When I got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in March, I was elated. I could finally go back into the world with a decent amount of confidence and protection — or so I thought. The Delta variant soon became dominant and cases soared in some regions so two weeks ago, I decided to get a shot of the Pfizer vaccine. As you’ve probably heard, mixing and matching vaccines is controversial, and the C.D.C. does not recommend that people follow their J&J shot with a Pfizer chaser. So, why would I treat my body like a petri dish by mixing vaccines?
My decision was partly emotional; I simply craved more protection. As a health journalist, I spend a lot of my day parsing through COVID-19 research and articles. And while professionally, I work hard to make sure that my reporting on the pandemic is accurate and candid without being panic-inducing, personally, I am a paranoid person.
