I got my 2nd booster on Wednesday and no real side effects beyond a sore arm
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Are there any circumstances under which folks can get a 2nd booster if <50 years old, like if they have mod to severe asthma or other conditions?
For under 50, second booster eligibility includes:
- Immunocompromised (although considered first booster because what would be the first booster is considered part of the primary series with one extra dose)
- Got J&J initially and for first booster (so second booster would be third instead of fourth dose)
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/booster-shot.html
And, if based on self-attestation (which I believe it is), anyone can get another dose, just as itās been all along.
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Moderna announced results of testing of a vaccine originally targeting the beta variant, and they are developing a ābivalentā vaccine, possibly for the fall, that will have address the original COVID and Omicron variants.
Wondering if this is another reason to wait.
Why not get the booster now and the new vaccine in the fall? Thatās months away.
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I donāt want one now if it lasts such a short time. I will have one in the summer before flying to my daughter, so the interval between that and the fall vaccine would maybe be too short.
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I see.
Wondering if you are considering Evusheld? My S who is immune compromised did receive it two weeks ago. Heās still wearing his mask indoors, but feel slightly more relaxed about COVID.
Just got our second booster last week. We wanted to wait, but decided it was a gift of science worth accepting. We also assume we may need another in the fall, and hope they will create a flu/Covid combo by then. We need to fly early May (no choice - not a vacation and too far to drive). Now weāre even more thankful, given recent changes to the masking rule.
First Booster resulted in 24 hour chills, fever, aches, but only a sore arm with the second booster. Both were Moderna.
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I got my 3rd Pfizer shot almost 7 months ago. Yesterday, I got a Moderna.
So far only a mildly sore arm. I had generalized fatigue and body aches with Pfizer, along with an incredibly sore arm.
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I was really on the fence about the 2nd booster, but after reading āFourth Dose Q&Aā by Katelyn Jetelina (āYour Local Epidemiologistā) which was posted in one of the covid threads, DH and I decided to go ahead and get it now. We are both 60 and live in the Northeast, where cases are rising. Masking was pretty strong in our suburban community, but has now been almost completely abandoned for group gatherings like church, meetings, events etc. We donāt have much planned for summer, but right now we are very much out and about, he is back to (unmasked) business networking events and meetings and I am participating in two (unmasked) choir rehearsals each week and a bunch of committee meetings. Much of that will die down in the summer, and general socializing will be mostly outside then. So waiting didnāt seem to be the right answer unless we were going to skip the shot altogether. At this point Iām not concerned about severe covid, but I am concerned about long covid so any benefit the 2nd booster might provide towards that risk swayed me towards getting the shot. I have no illusion that it will prevent me from being infected, just hoping for a more mild case if I am exposed.
Then there was the whole question of WHICH shot! Ultimately we chose Pfizer to add MRNA diversity, so our series is now MMMP. Shots were yesterday, I have had virtually zero side effects (a little soreness in the arm but less than the previous 3 shots), H had chills during the night and is a little achy today (consistent with his response to the previous Moderna shots.) Glad to be on the other side of this perplexing decision!!
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Seems like the value of a booster depends on previous doses.
| Previous | Booster | Short term boost | Long term boost |
|---|---|---|---|
| PP, MM | any | yes | yes |
| PPP, PPm, MMm, MMP | P or m | yes | probably no** |
| PPP, PPm, MMm, MMP | J | yes | possibly yes** |
| J | any | yes | yes |
| JJ, Jm, JP | any* | yes | yes |
| JJm, JJP, Jmm, JmP, JPP, JPm | any* | yes | unknown** |
*But not J if already had two J doses, due to possible immune response against the Ad26 vector virus reducing effectiveness of another J dose.
**Immunocompromised people are more likely to benefit from additional doses than the general population.
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Is J and J even offered in most places at this point? It looks like a lot of us could benefit at this point for our 2nd booster. Also wondering about Novavax, which is still being considered for approval.
Got my 2nd booster (Booster boosterā¦?) two days ago and not really feeling any side effects other than a sore arm and some fatigue, but no worse than any of the other shots. All four shots have been Pfizer.
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Iām thinking Iāll get my 2nd booster in a couple of weeks before my end of May flight. So far Iāve received Moderna x 3. Iām feeling like Iām ordering from a drink menu - ādo I want to go with my āusualā or branch out and try something new?! (Pfizer)ā 
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J&J seems to be less common these days, probably because of both popular and (more recently) CDC favoring of mRNA vaccines. I donāt recall seeing anyone on these forums reporting choosing a J booster after PP or MM primary series (or second booster after PPP, PPm, MMm, or MMP).
Novavax seems to be the new thing that has been just around the corner for quite a while.
'āWith the vaccines currently available, we should not chase the rainbows of hoping that those vaccines could prevent infection, transmission and even mild disease because weāve learned that is just not possible,ā said Long, a professor of pediatrics at Drexel University College of Medicine. āWe just need to give that up with these vaccines and focus on preventing severe disease and preventing death.ā
Long criticized the CDC for clearing fourth shots for older adults without consulting the committee, saying the decision has created public confusion and could lead to booster fatigue. She said having a full public discussion in the committee about vaccine recommendations would help restore public trust.ā
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Of course, it seems that they do not seem to be looking at open questions regarding the J&J vaccine.
- For those who had PPP, PPm, MMm, or MMP, does getting a J booster help long term?
- For those who got three doses including one or two J doses, would any additional doses of which vaccine help long term?
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I almost completely forgot that this is the week H and I want to get our boosters. Nothing like remembering it at the last minute. Fortunately, our pharmacy has oodles of slots available. We signed up for two tomorrow, but I bet we could have gotten them just by walking in at this point. Weāve chosen to get Moderna again - assuming they have it. That will put us in the P-P-M-M group.
With cases going up both here and along our train trip route, we want to be as protected as we can.
It doesnāt surprise me that cases are going up considering weāre two weeks past Easter now when many families and groups got together for the holiday. Vaccines have waned and natural immunity of many has waned.