New Variant Vaccine

[euro]

Less than 15 million people have gotten the bivalent booster so far.

And the number has been declining ever since the primary series of 2 shots, with a lot of people stopping after the first shot.

Yes, a lot of people have stopped caring altogether. I will still get mine though (next week or week after). Covid dual and flu. We will be spending the Holidays with DMIL (90-ies) and a friend who had a heat transplant, so playing it as safe as possible (including still masking up EVERYWHERE indoors). Very small effort to us.

 

[Poopycat]

I had been vigilant about getting boosters but quite honestly, I’m not sure what I’m supposed to have taken and what I’m eligible for anymore. That’s bad, I know. I originally got the J&J in March 2021 but then I got a Pfizer booster in November 2021 and another Pfizer booster earlier this year. I was very relieved to switch to Pfizer, although I ended up getting COVID shortly after the first booster. I’m convinced that the vaccine helped me; I felt a bad cough coming on but it disappeared within a day or two and my only irritating symptoms were fatigue, some congestion, and loss of smell/taste.

I need to look up what I’m eligible for in terms of boosters and get it done while I have time off over the holidays.

 

[audreyh1]

Your friendly neighborhood pharmacist will be happy to tell you.

 

[Aerides]

I had been vigilant about getting boosters but quite honestly, I’m not sure what I’m supposed to have taken and what I’m eligible for anymore. That’s bad, I know. I originally got the J&J in March 2021 but then I got a Pfizer booster in November 2021 and another Pfizer booster earlier this year. I was very relieved to switch to Pfizer, although I ended up getting COVID shortly after the first booster. I’m convinced that the vaccine helped me; I felt a bad cough coming on but it disappeared within a day or two and my only irritating symptoms were fatigue, some congestion, and loss of smell/taste.

I need to look up what I’m eligible for in terms of boosters and get it done while I have time off over the holidays.

Depending where you live, the sign up at your publix/walgreens/cvs/whatever is almost certainly online, and can be done today, in under 5 minutes, for an appointment tomorrow. It will ask you what you've had and then steer you to your next.

I'm 90% sure you'll get the new bivalent/booster. They don't make you get all the prior series, as long as you've had at least one of the mrna's first, you'll get that.

 

[Lancelot]

Those who are resuming travel after getting the latest bivalent should remember to take standard precautions, like hand-washing, avoiding large gathering without a dreaded mask, etc. My neighbor and his DW just returned from a river cruise in Europe. Both tested positive and had flu-like symptoms for a week. They got the Moderna bivalent last month when it first became available. They are in their mid-70s and I imagine their symptoms would have been worse if not boosted with the latest magic juice.

I got the J&J one dose around April 2020 and a Moderna booster February 2022.

About December 2021 (pre booster) I'm pretty sure I had Covid while living at Lake Chapala, Mexico. No sense of smell, body aches, flu like symptoms for five days.

Then seven month in Asia, no problems and got Covid again in Mexico. (Confirmed with a home test kit)

Again no sense of smell but only felt bad for one day. I'm nearly 70, excellent health, but the variants are with us, much like the flu.

I usually get a flu shot when/if I'm in the USA, so yeah I would get a Covid booster if available.

Off topic, but my worst ever case of what I suspect was the flu was about five years ago in the Philippines. Severe body aches, felt as if I had been in a fight and suffered many hard punches to my torso. Lasted about five days, stayed in my apartment, took ibuprofen, drank a lot of water and slept.

No guarantees in life

 

[subwayhamster]

Here is some anecdotal evidence that suggests the bivalent booster works very well. I got the shot in Oct; my husband chose not to get it. He came down with COVID the day after Thanksgiving and suffered through it for 7 days (complete with loss of taste). I tested myself on the 5th day since the day of exposure (the Wed before Thanksgiving when we were out all day unmasked) and was negative. I ended up never getting it, despite taking no measures to isolate from him in an apartment with one bathroom. Based on that, I would keep getting the booster year after year without complaint. My husband knows to do so as well now.

 

[Sunset]

We have had 4 Pfizer shots and 1 Moderna, so a total of 5 shots so far. Plus flu shot.

Feel like a pin cushion

I figure shot number 6 will be sometime in the Spring of 2023.

 

[fh2000]

We have had 4 Pfizer shots and 1 Moderna, so a total of 5 shots so far. Plus flu shot.

Feel like a pin cushion

I figure shot number 6 will be sometime in the Spring of 2023.

I got all those, plus the new pneumonia PCV20 from yesterday. How many those vaccines can you keep in your body?

 

[Alan]

I got all those, plus the new pneumonia PCV20 from yesterday. How many those vaccines can you keep in your body?

The vaccines themselves are gone from the body in a matter of days or weeks. It is like the old saying “teach a man to fish…”, except it is the immune system that is being taught.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

The vaccines themselves are gone from the body in a matter of days or weeks. It is like the old saying “teach a man to fish…”, except it is the immune system that is being taught.

Right. It's complicated, but this explains the basics without much need for a science background: https://www.pfizer.com/news/articles/a_life_saving_education_the_body_s_response_to_a_vaccine

 

[explanade]

Here is some anecdotal evidence that suggests the bivalent booster works very well. I got the shot in Oct; my husband chose not to get it. He came down with COVID the day after Thanksgiving and suffered through it for 7 days (complete with loss of taste). I tested myself on the 5th day since the day of exposure (the Wed before Thanksgiving when we were out all day unmasked) and was negative. I ended up never getting it, despite taking no measures to isolate from him in an apartment with one bathroom. Based on that, I would keep getting the booster year after year without complaint. My husband knows to do so as well now.

I think it's likely a coincidence because they no longer expect vaccines to prevent infections from the latest variants.

The hope is that they protect against the worst cases, keep you out of hospital.

Researchers are working on new vaccines which they hope will work better against newer variants, including preventing infections.