CDC has approved 4th vaccine dose for some people

[Teacher Terry]

Ivansfan, I am doing the same as you.

 

[Scuba]

Ivansfan, I am doing the same as you.

This was my thinking also until DH had a heart attack and emergency quadruple bypass surgery. He’s recuperating at home now and doesn’t have exposure to many others, but I go on a lot of errands and see some people socially so I went ahead and got my 2nd booster yesterday. Our first vax was J&J, then we both had the Pfizer booster last October, and now I just got another Pfizer booster. No side effects this time except a slightly sore arm. Much better than my initial reaction to J&J shot and also the first Pfizer booster.

DH is getting his Pfizer booster next week on the advice of his cardiac surgeon.

 

[harllee]

This was my thinking also until DH had a heart attack and emergency quadruple bypass surgery. He’s recuperating at home now and doesn’t have exposure to many others, but I go on a lot of errands and see some people socially so I went ahead and got my 2nd booster yesterday. Our first vax was J&J, then we both had the Pfizer booster last October, and now I just got another Pfizer booster. No side effects this time except a slightly sore arm. Much better than my initial reaction to J&J shot and also the first Pfizer booster.

DH is getting his Pfizer booster next week on the advice of his cardiac surgeon.

Scuba, good idea to get your booster to help protect your DH. I have done the same to help protect my immune compromised DH.

 

[Dawg52]

I'm at 3 and done until either we go back into a pandemic stage or a new variant with a vaccine specific to that variant makes an appearance.

Ivansfan, I am doing the same as you.

Same. I got a booster(3rd shot) of Moderna in Oct '21. I'm hoping the combo flu/covid vaccine will be available in the Fall. If not will see if covid is ramping up again and if so will get a 4th then.

 

[donheff]

DW and I got our second boosters last week. We are flying to Phoenix for a funeral amongst the unmasked and want to protect ourselves as best we can to be able to make a Grand Canyon raft trip in a few weeks. I don’t begrudge a bit of relief for younger, less vulnerable people. If I was thirty years younger I would probably not take the same precautions.

 

[anethum]

There's a sobering article in The Washington Post with the headline, "Covid deaths no longer overwhelmingly among unvaccinated as toll on elderly grows". I think it's behind a firewall.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/04/29/covid-deaths-unvaccinated-boosters/

"The vaccinated made up 42 percent of fatalities in January and February during the highly contagious omicron variant’s surge, compared with 23 percent of the dead in September, the peak of the delta wave, according to nationwide data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed by The Post."

"A key explanation for the rise in deaths among the vaccinated is that covid-19 fatalities are again concentrated among the elderly."

"The bulk of vaccinated deaths are among people who did not get a booster shot, according to state data provided to The Post."

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I got a 2nd booster 4 weeks ago after it was authorized. It had already been over 6 months since my 1st booster. My first 3 shots were Pfizer, my recent booster was Moderna. Just mild headaches from first 2 Pfizer shots. Much stronger but brief headache and brief fever from 1st Pfizer booster, and nothing other than a sore arm from the Moderna booster.

 

[braumeister]

DW and I got our second boosters last week. We are flying to Phoenix for a funeral amongst the unmasked and want to protect ourselves as best we can to be able to make a Grand Canyon raft trip in a few weeks. I don’t begrudge a bit of relief for younger, less vulnerable people. If I was thirty years younger I would probably not take the same precautions.

If you haven't heard about it yet, there have been several cancellations of GC rafting trips in the last month due to norovirus (the bane of cruise ships). I just returned from a long one and nearly half the people in the group came down with it (I was one of the lucky ones who escaped). Very serious stuff, and despite everyone being extremely conscientious about hand washing and sanitizing surfaces, their condition was horrible for a couple of days. Take every precaution.

 

[audreyh1]

Did anyone notice that Dr Fauci commented that we are out of the Pandemic stage? Anyone changing their opinions about getting multiple Covid boosters at this stage of the game?



If not, what criteria are you looking at to form your opinion.



I'm at 3 and done until either we go back into a pandemic stage or a new variant with a vaccine specific to that variant makes an appearance.

Fauci corrected himself shortly afterwards that we are actually still in a pandemic, and he just meant it was less intense at the moment.
Fauci Walks Back Coronavirus Comments, Says Pandemic Not Over in U.S.

“I want to clarify one thing,” Fauci told NPR on Wednesday. “I probably should have said the acute component of the pandemic phase, and I understand how that can lead to some misinterpretation.”

https://www.usnews.com/news/health-...avirus-comments-says-pandemic-not-over-in-u-s

 

[ivinsfan]

Fauci corrected himself shortly afterwards that we are actually still in a pandemic, and he just meant it was less intense at the moment.
Fauci Walks Back Coronavirus Comments, Says Pandemic Not Over in U.S.
https://www.usnews.com/news/health-...avirus-comments-says-pandemic-not-over-in-u-s

I took it as his corrected comment, obviously "over" isn't happening for quite some time. This is a combination of less cases and less serious variants which is probably about as good as it can get for awhile.

 

[Aerides]

I think regardless of who said what, the collective communications over the past 4-6 weeks seem to convey we are in the "endemic" phase. I'll continue to get boosted as long as they are available for my age group, as I don't see any downside, and have little to no side effects.

ETA: My FIL tested positive last weekend, and is isolating at home with, fortunately, only the effects of a very bad cold.

 

[Scuba]

Scuba, good idea to get your booster to help protect your DH. I have done the same to help protect my immune compromised DH.

Yes, I decided it made sense to take every reasonable precaution. He will get his second booster on Wednesday.

 

[SecondAttempt]

I'll continue to get boosted as long as they are available for my age group, as I don't see any downside, and have little to no side effects. She has been exposed to positive kids so many times we have stopped counting but always tested negative.

I got my 2nd booster on April 22, a week ago last Friday. My partner is an elementary school teacher and was feeling tired and slightly feverish last Thursday. She tested positive but has extremely mild symptoms. She has been a close contact to positive kids so often we have lost count!

We have made no effort to maintain social distancing or forgo affection, although she is a little bit concerned about getting me sick but I am not.

Today we tested again and I am still negative, she is still positive.

My conclusion both with her mild symptoms and my lask of catching it is that the boosters are working. I suspect the fact that I was only a few days post-booster when I was exposed to her made a huge difference.

And, so this is weird and might be psychosomatic because, while I am not a physician, I'm pretty sure the immune system does not work this way...but after my booster my arm hurt quite a bit, like someone had seriously punched me hard, for 2 days until about last Sunday. This last Friday and a little bit on Saturday my arm was a little tender again. Could be mental but could maybe be cells activated in that area by the vaccine recognized a second assault and went back into overdrive.

Like you, I will continue to get boosted as often as possible/recommended.

Partner is also fully vaxxed and had 1 booster in December. She became eligible for second booster the day before she tested positive. She has no symptoms but said her taste is affected. She can't taste the mintiness of toothpaste but had a glass of wine this evening and said she could not taste the fruitiness. I find it odd that she is insensitive to strong tastes yet can discriminate on subtle tastes.

Edit: She had the glass of wine this evening not morning. It was Scotch this morning but we selected a cheap blend since her taste was off (kidding!)

 

[audreyh1]

I think regardless of who said what, the collective communications over the past 4-6 weeks seem to convey we are in the "endemic" phase. I'll continue to get boosted as long as they are available for my age group, as I don't see any downside, and have little to no side effects.

ETA: My FIL tested positive last weekend, and is isolating at home with, fortunately, only the effects of a very bad cold.

A disease being endemic simply means it’s stable and not going away, it doesn’t mean that it’s mild or harmless.

Tuberculosis, malaria and Ebola are examples of endemic diseases.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-00155-x

Meanwhile, US Covid cases, hospitalizations and ICU cases are marching up again!

 

[RobbieB]

Of course, we had Easter get togethers.

Gonna be another big spike for Memorial Day.

 

[explanade]

BA.4 and BA.5 have landed in the US.

In South Africa, it was reinfecting people who had BA.1 infections, leading to a fast rise in cases, hospitalizations and deaths.

Early data suggests it reduces neutralizing anbibody titers by 3x to 8x depending on whether you're vaccinated or unvaccinated.

There's expectation of a wave here over the next month or two, maybe not as big as the BA.1 wave.

 

[EastWest Gal]

There's a sobering article in The Washington Post with the headline, "Covid deaths no longer overwhelmingly among unvaccinated as toll on elderly grows". I think it's behind a firewall.



https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/04/29/covid-deaths-unvaccinated-boosters/



"The vaccinated made up 42 percent of fatalities in January and February during the highly contagious omicron variant’s surge, compared with 23 percent of the dead in September, the peak of the delta wave, according to nationwide data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed by The Post."



"A key explanation for the rise in deaths among the vaccinated is that covid-19 fatalities are again concentrated among the elderly."



"The bulk of vaccinated deaths are among people who did not get a booster shot, according to state data provided to The Post."



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Also, since more and more people are vaccinated and boosted, there will be an increased percentage of infections, hospitalizations, and deaths who are vaccinated. But hopefully the absolute numbers will trend down.

If we were 100% vaccinated and boosted, then 100% of infections, hospitalizations, and deaths will be in those who are vaccinated.

So it doesn’t necessarily mean breakthrough infections are getting more common; it means that the unvaccinated are getting less common.

Infections will be more common after people stop masking, and start gathering together, which has happened. I’m still wearing one as much as possible.

 

[explanade]

Unfortunately, booster percentages are low.

And with BA.4 and BA.5 showing more antibody evasion, we might find by the end of the year that vaccination based on the original Wuhan strain has very little protection against the latest strains or sub-strains.

So while the original vaccines have worked in varying degrees vs. Omicron strains, we may have to have a Omicron-specific booster or vaccine a year from now.

 

[Turbo29]

The Lancet -- How repeated influenza vaccination effects might apply to COVID-19 vaccines

Data on influenza vaccines suggests that repeated vaccinations in an individual might ultimately result in a blunted immune response, declines in vaccine effectiveness, and a possibly reduced duration of protection. In multiseason studies, immunogenicity after influenza vaccination and vaccine effectiveness against influenza-associated medical care were both often lower among people vaccinated in the previous and current season compared with those vaccinated in the current season only.2 In the few studies that were able to gather vaccine records for 4–6 previous years, immunogenicity and vaccine effectiveness were highest among those with no or few previous vaccinations and lowest among those frequently vaccinated.2
​

The underlying mechanisms through which previous vaccinations can affect the effectiveness of subsequent vaccinations in an individual are unclear, but two theories are widely discussed in the influenza literature. According to the antigenic distance hypothesis, the effect of previous vaccinations is established by the antigenic distance between the vaccine antigens in the previous dose versus the subsequent booster dose and the antigenic distance between the vaccine antigen and the circulating virus. The blunting of influenza vaccine effectiveness by previous influenza vaccination has been the most pronounced when the vaccine antigen was unchanged, but an antigenically distinct virus became the predominant circulating strain.3 Although third COVID-19 mRNA vaccine doses produce the same level of vaccine effectiveness as achieved by a second mRNA dose,1 the antigenic distance hypothesis would suggest that COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness after a fourth or fifth vaccine dose might decline if the vaccine antigen is unchanged, and new antigenically distinct variants circulate. The introduction of updated vaccine antigens might overcome preferential antibody responses to an imprinting infection (ie, original antigenic sin) or the effects of a repeatedly administered vaccine antigen, as has been noted with influenza vaccines.4
​

The second theory focuses on changes that might occur among people who are unvaccinated compared with those who are repeatedly vaccinated. Since vaccine-induced immunity blocks or reduces the risk of infection, the theory asserts that the percentage of people who are unvaccinated with presumably stronger infection-induced immunity will increase over time (also referred to as the infection block hypothesis). Thus, estimates of COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness will probably decline as the gap in immune protection between people who are repeatedly vaccinated versus those who are unvaccinated declines.
​

 

[audreyh1]

We got our second boosters today at Costco.

I’m hoping that by fall more vaccines will be available and perhaps provide broader protection. Moderna has been testing a combination vaccine that gives more protection against Omicron. Novavax is being reviewed by the FDA soon. Don’t know much about Corbevax.

 

[explanade]

We got our second boosters today at Costco. I’m hoping that by fall more vaccines will be available and perhaps provide broader protection. Moderna has been testing a combination vaccine that gives more protection against Omicron. Novavax is being reviewed by the FDA soon. Don’t know much about Corbevax.

The soon to be dominant variant in the US evades BA.1-derived antibodies.

https://arstechnica.com/science/202...w-36-5-of-us-cases-can-evade-ba-1-antibodies/


So I think they're going to have to use something other than BA.1 spike protein to deal with these later Omicron sub-variants.

 

[audreyh1]

They are using Beta proteins in the Moderna combination vaccine. All Omicron variants derive from the Beta variant.

So far their trials show improved results.

 

[Koolau]

They are using Beta proteins in the Moderna combination vaccine. All Omicron variants derive from the Beta variant.

So far their trials show improved results.

Good news for me, I guess. Since (so far) I have not even had an option for Pfizer, I will repeat that it's better to be lucky than good but YMMV.

 

[explanade]

They are using Beta proteins in the Moderna combination vaccine. All Omicron variants derive from the Beta variant.

So far their trials show improved results.

I hope that’s effective enough. The bA.2.12 variant is reinfecting people who’ve had BA.1.

They’re going to have to test with that variant as well as BA.4 and BA.5.

Or find regions of the virus which hasn’t been undergoing mutations so fast.

 

[Venturer]

Ok I've been semi-following these vaccine approval threads. DW & I had our only booster shot on 12/22/2021. We are leaving on 5/12 for our Wild west camping trip and I'm thinking it might be a good idea to go get a booster for just in case. Good or bad idea? Opinions?

 

[Irishgirlyc58]

Ok I've been semi-following these vaccine approval threads. DW & I had our only booster shot on 12/22/2021. We are leaving on 5/12 for our Wild west camping trip and I'm thinking it might be a good idea to go get a booster for just in case. Good or bad idea? Opinions?

Are you going to be in large groups of people?
Will you be exposed to people at a higher level than normal?
If so I would get the second booster. I would rather hedge my bets with the booster.