I wonder how much the FDA now has to manage disinformation as part of a recommendation. I agree with poly that a vaccine induced immune response will generally be less damaging than getting the actual virus. I can say dose 4 after having covid was a nothingburger, so Id like to think the damage from either is effectively 0.
If i get covid and feel like shit for 3 days next month ill probably change my thoughts on this.
Feeling like shit for 3 days sounds like a dream come true right now… where do I sign up for that? I am due a lot of shitty day credits that I’d like to save for use against future illnesses if Covid lasting 3 days is considered bad.
Huh, y’all are older than i realized. I’m not eligible for the spring booster unless i lie and claim immune deficiency.
Also, i don’t think the current strain is any “weaker” than the original strain. (Although i gather Delta was nastier.) It’s just that the original strain got to romp in a field of immunologically naive people, and the current strains generally have to fight against an immune system that’s seen covid before. (Pretty much everyone who refused vaccination has caught covid at least once by now. And the survivors have some immunity.)
Some people might be assuming there’s a “if/when I am eligible” implied in their post. Although evidently not SL since he specifically says he is eligible.
I mean, we’re talking about the spring booster, which Canada and the US are both recommending for those over 65 and younger people with immune deficiency. The guidelines for fall haven’t been decided, yet, but odds are we will all be eligible for a fall flu&covid booster. I assume this discussion isn’t about “all time” but whether to get the spring booster.
Well I think you might be putting too much stock in people’s comments and ascribing a greater level of precision to their wording than is justified.
I too was confused and did some googling about eligibility for a second bivalent booster. Found nothing suggesting I was eligible now, even though age 70+. Perhaps just not being that good with google, I didn’t even find anything definitive about when I would be eligible.
Canada and the UK have said spring boosters will be available to those over 65 and people with immune deficiencies. (The UK sometimes also includes housemates of people with immune deficiencies, but i didn’t check the details this time.) The CDC just announced it’s going to do the same. That rule hasn’t been signed onto by the full stream of groups that need to do so, so you won’t find it in official guidance, yet, but the rest is expected to happen soon and without controversy.
The CDC is not going so far as to recommend a spring booster to anyone, they are just approving it.
I’m not yet 65, so I don’t have a decision to make this spring. (Except “lie about my immune status to a pharmacist”, i guess.)
I wish it was just three days as I am now in day 10 of feeling crappy from COVID. Still testing positive.
Hope you feel better soon.
The booster situation is confusing because the 2nd Pfizer and Moderna bivalent boosters target different variants.
1st Bivalent Booster (original virus + variant)
BA.1 (Omicron)
2nd Bivalent Booster (original virus + sub-variants)
BA. 4 (Omicron sub-variant)
BA. 5 (Omicron sub-variant)
If you have a choice, I would try to get tne 2nd bivalent booster as BA.4/5 is now the dominant variant worldwide. 1st booster is unlikely to do you much good at this point in time if you are already fully vaccinated (and likely got Omicron in the last wave).
In the UK they are using the 2nd bivalent booster as BA.4/5 is dominant. Focusing on the old (over 75), immuno-compromised (anybody over 5), and by permission of NHS, persons who are around older folks and immuno-compromised folks (like carers).
It’s going to be a few months before they get around to people in the 30-60 range that are healthy as I assume 60-75 is next up.
The US approved a different bivalent booster than the EU and UK. Both Pfizer and moderna are a mix of original strain and something that is similar to both ba.4 and ba.5
The bivalent vaccines, which we will also refer to as “updated boosters,” contain two messenger RNA (mRNA) components of SARS-CoV-2 virus, one of the original strain of SARS-CoV-2 and the other one in common between the BA.4 and BA.5 lineages of the omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2.
I believe that the EU approved a bivalent vaccine sooner, and bet on ba.1
Bivalent COVID-19 vaccines targeting the Omicron BA.1 subvariant developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna will soon be available in the EU, following a positive recommendation by a European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) committee.
And has since switched to the US formula
Pfizer and BioNTech Receive Positive CHMP Opinion for Omicron BA.4/BA.5-Adapted Bivalent COVID-19 Vaccine Booster for Children 5 Through 11 Years of Age in European Union
I think Canada started with ba.1, as well. I haven’t followed Canada as closely.
But we never had a ba.1 formula widely available in the US.
I see. Thanks for expanding on that from the US-side (had assumed BA.1 booster had been used in the US).
I got the bivalent booster and felt like shit for 3 days in getting covid a few months later, but thought I got off easy with only feeling sick for 3 days due to the booster.
The person I caught it from and hadn’t gotten the booster was sick for longer. Might have been due to my awesome immune system or the booster. No way to really know for sure.
Glad to see you again.
I get that people have different experiences with covid. Some second infections are worse than the first.
My point is that if i get it a second time, I’d expect that given first infection and 4th booster that it should be a minor experience. Maybe that doesn’t happen and I’ll be more motivated to get a future booster.
We are eligible for a booster now. My son said dont bother, but my spouse clarified with our doctor and the doctor recommended it, so i think im getting jabbed next week.
Still no covid for me yet.
oh, you already had 4 doses and had covid?
not following entirely. didn’t think there was a 5th dose right now for anyone who isn’t immune compromised.
i just had covid december 26 and got my last booster in october. i’m not getting another booster any time soon either. i don’t think i’m eligible for one anyway.
Immune compromised and over 65 I think.
Still? Here, the dominant strain is XBB, which evolved from BA.2. i would have guessed that either omicron booster (BA.1 or BA.4/5) would be about the same.
And what ever happened to the idea of easy names?