Second Bivalent Booster?

[Gearhead Jim]

I have taken each Covid vaccine when available/recommended for me.

Thus far I've had:

Initial two-doses of Pfizer in early 2021.
Pfizer booster in Fall of 2021.
Pfizer booster in Spring of 2022 before vacation.
Moderna bivalent booster in Fall of 2022.

All the articles I've seen are saying that the bivalent boosters seem to be losing their effectiveness in your body over time, just like the previous injections. In the past, the talk was that 6-9 months after your most recent booster, most of your protection was gone. There is a kind of "residual" protection against severe disease and death that lasts longer, but I haven't seen any info about how good that is or how long it lasts. My bivalent booster is now 4 months old and I'm wondering what my next move should be this Spring.

BTW, after each shot I start to get a fever that evening, spend the next day in bed, and still feel crummy the third day.
That's supposed to mean that my body is developing a "robust immune response", I'm supposed to feel good that I feel bad.
DW has very little discomfort in the days after a Covid shot.
In Spring of 2022 we took a week long river cruise in France for our 50th. Viking was very alert, Covid test every morning, etc. We literally were never out of each other's reach for the week, including flights.
The day after we got home DW came down with Covid and was quite sick, though no extra treatment was needed. I stayed by her side, no masks, throughout the ordeal. I never got even a sniffle. My reward for the vaccination reactions?


The normal answer to these questions is "ask your doctor." She is very good but also adheres strictly to all the rules and would not recommend or approve anything that deviates from the CDC guidance.

Thoughts?

 

[Teacher Terry]

I enthusiastically took the first two shots and a booster in 10/21. All 3 made me sick enough to spend 4 days in bed. I am now done. But I am not fond of taking anything that must be done yearly or more often.

 

[Gumby]

When the CDC recommends another booster, I will gladly get it. I think it would be convenient if they could combine it with the annual flu shot, but I do not have sufficient information to know if that is even possible. In the end, it doesn't really matter. If it takes a jab in each arm once a year, I can do that.

 

[Walt34]

I get the recommended boosters whenever my doctor suggests doing so. The reactions for us have been a mildly sore arm for a day or three so it's not a big deal for us. I see no downside.

 

[gromit]

I have taken each Covid vaccine when available/recommended for me.

Thus far I've had:

Initial two-doses of Pfizer in early 2021.
Pfizer booster in Fall of 2021.
Moderna bivalent booster in Spring of 2022.

All the articles I've seen are saying that the bivalent boosters seem to be losing their effectiveness in your body over time, just like the previous injections. In the past, the talk was that 6-9 months after your most recent booster, most of your protection was gone. There is a kind of "residual" protection against severe disease and death that lasts longer, but I haven't seen any info about how good that is or how long it lasts. My bivalent booster is now 10 months old and I'm wondering what my next move should be.

The normal answer would be "ask your doctor." She is very good but also adheres strictly to all the rules and would not recommend or approve anything that deviates from the CDC guidance.

Thoughts?

I don't think the bivalent vaccine was approved and available until Fall of 2022. I've had the 2 initial vaccines, 2 regular boosters, and in late October a bivalent booster. I get a booster after 5 or 6 months.


FDA.GOV - August 31, 2022 "Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration amended the emergency use authorizations (EUAs) of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine and the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine to authorize bivalent formulations of the vaccine..."

 

[easysurfer]

Getting kind of hard to keep track of the shots.

I've had up to one bivalent booster.

When time for another, shoot me up. Put me in coach .

 

[WannabeRetired]

I don't think the bivalent vaccine was approved and available until Fall of 2022.

It was first available near us the week of September 5th. We called a local clinic to schedule it straight away thinking there would be a lot of demand, but it ended up being extremely easy to get.

 

[Midpack]

When the CDC recommends another booster, I will gladly get it. I think it would be convenient if they could combine it with the annual flu shot, but I do not have sufficient information to know if that is even possible. In the end, it doesn't really matter. If it takes a jab in each arm once a year, I can do that.

We took the two Moderna vaccines as soon as they were made available. We got a Moderna booster in Oct 21 when they became available. We then got the Moderna bivalent in late Sept 22, combined with our flu shots. We plan to just make it a habit to get a Covid booster and flu shot every Fall, although we will re-evaluate as necessary, and I hope we don't have to get Covid boosters forever. Like Gumby, getting a FREE vaccine (and wearing masks at times) seems a small price to pay, even though we know Covid wouldn't kill us, why get sick if it's easily avoided? I have read the test positivity rate has been higher again lately. That said, I don't presume to tell anyone else what to do...

As for sick after, I felt bad the day after both vaccines, but only had a very sore arm after the boosters. But I have friends, and my DW, who were out of commission longer so I know it's not uncommon.

 

[foxfirev5]

My vaccine card shows 4 shots. I got quite sick after each one. My last booster was July 2022. Last month DW and I both tested positive after not feeling well. It was worse than the side effects from the boosters but not enough for me to get another shot. With all the contradictory info from the govt. I'm backing off.

 

[aaronc879]

I had both regular doses and both boosters including as recent as 9/19/2022 and I still tested positive for Covid on 1/5/23. I had severe chills, high fever and severe headache the first day then low fever, moderate headache for a couple days then cough and congestion for a week and ongoing. No telling if it would have been worse without the booster but it was pretty bad with it. Still sick more than a week after first symptoms. Not sure if I would get another booster if I get this sick anyway. Maybe annually with flu vaccine but not more often than that.

 

[Fermion]

I got the booster in November 2022 and it did make me sick for a couple days (aches and a 101 fever) but advil knocked that down to manageable and there were no congestion systems, which is what we are all trying to avoid, right?

I'll take a small fever for a couple days over several weeks of not being able to breathe (or worse).

 

[Gumby]

...Like Gumby, getting a FREE vaccine (and wearing masks at times) seems a small price to pay, even though we know Covid wouldn't kill us, why get sick if it's easily avoided? That said, I don't presume to tell anyone else what to do...

To be fair, I have never even had a sore arm after any of my 5 total vaccinations so far.

 

[RetMD21]

When the CDC recommends another booster, I will gladly get it. I think it would be convenient if they could combine it with the annual flu shot, but I do not have sufficient information to know if that is even possible. In the end, it doesn't really matter. If it takes a jab in each arm once a year, I can do that.

Me too. I think there is plenty of leftover bivalent booster
but so far they haven't authorized a second dose. I guess they might when we get closer to the 6 month point vs another fall booster.

 

[38Chevy454]

With all the contradictory info from the govt. I'm backing off.

My same thoughts.

 

[audreyh1]

We waited until October to get the bivalent booster.

 

[Fermion]

To be fair, I have never even had a sore arm after any of my 5 total vaccinations so far.

That is the same as my wife...I get the 2 days of being sick, she doesn't even get a sore arm.

I wonder though...is my immune system generating more of a response meaning I am better protected?

 

[REWahoo]

We waited until October to get the bivalent booster.

Same for us. And unlike the first two doses and first two boosters that made us feel punky the next day, we had no reaction to it other than a slightly sore arm.

 

[ivinsfan]

I got the booster in November 2022 and it did make me sick for a couple days (aches and a 101 fever) but advil knocked that down to manageable and there were no congestion systems, which is what we are all trying to avoid, right?

I'll take a small fever for a couple days over several weeks of not being able to breathe (or worse).

Are you harkening back to the days of Delta....I don't actually consider 101 a small fever. We've done 3 shots and like several posters we are done..We all need to do what we are comfortable with...Aarons booster didn't give him even 4 months of good protections.. I do agree with one of my family members who said Covid does not plan on leaving anytime soon.

 

[Sunset]

We waited until October to get the bivalent booster.

We got our bivalent in November, making it the 5th shot in total.

I think they are working on a new bivalent, for the newer variants, so I'll wait as the latest spreading variant is different enough to largely evade the defenses we've all built up.

 

[Alan]

If another jab is recommended then I will take it. I had the Pfizer bivalent late September last year which was the 5th I have had. I have never had more than a sore arm or other reaction with any of the jabs. If I had bad reactions then I might think twice but would probably go ahead anyway. In 2019 I had a pretty bad reaction to the annual flu vaccine which was very unusual for me, but didn’t stop me turning up in future years.

 

[ivinsfan]

We took the two Moderna vaccines as soon as they were made available. We got a Moderna booster in Oct 21 when they became available. We then got the Moderna bivalent in late Sept 22, combined with our flu shots. We plan to just make it a habit to get a Covid booster and flu shot every Fall, although we will re-evaluate as necessary, and I hope we don't have to get Covid boosters forever. Like Gumby, getting a FREE vaccine (and wearing masks at times) seems a small price to pay, even though we know Covid wouldn't kill us, why get sick if it's easily avoided? I have read the test positivity rate has been higher again lately. That said, I don't presume to tell anyone else what to do...

As for sick after, I felt bad the day after both vaccines, but only had a very sore arm after the boosters. But I have friends, and my DW, who were out of commission longer so I know it's not uncommon.

What does it matter if its free or not? In my mind (which means nothing to anyone but me) we are getting so many mutations at this point that the vaccines isn't really as effective as it was back in the beginning. Right now DH and I think at some point our own immune systems need to figure out how to deal with Covid. And like you I don't presume to tell anyone what to do.

 

[ivinsfan]

We got our bivalent in November, making it the 5th shot in total.

I think they are working on a new bivalent, for the newer variants, so I'll wait as the latest spreading variant is different enough to largely evade the defenses we've all built up.

We've got so many variants with so many new names it's almost impossible to keep up....this would include with specific variant vaccine...

 

[Fermion]

Are you harkening back to the days of Delta....I don't actually consider 101 a small fever. We've done 3 shots and like several posters we are done..We all need to do what we are comfortable with...Aarons booster didn't give him even 4 months of good protections.. I do agree with one of my family members who said Covid does not plan on leaving anytime soon.

To me personally a fever is nothing, especially if it can be knocked down to 99 with a couple of advil. I have had a bad flu before where I felt like I was having a heart attack every time I coughed...I hate anything that affects the lungs.

 

[Beststash]

When the CDC recommends another booster, I will gladly get it. I think it would be convenient if they could combine it with the annual flu shot, but I do not have sufficient information to know if that is even possible. In the end, it doesn't really matter. If it takes a jab in each arm once a year, I can do that.

My thoughts exactly.

 

[ivinsfan]

To me personally a fever is nothing, especially if it can be knocked down to 99 with a couple of advil. I have had a bad flu before where I felt like I was having a heart attack every time I coughed...I hate anything that affects the lungs.

No one likes coughing!....just commenting I don't think 101 is a low fever for an adult.....I had a flu in around 86.... at certain points during that adventure dying did not seem like the worst possible option....