Last month I went into a Costco and received a booster shot for my Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which I received in March. I travelled about two hours for that first shot in March, because information was trickling in slowly with regard to when the vaccine would be available in my city. As it turns out, I could have gotten it about five days later. Still, I would have driven more hours than two to get the vaccine as soon as possible.

Fast forward from March to summertime. Talk of booster shots begins. But all I’m hearing is, “getting that 3rd shot!” Anyone who received the J&J got the supposedly “one and done”. Clearly, I knew that anyone who got vaccinated, regardless of which one they got, would be encouraged to get a booster. No one was talking of “that 2nd shot!” for those of us who got the J&J. Eventually it was included in the conversation, thankfully.

I’d heard about people (who had received the J&J vaccine) lying in order to get a booster, basically just saying they haven’t received a shot at all. My partner, Gwenn, and I discussed doing that a few months ago but decided against it. We’d wait for more official information to come in. But our patience wore very thin when the FDA tabled discussion about J&J during their big meeting. With a cousin’s wedding, which required vaccination to attend, and a Halloween event the following weekend approaching, my belief that my single dose of J&J would be able to offer me adequete protection waned. 

There was literally no one else taking Costco up on their vaccines when Gwenn and I went in on a Monday afternoon. I didn’t feel super-psyched to lie, but intellectually I knew that waiting for the FDA to get around to J&J would be the difference between being more protected in time for the social events that were fast approaching. I was able to relax a little and actually enjoy those events by being proactive.

Official information about COVID-19, the vaccinations and the boosters has been patchy at times. I know the whole thing has been a bit of a moving target and I try not to be overcritical of the official process. At the same time, my health and well-being needs to be a priority. I want to survive as many pandemics as my lifespan can handle. And part of that requires trusting the process while also trusting my instincts.

Hope this finds you well.

Positively Yours,

Shawn