I wonder if the increase in vaccinations is due to people hearing more in the news and from friends and family about the nasty outcomes of long COVID. Being vaccinated gives me a sense of protection from major illness but as an 81-yr-old healthy person I’m driven to wear a mask in indoor gathering places in addition to getting my vaccinations for fear of long COVID.
Yes, and working with those who are disabled on my city Commission for Disabilities, and in state disability orgs, we are seeing more folks coming to our groups disabled by Long COVID with needs. Our stats orgs for disability are also seeing increases.
I have no answers. I got vaccinated in late October and plan to get another vaccine in January (before Jan 20th). I am 68 and immunocompromised. I am worried all Covid vaccines will be pulled from the market post Jan 20th.
I doubt they will do that. I do think they will message things differently, but I would be gobsmacked if they deny it to people in your situation. Of course, nothing realllllly shocks me anymore.
If anything, I would have thought that rates would be lower right now as more people try to time their shots for maximum coverage during the winter surge. I know I was planning to get my shot in November, but because of low levels right now and my personal lack of Thanksgiving plans, I've pushed it to December.
It will be interesting to see if more people end up being motivated to actually follow through and get the vaccine before Jan 20, given the public health uncertainties that are coming after that. Maybe the higher rates you are seeing are due to vaccines being a current topic of discussion in the political sphere, therefore pushing them to the top of people's minds.
There was a lot of messaging at the time of the fall rollout about "go get it now" because we had that late summer wave. This is a point June made above and it's a really good one. The problem is that the timing was actually pretty terrible. By the time the vaccines were being rolled out, the wave was subsiding. Literally worst timing.
I noticed that this year's vaccinations were released as the country was experiencing a surge in Covid infections. I wonder if this motivated more people to get vaccinated "now" since it was top of mind for them, rather then holding off until "later"?
That's a good point. The irony is that most people got the dose at the tail end of the wave....so that made it less useful! (This was a point I made at that time)
Thank you for protecting your high-risk patients! I hope you use an N95 too :) The 3M aura is super comfy (I take no money from them, or anyone; just my opinion)
We were vaccinated in the fall and plan to get another dose in January (pre-inauguration) just in case it is our last opportunity to do so for the foreseeable future. We never stopped masking, and I highly encourage folks to start again. It is never too late to do the right thing.
Sad to think that we have to consider concerns like this. I don't think the vaccines will be pulled from the market but it's unfortunate that it's even something we have to think about
I wish I shared your optimism. They may not be pulled outright, but those nominated to be in charge of recommendations and further research may choose not to recommend them (which will affect insurance coverage) and/or not fund further development to keep up with the constantly evolving strains. Demand is already shamefully low due to the mainstreaming of dis/misinformation, and if insurance companies (and Medicare/Medicaid/ACA) stop covering them, supply/availability is likely to contract.
My PCP is a COVID-truther and already advises all of his patients not to vaccinate for COVID and blames the vaccines for all of the illness and death caused by COVID. He prescribed Vitamin D to help me with my COVID anxiety (since I continue to mask with an N-95). "Doctors" like him will be further emboldened to harm their patients. We already have a provider shortage so I'm stuck with a quack. Darker days ahead.
I got the latest shot in late September. I am more concerned with an international trip in mid March than the November-December holidays and wanted to get another shot in late February. Now, though, I am worried that I won’t be able to get that shot because I will be just shy of the new 6 month time between shots, when it used to be four months for 65+. I am 78 with asthma but not immunocompromised. It is really hard to time these when the rules keep shifting.
Yes. When I was in Scotland in August 2023. It is a long messy story, but in the end my only option was to mask up and continue my trip. I did have Paxlovid thanks to a friend. My doctor won’t prescribe it “just in case”. I would really prefer not to repeat that experience, especially since this time I will be on a boat, which was why I was so carefully timing these shots for maximum protection from infection.
I got my first 3 Covid shots in 2020-2021 (lucky to be in an early wave as a health care worker). I would probably have gotten a booster in 2022 but contracted Covid in August so I relied on that. In 2023, I opted not to get a booster because I felt the small amount of added protection wasn’t worth the certainty of needing to take a whole day off from work and life due to aftereffects of the vaccine.
This year the updated Novavax is available so I got that 2 weeks ago in advance of seeing a lot of family (some higher risk) for Thanksgiving. I wonder if the option of Novavax is changing uptake for anyone else. (It worked out and I had minimal if any reaction.)
Novavax was a boon for me- at 71 I’ve been punctilious about getting every vaccine available, and got Novavax in October before a bunch of public facing events and some travel. Virtually no side effects, unlike the earlier MRNA vaccines. I am grateful for that! I also routinely mask in crowded spaces. I’m sure that has a benefit in avoiding viruses generally, so why not?
Dr. Faust, Arizona has a large snowbird population that travel from other states in the fall. They likely get their vaccines before the leave. I know I would.
My wife and I had flu/covid vax mid October 10days before flying to Florida Disney World where I contracted covid and subsequently gave it to her. Masked traveling down and back but not in the parks. Our traveling companions were also vax’d and didn’t get sick. We will both be vaccinated again as soon as we are eligible.
This is interesting info. I will share that I considered waiting until later in the fall, but locally levels were high in fall and with kids/teens in school that was a high risk time for us. Really we need a better vaccine b/c it is not so easy to balance timing and being able to get an appointment at a pharmacy when you want it. On the topic of access, I will share that at most medical facilities here you can get a flu shot at any appointment (in fact they ask and encourage it at every appointment). 3 of the 6 people in our family received a flu shot this way the last few weeks and it was awesome. It was both normalizing and convenient. If Covid could be done the same way it would reach A LOT of people.
After getting COVID on Christmas morning last year for the 1st time that took me down for a month, I decided to get the updated vaccine this month rather than in October which I did last year. Fingers crossed that getting it a little later will get me through the next few months. Good to see more getting it this year than last year and maybe we will have a less serious season if more get the vaccine.
As an added note, I went to Walgreens for my shot and they use a prick needle. First time I've had that and didn't feel anything which left me wondering if it was actually in my system. The tech assured me it was. Didn't feel the soreness until the next day in my arm which made me realize it was working.
Wow Janet was that your 1st time with Covid? I had it (first time) in June and it was much worse than I thought (just was sicker for longer than I anticipated) but it was definitely not a month for me. Yikes!!!!
Thanks for this data assessment! It really is helpful for those of us highly immune compromised with so little data comparatively being kept on COVID now. Now I wait to see what will happen after this Thanksgiving. Always an up swing with many traveling, less being careful or protective of others, and more at inside crowded events with no masks.
How long after the booster does it become effective please? I have a booster as often as possible, currently one a year. This year I caught Covid 8 days later, “Not soon enough” huffed the Dr. and I forgot to ask him when it would have been effective.
Pam, it probably depends on a lot of factors. Things like:
-what variant is circulating and how does it match to the latest version of the vaccine
-when was the last time your immune system "saw" Covid (i.e. a prior infection or previous dose of vaccine)
-your particular immune system.
I think it can be anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks. But even if it is a few days, it's not going to provide complete protection. It just lowers the odds of an infection and lowers the odds of a bad one. Not sure your doctor would have had any answer :) Most of my colleagues don't have time to read the medical literature that closely!
TYVM for your reply. I have no idea of current strain vs current vaccine in the UK but I never had it before, just shots. It’s very useful to know however, it expanded my understanding.
Perhaps people were worried that the new administration would limit insurance for vaccines come January?
Possibly, yeah, though it preceded the election so...
I wonder if the increase in vaccinations is due to people hearing more in the news and from friends and family about the nasty outcomes of long COVID. Being vaccinated gives me a sense of protection from major illness but as an 81-yr-old healthy person I’m driven to wear a mask in indoor gathering places in addition to getting my vaccinations for fear of long COVID.
Yeah and I also think it's being seen as a more routine part of care
Yes, and working with those who are disabled on my city Commission for Disabilities, and in state disability orgs, we are seeing more folks coming to our groups disabled by Long COVID with needs. Our stats orgs for disability are also seeing increases.
I have no answers. I got vaccinated in late October and plan to get another vaccine in January (before Jan 20th). I am 68 and immunocompromised. I am worried all Covid vaccines will be pulled from the market post Jan 20th.
I doubt they will do that. I do think they will message things differently, but I would be gobsmacked if they deny it to people in your situation. Of course, nothing realllllly shocks me anymore.
If anything, I would have thought that rates would be lower right now as more people try to time their shots for maximum coverage during the winter surge. I know I was planning to get my shot in November, but because of low levels right now and my personal lack of Thanksgiving plans, I've pushed it to December.
It will be interesting to see if more people end up being motivated to actually follow through and get the vaccine before Jan 20, given the public health uncertainties that are coming after that. Maybe the higher rates you are seeing are due to vaccines being a current topic of discussion in the political sphere, therefore pushing them to the top of people's minds.
There was a lot of messaging at the time of the fall rollout about "go get it now" because we had that late summer wave. This is a point June made above and it's a really good one. The problem is that the timing was actually pretty terrible. By the time the vaccines were being rolled out, the wave was subsiding. Literally worst timing.
I noticed that this year's vaccinations were released as the country was experiencing a surge in Covid infections. I wonder if this motivated more people to get vaccinated "now" since it was top of mind for them, rather then holding off until "later"?
But that vaccination rate in AZ? Tell me more!
That's a good point. The irony is that most people got the dose at the tail end of the wave....so that made it less useful! (This was a point I made at that time)
Got my covid vaccine in mid October. Had every recommended one so far. I’m 61 with asthma and a full time dialysis RN.
Thank you for protecting your high-risk patients! I hope you use an N95 too :) The 3M aura is super comfy (I take no money from them, or anyone; just my opinion)
Thank you. I will try that one.
We were vaccinated in the fall and plan to get another dose in January (pre-inauguration) just in case it is our last opportunity to do so for the foreseeable future. We never stopped masking, and I highly encourage folks to start again. It is never too late to do the right thing.
Sad to think that we have to consider concerns like this. I don't think the vaccines will be pulled from the market but it's unfortunate that it's even something we have to think about
I wish I shared your optimism. They may not be pulled outright, but those nominated to be in charge of recommendations and further research may choose not to recommend them (which will affect insurance coverage) and/or not fund further development to keep up with the constantly evolving strains. Demand is already shamefully low due to the mainstreaming of dis/misinformation, and if insurance companies (and Medicare/Medicaid/ACA) stop covering them, supply/availability is likely to contract.
My PCP is a COVID-truther and already advises all of his patients not to vaccinate for COVID and blames the vaccines for all of the illness and death caused by COVID. He prescribed Vitamin D to help me with my COVID anxiety (since I continue to mask with an N-95). "Doctors" like him will be further emboldened to harm their patients. We already have a provider shortage so I'm stuck with a quack. Darker days ahead.
I got the latest shot in late September. I am more concerned with an international trip in mid March than the November-December holidays and wanted to get another shot in late February. Now, though, I am worried that I won’t be able to get that shot because I will be just shy of the new 6 month time between shots, when it used to be four months for 65+. I am 78 with asthma but not immunocompromised. It is really hard to time these when the rules keep shifting.
Frustrating. Sorry! Have you had covid before?
Yes. When I was in Scotland in August 2023. It is a long messy story, but in the end my only option was to mask up and continue my trip. I did have Paxlovid thanks to a friend. My doctor won’t prescribe it “just in case”. I would really prefer not to repeat that experience, especially since this time I will be on a boat, which was why I was so carefully timing these shots for maximum protection from infection.
I suggest it’s because the Covid vaccination can be bundled with the flu shot and more people are used to getting an annual flu shot.
Yes that is VERY possible
I got my first 3 Covid shots in 2020-2021 (lucky to be in an early wave as a health care worker). I would probably have gotten a booster in 2022 but contracted Covid in August so I relied on that. In 2023, I opted not to get a booster because I felt the small amount of added protection wasn’t worth the certainty of needing to take a whole day off from work and life due to aftereffects of the vaccine.
This year the updated Novavax is available so I got that 2 weeks ago in advance of seeing a lot of family (some higher risk) for Thanksgiving. I wonder if the option of Novavax is changing uptake for anyone else. (It worked out and I had minimal if any reaction.)
There's a number of people who seem to prefer it, so that could be!
Novavax was a boon for me- at 71 I’ve been punctilious about getting every vaccine available, and got Novavax in October before a bunch of public facing events and some travel. Virtually no side effects, unlike the earlier MRNA vaccines. I am grateful for that! I also routinely mask in crowded spaces. I’m sure that has a benefit in avoiding viruses generally, so why not?
Very good to hear that it had fewer side effects for you!
I had 2 Novavax jabs: last October and this past April. Got Covid right after in May. I went with Moderna this time.
Would you feel comfortable sharing if you had any difference on side effects, Donna? I know it's purely anecdotal, but just curious!
Dr. Faust, Arizona has a large snowbird population that travel from other states in the fall. They likely get their vaccines before the leave. I know I would.
I was wondering about that. Of course, so does Florida, and rates there are craptastic. But I suppose Florida is a "special case," isn't it...
My wife and I had flu/covid vax mid October 10days before flying to Florida Disney World where I contracted covid and subsequently gave it to her. Masked traveling down and back but not in the parks. Our traveling companions were also vax’d and didn’t get sick. We will both be vaccinated again as soon as we are eligible.
Given how Covid vaccine protection wanes, why shouldn't people get shots more often? Is there a potential downside?
This is interesting info. I will share that I considered waiting until later in the fall, but locally levels were high in fall and with kids/teens in school that was a high risk time for us. Really we need a better vaccine b/c it is not so easy to balance timing and being able to get an appointment at a pharmacy when you want it. On the topic of access, I will share that at most medical facilities here you can get a flu shot at any appointment (in fact they ask and encourage it at every appointment). 3 of the 6 people in our family received a flu shot this way the last few weeks and it was awesome. It was both normalizing and convenient. If Covid could be done the same way it would reach A LOT of people.
Maria, Thanks for this. So, it is your experience that it is currently easier to get a flu vaccine than a Covid vaccine?
After getting COVID on Christmas morning last year for the 1st time that took me down for a month, I decided to get the updated vaccine this month rather than in October which I did last year. Fingers crossed that getting it a little later will get me through the next few months. Good to see more getting it this year than last year and maybe we will have a less serious season if more get the vaccine.
As an added note, I went to Walgreens for my shot and they use a prick needle. First time I've had that and didn't feel anything which left me wondering if it was actually in my system. The tech assured me it was. Didn't feel the soreness until the next day in my arm which made me realize it was working.
Wow Janet was that your 1st time with Covid? I had it (first time) in June and it was much worse than I thought (just was sicker for longer than I anticipated) but it was definitely not a month for me. Yikes!!!!
Thanks for this data assessment! It really is helpful for those of us highly immune compromised with so little data comparatively being kept on COVID now. Now I wait to see what will happen after this Thanksgiving. Always an up swing with many traveling, less being careful or protective of others, and more at inside crowded events with no masks.
How long after the booster does it become effective please? I have a booster as often as possible, currently one a year. This year I caught Covid 8 days later, “Not soon enough” huffed the Dr. and I forgot to ask him when it would have been effective.
Pam, it probably depends on a lot of factors. Things like:
-what variant is circulating and how does it match to the latest version of the vaccine
-when was the last time your immune system "saw" Covid (i.e. a prior infection or previous dose of vaccine)
-your particular immune system.
I think it can be anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks. But even if it is a few days, it's not going to provide complete protection. It just lowers the odds of an infection and lowers the odds of a bad one. Not sure your doctor would have had any answer :) Most of my colleagues don't have time to read the medical literature that closely!
TYVM for your reply. I have no idea of current strain vs current vaccine in the UK but I never had it before, just shots. It’s very useful to know however, it expanded my understanding.