I asked the CVS pharmacist straight up how it works- they basically said they can’t do boosters until the FDA authorized it. They will know someone already has a shot. Insurance won’t approve a booster, and if you try to pay out of pocket, well, the only reason you would is if you already got vaccinated. They said to wait.
5 Likes
We are in NYC. D2 got her J&J at a vaccination site and got her booster at a local pharmacy. She didn’t have to pay for it.
I assume when I want to get a booster I could also get it at my local Walgreens. I am going to wait until I read up more about it because I had Moderna. I did nag D2 into getting a booster.
2 Likes
Ok that’s interesting. D for her shot at school when they had a clinic. I believe the vaccines were provided by one pharmacy chain that isn’t Walgreens. Maybe I’ll go into Walgreens and just flat out ask. I don’t know the right thing to do. Part of me feels like she should just wait but the other part thinks we should do it if we can and just pay out of pocket if it’s not a crazy cost. It seems like we might not even have got option anyway.
2 Likes
I’m pretty sure all Illinoisans who were vaccinated in Illinois are in this database: I-CARE
Don’t know if pharmacies and other covid vaccine providers check this before giving vaccine.
1 Like
There is another test that is for antibodies from Covid infection. The study is doing both, so as to differentiate between those who had prior subclinical Covid infxn. But for the purposes of someone who only wants to know whether their spike protein antibody titer has greatly declined, that test alone is sufficient.
I just called our local Walgreens and was told they are waiting for information and procedure on boosters. They carry Pfizer. My vaccine status is in the state registry, I have the Excelsior Pass, and my actual card shows 2 doses. There is no way I will be able to just walk in and get a booster (although I would given my job and the fact that my vaccine is almost 5 months old).
1 Like
Unlikely to need a booster until at least 6 months after your second dose was administered.
2 Likes
Did a doctor prescribe a booster for your D?
Yes- hoping by September there are some answers. My fear is that school will begin, vaccines will be “old,” and there will be no mask mandate by the governor (he will leave it up to the districts).
School staff with diminished vaccines, combined with kids under 12 who are not masked (our local school community is anti mask) can’t possibly be good.
1 Like
Where have you read the vaccine is only good for 5 months? This thread is the definition of misinformation. There are no studies, no recommendations, and no FDA approval, emergency or otherwise. I will not be signing up for a booster.
2 Likes
I have not read that the vaccine is only good for five months. I don’t know how long it’s good for- waiting for information and hoping we get some soon.
By Sept our staff will have been vaccinated for 6-7 months. Our kids under 12 might not be masked. IMO that can’t be good.
1 Like
Well, there are several studes, by Pfizer among others, of vaccine efficacy fading as time goes by. The governments of Israel and France are now implementing boosters for some sub groups, including those over age 60. You are correct that the US FDA has not approved it yet; perhaps further US action will come soon.
5 Likes
While I am very much pro-vaccine and believe that all should get them except in very limited medical circumstances, I have to agree: where is there any basis for getting a booster shot? I’m not aware of any recommendation for boosters from the FDA etc.
Also, exactly how does one know what mix to take? For example, if you had J&J originally, where is the scientific research showing that it is (a) safe; and/or (b) effective to mix it with Pfizer or Moderna?
This seems extremely reckless to me, much like recommending not getting a vaccine in the first place.
1 Like
There are no recommendations right now in the US. Data/info should be coming in the next few weeks/months.
1 Like
For those living in or visiting other countries, there are recommendations. Those countries also have public health officials and studies. There may have been a time when only the US based FDA standards ruled the world, but that is no longer the case.
You may disagree with the governments of Israel and France in their procedures or priorities, but they are not “reckless”.
8 Likes
It is reckless to follow another country’s guidance, when emergency use authorizations are specific to that country. For example, India’s CoviShield vaccine is made under licence from Oxford/AstraZeneca. However, the EU refuses to allow persons with the vaccine into the EU, even though it accepts the Oxford/AstraZeneca formulation.
Why is that the case if there is a one-size-fits-all for all vaccines around the world? It’s because there isn’t a one-size-fits-all for any prescription drug.
The EUAs are very specific to what was tested in the US. To the extent that the vaccines are identical in other countries, that’s helpful, but not dispositive.
Also, if you were general counsel to Walgreen’s, would you allow your stores to dispense booster vaccines willy-nilly to customers based on what Israel or France has done? I sure as heck wouldn’t because it would be medically reckless for Walgreen’s to do something like this without a doctor’s prescription at the VERY minimum. And I am curious whether anyone in the US has received a doctor’s prescription for a booster at this stage.
I am not saying it’s irrelevant, but it is a far cry from what is required in the United States.
Not everyone shares your confidence in the US FDA, and some are aware that Israel did its studies on the very same Pfizer vaccine used here. No one is forcing you to get any vaccine, number 1, 2, or 3. Refrain if you wish.
3 Likes
For me and most of my family, we’re Team Pfizer so watching the actual data from Israel closely. Right now they are giving boosters to 60+ based upon that data, though they started with their vaxes before the US did. Between the 5 and 6 month mark appears to be the start of the decline, though protection from severe Covid is still fairly solid.
I trust their data and Pfizer is Pfizer worldwide. The planet is a lot bigger than just the US. I wish the US kept as good track of things as Israel appears to be doing - and for more than just Pfizer since FIL is Team Moderna.
4 Likes
There is no issue of “confidence” in the US FDA. It’s just the law, right? Until that law is changed, I choose to abide by it.
And I trust all legitimate organizations in the US dispensing vaccines will too. That’s why I gave the Walgreen’s general counsel example. There is far too much risk at this stage to give booster shots without specific authorization by the appropriate regulators in the US.
The risk is to Walgreens, not to the person receiving the shot. It is in the company’s interest to protect itself, always. Yes, I do know people who have received prescriptions for a 3rd shot based upon their circumstances, including my friend the ER doctor.
It is not against any federal law to receive immunizations of any kind. It might be contrary to medical advice, and insurance may not pay, but it is not illegal
2 Likes