Boosters?

[MacAllister]

Pfizer's booster is approved in the US for at least part of the population. J&J have applied for approval for a booster, as well, now -- although that approval can take a while. Israel has been doing boosters for a while, IIRC.

I have somewhat mixed feelings. It seems greedy to get a booster when there's such a large number of people who've still never gotten their first shot/s, but it's also awful to work with the public every day in a pretty conservative-leaning, ivermectin-swilling, covid-denying, antivax demographic.

How are we feeling/thinking about boosters, wherever we are?

 

[CMBright]

I will get the booster when I am due for it.

 

[Lyv]

When there's a J&J booster, I might get it. Depends. My husband's fully Pfizered and we're hoping he's eligible in the near future (he's past six months). My palliative/hospice nurse got her vaccine in January, and in the other thread, I said I think I'm going to ask to return to contactless visits (phone or through my storm door) now that it's too cold to be out on the front porch with he windows open until she gets her booster. Which she is quite eager for, especially since about half of her clients are refusing the vaccine. It might be selfish, but I want my husband as safe as possible, because he has no family but me and I'm hopefully skedaddling out of this mess soon. We have some great friends who would help, but, really, if he gets sick and is alone, well that idea is what keeps me hanging in.

I've been delaying once again stopping life-extending measures (it's way past time and I can't take much more), but was hoping my agency would mandate vaccines, because moving from palliative back into hospice means a lot more people in and out of the house who will expect my husband to help them with my care in a close, physical manner. I've been a hospice RN. I know how close up you work and how much the family can be involved. I feel like if my husband gets his booster, I'll have done all I can to protect him, Even though my agency won't mandate the vaccine, and I know nurses and aides who opt instead for weekly tests could be shedding virus before testing positive (I'm one of those people who could get sick from a tiny viral load, but then develop a case anyone could get), So, I guess I'll get the booster unless my husband gets his first and then move to hospice care, which might mean I can't get a booster (there are some weird, complicated laws and regulations around this).

 

[Introversion]

I’ll take a booster when I’m eligible (don’t believe I am yet).

Also waiting to see if it’s recommended to get the same brand as your vaccination, or if it’s okay to mix & match. I was vaccinated with Moderna.

It seems greedy to get a booster when there's such a large number of people who've still never gotten their first shot/s, but it's also awful to work with the public every day in a pretty conservative-leaning, ivermectin-swilling, covid-denying, antivax demographic.

I feel bad for kids and any adults who find it too difficult to get vaccinated due to accessibility.

I am so over any adult as yet unvaccinated for political reasons. I won’t feel greedy or guilty to take the dose they don’t want, nor should anyone.

 

[ChaseJxyz]

I get the concern that it's "unfair" that we want to get 3rd shots while most of the world hasn't had one........but the mRNA shots do not travel well. You can't fly them to a country and then stick them in a boat that takes a week to go up the Amazon to reach some tiny village without them going bad.

Covid, I hope, has taught most people that the supply chain is really complicated and there's a lot of moving pieces. Special considerations have to be made to move certain equipment, and some things just don't get shipped very far because of costs. Like all the Coke isn't made in Atlanta and then trucked to the rest of the world. They make the syrup, which is then shipped, and a local plant takes regular water and CO2 and bottles/cans the soda there. You need ultra-deep-freezers to store mRNA vaccines OR they're buried in dry ice...but that only works for a few days. There aren't refrigerated airplanes like there are refrigerated trucks (and those don't even get cold enough).

This isn't an issue with the J&J or AstraZeneca shots, and those are the ones that most of the world is going to end up getting because they travel better. So I feel that there's no moral issues with getting a third mRNA shot as an American, as there's still people here who can die from covid and protecting them is important, too.

 

[Diana Hignutt]

I hope to be able to schedule my shot tomorrow (CVS won't let you book an appointment until after it's been 6 months since you're last shot--4/6 for me), hopefully for Saturday. We'll see. I'll report back. But, yes, my doctor recommended I get a booster, what with my asthma and COPD.

 

[lizmonster]

I'm in for a booster when they let me.

Yeah, I wish we were doing better worldwide distribution. I wish we were better at getting to people who are having availability and opportunity issues. (I do see some local efforts there.)

I also know the most direct thing I can do about the pandemic is make sure I am as unlikely as possible to be a vector, so when they tell me it's booster time, I'm in.

 

[Chris P]

I will be at 6 months for Pfizer in early November. My Lovely Wife got her third a week or so ago (front line worker) and had no side effects, even though the first shot knocked her out for a day.

I get the concern that it's "unfair" that we want to get 3rd shots while most of the world hasn't had one........but the mRNA shots do not travel well. You can't fly them to a country and then stick them in a boat that takes a week to go up the Amazon to reach some tiny village without them going bad.

This. With 30 or whatever shots in a vial, once they administer the first all 30 need to be used within a very limited time. Many, many doses get thrown away each day because they can't get it into 30 arms before it needs to be disposed of. Yeah, it would be better if I could continue to work from home (and order take out, and do online everything, yada yada First World Opportunity) so that others could get their initial vaccines, but at least around here I wouldn't be jumping the line.

 

[MaryMumsy]

Hubby and I had appointments today for boosters. Then the pharmacy called a couple of hours ago to say they didn't get their delivery of vaccine. We are on the "we'll call you when we have vaccine and can fit you in between the people who have appointments that day" list. At least 1) we live 5 min from pharmacy 2) we are always home and can go at the drop of a hat.

MM

 

[darkprincealain]

I will get the J&J booster or whatever booster they want J&J folks to get whenever they want us to get it. I am not in the minuscule bracket of people who had bad reactions to the J&J one.

 

[neandermagnon]

I'll get whatever booster the NHS tells me to get as and when they will give it to my age group (I'm not in any risk categories that would enable me to get it sooner)

And moving forwards too... Same as I have seasonal flu jabs when they come out (unfortunately I'm not eligible for free ones on the NHS but pharmacies here sell them for about £14) I will have the inevitable ongoing Covid jabs as and when they turn out to be required. From what I've read of the research it might not be needed as often as the flu jab because it doesn't seem to mutate as fast as flu. But we shall see... research is ongoing.

I would like all the vaccines. Vaccines are better than getting ill.

 

[Brightdreamer]

I'll go for a booster if/when it's an option; I have two older relatives with underlying health issues, and a sibling with underlying health issues, and I don't want to bring anything home if I can at all help it. (I was Team Pfizer, second shot late May.)

Mom definitely is interested in a booster for her and Dad; they got J&J, as did the sibling.

 

[Maggie Maxwell]

I'm down for a booster for myself when I can. For my husband, we have to wait and see what's recommended. He only just came off the medicines for the myocarditis from the 2nd shot on Friday. He's eligible for a booster due to his job but obviously we don't want a repeat of the last eight months.

 

[Paul Lamb]

Two more months and I am eligible!

 

[PastyAlien]

I've had AstraZeneca and Pfizer (I'm Canadian), so I can't travel to countries that don't recognize mixed doses--including the US--unless I get a booster of Pfizer. So I guess if I ever travel again, I'll be getting that booster!

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/mixed-vaccine-air-travel-1.6187613

U.S. vaccination requirement for air passengers worries Canadians with mixed vaccines​

U.S. currently doesn't recognize people with some COVID-19 vaccine mixes as being fully vaccinated

 

[Lyv]

I will get the J&J booster or whatever booster they want J&J folks to get whenever they want us to get it. I am not in the minuscule bracket of people who had bad reactions to the J&J one.

I have a history of blood clots, including pulmonary embolism, but J&J was what they were giving the homebound. The weird is that I clot easily because, since childhood lymphoma, my platelets are chronically very high (I know there are meds but I can't take them), but the clotting problems in the J&J were seen in people with low platelets. I was afraid my history would disqualify me, but I don't even remember if they asked about that. I did fine with it, but had enough of a reaction that I think I got some protection (some blood cancer survivors don't and I have friends in that community who got no protection, and they also didn't get any symptoms. We don't have tend to have good immune systems).

Here's hoping we can get that booster soon!

 

[Gregg]

I'll probably get the third Pfizer shot. My six months isn't up yet.
Then I expect we'll have to get a booster every year - along with our flu shot.
I hope the side effects get better. I was OK, but my wife couldn't get out of bed for almost 3 days for the first two shots.

 

[M.S. Wiggins]

I just scheduled by Pfizer booster for 10/9/21 at 10 a.m. (6 months to the day after second dose on April 9). I'm so excited! (But I'm weird like that.)

 

[M.S. Wiggins]

I hope the side effects get better.

I didn't have any side effects, other than the typical flu-shot sore arm for a day or so. Maybe because I do the Motrin regiment. (*Sorry your wife had trouble. Hopefully it won't happen with the booster*)

 

[frimble3]

I've had AstraZeneca and Pfizer (I'm Canadian), so I can't travel to countries that don't recognize mixed doses--including the US--unless I get a booster of Pfizer. So I guess if I ever travel again, I'll be getting that booster!

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/mixed-vaccine-air-travel-1.6187613

Also Canadian, with the same delightful combo. Fortunately, I have no desire and little ability to go anywhere, particularly across the line.

 

[MaeZe]

I said give me the jab already but actually I have already had it. There was no option for that except "other".

 

[cbenoi1]

Waiting for my age group to be called.

-cb

 

[Diana Hignutt]

I hope to be able to schedule my shot tomorrow (CVS won't let you book an appointment until after it's been 6 months since you're last shot--4/6 for me), hopefully for Saturday. We'll see. I'll report back. But, yes, my doctor recommended I get a booster, what with my asthma and COPD.

Got my booster scheduled for this Saturday.

 

[M.S. Wiggins]

Waiting for my age group to be called.

-cb

I qualified, not by age, but because I have asthma. Do you have any underlying conditions? You may qualify, so long as it's been six months since second dose.

 

[Friendly Frog]

I'm not going to take it unless it becomes recommended for my category if/when the COVID variants change and such. But I think it is moot anyway since it looks unlikely they will make the third shot available to the general populace here at the moment.

I got both my pfizer shots, I'm not in a risk category, and I've only got them this summer, so I should get enough protection from them for a while still.

So I'd rather see it go to someone who needs the shot more. There still isn't enough to go around. (Although Chase makes a good argument upthread that I had not considered.)

I'd like my parents to get theirs, though, since we're living under the same roof and I am looking for a job soon.

But I WILL be getting my flu-shot this year. Last year they were restricted by age category and I lost out (not that it mattered all that much with the subsequent lockdown) but this year they ordered more.