I got the third shot because the school district I coach in doesn’t consider you fully vaccinated unless you had three. I had some inflammation issues after the second one so I was nervous about the third. No side effects from three so I’m assuming that was just the tracking microchip. I’ll get the fourth but I’m not in a hurry. Definitely will if it is required to be considered fully vaccinated.
I mean if you had GPS without a phone that’d be kinda handy
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It’s a small benefit, but yeah, you should decide on whether to get a fourth shot for you, and for your immediate family, not for “society”.
I pressured my husband and daughter to get the third, but won’t push either one to get the fourth. (Daughter isn’t eligible anyway.)
They have developed omicron-based vaccines, which are currently being tested. But your immune system has a memory, and tries to fit new data into what it already knows. So people who have been exposed to earlier strains (either via vaccine or infection) who get the omicron shot immediately ramp up protection against the original strain as well as omicron, and DON’T develop as many omicron-specific antibodies as immunologically naive people do. So the omicron vaccine appears to be only a little more effective against omicron than an additional dose of original vaccine.
(Immunologically naive people vaccinated against omicron develop robust immunity to it, but mediocre immunity to earlier strains.)
I expect we will get an Omicron&Flu vaccine this fall, but it probably won’t be vastly better than what’s available now.
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I plan to get a fourth shot, but may wait until 2-3 weeks before some planned travel around memorial day. I’ll definitely do it soon enough that i expect to be eligible for another dose in the fall.
The third shot should have been treated as part of the initial immunization. Getting a third shot enormously increases your cellular immune response. (The kind that doesn’t prevent you from catching it, but helps you recover faster, with fewer side effects.) It also significantly broadens your immune response, so you are better able to deal with variants, like omicron. It’s unclear whether j&j folks need one or two additional doses to get this effect. It probably varies from person to person.
The fourth shot appears to just be a booster. It helps refresh your immune response, and temporarily boosts the number of antibodies in your blood (so you get at least a short-term reduction in the risk of catching it at all) but it doesn’t significantly increase the long-term cellular response. I don’t think it significantly broadens the immune response, either, although I’m not certain about that.
And if you caught covid, that’s worth roughly 1.5 doses of vaccine for all those calculations. Although since the virus has more antigens than the vaccine, the immunity of those who were both vaccinated and infected (and survived without major injury) is generally better than that of people who were just vaccinated, or infected once.
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This was very true for me. See Will you get the vaccine as soon as available to you? - #4531 by 1695814 if you’re really interested in my numbers. My third shot was labeled a “booster” (so, half dose or something like that?).
This is very important to me.
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I’m going to fix that swypo.
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I’m going to leave the quote.
Oh, i think you should. It’s pretty funny.
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I’ll get mine eventually but don’t feel like it’s urgent. I’m triple moderns - for some reason my third shot was a full dose. I’ve heard it’s probably best for me to get Pfizer for my booster so I get all the variety. Not sure if that actually matters.
I’ll probably get it soon but am not in a rush.
I got COVID arm from Pfizer #2, but had no issues with #1 or #3.
I’m going to wait until this reflux hopefully subsides and I don’t feel like death since I had side effects from the Moderna booster (but none from J&J). I’m assuming I’m not eligible yet anyway.
oh, sounds like everyone 50 and older is eligible? so it will likely get to my age group sooner than i thought.
nice humblebrag about being under 50
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Nah.
I’ve attached an article, from today’s Phila Inquirer from a doctor who is very strongly pro-vac and pro-first-booster, suggesting that he (and others over 50 with no complicating conditions) should wait to get a second booster.
Why not second booster now.pdf (1.3 MB)
tl;dr situation is not nearly as dangerous now. better to get the added protection when needed more; also questions about how future doses might be less effective if more now.
My thinking has changed slightly, and had changed some even before reading this article. I have a niece’s wedding in July that I would like to attend, so may well delay the vaccine until 2 or 3 weeks before that, to have maximum protection then.
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Got mine last Sunday, figured it was good timing since I’ll be traveling for Passover and a couple more times in May. Aside from a sore arm very few side effects.
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I got my fourth shot yesterday. Have the same generic virus-like symptoms (aches, fatigue, low-grade fever) that I had after shots 2 and 3.
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I read the article and have had 3 doses. I’m of the mindset of “wait and see” what happens with cases over the next few months. I believe the booster schedule is too aggressive for most (I’m seeing “at least 3 months” on the CDC website). I believe I still have some protection today, and I’m living my life right now with many fewer precautions (no mask wearing at all). I’m willing to take on an increased risk of catching COVID (and also passing to others, unfortunately) for the tradeoff in quality of life while the case count, hospitalizations, and overall severity is low. If cases and hospitalizations rise, then I will adjust my behavior accordingly.
yeah, also not entirely seeing the point of getting a booster right now. i might cave and do it anyway though, but how many freaking shots of the same thing do i really need?
i see that people who got both an initial J&J shot plus a booster J&J shot are eligible now, but us mixed folk who got one J&J followed by moderna were lumped in the category with people who got 3 doses now and are not eligible.