@@@ June COVID THREAD

[noodleoo]

Jun 21, 2022 8:07:06 GMT -5 seeyalater52 said:

Jun 21, 2022 7:39:34 GMT -5 noodleoo said:

Ugh this is so frustrating!!! CVS finally updated their website, but for under 5 you have to do it at a Minute Clinic location, of which there are much fewer and farther away of course. I went through the whole sign up, but it doesn’t say whether they will give Pfizer or Moderna! Why are they making this so hard? 😔 I guess I’ll just wait and see what our pedi gets (my dr said they hope to offer both).

I’m starting to think the delay on approving Moderna for under 5 is because the govt ordered a shit ton of Pfizer and so they basically are pushing that which is so frustrating!!!

I’m incredibly frustrated that it looks like CVS isn’t going to roll out 3+ that they’re legally allowed to vaccinate at their regular clinic locations. That is a big access issue as there are FAR fewer Minute Clinic locations.

As of right now Minute Clinic is only scheduling for Pfizer but it is possible they will update with Moderna appointments later on. Or possible they’re only doing Pfizer.

What an absolute hot mess. It also makes me question who ordered the Moderna doses. When the admin publishes the pre order numbers Moderna lags behind but it doesn’t look as unbalanced as it does in practice. If Moderna was primarily ordered by providers that means it is mostly only accessible to patients of those providers. More than 50% of pediatricians aren’t offering these vaccines to their patients never mind to random other kids outside their practice. For a bunch of people who touted the importance of evaluating the data side by side so parents could make an informed choice* they’re sure making that impossible.

*not supposed to be the role of the FDA but ok

My H just found a note on the CVS website that they are only doing Pfizer for the under 5 group (LINK).  WTF!?!  I'm so frustrated.  I just called a company that is running school vaccine clinics locally and she told me they only ordered Pfizer for the under 5 group because the efficacy was so much higher (she cited the 80% stat, which is too early to be really accurate, so that's BS!).  And it's after 3 doses vs 2 for Moderna.

Ugh, I need to just relax and wait and see if more Moderna appts open up.  But I'm so mad.  We've been waiting so long, why is this still so hard!

[Mushe]

wanderingback thinking of you and hoping you are okay!

[Mushe]

California folks - I’ve been checking MyTurn every day and hoping to see appointments soon! If you see them, would you update here too?

[seeyalater52]

Jun 21, 2022 9:05:08 GMT -5 noodleoo said:

Jun 21, 2022 8:07:06 GMT -5 seeyalater52 said:

I’m incredibly frustrated that it looks like CVS isn’t going to roll out 3+ that they’re legally allowed to vaccinate at their regular clinic locations. That is a big access issue as there are FAR fewer Minute Clinic locations.

As of right now Minute Clinic is only scheduling for Pfizer but it is possible they will update with Moderna appointments later on. Or possible they’re only doing Pfizer.

What an absolute hot mess. It also makes me question who ordered the Moderna doses. When the admin publishes the pre order numbers Moderna lags behind but it doesn’t look as unbalanced as it does in practice. If Moderna was primarily ordered by providers that means it is mostly only accessible to patients of those providers. More than 50% of pediatricians aren’t offering these vaccines to their patients never mind to random other kids outside their practice. For a bunch of people who touted the importance of evaluating the data side by side so parents could make an informed choice* they’re sure making that impossible.

*not supposed to be the role of the FDA but ok

My H just found a note on the CVS website that they are only doing Pfizer for the under 5 group (LINK).  WTF!?!  I'm so frustrated.  I just called a company that is running school vaccine clinics locally and she told me they only ordered Pfizer for the under 5 group because the efficacy was so much higher (she cited the 80% stat, which is too early to be really accurate, so that's BS!).  And it's after 3 doses vs 2 for Moderna.

Ugh, I need to just relax and wait and see if more Moderna appts open up.  But I'm so mad.  We've been waiting so long, why is this still so hard!

I swear it is taking everything I have not to scream nonsense into the void about confidence intervals and how to interpret statistics. Pfizer releasing that 80% number to the media without context of how preliminary and underpowered the analysis was is unforgivable.

To be clear Pfizer is a great vaccine! Once the analysis is more complete we are likely to see that it is about as good at preventing symptomatic infection as Moderna is, although it gets there over an additional dose and 7 extra weeks. It might even be a little bit higher than 2 doses of Moderna once all is said and done but close and then Moderna will likely release a booster this fall and that will nudge it ahead a little. But right now in the midst of a huge surge with another potentially worse one coming within a couple of months it is reasonable for parents to want to choose the shortest timeline to protection and it is baffling to me that there doesn’t seem to be any centralized efforts to ensure this happens. We are all watching policymakers tread on tip toes so as not to anger the anti vaxxers while simultaneously preventing parents who want to take reasonable precautions for their kids and follow guidelines from doing what needs to be done. Considering that a good portion of people will not ever get their little kids this vaccine you’d think they’d do a little more to accommodate parents who actually want it right away.

[landmermaid]

These are all so hard to find. The closest CVS minute clinics that will do under 3 are all 45+ minutes away from me. And only Pfizer. We had covid roll through our house a month ago (we got so close 🥲) and I'm going to go with Pfizer now, but I'm baffled that Moderna isn't an option anywhere!

[pixy0stix]

CO people - some state mobile vaccination clinics will have the vaccine for 6 months and up starting tomorrow.

We had to call the number provided to find a site with Moderna (or really any site that will vax kids). The person who answered was super helpful - 1-877-CO VAX CO (1-877-268-2926)

Webpage - covid19.colorado.gov/kids-vaccines

Also, it looks like the Children's Hospital campuses will be holding clinics for those in the Denver area.

[seeyalater52]

www.vaccines.gov is now “live” for under 5 as they came under fire for the launch date that was planned for later this week.

I’m sure as shit hoping this is preliminary and will be updated more soon bc there are several states, including mine, with 0 options for the entire state for either manufacturer. Closest are an hour+ away in other states and none for Moderna. Fingers crossed it populates more soon (and they add an under 3 search tool bc all the options that pop up for results an hour away won’t vaccinate a kid my son’s age.) We are lucky we aren’t actually in need of a dose or we wouldn’t be able to get one. :/

[lacey]

CT people - Griffin Hospitals mobile units now have Pfizer and Moderna and are vaccinating 6 months +. My son was able to get Moderna this morning in New Haven. You can find locations here: portal.ct.gov/vaccine-portal/DPH-van-clinics?language=en_US

[formerlyak]

Jun 21, 2022 9:14:36 GMT -5 Mushe said:

California folks - I’ve been checking MyTurn every day and hoping to see appointments soon! If you see them, would you update here too?

It goes live today.

[Susie]

Jun 21, 2022 11:24:53 GMT -5 seeyalater52 said:

www.vaccines.gov is now “live” for under 5 as they came under fire for the launch date that was planned for later this week.

I’m sure as shit hoping this is preliminary and will be updated more soon bc there are several states, including mine, with 0 options for the entire state for either manufacturer. Closest are an hour+ away in other states and none for Moderna. Fingers crossed it populates more soon (and they add an under 3 search tool bc all the options that pop up for results an hour away won’t vaccinate a kid my son’s age.) We are lucky we aren’t actually in need of a dose or we wouldn’t be able to get one. :/

There must be some kinks to work out, because I don't think vaccines.gov is accurately reflecting availability near me.  It's showing nearest available of either brand for age <5 as 88+ miles away, but I know there are Pfizer appointments at multiple Rite Aid and Walgreens locations within a <20 mile radius of me, per their websites directly.

A separate tool for <3 would be really key.  I am pissed that it took this long, but now that we're here I am fortunate that DS turned 3 earlier this month, so we have some added flexibility.

[lemoncupcake]

Jun 21, 2022 8:56:21 GMT -5 lemoncupcake said:

Jun 21, 2022 8:52:39 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Daycare locked down with their covid procedures again. We just have to make it to Friday for the kid's first dose!

We just got a daycare exposure notification this morning for someone who was at daycare yesterday 😭

I’ll be doing rapid tests leading up to her vaccine appointment for sure, but I’m not sure if we should delay in case she turns positive a few days later. The note obviously didn’t say who it was but I’m guessing it’s her teacher since they have a sub this week.

Because you’re all more well researched than I am (and I haven’t gotten a call back from the pedi yet):

Found a pharmacy with Moderna and is open for walk ins until 6 tonight. Should I go? I don’t know who the Covid exposure was or how close they were/weren’t to my 4 yo yesterday.

[pixy0stix]

Jun 21, 2022 12:51:23 GMT -5 lemoncupcake said:

Jun 21, 2022 8:56:21 GMT -5 lemoncupcake said:

We just got a daycare exposure notification this morning for someone who was at daycare yesterday 😭

I’ll be doing rapid tests leading up to her vaccine appointment for sure, but I’m not sure if we should delay in case she turns positive a few days later. The note obviously didn’t say who it was but I’m guessing it’s her teacher since they have a sub this week.

Because you’re all more well researched than I am (and I haven’t gotten a call back from the pedi yet):

Found a pharmacy with Moderna and is open for walk ins until 6 tonight. Should I go? I don’t know who the Covid exposure was or how close they were/weren’t to my 4 yo yesterday.

I think, and someone correct me if I'm wrong, you can vaccinate as long as they're not actively testing positive for covid. This goes for exposure or after illness. The guidelines changed.

[lemoncupcake]

Jun 21, 2022 12:55:26 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Jun 21, 2022 12:51:23 GMT -5 lemoncupcake said:

Because you’re all more well researched than I am (and I haven’t gotten a call back from the pedi yet):

Found a pharmacy with Moderna and is open for walk ins until 6 tonight. Should I go? I don’t know who the Covid exposure was or how close they were/weren’t to my 4 yo yesterday.

I think, and someone correct me if I'm wrong, you can vaccinate as long as they're not actively testing positive for covid. This goes for exposure or after illness. The guidelines changed.

Whomp whomp

CDC FAQs say to wait still (not pedi specific - just general). Nurse line at our doctor said that they’d been advising waiting 10 days for adults, but she needed to page our pediatrician for a final answer since they hadn’t expressly discussed that yet.

www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/faq.html

”People who have had a known COVID-19 exposure should not seek vaccination until their quarantine period has ended to avoid potentially exposing healthcare personnel and others during the vaccination visit. This recommendation to wait also applies to people with a known COVID-19 exposure who have received their first dose and are in need of additional or booster doses.”

[wanderingback]

Jun 21, 2022 12:55:26 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Jun 21, 2022 12:51:23 GMT -5 lemoncupcake said:

Because you’re all more well researched than I am (and I haven’t gotten a call back from the pedi yet):

Found a pharmacy with Moderna and is open for walk ins until 6 tonight. Should I go? I don’t know who the Covid exposure was or how close they were/weren’t to my 4 yo yesterday.

I think, and someone correct me if I'm wrong, you can vaccinate as long as they're not actively testing positive for covid. This goes for exposure or after illness. The guidelines changed.

Unfortunately it’s not about vaccinating it’s whether @lemoncake’s child is supposed to be under quarantine right now. So if one had a known exposure/close contact and has never been vaccinated then supposed to stay home for 5 days and test on that 5th day. That is what the guidance says

[pandorica]

I gave up on Moderna (already, I already feel like I've been waiting for this for years!) and got a Pfizer appointment this afternoon at the pediatrician. Still annoyed about all of this, but glad we're able to get her vaccine series started asap.

[JayTea]

If you are in Northern Virginia and looking for Moderna, My Drs Pharmacy on Elden Street in Herndon with have both vaccines available beginning Thursday.

[pandorica]

Does anyone know what the likelihood of side effects are for Pfizer for this age group? Just wondering what the chances are we'll have to keep DD home tomorrow.

[lemoncupcake]

Jun 21, 2022 13:25:33 GMT -5 wanderingback said:

Jun 21, 2022 12:55:26 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

I think, and someone correct me if I'm wrong, you can vaccinate as long as they're not actively testing positive for covid. This goes for exposure or after illness. The guidelines changed.

Unfortunately it’s not about vaccinating it’s whether @lemoncake’s child is supposed to be under quarantine right now. So if one had a known exposure/close contact and has never been vaccinated then supposed to stay home for 5 days and test on that 5th day. That is what the guidance says

If it helps (lol), we live in Texas where cdc quarantine rules be damned. There’s no quarantine required at daycare or by the state, etc. They sent a super low-key FYI note out this morning after kids were already there.

[Susie]

Jun 21, 2022 14:18:58 GMT -5 lemoncupcake said:

Jun 21, 2022 13:25:33 GMT -5 wanderingback said:

Unfortunately it’s not about vaccinating it’s whether @lemoncake’s child is supposed to be under quarantine right now. So if one had a known exposure/close contact and has never been vaccinated then supposed to stay home for 5 days and test on that 5th day. That is what the guidance says

If it helps (lol), we live in Texas where cdc quarantine rules be damned. There’s no quarantine required at daycare or by the state, etc. They sent a super low-key FYI note out this morning after kids were already there.

I don't mean to be snarky, but how does that help (other than rationalizing going ahead)?  The fact that daycares, schools, and the state DOH aren't requiring quarantines doesn't make it any better of an idea to expose a vaccinator, or other freshly first dosed kids during the post-vaccine observation period, to a child that the CDC indicates should be quarantined.  

I'm sorry your kiddo was exposed, but this seems like a pretty clear cut case of, just follow the rules and wait the 5 days until you can go out masked on day 6 and do it then.  If they have walk ins today, they probably still will have appointments then.

[wanderingback]

Jun 21, 2022 14:18:58 GMT -5 lemoncupcake said:

Jun 21, 2022 13:25:33 GMT -5 wanderingback said:

Unfortunately it’s not about vaccinating it’s whether @lemoncake’s child is supposed to be under quarantine right now. So if one had a known exposure/close contact and has never been vaccinated then supposed to stay home for 5 days and test on that 5th day. That is what the guidance says

If it helps (lol), we live in Texas where cdc quarantine rules be damned. There’s no quarantine required at daycare or by the state, etc. They sent a super low-key FYI note out this morning after kids were already there.

Well yes I understand many people aren’t following the rules/guidance. But you asked the question so thought I would provide the correct answer. Since you asked I assumed you wanted to know the answer. Take that information with you and do what you’d like with it!

[lemoncupcake]

Jun 21, 2022 14:31:19 GMT -5 Susie said:

Jun 21, 2022 14:18:58 GMT -5 lemoncupcake said:

If it helps (lol), we live in Texas where cdc quarantine rules be damned. There’s no quarantine required at daycare or by the state, etc. They sent a super low-key FYI note out this morning after kids were already there.

I don't mean to be snarky, but how does that help (other than rationalizing going ahead)?  The fact that daycares, schools, and the state DOH aren't requiring quarantines doesn't make it any better of an idea to expose a vaccinator, or other freshly first dosed kids during the post-vaccine observation period, to a child that the CDC indicates should be quarantined.  

I'm sorry your kiddo was exposed, but this seems like a pretty clear cut case of, just follow the rules and wait the 5 days until you can go out masked on day 6 and do it then.  If they have walk ins today, they probably still will have appointments then.

It was a tongue in cheek comment because I live in an absolute shit show of a place. Every day I wait to get her vaccinated is another day that she has no protection against all of the other un-notified exposures I’m sure that we all have every day.

[pixy0stix]

I wasn't even thinking about quarantining. Even CO says that if you need to go out, and you're unvaxxed, you wear a mask and keep on keeping on. Quarantining without a positive just isn't a thing anymore. :/

Frankly, I'd be willing to get my kid vaxxed because with the rate of exposure some of y'all have, you're never going to be able to vaccinate.

[seeyalater52]

Jun 21, 2022 14:38:55 GMT -5 lemoncupcake said:

Jun 21, 2022 14:31:19 GMT -5 Susie said:

I don't mean to be snarky, but how does that help (other than rationalizing going ahead)?  The fact that daycares, schools, and the state DOH aren't requiring quarantines doesn't make it any better of an idea to expose a vaccinator, or other freshly first dosed kids during the post-vaccine observation period, to a child that the CDC indicates should be quarantined.  

I'm sorry your kiddo was exposed, but this seems like a pretty clear cut case of, just follow the rules and wait the 5 days until you can go out masked on day 6 and do it then.  If they have walk ins today, they probably still will have appointments then.

It was a tongue in cheek comment because I live in an absolute shit show of a place. Every day I wait to get her vaccinated is another day that she has no protection against all of the other un-notified exposures I’m sure that we all have every day.

You asked what we’d do so my real answer is isolate from daycare for 5 days, test on day 5 and if negative get vaccinated with a mask if appropriate for age. If you return to daycare post-exposure with all the other kids who were also exposed you’re likely re-exposing every day which then pushes out the vaccination timeline even more.

[seeyalater52]

Jun 21, 2022 14:04:49 GMT -5 pandorica said:

Does anyone know what the likelihood of side effects are for Pfizer for this age group? Just wondering what the chances are we'll have to keep DD home tomorrow.

Both vaccines but Pfizer in particular has a VERY low rate of side effects overall, especially for dose 1. Pfizer kids with side effects after dose 1 were overwhelmingly kids who had covid previously so if that applies to you it may be more likely. Most fever related side effects occurred within the first 24 hours.

[pandorica]

Jun 21, 2022 14:57:48 GMT -5 seeyalater52 said:

Jun 21, 2022 14:04:49 GMT -5 pandorica said:

Does anyone know what the likelihood of side effects are for Pfizer for this age group? Just wondering what the chances are we'll have to keep DD home tomorrow.

Both vaccines but Pfizer in particular has a VERY low rate of side effects overall, especially for dose 1. Pfizer kids with side effects after dose 1 were overwhelmingly kids who had covid previously so if that applies to you it may be more likely. Most fever related side effects occurred within the first 24 hours.

Thanks! No known covid. I thought I had read side effects were low but wasn't positive.

[seeyalater52]

Jun 21, 2022 15:29:16 GMT -5 pandorica said:

Jun 21, 2022 14:57:48 GMT -5 seeyalater52 said:

Both vaccines but Pfizer in particular has a VERY low rate of side effects overall, especially for dose 1. Pfizer kids with side effects after dose 1 were overwhelmingly kids who had covid previously so if that applies to you it may be more likely. Most fever related side effects occurred within the first 24 hours.

Thanks! No known covid. I thought I had read side effects were low but wasn't positive.

Very low. Arguably it is the reason they underdosed the 2 dose series. They chose the 3 microgram dose that had essentially no side effects and ended up needing 3 doses to hit immunity as a result. But good news from a side effect perspective. Good luck!!

[sillygoosegirl]

Jun 21, 2022 14:04:49 GMT -5 pandorica said:

Does anyone know what the likelihood of side effects are for Pfizer for this age group? Just wondering what the chances are we'll have to keep DD home tomorrow.

They hit something funny in DD's arm and she had pain at the injection site for at least 4 weeks. Honestly I thought she was making it up until a few days after her second shot when she was still saying the first shot hurts and the second shot doesn't. (Got the second shot in the other arm since she was still complaining about pain from the first shot.)

From all I've read, this can happen with any vaccine (given by injection) and other kinds of shots too, where the needle ends up in the wrong kind of tissue accidentally. Anyway, it's unfortunate it hurt her so much, but it's a distant memory now.

[NewOrleans]

I’m happy for you parents of littles! 🥹

[noodleoo]

OMG!!!! Sorry, I'm turning this thread into my personal venting outlet because I can't believe how frustrating this roll out is. I really prefer Moderna for DD2, but basically nowhere here has it! Other parents on FB are also trying to hunt it down, so obviously demand for it is high. I found out that our local Wegmans will be carrying Moderna, so I've been checking the website frequently hoping to snag an appt as soon as they update it (so far it still has no info for under 5s). I decided to call today to see if I could at least get an idea of when they might open them up and they told me they won't be starting until MID JULY!!! WTF?!? I asked why so long and she said something about corporate approvals. This is so fucking ridiculous! They couldn't have planned for this ahead of time so they could be ready when it was approved? FUCK FUCK FUCK!!!

The only other place that *may* carry Moderna is our pediatrician (so we are lucky there). They open appts tomorrow AM, so hopefully I can get DD2 in. But they already sent out a note through the portal that appts will be limited, so they suggest we look elsewhere. 

It is just so demoralizing.  Why does this have to be so hard?

Oh and MA finally updated their vaxfinder website.  I searched for Moderna by age and there is exactly one place that is listed:  UMass Amherst, which is 1.5 hours away.  My sister actually lives there, but they only do appointments on weekdays so I couldn't even combine it with a trip to visit her.  And the insult to injury is that they take walk in appts!!!  Not fair.  

seeyalater52, I finally figured out where the clinic in Newton you mentioned was.  If you hear of any more like that, can you let me know please?  

[picksthemusic]

Got the kids boosted last night! So grateful to have it done, finally. They will be going to summer school so won't be having much chance to isolate or be away from others too much, so we figured it would be a good idea instead of waiting for before school starts again in the Fall.

ETA: I'm so sorry for those of you experiencing frustrations with the <5 rollout. It's such a cluster, and I wish more folks cared about how it was done and made it a priority.