Few Americans get new covid booster shot ahead of projected winter surge

[RV_]

Excerpt:

"With only 4 percent of eligible people fully boosted, experts fear thousands of people may die needlessly

The lagging booster rate is also blamed as a major contributor to the high covid mortality rate last winter and the continuing deaths of more than 400 Americans on average per day linked to the virus, according to The Washington Post’s coronavirus tracker. An analysis by the Commonwealth Fund, an independent research group, forecasts that more than 75,000 lives might be needlessly lost if the fall booster campaign comes up short."

Much much more here:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/10/07/covid-booster-winter-surge/?utm_campaign=wp_post_most&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_most&carta-url=https%3A%2F%2Fs2.washingtonpost.com%2Fcar-ln-tr%2F381ec56%2F63404e8df3d9003c5808dc27%2F596b1cddade4e24119ade2b6%2F15%2F70%2F63404e8df3d9003c5808dc27&wp_cu=5ccf387cc5a75de4cf34e22f8f8fb45b|7057FFF811DE34AFE0530100007F6636

[Dutch_12078]

When my wife and I had our annual physical a few weeks ago, our doctor highly recommended we get the fifth COVID-19 shots as well as the senior flu shots given our advanced ages and my wife's COPD. She knows my wife can only have shots in one arm anyway, but she recommended I get both shots in the same arm as well if we got them at the same time so only one arm would be sore. We did that, and other than some mild injection site soreness for a day or so, we had no other side effects.

[ms60ocb]

We received flu shots this week, I hope getting the fifth Covid shot goes better. First our Walgreens will give a shot with appointments only. That is by phone or On-line but the catch is the appointment can be made, when the Pharmacy may not of even opened that day. Third try was a success.  Our Doctor recommends at least 10-14 days between just in case there a reaction.

Clay

[Kirk W]

10 hours ago, ms60ocb said:

First our Walgreens will give a shot with appointments only.

We got our Modera bivalent booster about 2 weeks ago from CVS in Mesquite, TX. We did make an appointment online but they offer them to walk in patients too, but recommend you make an appointment to avoid the waiting for vaccine preperation. Flu shots are walk-in or can be.

Edited October 9, 2022 by Kirk W
typo

[RV_]

Yep we walked into Walgreen's thinking we'd get our Pfizer shots on Friday but we got an appointment for the following Monday - two weeks ago tomorrow. We both got our flu shots the week before. We are Pfans of Pfizer.

There's going to be needless deaths and we'll see how bad the toll becomes in a few months.

 

[durangodon]

Yep, needless deaths.  People have access to information and make choices, choices have consequences.  Choosing to not get the vaccine is no different than choosing to text while driving, use tobacco, drink alcohol, eat high fat or high sugar diets, not exercise, etc.  All of those things cause needless early deaths and are well publicized. 

The fact is we all die someday.  Until we do, we make choices.

[Kirk W]

I had expected somewhat lower response to the latest boosters but am surprised by how much slower the response has been. We live in a senior community and while there seems to be a strong interest in getting the newest vaccine, only a few of our neighbors report having gotten it yet. Here are some interesting data about the lattest vaccinations.

KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor: September 2022    KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation) is a nonprofit organization focusing on national health issues, as well as the U.S. role in global health policy. KFF develops and runs its own policy analysis, journalism and communications programs, sometimes in partnership with major news organizations.

The Omicron Booster: Your Questions Answered     The Yale School of Medicine

[LindaH]

13 hours ago, Dutch_12078 said:

...she recommended I get both shots in the same arm as well if we got them at the same time so only one arm would be sore. We did that, and other than some mild injection site soreness for a day or so, we had no other side effects.

Same here...we got the new COVID vaccine as well as our senior flu shots on the same day in the same arm.  Like you, the only side effects were mild injection site soreness for a couple of days.

[vermilye]

Our county has moved into the high risk category.  I deliver Meals on Wheels to a high rise building and they reinstated "Masks Required" last week.  

As to Covid booster & Flu vaccine, I got mine 2 weeks apart although the local Walgreens was doing them (by appointment) at the same time.

[Kirk W]

U.S. COVID-19 map: What do the trends mean for you?   from the Mayo Clinic

[sandsys]

Thanks for that map, Kirk. It appears our population here is not highly vaccinated (71.5%) but we have a low percentage of cases. (Our county had 20.2 cases per 100,000 people last week)I feel safer now.

Linda

[Chalkie]

1 hour ago, Kirk W said:

U.S. COVID-19 map: What do the trends mean for you?   from the Mayo Clinic

Another good resource to go with this is the map from John Hopkins which lets you zoom down to county level. 

[sandsys]

18 minutes ago, Chalkie said:

Another good resource to go with this is the map from John Hopkins which lets you zoom down to county level. 

The Mayo map also lets you go down to the county level and I found it much easier to use. I suspect both use the same data source.

Linda

[Ray,IN]

The new Omicron 1.1 sub-variant is immune to the current vaccines according to an msn.com article.

Edited October 9, 2022 by Ray,IN

[2gypsies]

2 hours ago, Ray,IN said:

The new Omicron 1.1 sub-variant is immune to the current vaccines according to an msn.com article.

Not totally.  Here's an excerpt from the article:

"

However, antiviral treatments like Pfizer’s Paxlovid pill appear to work against BQ.1.1 and other sub-variants, said Pekosz.

Vaccines will still hold up well against the new sub-variants in terms of serious outcomes, both experts said.

“We know that regardless of the variants we've seen to date, the vaccines have stood up very strongly in terms of protecting people against more severe infection, hospitalization and death,” Bogoch said.

 

“There still is some protection against infection, it's just much less than we've seen in the past and we hope the newer vaccines regain some of that durable protection, but time and time again, regardless of the variant that you've seen, these vaccines continue to provide very significant protection against more severe illness like hospitalization and death, and I don't think we're going to see meaningful changes with some of these new variants coming out.”

Omicron BA.5 still remains dominant despite BQ.1.1 and more than 300 other mutations being monitored by the WHO, said Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, the body’s technical lead for COVID-19, at a news conference Wednesday."

[Chalkie]

4 hours ago, sandsys said:

The Mayo map also lets you go down to the county level and I found it much easier to use. I suspect both use the same data source.

Linda

Maybe I am doing something wrong but I don't seem to be able to actually zoom in. Yes, I can pick a county but that is not the same.

[TXiceman]

I have given up talking to others about getting the vaccinations.  You will never change their mind and they will not get the shots.  Sad thing is the majority of them are from one political leaning.

Ken

[RV_]

Good map and databases. The real shame is the possibility of debilitating long term COVID after the fact, even if the infection doesn't put me in the hospital. 

I too just report facts and won't argue with them either.

 

[Kirk W]

From National Geographic Magazine:

Coronavirus in the U.S.: Where cases are growing and declining

[Jim & Alice]

Just FYI for the group, my wife and I got our latest Moderna booster shot today, along with seasonal Flu shot.   This was done after consultation with my wife's long-time Primary Care Physician.   No problems.

We are in Michigan visiting family, and received shots at the Greeneville Walgreens after scheduling them with Walgreen's on-line system.

Edited October 11, 2022 by Jim & Alice

[RV_]

On 10/10/2022 at 6:07 AM, Kirk W said:

From National Geographic Magazine:

Coronavirus in the U.S.: Where cases are growing and declining

Good link although the charts stop in March 2021. However the thing I had not seen before is that for the folks depending upon monoclonal antibody treatment to prevent COVID, because they can't take the vaccines, are helpless. I am grateful we all here have a choice.

"The growing number of BA.4.6 cases led the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to issue a warning indicating that Evusheld—the only monoclonal antibody authorized for COVID-19 prevention in immunocompromised individuals and people who can’t take the COVID-19 vaccine—may be completely ineffective against subvariants like BA.4.6."

Thanks Kirk.

[RV_]

Jim glad to hear it. Ken email me anytime. rv@rvroadie.com 

[Kirk W]

Here is a page from the CDC that may be of interest to those reading this thread.

How to Protect Yourself and Others