My husband is immunocompromised. He had no detectable antibodies after 2 doses of Moderna. He had a booster, but we aren’t confident it helped him much. A breakthrough infection for me could be fatal for him.
I have several autoimmune illnesses, and have had post-viral illnesses that last months to years. Already have POTS as a result of Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. Long Covid is a real possibility for me. Yes, we mask, everywhere, with n95s. Still, give me that shot. I will take it as soon as it becomes available.
It seems we'd be so much better off with a third dose because we know for a fact that the first two were way too close together to be optimal. So we could just stop with 3. OTOH, what's wrong with a yearly shot? We do it for the flu.
Emily Smith's substack this morning has some good mention of vaccine equity. Some of the conversation about boosters has to do with vaccine access in other countries. If we are going to supply boosters to our population, we will hold those doses and we won't be able to share them with other countries who have a low vaccination rate. Since this is a global pandemic, there is a perspective not just of protecting our citizens but of getting the virus under control worldwide.
Breakthrough cases are no walk in the park, from what I've heard, and isn't there still a risk of developing long COVID? If getting boosters reduces the risk of breakthroughs isn't it worth it?
I have not seen a study for this but I'm wondering if the colder storage conditions required by the Pfizer vaccine could have led to increased mishandling (not keeping cold enough ) of the vaccine thus making it less effective.
Thank you so much for this information! Can I ask you about your opinion on Moderna vs. Pfizer for a 18-month old? I definitely see your points about Moderna's advantages. My only worry is that Moderna's dose may be too large for such a small child. Or do you think the benefits outweigh my concern? Put differently, if your girls were 18-months old, would you still pick Moderna for them?
Is there any logic to “switching teams” for a booster shot? That is, if one was vaccinated with Pfizer originally, would there be benefits or drawbacks of a Moderna booster, or vice versa?
we aren’t sure yet. we think the biggest benefit comes from switching bio technologies (JJ to mRNA or maybe vice versa). we hypothesize because this gives your body more than one way to identify and fight the virus. but we have no data yet
What is the downside to getting a 3rd booster? Is there a health concern for why we shouldn't all get a 3rd booster? It seems to me that if it is available, and if it helps, why wouldn't we get it? What is the argument against it?
Emily Smith's substack this morning has some good mention of vaccine equity. Some of the conversation about boosters has to do with vaccine access in other countries. If we are going to supply boosters to our population, we will hold those doses and we won't be able to share them with other countries who have a low vaccination rate. Since this is a global pandemic, there is a perspective not just of protecting our citizens but of getting the virus under control worldwide.
We got three full dose moderna shots vs 2 full shots and the half/dose moderna booster. Two questions: is there any evidence given the full VDay half dose for the third shot when out immunity might wane. We are 75 second - what is the advantage if any of getting Pfizer for the next booster vs sticking with moderna?
Thank you! Looking forward to this information. Also, I'm looking for info on mixing vaccines and timing of it, for someone who received 2 doses of Sinovac (it was what was available to them). They'll now be in the US and will be seeking a dose of one of the mRNA vaccines or J&J, and want to do so as informed as possible. I know the info on mixing and sinovac is limited. Any guidance or resources would be greatly appreciated.
Katelyn, could you please explain the downside of getting a 3rd booster. If there's even a modest benefit, why not get it? Is it because there is a immune system "cost" whenever your body processes a vaccine? Or does the U.S. government not want to spend if it doesn't have to? And is there even a limit to how many vaccines you can get?!? Any clarity would be appreciated!
Emily Smith's substack this morning has some good mention of vaccine equity. Some of the conversation about boosters has to do with vaccine access in other countries. If we are going to supply boosters to our population, we will hold those doses and we won't be able to share them with other countries who have a low vaccination rate. Since this is a global pandemic, there is a perspective not just of protecting our citizens but of getting the virus under control worldwide.
Yes, this makes sense. As I understand it, however, the U.S. has a ton of doses and continues to produce more. So could we do both – help the world with initial doses while we provide 3rd boosters to those in need?
From Emily Smith's post: "Can we do both given the current supply? I don’t know and so far we haven’t done both. Don’t get me wrong - I want my family who might be at risk for waning immunity given their age to remain protected. I also want my colleagues in friends in Somaliland who can’t get even a first dose to be protected...
. . . Little by little through the pandemic, I’m hoping that the individualistic world views of high-income countries will be chipped away towards more of a collective identity of love-for-neighbor. We shall see."
I am also thinking that it is expensive. The US already has a habit of spending too much on health care that has a negligible benefit. If we spend a lot of resources on a third dose if it doesn't really add any protection against hospitalization for most people, that is another chunk of our dollars that can't be used for something that may be more important.
So - on an individual level, there probably isn't a downside, but on a macro level there may be many downsides.
My husband is immunocompromised. He had no detectable antibodies after 2 doses of Moderna. He had a booster, but we aren’t confident it helped him much. A breakthrough infection for me could be fatal for him.
I have several autoimmune illnesses, and have had post-viral illnesses that last months to years. Already have POTS as a result of Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. Long Covid is a real possibility for me. Yes, we mask, everywhere, with n95s. Still, give me that shot. I will take it as soon as it becomes available.
I'm getting Moderna #3 tomorrow!
I'm a cancer survivor and caretaker of young adult child with POTS/ hEDS/ MCAS who is on immunotherapy.
It seems we'd be so much better off with a third dose because we know for a fact that the first two were way too close together to be optimal. So we could just stop with 3. OTOH, what's wrong with a yearly shot? We do it for the flu.
Emily Smith's substack this morning has some good mention of vaccine equity. Some of the conversation about boosters has to do with vaccine access in other countries. If we are going to supply boosters to our population, we will hold those doses and we won't be able to share them with other countries who have a low vaccination rate. Since this is a global pandemic, there is a perspective not just of protecting our citizens but of getting the virus under control worldwide.
https://emilysmith.substack.com/p/what-about-boosters
Breakthrough cases are no walk in the park, from what I've heard, and isn't there still a risk of developing long COVID? If getting boosters reduces the risk of breakthroughs isn't it worth it?
THIS! and wonder which, reduces long covid risk
I have not seen a study for this but I'm wondering if the colder storage conditions required by the Pfizer vaccine could have led to increased mishandling (not keeping cold enough ) of the vaccine thus making it less effective.
Thank you so much for this information! Can I ask you about your opinion on Moderna vs. Pfizer for a 18-month old? I definitely see your points about Moderna's advantages. My only worry is that Moderna's dose may be too large for such a small child. Or do you think the benefits outweigh my concern? Put differently, if your girls were 18-months old, would you still pick Moderna for them?
Is there any logic to “switching teams” for a booster shot? That is, if one was vaccinated with Pfizer originally, would there be benefits or drawbacks of a Moderna booster, or vice versa?
we aren’t sure yet. we think the biggest benefit comes from switching bio technologies (JJ to mRNA or maybe vice versa). we hypothesize because this gives your body more than one way to identify and fight the virus. but we have no data yet
What is the downside to getting a 3rd booster? Is there a health concern for why we shouldn't all get a 3rd booster? It seems to me that if it is available, and if it helps, why wouldn't we get it? What is the argument against it?
Emily Smith's substack this morning has some good mention of vaccine equity. Some of the conversation about boosters has to do with vaccine access in other countries. If we are going to supply boosters to our population, we will hold those doses and we won't be able to share them with other countries who have a low vaccination rate. Since this is a global pandemic, there is a perspective not just of protecting our citizens but of getting the virus under control worldwide.
https://emilysmith.substack.com/p/what-about-boosters
We got three full dose moderna shots vs 2 full shots and the half/dose moderna booster. Two questions: is there any evidence given the full VDay half dose for the third shot when out immunity might wane. We are 75 second - what is the advantage if any of getting Pfizer for the next booster vs sticking with moderna?
Thank you! Looking forward to this information. Also, I'm looking for info on mixing vaccines and timing of it, for someone who received 2 doses of Sinovac (it was what was available to them). They'll now be in the US and will be seeking a dose of one of the mRNA vaccines or J&J, and want to do so as informed as possible. I know the info on mixing and sinovac is limited. Any guidance or resources would be greatly appreciated.
Katelyn, could you please explain the downside of getting a 3rd booster. If there's even a modest benefit, why not get it? Is it because there is a immune system "cost" whenever your body processes a vaccine? Or does the U.S. government not want to spend if it doesn't have to? And is there even a limit to how many vaccines you can get?!? Any clarity would be appreciated!
Emily Smith's substack this morning has some good mention of vaccine equity. Some of the conversation about boosters has to do with vaccine access in other countries. If we are going to supply boosters to our population, we will hold those doses and we won't be able to share them with other countries who have a low vaccination rate. Since this is a global pandemic, there is a perspective not just of protecting our citizens but of getting the virus under control worldwide.
https://emilysmith.substack.com/p/what-about-boosters
Yes, this makes sense. As I understand it, however, the U.S. has a ton of doses and continues to produce more. So could we do both – help the world with initial doses while we provide 3rd boosters to those in need?
From Emily Smith's post: "Can we do both given the current supply? I don’t know and so far we haven’t done both. Don’t get me wrong - I want my family who might be at risk for waning immunity given their age to remain protected. I also want my colleagues in friends in Somaliland who can’t get even a first dose to be protected...
. . . Little by little through the pandemic, I’m hoping that the individualistic world views of high-income countries will be chipped away towards more of a collective identity of love-for-neighbor. We shall see."
I am also thinking that it is expensive. The US already has a habit of spending too much on health care that has a negligible benefit. If we spend a lot of resources on a third dose if it doesn't really add any protection against hospitalization for most people, that is another chunk of our dollars that can't be used for something that may be more important.
So - on an individual level, there probably isn't a downside, but on a macro level there may be many downsides.