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From USA Today, posted this morning... Should you get a COVID booster? Here are 7 things to consider.
This is what I said early on, that I was waiting to see if these so-called 'vaccines' were truly vaccines or more like flu shots.
I guess I have my answer. What's interesting is that they are admitting to a level of 'natural immunity' without specifically citing it. More telling is the fact that they are no longer 'pushing' the vaccine or boosters as 'essential.' In fact, the whole piece reads as a very much toned down version of what we saw over the last, almost, 4 years, where things we've talked about are now being... dare I say... 'acknowledged.'
I believe this is what's referred to as recognizing an endemic disease where comparatively few are likely to suffer long term or drastic consequences. The problem is that they don't seem to be able to predict who that will be beyond the usual caveats of old, health/immuno compromised, and 'safer' for those who are pregnant. What was that about a disease so deadly you have to be tested to see if you have it?
What's unfortunate is that we're unlikely to ever know who the truly vulnerable were and whether this was, really, just a 'bad' version of a more common ailment which simply took a little time and exposure for the population to develop a level of resistance to. Instead, what we got was...
...Experts say when and whether to get a COVID booster should depend on your health status, risk tolerance, timing of last infection and other personal factors...
People likely to get very sick if infected should take the most care to be protected, experts say...
If the event is coming up, you'll want to get a shot sooner rather than later...
But current vaccines will only protect against all infections for about three months, so if that wedding or big European vacation is more than three or four months away, it's a better idea to put off your booster a bit longer, said Mina, currently chief science officer at eMed...
If you had a case of COVID-19 in late summer or early fall, you'll have protection against another infection for about three to four months, studies suggest...
Unlike flu, in which cases drop very low during the off-season, COVID-19 has continued to transmit since its first appearance, so it can take off anytime...
If you've had side effects from one or both - spent a day on the couch after your last COVID booster or had a sore arm for a week after a flu shot - consider putting some space between them, but only if you're the kind of person who will come back for the second one...
No. There's not much difference among the three authorized vaccines. Two, from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, are based on mRNA technology, which directs the body to make the spike protein found on the surface of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
The third, from Novavax, provides the same protein directly...
What if I'm young and healthy? Do I really need another booster?
The short answer is: probably not. As long as you don't mind being sick for a week or two.
People who are young, healthy and have already been infected and/or vaccinated more than once are very unlikely to get extremely sick or die from COVID-19.
The risk of contracting long COVID, where symptoms linger for months or longer after an initial infection, has also been shown to be much smaller for people who are vaccinated, particularly those who have had three shots.
For young, healthy people, the main benefit of a COVID-19 booster will be small and short-lived: protection against infection for about three to four months and another hedge against the slight risk of severe disease.
Many people get an annual flu shot, not to avoid death but because they don't want to miss work or life or be miserable for a few weeks. The same is true for COVID-19...
People likely to get very sick if infected should take the most care to be protected, experts say...
If the event is coming up, you'll want to get a shot sooner rather than later...
But current vaccines will only protect against all infections for about three months, so if that wedding or big European vacation is more than three or four months away, it's a better idea to put off your booster a bit longer, said Mina, currently chief science officer at eMed...
If you had a case of COVID-19 in late summer or early fall, you'll have protection against another infection for about three to four months, studies suggest...
Unlike flu, in which cases drop very low during the off-season, COVID-19 has continued to transmit since its first appearance, so it can take off anytime...
If you've had side effects from one or both - spent a day on the couch after your last COVID booster or had a sore arm for a week after a flu shot - consider putting some space between them, but only if you're the kind of person who will come back for the second one...
No. There's not much difference among the three authorized vaccines. Two, from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, are based on mRNA technology, which directs the body to make the spike protein found on the surface of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
The third, from Novavax, provides the same protein directly...
What if I'm young and healthy? Do I really need another booster?
The short answer is: probably not. As long as you don't mind being sick for a week or two.
People who are young, healthy and have already been infected and/or vaccinated more than once are very unlikely to get extremely sick or die from COVID-19.
The risk of contracting long COVID, where symptoms linger for months or longer after an initial infection, has also been shown to be much smaller for people who are vaccinated, particularly those who have had three shots.
For young, healthy people, the main benefit of a COVID-19 booster will be small and short-lived: protection against infection for about three to four months and another hedge against the slight risk of severe disease.
Many people get an annual flu shot, not to avoid death but because they don't want to miss work or life or be miserable for a few weeks. The same is true for COVID-19...
I guess I have my answer. What's interesting is that they are admitting to a level of 'natural immunity' without specifically citing it. More telling is the fact that they are no longer 'pushing' the vaccine or boosters as 'essential.' In fact, the whole piece reads as a very much toned down version of what we saw over the last, almost, 4 years, where things we've talked about are now being... dare I say... 'acknowledged.'
I believe this is what's referred to as recognizing an endemic disease where comparatively few are likely to suffer long term or drastic consequences. The problem is that they don't seem to be able to predict who that will be beyond the usual caveats of old, health/immuno compromised, and 'safer' for those who are pregnant. What was that about a disease so deadly you have to be tested to see if you have it?
What's unfortunate is that we're unlikely to ever know who the truly vulnerable were and whether this was, really, just a 'bad' version of a more common ailment which simply took a little time and exposure for the population to develop a level of resistance to. Instead, what we got was...
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