@margic There is very little new with the delivery system for routine vaccinations we receive such as influenza because they have worked successfully for years. Many people don’t outwardly react to common vaccinations because most all have had some exposure to the disease before. Updated versions and boosters for some vaccinations are given as needed and when a disease morphs every year such as influence and now Covid.

The Covid vaccine was the first to use the MRNA delivery system but that isn’t what created the noticeable reactions to the vaccination. It was the rareness of the virus itself. It is a Nuevo virus like nothing any of our bodies had ever faced before so our immune system were blindsided.
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https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/different-types-of-covid-19-vaccines/art-20506465

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The goal of any vaccination is to give our immune system a heads up to recognize a potential invader should we be exposed. By giving a vaccine with either a live-attenuated serum or an inactivated (dead) virus, a very tiny amount of the virus is injected into our body. Our immune systems start creating antibodies for the disease. If we are exposed in the future, then our immune system can launch an attack faster because some antibodies have already been made.
It doesn’t prevent us from getting ill but the virulence of the disease and duration should be much less because it won’t take as long for our body to ramp up the production of the killer cells.

The humorous way it was explained to me by my allergist…With certain vaccines, such as Shingrix and many others, it is given in 2 or 3 small doses. Basically the first dose excites the immune system, creating a special special Ops unit…armed with antibodies. He likened them to the Imperial Storm troopers in Star Wars. They stand around waiting for something exciting to happen.
The second shot, 6 months later, sounds the alarm to the immune system “special unit”, that a ‘bug’ has breached the defense barrier. The rapid response team launches an all out attack! The reaction: Fever, chills and fatigue as killer cells create a perfectly normal response to an illness. The reaction is often short-lived (one to several days) because so many white blood cells are now prepped and ready to take on the virus. Once things calm down they all go back to guarding…but the cells have memory and they will know if there is an exposure.

It’s especially important for people who have compromised immune systems to take advantage of vaccinations to stay healthy and give their body a head start with reacting.

After your vaccination, have some over the counter analgesic such as Tylenol or Advil handy if you can take them, to ease any discomfort. From what I hear, having the shingles is far worse than a few days of feeling loagy.

Have you had a pneumonia vaccination?