Anyone have any experience with the bivalent boosters now that they have been approved in the US for any adult? My experience with the original vaccine was that it kind of knocked me back a bit, so was curious if anyone has a comparison to how they felt from the first vaccines to the new one and whether they felt bad after or not.
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N=1 here, but I got mine two nights ago around 10:00 PM at a local pharmacy. Basically went home and went to bed. Yesterday morning felt fine, but gradual fatigue seemed to set in throughout the day. Today I feel very tired with a hint of a headache, but it honestly just feels like I’m used to feeling after a poor sleep, not like I’m sick. It’s been 10 months since my last booster so perhaps my immunity has waned to the point where the reaction simply isn’t as severe. My last booster really shut me down for a couple days but this time around I rode endurance yesterday and I’m planning to ride (albeit easily) later on today.
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Also n=1. I received the bivalent booster and flu shot at 9pm on Tuesday. I had a (foolish) 13 mile run scheduled for Wednesday morning. I made it to mile 12 and probably could have finished out mile 13 at about half a min slower per mile.
I then proceeded to get chills, fever, light nausea, and all the fun flu symptoms for the rest of the day.
I’m back to normal today. My previous reactions to every shot has been knocked out for a day.
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My wife and I both got it and had no side effect other than lingering pain from the needle. Both fully boosted, including the “over 50” one for me in April. We’ve both had side effects from various shots, but nothing from this one. My wife usually gets a hot red upper arm from these and this one didn’t even do that.
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Got mine yesterday…has been the easiest of my 5 vaccines (2 original does, 2 boosters and the bivalent).
My arm was barely even sore…I was a bit lethargic on our group ride this AM, but I have been burning the candle at both ends lately at work, along with other life stresses, so I can’t say if my legs felt bad because of the vaccine.
I am travelling to Bangkok tomorrow and wanted to get it as soon as I could…I know it won’t have really kicked in by the time I get over there, but every bit helps when you are trying to protect someone with a compromised immune system.
The first 3 shots knocked me on my ass, the fourth just left me with a really sore arm and this one has been easy street so far.
As with everything else related to this damn virus, YMMV.
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I’ve now had a total of 4 Pfizer shots, including the latest booster two days ago. Not a single side effect from any one of them. Did a VO2 workout this morning, felt great.
I’m tapering for a race in just over a week before heading to a huge conference for work. Wanted to make sure my immune system was topped off before crushing myself in a race and then being around thousands of people stuck inside a giant casino in Las Vegas.
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I’ve had a mix of shots - J&J initially, Moderna booster, Moderna full, and Pfizer booster. Wednesday I got the bivalent Moderna booster at 6:00pm. My reaction to this one was very similar to the Moderna full - achy, mild headache, burning eyes, and tiredness. I started to feel better yesterday afternoon so I went for a light 40m group ride. I still had some night sweats overnight but now I feel great today.
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N=2 (my wife and me). Both of us had the previous 4 shots (2 primary + 2 boosters) completed in Mar '22); all Moderna, except my wife’s initial Pfizer shot. Both of us got the Moderna bivalent booster on Monday morning:
- For me, only mild site pain Mon eve, less on Tue morn, gone by mid-day (24hrs).
- For my wife: moderate site pain for about 24 hours.
- No other symptoms for either of us
Note: This reaction was similar for us to the prior booster
For the first 4 rounds I have felt like someone parked a car on me for hours 8-24 post-vaccine. Sore, tired, headache,…
For the last booster (#4) I monitored my resting heart rate in the following days and it took more than a week to get back to normal. After this booster my resting HR was 10 bpm higher for the first 24 hours (52 rather than 41) the first day and I am down to 46 on the second day. I have had a touch of a headache, but that is about it for side effects today. Tomorrow I expect to be feeling fine, though I don’t expect the resting heart rate to be back to normal for a bit. Your body will probably be pretty busy for about a week after the shot.
I did a ramp test a few days after my spring booster and I think I added 8 watts, so I didn’t notice any noticable effects on performance.
i plan to get it Sunday afternoon …
I got my bivalent booster on Monday. Shots 2 and 3 took me out for a solid day - about 12 hours after the shot, I would suddenly spike a fever and be very fatigued (I remember emailing someone with one hand while using the other hand to prop an eye open because I couldn’t keep it open on my own…) then just as suddenly, after another 24 hours or so, my fever would be gone and my energy back.
This booster did the same thing, but the fever wasn’t as high, and the fatigue wasn’t as bad. I don’t know if that’s because it was over 10 months since my last booster, or because it’s a smaller dose (at least that’s what I’ve heard), or just random.
I’m very happy to have it, since I’m a I ballet teacher, and a dance studio is a germ factory - pre-covid, I caught a cold every 2-3 months like clockwork.
Now it’s 
as I have 3 more days to avoid getting sick, and then I get on a plane to ride my bike in the Appenines!
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April 2021 got 2 doses Moderna, no issues
Nov 2021 got Pfizer booster, no issues (got flu shot at the same time)
Sept 2022 got bivalent (got flu shot at the same time), zero issues (got it 50hrs ago, so none so far).
I’d not gotten a regular 4th shot / 2nd booster before the bivalent one came out, as I’m under 50 and don’t have any medical conditions requiring it, so was ineligible in CA. If I could have had a 4th shot before, I would have grabbed one of them too.
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For the 2nd shot I ran in the morning and then went on a hike with the family I’m the afternoon. It crushed me that night and was out for a solid 24 hours with full symptoms. Took 3 days off and only then was I starting to feel better. Pretty sure dehydration was the culprit here. My wife hydrated and had limited side effects. I took the day off and hydrated for the booster and had some fatigue and headache but nothing Ike before.
My advice for those getting the shot… drink lots of water and take a planned rest day.
Prophylactic doses of Tylenol seems to help as well…take it as soon as you get your shot.
Got the Pfizer Bivalent at the VA on Friday. Arm hurt on Saturday, but that’s about it. Tiny blip of RHR and Respiratory rate on the whoop, but still churned out two AE3 rides over the weekend.
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no issue here. Barely a bump on the arm for a few hours.
Got mine + flu shot last week and by far the easiest one. Tired morning after but that was it.
Wife and I got mine last Tuesday. Two days later she went to a concert. I did not. Now she’s tested positive. So far I have not, though I am suffering from a sore throat and congestion.
Just curious, what are your local regulations for getting the second booster? Here in Germany only older folks above 60 and folks at risk are entitled to get it. And folks working in hospitals and so.
Some doctors ignore this but I have heard more than once that people have been turned away. Protection from infection ist not an official health policy goal anymore. Or at least according to the vaccination advisory board.
Got mine last Wednesday. My 4th Pfizer shot; 2 original doses, 1 booster last November; 1 omicron booster.
No side effects other than a sore arm. The only time I had any sort of side effect was the first booster dose, and then it wasn’t anything terribly notable … I just felt a little lethargic for a day.