I have scheduled my 4th covid vaccination and I am wondering if others are getting one.
1 Like
If it becomes a recommended shot & I’m eligible, I will get shot #4.
Heck, it’s going to cause the big die-off, I’m already all in!
(Note: I do not think that it’s going to cause the big anything. Except perhaps limit the likelihood of a bad case of Covid).
1 Like
I decided to get it when I read that is was recommended for those with diabetes. I am still a bit confused about if we are supposed to wait 4 or 5 months after the first booster.
I got my first booster (Third shot) of Moderna 5 months ago and Moderna is in the process of getting authorization at this time for their second booster. Since these shots and boosters appear to wane fairly rapidly, especially in older compromised individuals, I plan to wait until Moderna gets its authorization and then get the booster if and when an additional Covid wave rears its ugly head or if I am traveling to my offices in high-risk areas such as India.
I think getting the second booster is a highly individualized decision and needs to be made based on an individual’s level of risk and circumstances, rather than when others may be getting it. As more data on the effectiveness and longevity of the second booster becomes available, my opinion may very well rapidly change.
Right now there is still quite a bit of debate going on about the second booster in the medical community and very little data so for now I remain on the fence.
3 Likes
I got my Pfizer booster in late October, so it’s been 5 months. I’m not sure what the time frame is for getting a second booster but I’ll do it when I’m able to.
1 Like
The Washington Post in a story published on March 26, 2022, entitled, FDA expected to authorize second coronavirus booster for 50 and older, cited unnamed sources that the FDA authorization of the second booster could be announced as soon as Tuesday, March 29, 2022.
Here are the details published in this story.
The Food and Drug Administration is poised to authorize a second coronavirus vaccine booster for anyone 50 and older, a bid to provide an extra layer of protection amid concerns Europe’s rise in infections from an omicron subvariant could hit the United States, according to several government officials.
The authorizations for second Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna boosters could be announced as soon as Tuesday, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not permitted to discuss the situation. They said talks continue, and it was possible, but unlikely, that major changes could occur.
After the FDA acts, Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is expected to issue a statement saying second boosters are available for eligible individuals interested in receiving them but not to explicitly recommend that.
I read that the UK, which relaxed their mask-wearing and other public health measures on February 24, was recently experiencing their highest active Covid prevalence of the entire pandemic at 1 in every 19 persons. If we follow that trend, the US could see a surge in cases in the mid-April timeframe.
A booster now will be well-timed to counteract this next surge. I will get this booster as soon as it’s made available to me.
1 Like
From what I have read the new variant is in Oregon and other states, and the US is expected to be having many cases by mid April.
I called Rite Aid and signed up to get my booster on Thursday. I thought it was a Moderna booster.
My question is what do we do in another 5 or 6 months? I am not nearly as worried since if you get treatment within 5 days for covid, you will be ok. I am at the beach now, but when I get back home, I am going to see how readily available the new treatments are. If I am sure that they are easy to get, I will start going out of the house more often.
On another site, I read about a woman with type 1 who has had it for 50 yrs and is a senior citizen. Since being vaccinated she has been on 5 trips and is planning to go to Europe in October if covid isn’t too bad.
I would like to get out and maybe travel before I am too old to do so, but I want to be safe.
3 Likes
I’ll probably get my second booster in late April, as I’m traveling again in late May.
2 Likes
I am already getting a flu shot every fall.
It doesn’t seem that onerous to get a Covid booster every 6 months too.
I got my first booster in October at last year. I haven’t scheduled my “second booster” yet because the FDA hasn’t authorized it yet and CVS scheduling website probably wouldn’t let me get a second booster.
If FDA authorizes it and drugstores begin offering it, I’ll probably sign up for some convenient date in April (which will have been 6 months).
3 Likes
I’d like to get a second booster since we have a short trip planned for the end of next month.
1 Like
It looks like the FDA is making boosters available for all people over 50. I had no trouble making an appointment yesterday for myself at Rite Aid. My 72 two year old husband who is not immunocompromised tried today, but couldn’t. I imagine that will be changing very soon.
There is a great deal of press about this today.
Thanks! Yes I will be signing up at first opportunity. I gave blood at the Red Cross last week and they sent me the results of a Covid-19 antibody test they ran on my blood (they run it on all donations).
My antibody test result was “Reactive+” which evidently is the highest possible on the scale so it’s not like I’m low on antibodies or anything. Presumably the antibodies are from my past vaccinations. Being 55 and with T1 for 40 years, I’m not in the very highest risk group, but I’m gonna do everything I can to not get Covid.
3 Likes
If you got a positive antibody testing then you had covid at some point. The antibody tests don’t show for vaccines.
There is a test for that but it’s not the covid antibody test.
Below is exact quote on my recent antibody test. It says that the antibodies could be from vaccines or actually having Covid and the test does not distinguish.
Thank you for donating blood through the American Red Cross. During the blood donation process, samples are collected and sent to a laboratory where they undergo routine screening and infectious disease testing. The Red Cross is also testing donations for antibodies to the SARS coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19, using the Ortho VITROS® Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG Quantitative test. This test is authorized for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration through its Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) mechanism.
Testing may identify the presence of antibodies developed after past exposure to the virus that causes COVID-19 – regardless of whether a person developed symptoms – or from receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. It takes one to three weeks after an infection or vaccination to reach a detectable level of antibodies. At this time, it is unknown for how long COVID-19 antibodies persist following infection or vaccination, and what level of antibodies offers protective immunity against any given variant of the COVID-19 virus.
1 Like
Yes, that would be nice to travel
1 Like
Yes, I am. Got my last shot on 9/26/21 so I am due.
1 Like
That is contrary to the standard testing for covid antibodies
Maybe you’re thinking about the relevance of covid antibody testing in 2020, before the availability of vaccines. In 2022 having covid antibodies could be because you were infected, be because you were vaccinated, or both, and I’m not sure it’s possible to disentangle them.
It certainly is possible that I was vaccinated, boosted, and then got the Omicron variant in December (it was ripping right through Maryland/DC where I live - in December and January the positivity rate for Covid testing was way above 30%) but the symptoms were so mild or nonexistent that I never knew I had Omicron, but that also contributed to my antibody levels.
Quoting Mayo Clinic How do COVID-19 antibody tests differ from diagnostic tests? - Mayo Clinic
If test results show that you have antibodies, it can mean that you have been infected with the COVID-19 virus in the past or you have antibodies after being vaccinated.
For those who like to read about immunology (we talk about islet-cell antibodies all the time too!) and are curious why there is not an Omicron-specific booster, this is a SUPERB read: Omicron Boosters and Original Antigenic Sin
3 Likes
FDC. Says 4 months from last booster. I’m signed up. Not only diabetes but kidney issues
2 Likes