CDC has approved 4th vaccine dose for some people

[harllee]

DH is immune compromised and his doctor let him know that he qualified for a fourth Covid vaccine shot. He was able to make an appointment at a local pharmacy for this Thursday. It is my understanding that the CDC recently approved a 4th shot for adults with certain medical conditions. It has to have been 5 months since your last shot.

 

[audreyh1]

Glad to see that your pharmacies are doing better now in terms of staying up to date!

 

[Koolau]

Wow, I just finally got boosted. Hard to believe I might need a 4th shot within 5 months.

I spent a week trying to get CVS's Covid Vax web page to work - it never did. SO, I called the hot line at CVS and took about 20 minutes on the phone with a nice young man (who's heart language is not English - with my hearing, it made the process a bit slower as well. Still, he was very helpful and supportive.) SO I set up the appointment and got boosted. The first two shots caused zero pain going in, injecting or afterwards on the first shot - minor soreness after second shot. BUT the booster hurt badly going in. I am certain the tech actually hit my bone with the needle though he swore that was impossible. I've never jumped from a shot before but I actually came out of my chair on this one. So, I was sore for a couple of days but no other effects. I'm hoping that by the time I need the next shot, I have forgotten this bad experience. YMMV

 

[CDRE]

Great information, harllee. Thanks.

 

[euro]

DH is immune compromised and his doctor let him know that he qualified for a fourth Covid vaccine shot. He was able to make an appointment at a local pharmacy for this Thursday. It is my understanding that the CDC recently approved a 4th shot for adults with certain medical conditions. It has to have been 5 months since your last shot.

Interesting and logical. My guess is that we will eventually end up with something like and annual shot when the pandemic turns into an endemic.

I'm curious: do immunocompromised folks have any way of being tested for actual antibody levels? I don't know if any of those assays are approved for clinical use, but it would make sense to find out. I'm sure some people mount perfectly adequate anti-CoVid responses, even of they are "immunocompromised". If so, they don't really need a 2nd booster.

 

[Chuckanut]

Some countries such as Switzerland are demanding no more than 9 months since the last dose of a vaccine approved by them. So that means travelers who got their booster shot in the Fall, may need another one just go be admitted to the country by late Summer the next year.

https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/ne...-of-vaccination-certificates-from-february-1/

Switzerland has become the most recent country to announce that starting from February 1, it will recognise as valid only vaccination certificates of people who have completed their vaccination within the last 270 days.

The majority of the Schengen and EU countries have already announced they will shorten the validity of vaccination certificates, while some others, like Austria, already do so.

 

[MissMolly]

Interesting and logical. My guess is that we will eventually end up with something like and annual shot when the pandemic turns into an endemic.

I'm curious: do immunocompromised folks have any way of being tested for actual antibody levels? I don't know if any of those assays are approved for clinical use, but it would make sense to find out. I'm sure some people mount perfectly adequate anti-CoVid responses, even of they are "immunocompromised". If so, they don't really need a 2nd booster.

Yes, they do have a way of testing. My brother has smoldering myeloma and is therefore immunocompromised. He got his 4th shot several weeks ago. The first two provided almost no antibody levels. The 3rd one started bringing them up and the 4th one got them up to where his doctors think he is now provided with some protection. He is being closely monitored.

 

[Teacher Terry]

I am glad that the people that need a fourth dose can get one.

 

[regenaeb]

Immune compromised here as well and I received my 4th dose (Moderna booster) on Sunday. Yesterday afternoon I had some nausea, a low-grade fever and felt like I was getting sick. I finished work at 5:30, then layed down for the rest of the evening. DH made me some soup and pampered me, it was kind of nice. I feel fine this morning. Hopefully 2 weeks from now our Covid positive numbers go way down and I will be able to go back to the gym. Getting really bored using our home elliptical daily. I have a half marathon coming up in May, I need to be training for, but with feels like temps in the negatives lately, outdoor running is out of the question for me. I need a treadmill.

 

[MichaelB]

<mod note> Multiple posts that were off topic were deleted. Let’s please stick to the thread topic and help the posts helpful.

 

[Koolau]

I am glad that the people that need a fourth dose can get one.

Good point. We are so blessed to have vaccines available to us - as often as we need them. YMMV

 

[Badger]

Yes, they do have a way of testing. My brother has smoldering myeloma and is therefore immunocompromised. He got his 4th shot several weeks ago. The first two provided almost no antibody levels. The 3rd one started bringing them up and the 4th one got them up to where his doctors think he is now provided with some protection. He is being closely monitored.

I would like to know more about the process and timing of testing for antibody levels. Where can this be done? How long to get results? Can anyone have this done upon request? How accurate is the test? Does it differentiate from other antibodies (like flu)? etc. It would be nice to know if they are working for you and at what level. It seems to me that this is as important as getting vaccinated and/or testing. I don't mind being boosted every so often but I would like to know if it is effective.


Cheers!

 

[Chuckanut]

From what I have read and heard, a 2nd booster for most people does not improve resistance to Covid infection very much. For people under 30 whose risk is already very low, even the 1st booster does not do much in the way of adding additional protection.

https://news.yahoo.com/israeli-study-shows-4th-shot-162340161.html

The vaccines led to a increase in the number of antibodies "even a little bit higher than what we had after the third dose", said Regev-Yochay.
"Yet, this is probably not enough for the Omicron," she told reporters. "We know by now that the level of antibodies needed to protect and not to got infected from Omicron is probably too high for the vaccine, even if it's a good vaccine."

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

I am coming up on being "due" for #4. I have seen/read that Pfizer and Moderna is tweaking the formula for omicron (which seems to be waning). I wonder if we are going down the road of the flu shot when some years it isn't as effective because of different strains. I am currently on the fence about #4. While I am glad to have the protection of the first three...just not feeling the fourth one, yet.

I think it might be useful to get a true anti-body test to see what my numbers look like. Our blood bank is testing, but you don't get numbers...just if you have antibodies or not.

 

[Teacher Terry]

It looks like a covid vaccine may be needed yearly. I had my booster in October so would consider a 4th shot in Fall.

 

[Alan]

My wife and I had our 4th jab today and it was Moderna (we booked a test then turned up and had what the pharmacy is currently dispensing). We were able to get a 4th jab without being immunosuppressed because our 2nd jab was Novavax as part of the mixed vaccine we took part in.

We have now had 4 different vaccines. AZ in February, Novavax in April, Pfizer in November and now Moderna.

 

[fh2000]

I am a healthy 66 year old man. I was Pfizer boosted 5 months ago in US. I now have an opportunity to receive a full Moderna shot in my birth country.

I just want to check are there any down side to receive a 4th shot other than the side effect? I will be returning to US in 3 weeks. Should I get that extra protection since there are still high number of cases back in US?

 

[audreyh1]

Apparently a 4th dose doesn’t help much unless you are immunocompromised, so healthy people don’t get extra protection.

 

[street]

Apparently a 4th dose doesn’t help much unless you are immunocompromised, so healthy people don’t get extra protection.

Yes, that is what I have read also.

 

[NW-Bound]

Apparently a 4th dose doesn’t help much unless you are immunocompromised, so healthy people don’t get extra protection.

It does not hurt either. If offered, I would take it.

 

[Alan]

I am a healthy 66 year old man. I was Pfizer boosted 5 months ago in US. I now have an opportunity to receive a full Moderna shot in my birth country.

I just want to check are there any down side to receive a 4th shot other than the side effect? I will be returning to US in 3 weeks. Should I get that extra protection since there are still high number of cases back in US?

We are also aged 66. We had a Moderna booster 2 days ago. Actually a 4th shot because our 2nd shot had been Novavax which was not approved until recently. Our 3rd shot was Pfizer but only showed as a 2nd shot on our Covid travel passport on our phones. The Covid passport now shows that we had a booster.

Sore arm and flu like symptoms next day but that’s all. We went for a lovely 6 mile walk on the moors the following morning in bright sunshine which blew away the symptoms. Not even a sore arm today.

 

[harllee]

I am a healthy 66 year old man. I was Pfizer boosted 5 months ago in US. I now have an opportunity to receive a full Moderna shot in my birth country.

I just want to check are there any down side to receive a 4th shot other than the side effect? I will be returning to US in 3 weeks. Should I get that extra protection since there are still high number of cases back in US?

My DH (immune compromised) had a 4th shot of Modena a few weeks ago--no side effects. If I had the opportunity to take a 4th shot I would definitely take it.
You are right Covid is still raging in the US, although starting to slow down. I know 3 people who came down with it in my circle of friends just this week.

 

[Koolau]

I am a healthy 66 year old man. I was Pfizer boosted 5 months ago in US. I now have an opportunity to receive a full Moderna shot in my birth country.

I just want to check are there any down side to receive a 4th shot other than the side effect? I will be returning to US in 3 weeks. Should I get that extra protection since there are still high number of cases back in US?

Just understand that there are risks to all shots. I have received my 3rd (the booster) and (as mentioned earlier) I believe the tech hit my bone with the needle though he indicated that was impossible. My point is not to discourage vaccinations. My point is to be certain you understand the risks and benefits of any procedures. I would contact my personal physician before taking yet another vaccine shot but YMMV.

 

[braumeister]

Just saw an interesting study that showed a marked increase in antibodies in people who did 90 minutes of vigorous exercise after receiving a vaccination (not just Covid, but also flu, etc.). The effect wasn't there with only 45 minutes; it had to be 90 minutes (heart rate up in the 60-70% of max range).

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0889159122000319

 

[travelover]

Is there a consensus on whether switching to an alternate mRNA vaccine as a booster is beneficial? i.e. 3 Pfizer shots then 1 Moderna?