Have you all gotten your booster shots yet?

[wendibird22]

DH got his Pfizer booster a few months ago. I got my Moderna booster a few weeks ago. DH never had any side effects. I had flu like symptoms.


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Wanted to add that DH is an elementary ed teacher and so works daily with an unvaccinated population (and even though they are now eligible he thinks very very few of his students have gotten dose 1 yet...some it is a language barrier, some it's an access barrier, and others its parent's political views). So, he got the booster as soon as he was eligible. For me, I am 9 months out from my 2nd dose, work outside the home full time, have kids in school full time where despite mask mandate there's a huge spike in covid cases among students and employees, and live in a county with only a 50% vaccination rate for 18yr+ and a 14% covid infection rate currently (the highest it has been this entire pandemic). The public does not wear masks indoors hardly at all, though I do.

[ang79]

Wanted to add that DH is an elementary ed teacher and so works daily with an unvaccinated population (and even though they are now eligible he thinks very very few of his students have gotten dose 1 yet...some it is a language barrier, some it's an access barrier, and others its parent's political views). So, he got the booster as soon as he was eligible. For me, I am 9 months out from my 2nd dose, work outside the home full time, have kids in school full time where despite mask mandate there's a huge spike in covid cases among students and employees, and live in a county with only a 50% vaccination rate for 18yr+ and a 14% covid infection rate currently (the highest it has been this entire pandemic). The public does not wear masks indoors hardly at all, though I do.

My area is similar (51% of total population vaxed, 16% positivity). Hospitalizations are staying in the 140 range. Deaths are starting g about the same. Masks are mandatory in school now but a recent lawsuit is looking to end that on Dec. 4. I’ve noticed fewer masks in crowded store recently and we are one of the very few families that mask in church. And after trying to find rapid Covid testing for DH last week and the nearest site being 30 min. Away in another town, and am guessing not many people are actually getting the PCR tests and pausing their lives while they wait for results unless they are very sick. I was really hoping g to schedule my booster for a Friday in case I feel yucky afterwards then I can rest up over the weekend. But we have activities the next few weekends.


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[Kindra178]

This is the blog post that Vincent wrote back in August where he talks about his stance on boosters and the data. He still stands by what he wrote back then and said Paul Offit agreed with him as well (he brought it up again in yesterday's TWIV episode). He is bringing Paul Offit back on TWIV on December 17th to discuss boosters and to see whether his opinion has changed since August, and if so, what does the data show.

Are COVID-19 vaccine boosters needed?
https://www.virology.ws/2021/08/19/a...osters-needed/

Opinion of Paul Offit and 2 other co-authors of recent research that came out today:

We don't need universal booster shots. We need to reach the unvaccinated.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlo...ersal-opinion/

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Listen to yesterday's ZDoggShow (horrible name, I know) on his feeling on boosters in general. He feels that our focus should be on vaxing the unvaxed and getting our shots around the world.

I really like how ZDogg looks at both sides at these issues and appreciates that progressives have lost their collective minds regarding Covid overall.

[MSWR0319]

Listen to yesterday's ZDoggShow (horrible name, I know) on his feeling on boosters in general. He feels that our focus should be on vaxing the unvaxed and getting our shots around the world.

I really like how ZDogg looks at both sides at these issues and appreciates that progressives have lost their collective minds regarding Covid overall.

Did he offer any suggestions on how to vax the unvaxed? Because around here, there's not much you can do to get those that aren't vaxed to get vaxed.

[squimp]

We got our booster yesterday, and my DD got hers earlier in November at school. She caught a breakthrough case in October from an unvaccinated teammate who came to school sick for 4 days prior to getting tested. That episode actually caused several other teammate's families to get vaccinated, which is great. One said it was not the hill they wanted to die on, which I appreciated the intentional or unintentional statement they were making.

DH and I were vaccinated soon thereafter, so I think of it as protecting myself from the 31% of people in our county who are not vaccinated because they are much more likely to spread COVID. Our schools have not had a lot of cases, which is good and likely a reflection of the community rates and their precautions (masking indoors).

[KpbS]

Yes, the unvaxxed here are not going to get vaxxed. They are opposed to the vaccine.

[robinsmommy]

Listen to yesterday's ZDoggShow (horrible name, I know) on his feeling on boosters in general. He feels that our focus should be on vaxing the unvaxed and getting our shots around the world.

I really like how ZDogg looks at both sides at these issues and appreciates that progressives have lost their collective minds regarding Covid overall.

I disagree. The only way most of the unvaxxed will get the vax at this point is if it is mandated- for work, for all public transport or flying, or for any indoor event. I don’t see a national mandate succeeding for 5 years and up- and that is probably what it would take to slow the spread, and that assumes that the vax provides a decent amount of protection against new variants.

The doses here already and distributed need to be used- shipping them elsewhere is probably not workable. Better used than wasted. And folks who got J&J? They *need* boosters.

Everywhere I go there are unmasked folks, even though masks are mandated here. We wear good masks, but I see boosters as a needed layer of extra protection from the people all around us who don’t believe in science and some who gleefully ignore common sense preventative measures.

Getting shots into arms around the world would be much more doable if Moderna and Pfizer would allow others to produce vaccines using their methodology- at least then, folks who want vaxes could get them.

South Africa had vaccines available, but apparently could not overcome distrust to get people to use them. And here we are.

Testing. We need stringent testing and quarantining for folks traveling, esp out of country, and more readily available and cheap at home tests.

[jgenie]

Listen to yesterday's ZDoggShow (horrible name, I know) on his feeling on boosters in general. He feels that our focus should be on vaxing the unvaxed and getting our shots around the world.

I really like how ZDogg looks at both sides at these issues and appreciates that progressives have lost their collective minds regarding Covid overall.

The people who are unvaccinated will likely remain unvaccinated. I agree the most effective way to get unvaccinated people to vaccinate would be to make access contingent on being vaccinated. Not vaccinated - can’t board an airplane, not vaccinated - can’t attend an indoor event, not vaccinated - can’t be on school property, not vaccinated - can’t report to work, not vaccinated- Covid testing costs are no longer covered my the government, etc.

[Snow mom]

The people who are unvaccinated will likely remain unvaccinated. I agree the most effective way to get unvaccinated people to vaccinate would be to make access contingent on being vaccinated. Not vaccinated - can’t board an airplane, not vaccinated - can’t attend an indoor event, not vaccinated - can’t be on school property, not vaccinated - can’t report to work, not vaccinated- Covid testing costs are no longer covered my the government, etc.

I agree with you, but even with mandates it’s amazing how much animosity remains about the vaccine and it being “shoved down my throat” or whatever. Our state has mandates for many types of employees and people have been pissed, even if compliant. It’s just hard to see how they will ever become accepting.

From a math of herd immunity perspective, it’s absolutely true that we’d be better off vaccinating the unvaccinated, and it’s a noble goal, but from a policy perspective I’m not sure how we will reach the numbers needed. Basically modeling herd immunity you have different populations who have contacts and risks of being infected if exposed. It would be better to move a larger portion into the mid-low risk of having received the vaccine series, but barring that, we need more people with the greater protection of having been boostered. Even then, it seems the number of holdouts will keep us from ever reaching herd immunity. New variants will continue to appear (some smart friends suggested this current variant could be from an animal population and those reservoirs of virus are going to continue to be problematic even as we potentially move to greater portions of the human population being vaccinated).

[ang79]

I agree with you, but even with mandates it’s amazing how much animosity remains about the vaccine and it being “shoved down my throat” or whatever. Our state has mandates for many types of employees and people have been pissed, even if compliant. It’s just hard to see how they will ever become accepting.

From a math of herd immunity perspective, it’s absolutely true that we’d be better off vaccinating the unvaccinated, and it’s a noble goal, but from a policy perspective I’m not sure how we will reach the numbers needed. Basically modeling herd immunity you have different populations who have contacts and risks of being infected if exposed. It would be better to move a larger portion into the mid-low risk of having received the vaccine series, but barring that, we need more people with the greater protection of having been boostered. Even then, it seems the number of holdouts will keep us from ever reaching herd immunity. New variants will continue to appear (some smart friends suggested this current variant could be from an animal population and those reservoirs of virus are going to continue to be problematic even as we potentially move to greater portions of the human population being vaccinated).

Yes, while I believe the theory of getting more people vaxed is better long term than boosters t those that are already protected, I don’t see how that will actually happen when so many are so angry about it. When people are willing to be fired over it, what will convince them to get it? Vaccines have been available for almost a year now so they’ve had their chance if they wanted it. Now I can only protect myself and my family with boosters, masking, and avoiding large gatherings where I don’t know the vax status of others (case in point, my niece is having a baby shower in January right after Christmas in a county with 38% fully vaxed rates and I will not be going, as there are 70 people invited, it’s in a small room, they don’t like to wear masks and I know many are not vaccinated).

I’ve been reading recent news from Penn State about tracking Covid in white tail deer and the increased rates as community spread goes up. They are worried that deer will become the new preferred host and Covid will continue to cross back and forth between animal and human. And we are now in prime deer hunting season and high community spread in most of PA.

Off to schedule boosters for DH and I. Wish I had a crystal ball to know if my reaction would be worse to the Moderna or Pfizer booster!


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