Another COVID vaccine? Yes, and here's why

[brooklynite]

Seattle Times

This fall, prepare for the latest round of COVID vaccine Whac-a-Mole. Like the old arcade game, no matter how many shots we get, the enemy always pops back up.

But here’s why the new shot, recommended by FDA advisers last week, makes sense: It targets a new version of the virus, the FDA panel said. It bolsters your body’s ever-growing defense system. And it’s a lot better than getting very sick or hospitalized.

Last year’s shot isn’t holding up. Protection against both infection and severe illness is waning.

“Effectiveness has decreased, as the time since vaccination has increased — and as new SARS-CoV-2 variants emerge,” said biostatistician Danyu Lin of the University of North Carolina School of Global Public Health, who presented worrisome new data to the FDA advisory panel.

[riverbendviewgal]

1. In Canada we are being recommended to get our covif shot

Every 6 months. I have had five i all together. I was surprised. I will be going for my 6th in a few weeks.

[Susan Calvin]

24. I've been doing every 6 months since they became available.

I think I'm up to nine at this point.

[Wounded Bear]

2. Been getting them on the regular, when they come out...nt

[ShazzieB]

18. Same here.

It's just routine at this point!

[Klondike Kat]

27. Same here

I contracted COVID last year at the end of June (right after I retired) and I can honestly say that I've never felt worse in my life. It felt like I had been "hit by a truck" (only guessing - I've never actually been hit by a truck). The first couple of days I was barely functional. Nasty headache, a little cough and chest congestion (not too bad), and I was incredibly lethargic. Fortunately I had been keeping up with the vaccination schedule - I hate to think what it would have been like if I hadn't been vaccinated.

[spooky3]

3. CDC is recommending a booster but the local pharmacy said they

Would not have any doses until the fall.

[Deuxcents]

5. I get my flu shot n Covid shot every September so there should be no problem by then with distribution

[ProfessorGAC]

15. Same Here

There will be plenty of supply 10-12 weeks from now, so I'll get both.

[Wounded Bear]

19. I generally wait until later so the protection doesn't wear off in March or so...

Around here, weather is pretty wet and raw clear into April most years so I wait until at least October.

That's for the flu shot anyway. I've been getting them concurrently the last few years.

It's also dictated somewhat by when the VA has them available.

[Hekate]

23. Call around -- we got our most recent one at Costco Pharmacy & I don't think you have to be a member...

…to use their pharmacy.

[Lemon Lyman]

25. Yup

They were the one of the only pharmacies "around" (this Costco is still 100 miles away from me) who carrie the Novavax. We wanted that one last time, so we went there. The only downside was that my insurance wasn't accepted at Costco, so I had to pay whatever it cost to get the shot. I think it was in the $150 range.

[viva la]

4. I'm going to treat this like the flu shot.

Get one every year-- maybe twice a year.

[flying_wahini]

6. Moderna is expected to release its new version with the flu shot combined.

Let them argue about that. 😂

[rogerballard]

7. I got a text from Rite Aid recently...

Adults 65+ are now eligible for an additional Covid-19 vaccine. Walk in or schedule today.

[thesquanderer]

16. I'm hesitant, even though I'm "due", because...

...there's indication that a new, better version of the vaccine will be available soon, and once I get a vaccine, I shouldn't get another for 6 months... so waiting may make sense...

[IronLionZion]

8. Conservatives will own the libs by not taking it

so that should leave more for those of us who want it. And we might have fewer conservatives by election time.

[GaYellowDawg]

9. No big deal.

It's just a shot! The original and the first booster put me out like a light the next day. Like 12 hours of teenager sleep. I'm still hoping for a return to that!

[surfered]

10. We'll be at the pharmacy to get it as soon as it's available

We’ve had 5 shots so far and caught Covid once last fall. We were pretty sick and glad to have the protection against having to be hospitalized.

[Warpy]

11. I said 3 years ago that it is a fast mutator and would most likely be like the fluy

and require shots when new strains poked their spiky heads up. Eventually they'll just combine the two so we'll only have to get stabbed once.

I also expect this virus to weaken as it moves higher and higher in the respiratory tract to improve its chances of contagion, eventually becoming a sixth coronavirus that causes the common cold.

[iluvtennis]

12. I'll get it as soon as it's available. Thanks for posting this article. n/t

[TBF]

13. They have them at CVS -

Last edited Wed Jun 12, 2024, 09:07 PM - Edit history (1)

I was able to get a Moderna booster this month (my last booster was with the flu shot last fall).

To get the booster now you need to be over 65 or have special conditions like immune compromised. Also, you have to be at least 2 months since the last booster. Previous guidance indicated 4 months, so I'm expecting that I'll be able to get the flu/covid combo shots again this coming fall (Oct or later which lines up nicely).

I would keep watching guidelines if you're younger and healthy - the cases are trending up so they may expand who they are vaccinating.

Cost - I have private health insurance so they took my info. I can tell you from my receipt the price is $219 but they said they'd submit to insurance first. I would ask if you have Medicare/caid and see how they process that.

[onecaliberal]

14. We've had one every 6 months.

My husband is a stroke patient. He already caught it once from his dumb fuck MAGAt family.

[spooky3]

17. I just called another pharmacy a little farther away (in NoVA). They have Pfizer only,

and do not require appointments if you are eligible for a booster. (Only certain Harris Teeter locations have them.)

[Wounded Bear]

20. I was originally Clan Moderna, but I've had both...nt

[GB_RN]

21. The Good Thing About Pfizer/BioNTech's Vaccine...

Is that the mRNA vaccine allows them to create a new version very quickly and cover newer variants without having to start completely new. Pfizer/BioNtech’s vaccines also work much better against unanticipated variants because of how it’s created.

The flu vaccine on the other hand, is more of the whack-a-mole. Each Spring, the vaccine makers have to try and guess what flu variants will be floating around the next Fall/Winter. Then they literally create the vaccine in chicken eggs. It takes months to develop and get to market. And then, there’s a good chance that the vaccine isn’t a good match for that year’s flu variants. This is why the flu vaccine has much lower efficacy than Pfizer/BioNtech’s mRNA vaccine.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

22. I plan to get mine this Fall. As I did in April.

All I need to do is contact my Internist and he will order it. I do not mess around when it comes to my shots.

I will get the annual Flu and RSV shots as well.

[flying_wahini]

26. If you are a woman and your Mammo is due - Be sure and have it BEFORE you get vaccinated.

It takes 4-6 weeks to clear your lymphatic system so it’s not showing a false positive.

[oldsoftie]

28. Unless another Delta rears its head; not for me. I've had my 2/1.

I haven't seen any reason to get a 4th, 5th, 6th etc among any of the groups I'm around. It has mutated itself into a more transmissible but less deadly virus. My wife has had 2 more boosters than me, but still gets Covid & feels like crap a coulpe days; the same way she felt before she ever got them.
Many REPUTABLE doctors have warned against constant boosting of our immune systems. Of course, people with other health issues are a different story too.
But to each their own.

[Zeitghost]

31. I'm in the same camp

I've had it twice, both times being mild, so I'm at a very low risk of long term or serious complications and I'd rather have my natural immunity stay up to date with the occasional exposure while I'm relatively young and healthy. I've talked to my Doc and she agrees. I look at it a bit like insurance in that I only insure against financial losses I can't afford to take (house/car) and not those I can afford (consumer electronics etc.).

[mahina]

32. Just be sure to factor in the risk of contracting long covid in your risk analysis.

Best luck!

[oldsoftie]

33. I know 2 people with the bad luck to have LC. Fortunately not more.

Both of them had 1 & 2 more boosters than I had, respectively. It just doesn't seem to make that much of a difference.
One of them has seen good improvement over the past few months & been able to return to work.The other one still hasnt.

I WOULD like to know if anyone is estimating the number of people in the US who now have the antibodies; either from infection or vaccine. After 4 yrs it seems that number should be high. I dont know many who haven't had it; although they MAY have & never knew it.

[Polybius]

29. I haven't had one in a couple of years now

Maybe I'll get this one.

[BobTheSubgenius]

30. I live in Metro Vancouver, BC.

I don't know how this system works in other places, but my wife and I get reminders by email to get a booster when it's time. There's never been an issue with getting an appointment, and by far the biggest contributors to wait time on site have been one of us waiting for the other, and the waiting period afterwards that they recommend, in case one of us has a reaction.

There was a bit of a gold rush mentality when the very first vaccine was available, but the wait still wasn't terrible.