only one for 16 and 17 year olds though; for Moderna or Johnson & Johnson you must be 18 or older.
- If you know anyone who is a gardener/housekeeper/maid, they are eligible NOW and may not have computer/internet access nor easy ways to get there. I encourage you to help them get appointments with your computers/smartphones, and then all they need are letters stating that they work in those jobs for 20 hours or more a week. And if you are already 2 weeks after your second dose (aka “fully vaccinated”), you can put on your mask and drive them.
- Immigration status is not relevant, and not asked of anyone. So please reassure anyone you tell who may be undocumented that they are completely safe, as it could be a very scary thing getting “into the system”, but all vaccine sites have reassured that this is not ever asked of anyone.
- Yes you can start getting some immunity after your first dose. Yes the numbers can even start to appear impressive. But many believe that the biggest benefit of immunity will come from the memory cells, and possibly also the lymph node response (that the mRNA vaccines create) – this mostly happens after the second dose. So don’t even think about skipping dose 2!
Credit: Andriy Onufriyenko/Getty Images - Many think they got COVID-19 and don’t need to get the vaccine. Also a silly thought. Natural immunity seems to last 3 to 5 months. And there are no neutralizing antibodies which are hugely important. Some vaccines are less effective than natural immunity. Not this time. These vaccines are awesome, and far more effective than natural immunity. We don’t know how long, but almost certainly longer and stronger from the vaccine than from the disease. So get the shots even if you’ve gotten COVID-19 in the past.
- The following might not matter. Most agencies think this guidance is unnecessary. But if you want to be totally safe/pragmatic, avoid any anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen for 3-5 days after each dose. Why? Because you want inflammation – that’s how the vaccine works. So don’t inhibit that response. Even though honestly it’s a very small statistical difference. Same with alcohol, which is probably fine but I recommend playing it safe and avoiding it for 3-5 days. Tylenol is totally fine for any pain or fever after the dose.
- Side effects are normal and natural and expected. Less for the first dose, and whatever happens after dose 1 expect a stronger version for the second dose. Assume you will feel it the night of your dose, and the next day, and by the morning after that it will be 80-100% better in the vast majority of cases. In some other cases one or 2 extra days, but still safe.
- Yes, if you’ve already had COVID-19 and still have some antibodies, your first dose may have a stronger response, there’s nothing wrong with that.
- If you are pregnant ask your OB but the vast majority will tell you to get it, and that it may add the extra benefit of transferring some immunity to the baby.
- Data is looking great with all of the vaccines (including AstraZeneca which isn’t approved here yet and gets a lot of bad press overseas) at protection and lowering transmission. The world is becoming a safer place to live in on a daily basis, but please recognize that if you have access to the vaccine it is a luxury that many don’t have in different parts of the world. Please don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, even if you feel safe due to your health and age, or because you’ve had COVID-19 and “beat it” – enjoy the fruits of labor of the brilliant scientists from around the world, and be one less person who can spread this to others.
Boaz Hepner grew up in LA in Pico/Robertson and now lives here with his wife and daughter. Thus, the neighborhood is very important to him. He helped clean up the area by adding the dozens of trash cans that can still be seen from Roxbury to La Cienega. When he is not working as a Registered Nurse in Santa Monica, he can be found with his family enjoying his passions: his multitude of friends, movies, poker and traveling.
