[option]

at least here, in California, you can not chose which one you get when making the appointment or when arriving at the vaccination site. Also CSU and UC will require vaccinations for return to on-campus. (Though I'm not sure that they will be able to do so until vaccines are under "emergency use" authorization, not a regular one)

[tzs]

Here in Western Washington, I've not seen any site mixing vaccines. One Walgreens might have Moderna and another Pfizer, but any given day any particular store will only have one of them.

Most places say when you sign up which they will have for your appointment, but if they do not you can often tell by looking at the eligibility. If they are offering appointments to people age 16+, they are using Pfizer. If 18+, Moderna.

Most places here also tell you on the signup form that your second appointment will be the same time and place exactly N weeks after the first. If N = 3, they are using Pfizer. If N = 4, Moderna.

[void_mint]

It's true that you can't choose, but lots of places are listing what vaccines they're doing on specific days. You can "choose" by booking an appointment at a location that has the one you want, or by avoiding locations that have ones you don't want.

As an example, I booked my appointment specifically at a location that only carried Pfizer.

[option]

yeah, when I went (and got Moderna), I saw many people (who booked the appointment) asking staff "Is it Pfizer" and leaving when the answer was No.

[arsome]

That seems like a really weird decision because both Moderna and Pfizer are using very similar technologies and haven't had much negative press coverage.

[dragonwriter]

anecdotally, I've heard that people are experiencing worse second-dose side effects with Moderna (not dangerous, just the 1-2 day sick feeling).

I wouldn't dodge it because of it, but people might.

[option]

yes, and a waste of appointment slot

[void_mint]

My personal take was just to avoid J&J in favor of mRNA vaccines, but only because of my vague obsessive anxiety.

[halfjoking]

I have the opposite take.

It seems it would be harder for the government to insert a "biological backdoor" into a viral vector vaccine than something that runs any RNA code as long as it's encoded in a special lipid delivery system (according to my limited understanding). 1 in 250k chance of blood clots is nothing... at least compared to the anxiety of the government having a switch in my biology that could melt my brain at anytime.

[void_mint]

That's one take. Mine was more about efficacy. J&J IIRC was around 60%, while mRNA vaccines are around 90%. Big brain vaccine scientists tell me that 60% is fine but all I see is 30% less efficacy. I wouldn't be able to feel confident/safe even after getting J&J.

[refurb]

Considering no ID was required to get a vaccine and the “proof” is nothing more than a date written on a card, I’m curious how they will enforce it.