I wrote a couple days ago about the covid antibody study I did. I talked my dh into it, and his number is almost twice mine. Grrrr. But also yea! He is not IC like me, and he was only five months out from his last shot rather than 6+ like me. So, it all makes sense given our different circumstances.
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Yes, I know a family vaxxed at the same time where antibody levels varied from 500 to 2200 at 6 months. Some people adapt better than others.
My wife got her booster on Thursday. Pfizer, same as her original two.
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It makes a lot of sense to me to get levels tested prior to getting boosters if possible.
Iām sure itās tough on a large scale though.
Itāll be our choice (if we can) when we reach the 6 month post vax stage and want to evaluate what the data has been showing then. Until then I personally think we should be ok considering the odds weāve seen.
Just saw this - with his vax being back in Jan, itās scary.
True but so many people lied to get the first vaccines Iām not surprised theyāre doing it again for the booster (and thatās assuming they actually have to lie to get the 3rd shot). Hopefully this time they arenāt taking the shot from someone who is more at risk because the supply is there.
I think that many of us who got our shots last winter have a sense of scarcity about the vaccines, but that is not the current situation. Even beginning September 20th there should not be long lines and āhunger gamesā competition to get boosters. There are plenty of shots. Production has none nothing but ramp up. There will be enough to get here and to share with the world. The US has sent 1/2 billion shots to Africa according to an interview I heard with the Surgeon General and there will be more sent. The question of lying is a valid one, but there is no question of taking a shot from someone else at present.
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Wow, what an example this sets for the kids seeking admissions to colleges etc.
By analogy, are we saying itās ok to lie on admissions applications because, if you donāt, you wonāt get in? Sure, go ahead and make up fake ECs etc because no one will check up on you and this is what you need to do to get in?
Is that really the example we want to set? I hope the students reading this on College Confidential understand how wrong this is in all aspects of their lives.
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I wrote my doctor again to ask for the test to check antibody levels. I understand the limitations of the test. As I said my doc said to go ahead and get a third shot due to reasons I cited above, but I want to see if I really need one first.
My motherās assisted living is tightening up again. I am trying to see her outside, because with dementia and hearing loss she cannot understand me with a mask. The nursing home adjacent to her is on lockdown with a COVID outbreak (in MA).
Boosters need to get to these very elderly folks asap. Their response to vaccines was weak to begin with, no doubt.
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Are there good data on covid antibody levels and what is considered protective or not? Even if we know that info, at the individual level we donāt know how quickly they could drop off and leave one unprotected. Could be the next day, the next week, the next month, etc.
It seems everyone will ultimately need a booster, so why not just get it now, as your doctor suggests? That way you are unlikely to experience a period of risk that will be unknown to you (unless antibody data are good and you are testing your levels very often). Some think a third shot of Pfizer and Moderna could last for a very long time.
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Of course neither is ok. And both happen. Iām not condoning the behavior just observing that with respect to obtaining a vaccine before itās āyour turnā it happened before and Iām not surprised that itās happening again this time with the booster. And it will continue to happen until we reach the point that obtaining a Covid shot is like getting a flu shot and you can just get one when you want one, no questions asked, no prescription required.
Thanks. Yes that is what I meant about being aware of limitations of the antibody test.
I would get one now but I need to visit my daughter across the country for a very important event in early January. I would like to know if the booster will last longer than the other shots. Your post is the first I have heard of that possibility but of course no studies have been done as yet.
I have until 9/20 to decide. After that I imagine they will go by date of last shot and mine was in early May. I am still living like a hermit but got a chance to see my two distant kids in person.
And now we have an esteemed civil rights leader fighting to breathe in a hospital in Chicago where doses that might have helped him several weeks ago are discarded. I wonder what he feels about the moral objections raised here. Nearly 80, and the vials are tossed rather than used to potentially help people.
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Weāve wasted 1M doses in the US since January. Letās not get up in arms about people getting boosters āprematurelyā.
North Carolina is close to tossing another half million doses, and AL just tossed 65,000.
Definitely anybody at high risk should be first in line, but otherwise Iām all for getting shots in arms before they end up in the trash.
ā8 monthsā is most likely a strict arbitrary number based on Americansā demonstrably limited capacity for nuance. ā6-8 monthsā would probably be the guidance if we werenāt prone to mass confusion, hysteria, fear-mongering, and conspiracy theories.
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Here is some discussion about why the third booster might last longer, but it is speculationā¦we just donāt have good data yet. Of course new variants could change things dramatically. https://www.medpagetoday.com/special-reports/exclusives/94089
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I think the solution here is for the government to okay third shots at 6 months, and hurry up about it. That would have saved the Jacksonās from illness.
If there really are enough shots, why the staggered system again with immunocompromised, then elderly, health care workers and so on?
If the staggering is because pharmacies and other distributors cannot handle the volume, then jumping the line really does mean taking a place in line from someone else. (Our local CVS supplies the nursing homes and assisted livings in the areaā¦do they have enough for next monthās distribution?)
The problem here is the lying and sneaking. The CDC and state public health depts. need to make those actions unnecessary. In the meantime I think we should wait our turn.
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Out of curiousity, do you really see no difference in lying to save someoneās life (including your own) vs lying to get into college (or anything similar)?
To me thereās a world of difference, and thatās not just because I have a Biblical example.
I will never judge anyone badly if they lie to save their lives or the lives of others. Sometimes you have to do what you have to do.
I will (probably) always judge people badly when they lie for personal gain.
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I agree. We now even have a poster suggesting a reverend should have flouted the law to get a booster and toss morality to the wind.
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The staggered system is what was used before at a time of scarcity, so the government just implemented it again despite there being no scarcity. Supplies for the LTCF are separately provided and set aside ( as are supplies for the military). Bureaucracy takes a long time to gear up, so the roll out date will not be pushed earlier, even if doing so is costless and would save lives. I really do not think there would be a huge rush for boosters if they opened tomorrow; most people are still within 6 months of vaccination. Delaying just increases the size of the group in line Sept 20, but I am certain the demand can be met.
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Two posters - and possibly more. If it could have saved his life, yes, a lie would have been worth it.
Why is the letter of the law so much more important than someoneās life? I canāt grasp any reasoning for that at all. Itās beyond evil to me to think that way.
ETA And the Reverend has a Biblical example saying God justifies it too (see post 428 in this thread).
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