Will you get the new Omicron updated booster?

[wildcat03]

In case anyone is thinking about getting their flu shots now..my doctor said she likes to wait until November! I’m not sure I want to wait that long. Maybe mid October? What are your thoughts?

My employer always makes me get it earlier than I want. If I could choose, it would be around Halloween. I'm in the mid-Atlantic.

 

[Calliecake]

Well good news, bad news. Negative Covid test! Yay!
Bad news: paxlovid causes severe reaction at the end of treatment after you take the last dose. Common side effect; severe headache; I mean like your head will blow. Vomiting, non stop for 12 hrs and finally I got zofran. Abdominal pain, feels like someone took a claw and is pulling out my liver. I’m not sure it was worth it. Sweats/chills, another night of no sleep.
When this stops I’m free to go for another 3 months. Hooray!

This sounds awful @AprilBaby. I’m sorry you have been so sick.

 

[lilmosun]

Quick question - did anyone have a diffetent reaction to the new booster compared to the others?

My mom and I are flying to a family reunion late Thursday afternoon and the earliest appt I can get for her is Wednesday morning.

I am torn between wanting her boosted before she goes (her 2nd booster was in April) but not wanting her to have to cancel the trip over a reaction. It's may be the last get together for all her living siblings. She had no reaction to her other vaccines except slight fatigue that dsy.

 

[rcjtraveler]

Scheduled for ours next week. Will be getting the flu shot too but not at the same time. Taking my 93 yo Mom so didn’t want both in the same day.

 

[missy]

Quick question - did anyone have a diffetent reaction to the new booster compared to the others?

My mom and I are flying to a family reunion late Thursday afternoon and the earliest appt I can get for her is Wednesday morning.

I am torn between wanting her boosted before she goes (her 2nd booster was in April) but not wanting her to have to cancel the trip over a reaction. It's may be the last get together for all her living siblings. She had no reaction to her other vaccines except slight fatigue that dsy.

Most likely she’ll experience a similar reaction as she did to the previous vaccines. Of course that’s my best educated guess. There’s a chance she might have a different reaction but according to my pharmacist and my reading on this issue the reaction to the bivalent is similar to the original vaccines. It was similar for me.

 

[lilmosun]

Most likely she’ll experience a similar reaction as she did to the previous vaccines. Of course that’s my best educated guess. There’s a chance she might have a different reaction but according to my pharmacist and my reading on this issue the reaction to the bivalent is similar to the original vaccines. It was similar for me.

Thanks @missy ..that was my guess as well.

But I heard of a couple of people who didn't have a bad reaction to their earlier shots but then caught covid just days after a booster and they got very sick - felt it was a double whammy of having a booster kicking in and getting covid. So it would defeat the purpose. Plus given it takes awhile for the booster to take effect, it really wouldn't protect her on this trip.

So we've decided to hold off on the vaccine until after the trip - fingers crossed. I am now hearing of cases again - just like last January. Recently, there was someone on our plane who clearly had the covid-cough and was not wearing a mask

The reunion was something she and her siblings have talked about since before Covid and probably the last chance to do this for various age/health reasons. I've just told my mom that except when sitting and eating, she is to wear a mask no matter what others are doing. For the first time since this hit, I am worried that the precautions we are taking might not be enough.

 

[Gloria27]

My employer always makes me get it earlier than I want. If I could choose, it would be around Halloween. I'm in the mid-Atlantic.

Say what now?

 

[wildcat03]

Say what now?

For the flu shot, I prefer a later dose. The protection from the flu shot lasts about 14 weeks from the dose and the dose takes 2 weeks to be fully efficacious. So best to have it as close to flu season as possible. I usually start to see flu over Thanksgiving, it spreads in schools in December and through families over the holidays. Usually tapers down starting in February and levels are pretty low by March(ish). So if I could pick when I got my flu shot it would be late October/early November.

Because of all the paperwork, etc. my hospital usually makes us have it by mid-October. I try to put it off as much as possible but obviously can't miss the deadline.

 

[Gloria27]

For the flu shot, I prefer a later dose. The protection from the flu shot lasts about 14 weeks from the dose and the dose takes 2 weeks to be fully efficacious. So best to have it as close to flu season as possible. I usually start to see flu over Thanksgiving, it spreads in schools in December and through families over the holidays. Usually tapers down starting in February and levels are pretty low by March(ish). So if I could pick when I got my flu shot it would be late October/early November.

Because of all the paperwork, etc. my hospital usually makes us have it by mid-October. I try to put it off as much as possible but obviously can't miss the deadline.

Pheew, almost had a heart attack there when you said employer.
It all makes sense now that you say the employer is a hospital.

Never had a flu shot in my life, had many other shots for various viruses including more exotic ones but it was a veeery long time ago.

Does it work? The flu shot I mean.

 

[NonieMarie]

My husband and I will be getting it in the next week. We are hoping, like the last 4, to have minimal side effects.

 

[AprilBaby]

Quick question - did anyone have a diffetent reaction to the new booster compared to the others?

My mom and I are flying to a family reunion late Thursday afternoon and the earliest appt I can get for her is Wednesday morning.

I am torn between wanting her boosted before she goes (her 2nd booster was in April) but not wanting her to have to cancel the trip over a reaction. It's may be the last get together for all her living siblings. She had no reaction to her other vaccines except slight fatigue that dsy.

My daughter and her bf got the Moderna booster Saturday and both were dreadfully sick all day Sunday and fine yesterday.

I get out of Covid jail tomorrow after 15 days of isolation. I can’t wait! I need to wait three months now for my 5th shot.

 

[cflutist]

Got the Pfizer bivalent yesterday. I have a sore arm, hubby doesn't feel a thing.

 

[Madam Bijoux]

I got the booster yesterday. My arm bothered me for a few hours, but I'm not having any other side effects so far.

 

[wildcat03]

Pheew, almost had a heart attack there when you said employer.
It all makes sense now that you say the employer is a hospital.

Never had a flu shot in my life, had many other shots for various viruses including more exotic ones but it was a veeery long time ago.

Does it work? The flu shot I mean.

The last time I had the flu I accidentally went to work because it felt like a bad cold (oops). That was back in 2014. So, I would say it works. Have had the flu 3x in my life. Once as a teenager. Then once in medical school when my flu patient COUGHED IN MY FACE. Then 2014. The first two times were bad. The third was like a bad cold.

 

[Gloria27]

The last time I had the flu I accidentally went to work because it felt like a bad cold (oops). That was back in 2014. So, I would say it works. Have had the flu 3x in my life. Once as a teenager. Then once in medical school when my flu patient COUGHED IN MY FACE. Then 2014. The first two times were bad. The third was like a bad cold.

Alright then, so it must be a common element between every year's strain for that to work, I think. I always thought the flu vaccines were useless because the virus evolves and they are always one year behind. Guess I was wrong.

I don't think I can tell the difference between a cold and the flu because I can't really remember how it feels to have the flu or if I ever had it or it was just a cold.

 

[MamaBee]

I knew I had the flu when I had to crawl to the phone to tell my mom not to come over. This was before cell phones. Haha I’ve had the flu shot every year since then. That was the last time I got it.

 

[wildcat03]

Alright then, so it must be a common element between every year's strain for that to work, I think. I always thought the flu vaccines were useless because the virus evolves and they are always one year behind. Guess I was wrong.

I don't think I can tell the difference between a cold and the flu because I can't really remember how it feels to have the flu or if I ever had it or it was just a cold.

Trust me, you'd know the difference. I have a preschooler so I've had mild colds, severe colds, and the flu. The flu is pretty unmistakable.

They usually use the genetic profile of the flu season in the Southern Hemisphere to predict the predominant strains for the coming winter. The success rate is somewhat variable.

 

[Gloria27]

Trust me, you'd know the difference. I have a preschooler so I've had mild colds, severe colds, and the flu. The flu is pretty unmistakable.

They usually use the genetic profile of the flu season in the Southern Hemisphere to predict the predominant strains for the coming winter. The success rate is somewhat variable.

I had to google it to see what the difference was. Ok, hubby had it last year and I didn't catch it from him. Last bad cold I can remember having was in the Winter of 2007 (I remember snow and having issues falling asleep with a congested nose, I'll spare you the gross details).

Thanks for your answers!

 

[missy]

I knew I had the flu when I had to crawl to the phone to tell my mom not to come over. This was before cell phones. Haha I’ve had the flu shot every year since then. That was the last time I got it.

Similar experience. I got the flu in 2005 and was afraid I would die I was so sick...and afraid I wouldn't die if you get what I mean...it was an awful experience. I was deathly ill. So after that I got the flu vaccine yearly and have never regretted getting it. No vaccine is perfect but it's our best chance in preventing getting the flu or preventing a severe version of the flu.

 

[missy]

FYI

"​

There's a Shortage of Moderna Covid Boosters in the US​

• One plant that makes the vaccine awaits regulatory clearance
• FDA to release some shots made at facility under question

By
Angelica Peebles,
Robert Langreth, and
Anna Edney
September 20, 2022, 10:44 AM EDTUpdated onSeptember 20, 2022, 5:40 PM EDT

​

Some pharmacies are reporting shortages of Moderna Inc.’s new bivalent booster shot for Covid-19 as one factory used in producing the vaccine remains offline following a safety inspection.
The US government supply of Moderna’s shot is currently limited, causing appointments for the product to vary across the country, a Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. pharmacy spokesperson said in an emailed statement. Meanwhile, CVS Health Corp. says some of its drugstores have used all of the updated shots they received from the government, and the company is trying to get more doses.

https://www.bloomberg.com/prognosis?re_source=postr_index

Moderna has been coping without one of its vaccine-manufacturing facilities, which hasn’t been cleared by the Food and Drug Administration to make the new booster shots. The FDA said in a statement Tuesday it recently inspected a Catalent Inc. facility that contracted with Moderna to produce its shots.
Moderna tapped Catalent in June 2020 to fill and package its Covid vaccine at a Bloomington, Indiana, site. The FDA said that it would release some batches of Moderna’s vaccine made at the Catalent facility “following a careful review of information provided by Moderna about the manufacture of these batches.” The FDA hasn’t released any information on what inspectors found during the inspection.
“The safety of the American public is our top priority, and the FDA continues to work to ensure that batches of the updated Moderna Covid-19 vaccine, bivalent booster meet our expectations for safety, effectiveness and manufacturing quality,” the agency said in an emailed statement.

A Moderna spokesperson on Tuesday said the company is working closely with the US government to deliver “significant amounts” of updated boosters amid “high demand in certain areas of the country.” Moderna expects the supply constraints to be resolved in the coming days and says it’s still on pace to deliver 70 million doses of its booster by the end of the year.

No More Appointments​

Local health groups have also reported limited supply. The Lehigh Valley Health Network in Allentown, Pennsylvania, said on its website that clinics have temporarily stopped scheduling appointments for Moderna’s new booster due to production issues. Appointments are expected to reopen when the next shipment of vaccines arrives.

The shortage should be resolved in about two weeks, Arizona’s interim health director Don Herrington said in a blog post this week, citing information that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provided local health officials. A spokesperson for the CDC referred questions to the Department of Health and Human Services, which didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
New formulations targeting the original coronavirus strain and the omicron BA.4 and BA.5 variant started rolling out this month, testing Americans’ demand for another round of shots. Immunization rates have declined with every new booster offered. Moderna has estimated that annual US sales of Covid shots could range from $5 billion to $13 billion depending on uptake.
Pharmacies aren’t seeing any supply issues with Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE’s updated Covid vaccine. Pfizer said it has shipped more than 21 million doses of its booster and plans to provide up to 100 million by the end of November.
As of Sept. 14, the US government had made about 35 million booster shots available for states and jurisdictions to order, of which 30 million were Pfizer’s shot and 5 million were Moderna’s, according to emails sent to local health departments by HHS.
While Moderna “continues to ramp up production,” the government is adjusting ordering thresholds in coming weeks to focus supply on pharmacies, prioritizing locations that “cannot switch to Pfizer in the short term and need immediate resupply,” according to one of the emails that was reviewed by Bloomberg.
Moderna shares rose 1.4% in New York. Shares of Catalent slipped 2.4%.

— With assistance by Madison Muller

"

 

[dmack]

Similar experience. I got the flu in 2005 and was afraid I would die I was so sick...and afraid I wouldn't die if you get what I mean...it was an awful experience. I was deathly ill. So after that I got the flu vaccine yearly and have never regretted getting it. No vaccine is perfect but it's our best chance in preventing getting the flu or preventing a severe version of the flu.

Yeah, I’m a habitual flu vaccine-er and I can’t remember the last time I’ve been deathly ill. I believe I’ve had the flu a few times in the past decade or so (fever is the clue for me), and it’s been a week of feeling gross but not like death. I can’t imagine what it would be like if I wasn’t vaccinated.

I’m feeling quite proud this week because I got my husband boosted and flu-sted, by which I mean I took advantage of a rare joint grocery shop to sidle up to the pharmacy and ask, “Whatcha servin‘ today?” They had ONE Pfizer bivalent dose left so I found hubbie in the card aisle and was like, “I’ll finish groceries, you’re getting a COVID booster and a flu shot!” He had zero side effects!

I was boosted in June, so I’m choosing to wait about another month before getting the bivalent booster. From what I can read in the research, my June booster immunity is probably still going strong and I want to be in tip top immunity for a November conference and Thanksgiving with my severely immuno-compromised dad.

 

[wildcat03]

Yeah, I’m a habitual flu vaccine-er and I can’t remember the last time I’ve been deathly ill. I believe I’ve had the flu a few times in the past decade or so (fever is the clue for me), and it’s been a week of feeling gross but not like death. I can’t imagine what it would be like if I wasn’t vaccinated.

I’m feeling quite proud this week because I got my husband boosted and flu-sted, by which I mean I took advantage of a rare joint grocery shop to sidle up to the pharmacy and ask, “Whatcha servin‘ today?” They had ONE Pfizer bivalent dose left so I found hubbie in the card aisle and was like, “I’ll finish groceries, you’re getting a COVID booster and a flu shot!” He had zero side effects!

I was boosted in June, so I’m choosing to wait about another month before getting the bivalent booster. From what I can read in the research, my June booster immunity is probably still going strong and I want to be in tip top immunity for a November conference and Thanksgiving with my severely immuno-compromised dad.

boosted and flu-sted. LOL!

 

[pearlsngems]

I got the flu and Moderna bivalent shots at CVS this week. The pharmacist said they'd just gotten the Covid vaccine back in stock after having had to call people and cancel their appointments due to shortage of vaccine.

I experienced a little local soreness and a generalized feeling of bodily irritability the next day.
Hubby had more localized soreness from the flu shot than the Covid shot, but no systemic effects.
My daughter had a large local reaction (4" diameter swelling and redness) to the Covid shot and felt fatigued enough to sleep a lot more and take time off work, but she's had long work/school hours and not enough sleep lately, so that could also account for the fatigue.

 

[SparklieBug]

Had the bivalent shot yesterday afternoon, and felt just a bit of soreness at the injection site. This morning, again, the injection site is a bit tender but that's it! Way better than the previous three vaccines!

Since the inception of COVID vaccines, I've now had four shots. This is more than I've had in my whole life, other than in childhood!

And in a very hilarious moment, the pharmacist placed a bandaid over the injection site, and I didn't bother looking at it. Not until this morning did I see it...

 

[Lookinagain]

My arm was more sore and tender from the flu shot this year than from the new booster. Kind of strange as I don't remember the flu shot making it sore in the past.

 

[MamaBee]

I saw my new doctor yesterday..I lucked out twice now..This new doctor is very thorough..She‘s not into diamonds like my last doctor..haha…but she’s like a medical robot. She remembered my numbers from a month ago before looking at my chart. She told me to get the flu shot after the second week in October. Last year patients started calling up in early November with Flu..which was early. There’s no idea what will happen this year with whatever strain it is but just to be prepared.

 

[seaurchin]

I usually just get the vaccines as soon as possible after they come out and I'm eligible. But only because that way I can't forget and don't have to worry about them running out.

 

[MamaBee]

I usually just get the vaccines as soon as possible after they come out and I'm eligible. But only because that way I can't forget and don't have to worry about them running out.

They already ran out of the Bivalent vaccine around here. They had to cancel people’s appointments. I feel lucky we got ours the second day they came out. Walgreens got them sooner than CVS.

 

[missy]

Adding flu info here FYI since people have been asking questions about this vaccine. HTH.

​

Can I get a flu booster?​

If you get a flu shot in early September, can you get a second one later in the season? Joan, Port Chester, New York This inclination makes total sense to me. After reaching the fourth dose of Covid vaccines, we’re all hyper-aware that their potency can eventually wane. And the flu is terrible. No one wants the flu! So why not get your flu shot early in the season, and then top it off a bit later? While there’s no danger in getting two flu shots, it’s probably unnecessary, according to Katrine Wallace, an epidemiologist at the University of Illinois at Chicago. “For adults whose immune systems have encountered both the flu vaccine and the flu virus, studies have not shown a benefit to receiving a second flu shot, even in elderly people with less robust immune systems,” Wallace says. “One influenza vaccination per year is enough for the majority of the population.” (The rules are different for kids, she says. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that kids under 9 who have never had a flu shot get two shots for their first vaccination.) The efficacy of the flu shot, however, does fade. The flu virus mutates rapidly — much more rapidly than Covid — making the shot you got last year less effective against this season’s version. Both of these factors mean it’s important to boost your immune system with a new dose of the flu shot each year. Though there is one thing you can do to boost the power of your flu shot: game your timing. “The recommended time to get an influenza vaccine is by the end of October,” says Wallace. “It is before the winter flu season.” Getting vaccinated in August or September isn’t really recommended, she says. There are a few exceptions, such as pregnant people in their third trimester. They might want to get vaccinated in the months leading up to flu season to provide protection to the baby, who will be too young to get the shot right after birth. So, to sum it up, time your shot right and don’t worry about doubling up. — Kristen V. Brown

 

[MamaBee]

@missy I decided to get ours before Halloween but after the second week in October. That seems like good timing..My husband just follows what I say to do..lol