Second Bivalent Booster?

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It’s been a while! Late Oct was our last I think.

On the other hand, local incidence of Covid is the lowest in a very long time.
 
I don't think I would get one. Katelyn Jetelina points out that immunocompromised folks are currently disproportionately getting hospitalized. UK and Canada have apparently determined that high risk groups "can" get another bivalent booster without saying that they "should." With low uptake on the first bivalent dose in the US I think it is a matter of throwing away doses or letting people have use them. https://yourlocalepidemiologist.sub...-booster?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
 
One combo flu/covid shot per year or I'm out. Fully immunized and the side effects from the shots where worse than the actual infection. For me.
 
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So, DW and I have had 3 Moderna shots and one Moderna bivalent booster on 9 Sept 22. DW is immunocompromised and I'm just guessing the protective effects are waning a bit. Has anyone here got a second bivalent booster after six months? Any pushback from the pharmacy? We are on medicare.
 
I'm at the same spot as the OP, 5 shots in and the last one a bivalent in late October.
If they are doing another then I'm in. DW and I ( knock on wood ) have not had covid nor have we had much of a reaction to the vaccines.
 
We're traveling to Europe in May; I'm hoping I can get a second bivalent booster a couple of weeks before we go. So far, neither I nor DH have had covid and if we can keep from getting sick with it we will. We know there is long covid, we know you can get it multiple times and we know just because you get a mild case doesn't mean there isn't some long term damage nor does it mean the next time you get it will also be a mild case. Plus, I'm 71.
 
We got a bivalent booster (our 5th shot overall) in October, prior to our trip to Egypt and Jordan. We will get whatever is the most current booster this October prior to our trip to Greece. We've never had a bad reaction to the shots. We did have Covid over Christmas 2001. It wasn't terrible, but I'd prefer not to try it again.
 
I am done with the Covid shots. Current, but have not had Covid and symptoms are quite mild for healthy people.

[MOD EDIT]
 
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I've had 5 shots, plus a (mild) case of covid. I think I'm done with the vaccines for now, might get one a year at the same time as my flu shot.
 
I had my 5th vaccine last Friday, March 17. I wore green. [emoji256]
My previous vaccine was June 2022 and then had a thankfully mild case of Covid in September.
I waited 6 months to get the new and improved vaccine.

My biggest issue is trying to figure out the timing of when to get the vaccine. I decided that getting the 5th shot now should get me through the summer and into the Fall. I’m assuming that there will be additional guidance for the Fall but who knows.

I typically get my flu shot in October and I don’t want both vaccines together so if another Covid vaccine is recommended I will get that in November.
I turn 65 this year so I get the super duper flu vaccine for the first time.
 
cbo111 said:
So, DW and I have had 3 Moderna shots and one Moderna bivalent booster on 9 Sept 22. DW is immunocompromised and I'm just guessing the protective effects are waning a bit. Has anyone here got a second bivalent booster after six months? Any pushback from the pharmacy? We are on medicare.
Click to expand...

I'm the OP.
I don't know of anyone who's had a second bivalent; a second bivalent is not yet recommended and probably not yet approved.

OTOH, I know people who got an "unapproved" shot because it wasn't yet recommended (for their group) but they knew it would be. They just walked into a pharmacy and said "I want a Covid vaccination" or "I want the new bivalent booster", claimed they'd lost their card. Nobody asked too many questions. Of course they then had two or even three cards, but no problems later.

So far, the FDA/CDC seem way too cautious about approving and recommending the latest vaccine or boosting or re-boosting.
Yes, your nose could fall off if you get an unapproved shot, but the history makes that look highly unlikely.
For me, the question is "If I get this shot today, am I more likely to be alive a year from now, or less likely?" Looking at it that way, I'll probably find a way to get a second bivalent booster before we travel to the Middle East in August.
 
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We got the first two boosters, but decided to skip additional shots. We each had COVID once with relatively mild symptoms. We skipped flu shots this year too as we were traveling during the time we’d normally get them. So far, we didn’t get the flu or COVID and hopefully won’t this year.
 
Gearhead Jim said:
So far, the FDA/CDC seem way too cautious about approving and recommending the latest vaccine or boosting or re-boosting.
Yes, your nose could fall off if you get an unapproved shot, but the history makes that look highly unlikely.
For me, the question is "If I get this shot today, am I more likely to be alive a year from now, or less likely?" Looking at it that way, I'll probably find a way to get a second bivalent booster before we travel to the Middle East in August.
Click to expand...

+1

While it's great news the FDA has approved a 2nd bivalent booster for 65+ and immunocompromised folks (expected to be approved by CDC tomorrow, as well), I am in the camp of letting anyone get it who thinks they could benefit from an additional booster dose. I honestly don't see why a 64-year old person with diabetes and high blood pressure won't be allowed to get a 2nd booster, whereas an extremely healthy 65-year old will be. Makes absolutely no sense. Heck, I'm still in my 50s and good health, and I absolutely want to get a 2nd bivalent booster. Given the extremely low risks, I don't see any real downside to it.
 
As I understand it, it is the same formulation we got last October. There may be a new one this fall. In any event, I'm only 64, so none for me right now.
 
Has there been any data to show a difference between the Pfizer and Moderna bivalent boosters. DH and I had the Pfizer bivalent last October and was wondering about the Moderna this time. We are heading to Europe in early May, so I'll be happy to get some extra protection!
 
RetMD21 said:
FDA approved 2nd bivalent now waiting on CDC https://www.nbcnews.com/health/heal...-updated-covid-booster-older-adults-rcna79568
Click to expand...

So at the end of article, it says:
The booster shots were reformulated last August to target the BA.4 and BA.5 omicron subvariants, in addition to the original strain of the virus.

BA.4 and BA.5 are no longer in circulation in the U.S.

As of Saturday, roughly 78% of new U.S. Covid cases are caused by the omicron subvariant XBB.1.5, according to the CDC.

Can one infer that getting the second dose might not provide much in the way of protection?
 
cbo111 said:
So at the end of article, it says:
The booster shots were reformulated last August to target the BA.4 and BA.5 omicron subvariants, in addition to the original strain of the virus.

BA.4 and BA.5 are no longer in circulation in the U.S.

As of Saturday, roughly 78% of new U.S. Covid cases are caused by the omicron subvariant XBB.1.5, according to the CDC.

Can one infer that getting the second dose might not provide much in the way of protection?
Click to expand...

Some thoughts by medical providers:

https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/omicron-xbb-kraken-subvariant
https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2023/what-you-need-to-know-about-xbb15-the-latest-omicron-variant
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health...-and-highly-transmissible-covid-19-subvariant
 
cbo111 said:
So at the end of article, it says:
The booster shots were reformulated last August to target the BA.4 and BA.5 omicron subvariants, in addition to the original strain of the virus.

BA.4 and BA.5 are no longer in circulation in the U.S.

As of Saturday, roughly 78% of new U.S. Covid cases are caused by the omicron subvariant XBB.1.5, according to the CDC.

Can one infer that getting the second dose might not provide much in the way of protection?
Click to expand...

Virtually all circulating strains (something like 98%) around the world are subvariants of the Omicron lineage, so they're all quite similar. Apparently, vaccinations targeting BA.4 and BA.5 are "close enough" to provide high levels of protection against severe disease from the XBB subvariants. This was discussed on Dr. Osterholm's most recent podcast.
 
After 3 years and 1 month and 2 vaccines and 3 boosters, I got COVID-23 a couple weeks back.

I wasn't down and out, but I felt pretty crappy for 2-3 days. I bounced back to 75-80% pretty fast, but then it just hung out there for another week. A scratchy throat and feeling off. Not great energy and elevated heart rate for those days 4-10 or so.

Not sure how a person dodges it for 3+ years and then suddenly gets it, but I guess there is no explanation needed. Covid won't be going away.

I guess I won't get another booster for a few months as I have "built in" immunity or something.

Oh no, got da Covid-23. :-(
 
I got my second bivalent booster last week at CVS. I don't think the FDA has given the final approval for the second booster yet but CVS is giving them. It had been over 6 months since I had my first booster so I was eager to get the second one. Only side effects was a sore and itchy arm.
 
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