FDA Approves Booster Shot for People with Weakened Immune Systems

[stephenson]

gayl,

OK - sure, everyone hates needles, but - and, I'm making some assumptions here.

You are not "young" - so, your chances of being seriously ill and hospitalized and dying are far greater.

2.11% is a HUGE number, especially if you consider that is a general population number.

Do you really believe a cruise ship has perfect records, or they are perfectly able to track all the records of the various nationalities of their crew, or their guests? Thousands of them? These are somewhat closed ecosystems - and, once something starts ...

Then, as far as looking at numbers - I would review them to rationalize why I wanted to get a booster, vs why I didn't. Aren't the numbers something like 10X more protection with a booster?

 

[Alan]

Alan any chance you can actually indicate which vaccine you want? If you can ask, which one are you leaning towards getting?

I'll find out on the phone call with the doctor and see what he recommends. I think I would like an mRNA vaccine as AZ and Novavax are more traditional vaccines. Both Moderna and Pfizer have proved to have no bad interactions with AZ from previous trials, so no issues there plus I'd like bragging rights to say that I have have 3 different vaccines.

The other half of the trial group has included mixing Novavax with Pfizer so I would guess that they would be confident that Novavax mixes well with Pfizer.

 

[RetiredHappy]

Moderna booster (emergency) approved by FDA apparently for same groups as Pfizer. I would love to have got it before an upcoming trip but I guess I'll have to wait until I return. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/fda-advisory-group-recommends-moderna-booster-emergency-authorization-rcna2850

Not yet FDA officially approved yet. This is only based on FDA advisory board.

 

[harllee]

I am getting my booster (Moderna) as soon as approved. Had lunch yesterday with a friend whose fully vaccinated sister, BIL and nephew (all vaccinated with 2 Pfizer vaccines) all 3 came down with breakthrough infections. They were not very sick, just felt like a cold. But now a month or so later all 3 have developed more related issues. One has lost sense of smell, one has developed "Covid related" asthma and the nephew (healthy in his 30s) has developed heart issues. The breakthrough cases may not make you very sick at the time but you could develop long term problems.

 

[ivinsfan]

I am getting my booster (Moderna) as soon as approved. Had lunch yesterday with a friend whose fully vaccinated sister, BIL and nephew (all vaccinated with 2 Pfizer vaccines) all 3 came down with breakthrough infections. They were not very sick, just felt like a cold. But now a month or so later all 3 have developed more related issues. One has lost sense of smell, one has developed "Covid related" asthma and the nephew (healthy in his 30s) has developed heart issues. The breakthrough cases may not make you very sick at the time but you could develop long term problems.

That's not good but loss of smell is annoying but not life endangering, asthma might just be the lungs taking longer to recover at the 4 week mark.
The last one is interesting because heart inflammation issues in younger men can be a vaccine related problem too. From what I read it does fix itself in most cases.


More info is coming out about long Covid and the amount and severity of cases all the time.

 

[explanade]

I think UK will allow mix and match before the US does.

 

[braumeister]

I'm waiting for the pumpkin spice version. Every other product that we put in our bodies seems to have it at this time of year.

 

[mn54]

We received a third injection of Moderna exactly 2 months ago. Walked into the pharmacy and was finished in a couple of minutes. Since it was that long ago I would assume it was a full dose and not a half dose. So far the only reaction to the third shot has been a very slight sore arm at the injection site that lasted a few hours. That was the same mild response we had from the original shots.


Cheers!

did the pharmacy knowingly give you a 3rd moderna vaccine? i don't understand how they would do that since a 3rd moderna shot has not been approved by the FDA.

 

[Ian S]

The last one is interesting because heart inflammation issues in younger men can be a vaccine related problem too. From what I read it does fix itself in most cases.

Apparently, you are six times more likely to get myocarditis from covid-19 infection than from a vaccine. https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg25133462-800-myocarditis-is-more-common-after-covid-19-infection-than-vaccination/

 

[ivinsfan]

Apparently, you are six times more likely to get myocarditis from covid-19 infection than from a vaccine. https://www.newscientist.com/articl...on-after-covid-19-infection-than-vaccination/

I wasn't dissing vaccines I was saying it can be a side effect of them. This was explicitly mentioned by the booster panel saying we need to figure out the risk/reward ratio for younger people.

 

[stephenson]

did the pharmacy knowingly give you a 3rd moderna vaccine? i don't understand how they would do that since a 3rd moderna shot has not been approved by the FDA.

Being immunocompromised.

 

[bmcgonig]

Sure.
1. I hate needles
2. According to https://coronavirus.dc.gov/data/vaccination only 2.11% of those who had J&J had a breakthrough case
3. Cruise ship passengers & crew are 100% vaccinated. We are only 90% vaccinated here. So I have a higher chance of coming in contact with someone in my county then on a ship.

But on the negative side, I now know of 1 person who came down with it. He was vaxed & asymptomatic so it does happen. (Negative test required to get on a cruise ship)

Good article about a bunch of friends that went on a cruise. Many came down with it. Supposedly everyone vaccinated.

https://www.nola.com/news/coronavirus/article_83d07a24-2b9e-11ec-b699-97307056c479.html

 

[gayl]

gayl,

OK - sure, everyone hates needles, but - and, I'm making some assumptions here.

You are not "young" - so, your chances of being seriously ill and hospitalized and dying are far greater.

2.11% is a HUGE number, especially if you consider that is a general population number.

Do you really believe a cruise ship has perfect records, or they are perfectly able to track all the records of the various nationalities of their crew, or their guests? Thousands of them? These are somewhat closed ecosystems - and, once something starts ...

Then, as far as looking at numbers - I would review them to rationalize why I wanted to get a booster, vs why I didn't. Aren't the numbers something like 10X more protection with a booster?

Thank you for your concern but I'm under 70, bmi 24, no health concerns, still do 1/2 marathons. Remember I'm the person who turned down a number of appointments bc I'm a 1-shot-and-done person. This leaves plenty of shots for others. I can fully understand how someone with an underlying condition (^BMI, ^BFA, heart disease, smokers, allergies, taking any meds) would want it. And yes, with the medallion ships are able to track everyone.

It's 2.11% of those who had the JnJ not general population. Or did I misread the article?

 

[mn54]

Being immunocompromised.

the Pfizer booster has been approved for those 65 and up and those that are immunocompromised. to the best of my knowledge, the moderna has not been approved for anyone.

 

[harllee]

the Pfizer booster has been approved for those 65 and up and those that are immunocompromised. to the best of my knowledge, the moderna has not been approved for anyone.

Moderna booster was approved for immunocompromised. DH with autoimmune disease was legitimately able to get Moderna vaccine booster at CVS over a month ago.

 

[gayl]

Good article about a bunch of friends that went on a cruise. Many came down with it. Supposedly everyone vaccinated.

https://www.nola.com/news/coronavirus/article_83d07a24-2b9e-11ec-b699-97307056c479.html

Good reason to avoid the south!!

 

[stephenson]

Thank you for your concern but I'm under 70, bmi 24, no health concerns, still do 1/2 marathons. Remember I'm the person who turned down a number of appointments bc I'm a 1-shot-and-done person. This leaves plenty of shots for others. I can fully understand how someone with an underlying condition (^BMI, ^BFA, heart disease, smokers, allergies, taking any meds) would want it. And yes, with the medallion ships are able to track everyone.

It's 2.11% of those who had the JnJ not general population. Or did I misread the article?

OK, but methinks you’ve come to some illogical conclusions.

As the Brits say, “Right!”

Good luck.

 

[Alan]

We will be getting our Pfizer booster the week of November 8th. We had a long, very informative, chat with a trial doctor this afternoon and we will give a final blood sample at the hospital running the trial, and then be given our booster jab. End of October is the earliest we would have qualified for a booster anyway so our participation in the trial has not really affected that timeline.

 

[Sunset]

Good article about a bunch of friends that went on a cruise. Many came down with it. Supposedly everyone vaccinated.

https://www.nola.com/news/coronavirus/article_83d07a24-2b9e-11ec-b699-97307056c479.html

Interesting how much it spread and annoyingly the lack of information given to the passengers. When on a cruise I'd like them to tell passengers right away, so as a passenger I could decide how much to mask up, etc.


Looking at the cdc site, they list ships with / without report-able covid levels.
The color of the chart is misleading as Yellow is bad, but orange is better, and red is the worst. Green is good.

There are a lot of Yellow (bad).

https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/cruise/cruise-ship-color-status.html

 

[ncbill]

Got my 3rd Pfizer dose today.

Yesterday I told an unvaccinated person I know that I was taking their dose.

 

[Turbo29]

Got my third Pfizer and a Fluad flu shot (the souped up flu shot for those >=65) last Thursday. Pharmacist recommended both in the same arm because, "That way you will only have one sore arm." Arm was pretty sore later in the day but only mildly so the next day.



Woke up the next day feeling a bit off but it went away in a few hours. I blame that on the souped up flu shot because last year when I got the Fluad shot by itself I had the same reaction; I had no reaction (other than arm soreness) to my first two Pfizer shots.

 

[JT90505]

I will NOT Our hospitals are no longer impacted, plenty of empty beds, unused ventilators.

Its great you are vaccinated despite your aversion to needles.

At this point the data shows getting a booster maintains the high level of protection attained after your first shot. Reduces the probability of filling one of those empty hospital beds as winter approaches.

 

[skyking1]

I wish we had plenty of hospital beds and vents. Washington is doing great but our neighbor Idaho is one of the worst places for covid right now. they have a vaccination rate in the high 30s, and their ICUs are completely overrun right now and emergent cases for other illnesses are flooding into Spokane hospitals, which then displaces any semi routine cases towards Seattle, which then means if you have a routine surgery good luck you're not getting it.

 

[Telly]

Got my third Pfizer and a Fluad flu shot (the souped up flu shot for those >=65) last Thursday. Pharmacist recommended both in the same arm because, "That way you will only have one sore arm." Arm was pretty sore later in the day but only mildly so the next day.

Same shots, same day, but one in each arm . I got them about 3 hours apart at different places. The first night I felt them when I would lay down or turn over, upper arm soreness when pressed, like first laying on side. I turned often to even it out. Second night, no problem.

If I end up getting a Covid-19 booster say, every 6 months for the rest of my life, I'm okay with that. Vaccination needles do not bother me at all. Needles for other medical uses do. As they say, YNRMV... Your Needle Reactions May Vary

 

[harllee]

You folks getting your flu shot and Covid booster on the same day are much braver than I am --no way I would do that. I would space them out 2 weeks, that is what my pharmacist and doctor recommended.