Should type 1s get a third Pfizer shot?

COVID-19
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Just learned a clinic near me is offering third Pfizer. Should I get it? Type1 63 years on insulin pump. Thank you.

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Iā€™ve not given this idea much thought yet. Some questions Iā€™d try to answer before getting the vaccination:

  • Is there any harm if I get a booster dose I donā€™t need?

  • Is there any advantage and/or disadvantage to getting a Pfizer booster if my initial vaccination(s) were another formulation?

  • Is there any way to test the strength of my immune system response to the initial vaccination(s)?

I do believe that people with impaired glucose metabolism are more vulnerable to infection. This infection, in particular, can send blood sugar level very high ā€“ a situation that impairs a healthy immune response.

I suspect that there are more advantages than disadvantages to getting the Pfizer booster and I would likely take it providing I can satisfactorily answer the questions I posted.

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Thank you Terry. My previous shots were Pfizer. Where I live on Kauai Covid is raging.

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I think right now 3rd shots are only for those with suppressed immune systems (organ transplant, cancer etcā€¦). If in the future they allow it I will get a 3rd shot. Iā€™m not afraid of the vaccine and donā€™t enjoy being any level of sick.

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i received mine today and I am so glad. I did not have an immune response form my first round and I am so hopeful it will work out.

I am a type 1 but the issue is not related to diabetes. I use a medication called Rituxan for RA. It wipes out the immune system.

To answer, no at this time Type 1 by itself is not a qualifying condition.

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You can get your COVID antibody level tested as an indicator of the level of protection just ask your Dr. I got my second Moderna shot in May and had it tested by Labcorp about a month ago and it was over the 2500 limit of their test. I read an couple articles with preliminary data on required antibody levels for protection and over a 100 is good but that was for the original COVID type. People that have gotten COVID without having the vaccine develop antibody levels that are typically much lower and a lot more variable, which is why vaccines are good as it gives a reliably higher level of protection. That being said I read that studies show the Pfizer vaccine is much less effective than Moderna after several months to Delta so maybe a booster makes sense if you had the Pfizer vaccine early in the year and are at high risk? For myself I am waiting for the booster from Moderna designed to combat the Delta variant to be available, which is going through testing but preliminary data shows it to be highly effective and is supposed to be approved soon (October?) probably first available to people at high risk.

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I think as the Fall flu Season approaches and more data is available on vaccine efficacy and efficacy deterioration over a relatively short period of time there will be a blur between 3rd doses and booster shots. The importance will be the availability of the vaccine. Should a person get or not get what is next on the horizon should really depend on their individual risk requirements taking their age, medical vulnerabilities, philosophies, lifestyle, local Covid environment, and repeated close proximity of crowds into consideration. Then, and only then a personal informed decision can be made.

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Over 1 million have received their 3rd shot unauthorized. I think within a month it will be authorized. I think one issue is Covid is going to be around for many years with many variants to come, so just how many vaccines do you want to put in you in such a short amount of time?

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Here is the most clearly written article I have seen on the topic of a third mRNA shot for the immunocompromised in the US:

Everyone can draw their own conclusions, but as someone who is 71 (49 of those T1D) but otherwise healthy, I donā€™t think that I qualify under current policy. Would I get a third Moderna (in my case) when I DO qualify? Absolutely!

In the meantime, Iā€™m doing my best to keep my mask on and out of risky situations.

Stay safe all!

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CDC says diabetics do not need and should not get a 3rd shot.
We might be near the head of the line for boosters when its time.

The 3rd shot is for solid organ transplants, cancer, and advanced HIV.
Its not booster time yet.

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This is inaccurate. Antibody tests may not reflect vaccine protection and should not be used to do so.

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Also most likely everyone needs a third shot. T1D are not in the prioritized group at this point though.

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@cardamom Thank you for the link. I also read that it is not totally accurate to measure antibody level to determine absolute immunity but does give some indication and also tells you whether your antibody level is starting to wain. The antibody test I had done was by Labcorp and the preliminary data on immunity vs. antibody level in the link I previously provided was based on using that test. If your antibody level is still very high a 3rd shot of the same kind probably wonā€™t help much but a booster designed for newer variants would. This why I think itā€™s still valuable test.

FYI a new study was just released that show antibody levels do correlate to immunity. This just goes to show how dynamic this topic is!

A group of researchers from both academia and U.S. health agencies reported their findings of the immune correlates for Modernaā€™s Covid-19 vaccine. The study demonstrated the link between the level of antibodies in a personā€™s system and how protected they are against Covid-19, validating the hypothesis that antibodies could be used as a measure that signifies overall protection.
ā€œWe saw a very clear correlation that the higher the level of antibody produced by vaccines, the less likely you were to become sick with Covid-19,ā€ said Christopher Houchens, one of the authors of the paper and a biologist at the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.

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From what I understand, there is an antibody test to determine antibodies from being sick with covid.
And a different test to test for antibodies to the small protein fragments that the vaccine is supposed to create.
I donā€™t know anyone who has had that post vaccine test, but I know it exists.

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Personally, I would get it if it were available. I had my second shot of Pfizer mid March and they are now considering recommending the booster at 8 months after the 2nd shot. This is based on the fact that the immunity fades with time especially in people who are immune compromised and older people. Data out of Israel a month or so back showed something like an 800 fold increase in immune response, and they are already starting to give the third shot.

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There is no question in my mind that once the third shot is announced for everyone, PWDā€™s should get it on the regular schedule.

I believe the original question refereed to getting the third vaccine because of being immuno-compromised. The fact that we are PWDā€™s does not qualify us for being immuno- compromised.

I could not have signed that in good faith unless I was taking strong immune suppressants for RA and AS.

rick

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The third vaccine also is for immunocompromised people whose immune system is down because of medications. Many of us diabetics also have OTHER autoimmune conditions which call for medications that suppress the immune system. I am one of those people. I am Type 1, on an OmniPod pump, and I got my third Pfizer vaccine two days ago. I had no side effects. It did NOTHING to my blood sugar or to my control, so I am very happy that I received the third vaccine.

News yesterday (August 17) said that the third vaccine for everyone who had the Pfizer or Moderna will soon be released and available to people starting at 8 months from the date of their last vaccine. For my husband, that means he can get his third inoculation on October 15. He will do so then to keep himself and everyone around him safe.

Do not be afraid of a third vaccine. Take all precautions and everything you can to stay safe, my friends.

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Iā€™m getting a third Pfizer next time I stop at Walgreens. My endo recommended it. I get all the recommended vaccines. Iā€™m a long term T1 and vaccines save my behind from landing in a hospital bed.

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[Not diagnosed with DM]

I believe antibodies are considered correlates of immunity, at least as far as I know, while others say cell-mediated immunity (T cells) is capable of waking up humoral (antibodies) immunity, in the event they are low. I am approaching 8 months with Moderna #2, and everyoneā€™s making noise about the boosters, so I decided to get my antibodies (to spike) tested and they were very high. If a booster is in my future, it will not be in my short term future. I watched a virology program last night that indicated thereā€™s no harm in a booster. For me, I donā€™t see the point, especially considering itā€™ll be the exact same vaccine I got in January. (Iā€™ve heard but donā€™t know for sure that to change it, they would need to go through trials again.)

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