August covid thread

[okla]

I found this interesting. NYT on the new boosters. It mentions immunologists think it works better to wait 4-6 months after infection, but goes on to say that they can’t really know so folks should get it whenever as long as they are recovered.

“ Still, he and other scientists said that waiting four to six months between doses would strengthen people’s response to the updated boosters. That would help people steer clear of a situation in which their antibody levels were so high when they received an updated shot that their immune systems partly cleared out the vaccine before building strong defenses against new Omicron subvariants.

“You can really only boost the responses after you’ve gotten below your ceiling,” said Jenna Guthmiller, an immunologist at the University of Colorado. But, she said, “Without testing ourselves and figuring out what our ceilings are, which is very complex, the best option is honestly just to get the vaccine.”

This should be a gift link. www.nytimes.com/2022/09/01/health/covid-omicron-vaccines.html?unlocked_article_code=AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACEIPuonUktbfqYhkQVUbAibVUNEjsh3Bjv_RwbB5gXr_JzKST3Ncxu8eAo6N4AHNea9nLZMV7giseeVgYvUpVeAgiahWJVBsQA2l5cbZwctfKXhq7Im6AzhzgpvAUfUyoW63K2Xicrl0n-zi5U2PbXL4G_CKiQ1XLwhgpptucFGvyCZIkv-DSrgpr4E4ifQxBZl6RiMCbD2IvJTqChZ-MdaGbXLM-1V8GrEZCXyIw4nqu_9Xex5SCFnGUHp0_W44jdpeM9gdN63_RAUy9Vs310UgQ-ZsMRYELdf2nw&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

[TR]

Don’t mind me, I’ll just be over here refreshing the CVS website lol

[seeyalater52]

okla - certainly some immunologists have said that, but there doesn’t seem to be broad agreement in the field by any stretch. Whether someone gets it sooner or waits is definitely a calculus based on individual risk factors because there isn’t really a solid consensus or clear scientific basis one way or the other, aside from the fact that it absolutely can’t hurt to get it regardless of the timing you decide on.

[wanderingback]

Sept 1, 2022 19:32:53 GMT -5 okla said:

I found this interesting. NYT on the new boosters. It mentions immunologists think it works better to wait 4-6 months after infection, but goes on to say that they can’t really know so folks should get it whenever as long as they are recovered.

“ Still, he and other scientists said that waiting four to six months between doses would strengthen people’s response to the updated boosters. That would help people steer clear of a situation in which their antibody levels were so high when they received an updated shot that their immune systems partly cleared out the vaccine before building strong defenses against new Omicron subvariants.

“You can really only boost the responses after you’ve gotten below your ceiling,” said Jenna Guthmiller, an immunologist at the University of Colorado. But, she said, “Without testing ourselves and figuring out what our ceilings are, which is very complex, the best option is honestly just to get the vaccine.”

This should be a gift link. www.nytimes.com/2022/09/01/health/covid-omicron-vaccines.html?unlocked_article_code=AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACEIPuonUktbfqYhkQVUbAibVUNEjsh3Bjv_RwbB5gXr_JzKST3Ncxu8eAo6N4AHNea9nLZMV7giseeVgYvUpVeAgiahWJVBsQA2l5cbZwctfKXhq7Im6AzhzgpvAUfUyoW63K2Xicrl0n-zi5U2PbXL4G_CKiQ1XLwhgpptucFGvyCZIkv-DSrgpr4E4ifQxBZl6RiMCbD2IvJTqChZ-MdaGbXLM-1V8GrEZCXyIw4nqu_9Xex5SCFnGUHp0_W44jdpeM9gdN63_RAUy9Vs310UgQ-ZsMRYELdf2nw&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Yes, I was reading an article about a (small) study about how people who were recently infected and then got their booster had less of a robust b-cell response. Who knows if that is clinically significant though.
I wonder how many more years it’s going to take for us to have a better understanding of covid, vaccines, treatment, etc. We’ve come so far!

I do think it’s probably important to remember that the vaccines have been doing their jobs at mostly preventing more severe illness and death, so it makes sense in a way about waiting. I know there are concerns about long covid and I’m certainly still continuing to try to avoid covid, but from a public health perspective I can understand why waiting 3-4 months after infection might make sense because you’re not likely to get severely ill in that time frame anyway.

Hopefully evidence becomes more clear over the next couple of years for better guidance.

[seeyalater52]

Sept 1, 2022 19:38:02 GMT -5 TR said:

Don’t mind me, I’ll just be over here refreshing the CVS website lol

View Attachment

Mine now says adding new appointments. Come onnnnn!

[timorousbeastie]

Sept 1, 2022 20:28:21 GMT -5 seeyalater52 said:

Sept 1, 2022 19:38:02 GMT -5 TR said:

Don’t mind me, I’ll just be over here refreshing the CVS website lol

View Attachment

Mine now says adding new appointments. Come onnnnn!

I just checked Walgreens. They don’t have Pfizer in my area yet, but are scheduling for Moderna appointments for Sept. 7.

[seeyalater52]

Sept 1, 2022 20:31:17 GMT -5 timorousbeastie said:

Sept 1, 2022 20:28:21 GMT -5 seeyalater52 said:

Mine now says adding new appointments. Come onnnnn!

I just checked Walgreens. They don’t have Pfizer in my area yet, but are scheduling for Moderna appointments for Sept. 7.

Fascinating… I wonder if that means Moderna resolved the manufacturing issue they had anticipated. Last update I saw they were anticipating not having BA4/5 supply until Oct. I’m going to check Walgreens, thanks for the tip.

[lilypad1126]

Sept 1, 2022 19:38:02 GMT -5 TR said:

Don’t mind me, I’ll just be over here refreshing the CVS website lol

View Attachment

Same! I have a lot travel coming up so I’m hoping to get in soon!

[chickadee77]

Woot! Walgreens is up and scheduling for Sept. 7 and following!

[pink]

Booked Walgreens! Thank you!!’

[TR]

I booked an appointment for CVS today at 3pm, but it doesn’t specify if it’s the new one. So I also booked Walgreens for next Wednesday morning. I’ll call CVS when they open this morning.

[twinmomma]

Gah, the timing on all of this is just a little off for me! Two months from my last booster would be September 10th. Which sounds great given the approval and appointments launching now. But I'll be traveling and attending a huge work conference September 6 - 9. Here's hoping I make it through the next week without catching covid!

[seeyalater52]

Sept 2, 2022 7:14:10 GMT -5 TR said:

I booked an appointment for CVS today at 3pm, but it doesn’t specify if it’s the new one. So I also booked Walgreens for next Wednesday morning. I’ll call CVS when they open this morning.

CVS let me schedule a booster online today and then I called and they were extremely rude to me about the fact that it isn’t available and they don’t know when it will be available. So I’m guessing you may be out of luck too.

The most annoying part is that the person I spoke to said they can’t update their system yet because it hasn’t been approved (ok keep up) but they DID update their system because previously it would not have allowed me to select the options I did (date of birth, date of last booster, not immune compromised) and still schedule. Last time I tried that it spit me back as ineligible.

[TR]

Sept 2, 2022 8:10:14 GMT -5 seeyalater52 said:

Sept 2, 2022 7:14:10 GMT -5 TR said:

I booked an appointment for CVS today at 3pm, but it doesn’t specify if it’s the new one. So I also booked Walgreens for next Wednesday morning. I’ll call CVS when they open this morning.

CVS let me schedule a booster online today and then I called and they were extremely rude to me about the fact that it isn’t available and they don’t know when it will be available. So I’m guessing you may be out of luck too.

The most annoying part is that the person I spoke to said they can’t update their system yet because it hasn’t been approved (ok keep up) but they DID update their system because previously it would not have allowed me to select the options I did (date of birth, date of last booster, not immune compromised) and still schedule. Last time I tried that it spit me back as ineligible.

I'm on hold now so I will temper my expectations lol and yes, last night it had information about the new booster and then said "hold on, we're adding more appointments" so it's not out of the realm of reason that someone would think the new appointments were updated with the new booster. Anyway. Glad I have the Walgreens one scheduled, too.

ETA: Ok, the woman I talked to was nice, but yeah they don't have everything ready to do it yet. She said she came in and saw all of the appointments coming in and they'd likely have to cancel them because they won't be set up to give the new ones.

[timorousbeastie]

Sept 2, 2022 8:16:17 GMT -5 TR said:

Sept 2, 2022 8:10:14 GMT -5 seeyalater52 said:

CVS let me schedule a booster online today and then I called and they were extremely rude to me about the fact that it isn’t available and they don’t know when it will be available. So I’m guessing you may be out of luck too.

The most annoying part is that the person I spoke to said they can’t update their system yet because it hasn’t been approved (ok keep up) but they DID update their system because previously it would not have allowed me to select the options I did (date of birth, date of last booster, not immune compromised) and still schedule. Last time I tried that it spit me back as ineligible.

I'm on hold now so I will temper my expectations lol and yes, last night it had information about the new booster and then said "hold on, we're adding more appointments" so it's not out of the realm of reason that someone would think the new appointments were updated with the new booster. Anyway. Glad I have the Walgreens one scheduled, too.

ETA: Ok, the woman I talked to was nice, but yeah they don't have everything ready to do it yet. She said she came in and saw all of the appointments coming in and they'd likely have to cancel them because they won't be set up to give the new ones.

I’ve been on hold with CVS for the last half hour, trying to see if my appointment this afternoon is the new booster. I’m hopeful it is, since it’s the only location within 40 minutes of me that is currently booking appointments, which makes it seem like there’s a reason this location is booking appointments. It’s also across the street from a major hospital, so I could see this particular location being the first to get it in the area. I’m definitely not canceling my Walgreens appointment next week until I find out for sure what’s up with CVS.

ETA: they do actually have the new booster in stock. I am so very relieved. My last booster is a year old, and I have minor surgery scheduled for the end of the month that is going to require an overnight stay. I was so worried about catching COVID in the hospital; I’m feeling much better about it now!

[fortnightlily]

The "Your Local Epidemiologist" newsletter I just got had this to say. I had Covid in early July, so I may wait until late Sept/early Oct for this booster as I typically do with my Flu shot.

"Infection: If you’ve been previously infected, the “official” CDC guidance says you can get your vaccine immediately following recovery from symptoms or, at maximum, defer up to 3 months after infection. We do not have to wait 3 months after infection. We won’t “exhaust” or “overwhelm” our immune system, but by delaying we get the biggest bang for our vaccine buck.

This week a really great preprint found a booster doesn’t add much benefit within 2 months (60 days) of infection. While it increases neutralizing antibodies (our body’s first line of defense that prevents infection and transmission), it will not broaden the memory of B cells (our second line of defense and long term-memory). So wait at least 2 months.

Unfortunately, beyond that, we don’t know the optimal timing.

The same is true with previous vaccination. The “official” guidance says to wait 2 months after last vaccine. And that makes sense given this latest preprint. However, we may benefit from a longer delay. It’s not random that the UK recommends 12 weeks (3 months) between doses."

[seeyalater52]

Sept 2, 2022 8:56:36 GMT -5 timorousbeastie said:

Sept 2, 2022 8:16:17 GMT -5 TR said:

I'm on hold now so I will temper my expectations lol and yes, last night it had information about the new booster and then said "hold on, we're adding more appointments" so it's not out of the realm of reason that someone would think the new appointments were updated with the new booster. Anyway. Glad I have the Walgreens one scheduled, too.

ETA: Ok, the woman I talked to was nice, but yeah they don't have everything ready to do it yet. She said she came in and saw all of the appointments coming in and they'd likely have to cancel them because they won't be set up to give the new ones.

I’ve been on hold with CVS for the last half hour, trying to see if my appointment this afternoon is the new booster. I’m hopeful it is, since it’s the only location within 40 minutes of me that is currently booking appointments, which makes it seem like there’s a reason this location is booking appointments. It’s also across the street from a major hospital, so I could see this particular location being the first to get it in the area. I’m definitely not canceling my Walgreens appointment next week until I find out for sure what’s up with CVS.

ETA: they do actually have the new booster in stock. I am so very relieved. My last booster is a year old, and I have minor surgery scheduled for the end of the month that is going to require an overnight stay. I was so worried about catching COVID in the hospital; I’m feeling much better about it now!

I’m so happy for you! I got through to someone at my local store who was very nice and said they expect to get it on Monday or Tuesday so I’m still hoping to get in somewhere before my Wed Walgreens appt.

[pixy0stix]

Psssst... It's September.