The Bi-Variant COVID Booster

The Fall 2022 Influenza (Flu) vaccines

OK – what in the world am I talking about?

I am sharing my experience with the new bi-variant boosters that have been recently approved by the FDC and CDC for people 12+ years old. Some people call them bivalent. It is like “potato potatoe” – they are all the same thing.

and I just received my fifth shot/booster! To mix things up, I received the Pfizer booster for the first time, when the first 4 were based on Moderna, For some reason, the Moderna bivalent was very popular in the Seattle area, so I had to try our Pfizer. In any case, I thought I would be a great test case and share my experience with the community in what it is like to mix the different manufacturers.

All the research and reports indicate that is safe to mix and match. Let’s roll!

Why Now?

Very simply, for the same reasons I cited in my previous booster posting and 4th jab discussion. I am an international travel for business and personal and one of the last things I want to encounter is a restriction that may be imposed or required that requires a recent booster shot. I do not like being surprised, I like being prepared and proactive.

The reality is everyone – we are going to need these once to twice a year like the Flu shot for the rest of our lives. Yep, I am getting a little older and I do not want to be one of those “unusual” cases where people are healthy and then get infected from being in the wrong place at the wrong time with super spreaders and then dying as a result. I already died twice, not ready for the 3rd one due to COVID!

And NOPE, I am not drinking that fake Kool-Aid that the vaccine is killing more people and causing more harm than good.

Bivalent Side Effects

Now, let talk about the side effects as I know this is what most people fear and hinders them from getting the boosters.

Here is what I felt for the 5th shot and first Pfizer booster – they were a slightly reduced from my second booster and original Moderna shots which I shared online.

• After 6 hours, I felt almost no soreness in the arm or tenderness from the shot location. Positive!
• After 8 hours, maybe a hint of a headache. Very slight, maybe a 1 Tylenol headache.
  • After about 12 hours, I started to feel slightly fatigued. But was also a Friday night and the end of a long work week.
• Overnight, my arm finally got a little sore. Not as bad as previous shots, maybe 50-60% of the previous intensity. It was a little annoying when sleeping, but not too bad
• In the morning, only slight fatigue, not bad at all
• This morning, I felt slightly achy, but not bad at all.
• The arm felt a little tender, but no major restrictions or limits of movement. Nothing that two ibuprofen cannot take of

Similar to last shots, I did a nice workout (10K run) and that seemed to ward off all the side effects and minor fatigue. Highly recommeded!

End result: feel great and back to normal!

Summary: The bivalent booster seems to be a great choice to stay up to date and the side effects seem to be less after each shot.

Update: I received my fall 2022 influenza vaccine two weeks later.

Symptoms? Mild soreness in the arm, some fatigue/exhaustion at the end of the day. Minor nausea in the morning.

Solution? Go for a long run like I do for the COVID vaccines and the vaccine hangover is cured 🙂