Since we’re about two weeks from the start of school, I’m pondering booster shots for my family, including my school-age kid.
An updated booster is due in the late September to early October time frame. So there’s a good reason to wait. But overall infections are up, including (I just found out) my parents. We’ve all gotten four shots total, but it’s been several months since #4 and I’m well overdue.
Another complication is when to time our annual flu vaccines. We don’t want to do them too early so they don’t lose efficacy before the flu season is over. It would be nice to get them both at once.
I would love to hear some opinions and the facts behind them from the crowd.
I am no expert but based on what I have read in legitimate press says wait later in fall for the new duo of latest variant and RSV. Peter Wick, we need you!
Thanks. My argument against waiting for the new booster is this: for the first month or so of school, the three of us will have less protection against an infection. But then we would have to wait until after Christmas to get another booster, presumably an updated one.
Why not call the health department and get their expert opinion? I know that the health department has arranged for COVID vaccination at the health fair at the Gazebo on September 30th. Vaccination card and health insurance card required.
EG5.1 (Eris) is a new variant of interest. It is more transmissible according to some of the Twitter folks I follow and accounts for over 10% of new infections. It is apparently more harmful. Hospitalizations are up in Europe and in the States.
The other major new variant displays a worrisome change in its shape, which involves 33 mutations. BA.2.86's spike is very much different from earlier omicron variants. That different spike protein is still infectious and causing significant illness but a saltation like this could also mean that it will be poorly recognized by the antibodies the current boosters elicit. Mutations can make a virus less damaging or infectious, have little effect, or help it be more effective at what a virus does. They could make it easier to spread or more damaging or a combination of the two. They don't really know yet but this has so many novel mutations and is out just when school is going to resume.
As for me? I plan on getting boosted now since it has been over a year (really????) since my bivalent booster last summer. New vaccines will hopefully arrive soon but geez, will they need to cover Eris and BA.2.86? Or others? That may take a while to formulate and test before approving release.
I stopped pleading for folks to wear masks long ago but I still do when indoors. I have unmasked for a few dinners but I usually keep wearing one when I don't have food or drink with me. It does feel a little lonely when I'm the only one masked in church or in stores but my jar of **** has been empty for a while now. I also work with a guy who cannot afford to get any sort of respiratory illness or any type for that matter. I wear it for him as well. I'd never forgive myself if I wound up bringing it to his home.
EG5.1 (Eris) is a new variant of interest. It is more transmissible according to some of the Twitter folks I follow and accounts for over 10% of new infections. It is apparently more harmful. Hospitalizations are up in Europe and in the States.
The other major new variant displays a worrisome change in its shape, which involves 33 mutations. BA.2.86's spike is very much different from earlier omicron variants. That different spike protein is still infectious and causing significant illness but a saltation like this could also mean that it will be poorly recognized by the antibodies the current boosters elicit. Mutations can make a virus less damaging or infectious, have little effect, or help it be more effective at what a virus does. They could make it easier to spread or more damaging or a combination of the two. They don't really know yet but this has so many novel mutations and is out just when school is going to resume.
As for me? I plan on getting boosted now since it has been over a year (really????) since my bivalent booster last summer. New vaccines will hopefully arrive soon but geez, will they need to cover Eris and BA.2.86? Or others? That may take a while to formulate and test before approving release.
I stopped pleading for folks to wear masks long ago but I still do when indoors. I have unmasked for a few dinners but I usually keep wearing one when I don't have food or drink with me. It does feel a little lonely when I'm the only one masked in church or in stores but my jar of **** has been empty for a while now. I also work with a guy who cannot afford to get any sort of respiratory illness or any type for that matter. I wear it for him as well. I'd never forgive myself if I wound up bringing it to his home.
There's been a Covid uptick but I didn't see any articles saying that the most recent variant is more harmful. Do you have links.
Assuming/hoping they get it out fast (September) I'd wait (and am waiting) for the tweaked booster. They seem to be optimistic that it will be effective against the latest strain.
The reports I've been following include practitioners making their own (albeit anecdotal) reports in their own facilities and communities. Those are mostly where I've seen suggestions that Eris has been more harmful. Those claims aren't backed up by WHO when taking into account more data from around the world.
It's a bit of nitpicking bu perhaps this is one reason why the severity is considered higher. Apparently, Eris causes symptoms even though a patient's viral load is below what is needed to cause a positive test. Pound for pound, the variant is more capable of causing symptoms but the overall sickness has not been worse than usual this summer.
People get symptoms but test negative so "it isn't COVID" and *****they don't mask or isolate***** 'cause it isn't. And then after several days to a week of problems, they get a positive result.
Just as the world was beginning to feel a sense of relief from the impact of COVID-19, a new cause for concern has emerged with the appearance of the Eris variant. This mutant strain, derived from the Omicron variant, is spreading at an accelerated rate. A recurring pattern of symptoms resembling COVID-19, accompanied by negative test results, is now resurfacing. This phenomenon, referred to as "pre-COVID," was previously observed during the early days of the pandemic and contributed to the rapid spread of the virus.
In the pre-COVID phase, individuals exhibit COVID-like symptoms, yet their test results come back negative. Subsequently, about a week later, their condition worsens, and a positive test result is obtained. This pre-COVID stage marks the initial phase of COVID-19 infection, known as the incubation period. During this period, the body is infected with the virus, leading to symptom manifestation, but the viral load is too low to be detected by testing.
Usually the guideline has been not to have a booster if you have had a dose or the illness within two months. So if the new booster won't be available until sometime in October, you could do the bivalent now and then do the new one then. But I'm only basing this on what I have seen up until now.
There's been a Covid uptick but I didn't see any articles saying that the most recent variant is more harmful. Do you have links.
Assuming/hoping they get it out fast (September) I'd wait (and am waiting) for the tweaked booster. They seem to be optimistic that it will be effective against the latest strain.
The last thing I read was that it would "technically" be available at the end of September but probably not very widely available until sometime in October. I'm leaving on an International trip on October 18th and crossing my fingers to be able to get it very early in October, but I guess we'll see.
There's been a Covid uptick but I didn't see any articles saying that the most recent variant is more harmful. Do you have links.
Assuming/hoping they get it out fast (September) I'd wait (and am waiting) for the tweaked booster. They seem to be optimistic that it will be effective against the latest strain.
The last thing I read was that it would "technically" be available at the end of September but probably not very widely available until sometime in October. I'm leaving on an International trip on October 18th and crossing my fingers to be able to get it very early in October, but I guess we'll see.
Travel is definitely a wildcard. Seems like most of the cases I know about anecdotally have involved travel, especially with flights. If I had a trip coming up, I think I'd consider getting the old bivalent booster before the trip if that's all that is available.
Travel is definitely a wildcard. Seems like most of the cases I know about anecdotally have involved travel, especially with flights. If I had a trip coming up, I think I'd consider getting the old bivalent booster before the trip if that's all that is available.
Good point. I have a couple of work trips in September. I’ll get a booster now and again in the new year. I had COVID once last fall and don’t relish another go-round.
Time to pull out the old KN95s! I may be the only one on the plane wearing one but I don’t really care.
There's been a Covid uptick but I didn't see any articles saying that the most recent variant is more harmful. Do you have links.
Assuming/hoping they get it out fast (September) I'd wait (and am waiting) for the tweaked booster. They seem to be optimistic that it will be effective against the latest strain.
The last thing I read was that it would "technically" be available at the end of September but probably not very widely available until sometime in October. I'm leaving on an International trip on October 18th and crossing my fingers to be able to get it very early in October, but I guess we'll see.
Travel is definitely a wildcard. Seems like most of the cases I know about anecdotally have involved travel, especially with flights. If I had a trip coming up, I think I'd consider getting the old bivalent booster before the trip if that's all that is available.
I had my second dose of the old bivalent booster in June, so I think that's it for me until I can get the new version
The reports I've been following include practitioners making their own (albeit anecdotal) reports in their own facilities and communities. Those are mostly where I've seen suggestions that Eris has been more harmful. Those claims aren't backed up by WHO when taking into account more data from around the world.
It's a bit of nitpicking bu perhaps this is one reason why the severity is considered higher. Apparently, Eris causes symptoms even though a patient's viral load is below what is needed to cause a positive test. Pound for pound, the variant is more capable of causing symptoms but the overall sickness has not been worse than usual this summer.
People get symptoms but test negative so "it isn't COVID" and *****they don't mask or isolate***** 'cause it isn't. And then after several days to a week of problems, they get a positive result.
Just as the world was beginning to feel a sense of relief from the impact of COVID-19, a new cause for concern has emerged with the appearance of the Eris variant. This mutant strain, derived from the Omicron variant, is spreading at an accelerated rate. A recurring pattern of symptoms resembling COVID-19, accompanied by negative test results, is now resurfacing. This phenomenon, referred to as "pre-COVID," was previously observed during the early days of the pandemic and contributed to the rapid spread of the virus.
In the pre-COVID phase, individuals exhibit COVID-like symptoms, yet their test results come back negative. Subsequently, about a week later, their condition worsens, and a positive test result is obtained. This pre-COVID stage marks the initial phase of COVID-19 infection, known as the incubation period. During this period, the body is infected with the virus, leading to symptom manifestation, but the viral load is too low to be detected by testing.
I've been wondering about the Covid tests. The 4 boxes that I have, do not seem to have any expiration dates.
Would be highly unusual! may not be printed but could be "etched" but should be somewhere on the box...
Checked online and it is a tiny hourglass. Glad that I did a search as I discovered the date has been extended for 6 months. I suggest anyone who has them to go online and look up the lot number. Here's the link
The Maplewood event is on September 30th. I don't have the exact date for the South Orange event, which would be earlier in the month of September. The Health Department should be able to give you the exact date if you are interested in the earlier event. If you want to get a COVID booster at the Wellness Fair in either town, bring a photo ID, your COVID record card, your insurance card, and your Medicare Card if you are covered by Medicare.
CVS is taking appointments for the new 2023-24 Covid shots starting next Monday, 9/18. I had lots of choices of times when I snagged appointments for myself and my spouse for Monday. They also have flu, RSV, and others. I just signed up for flu and Covid now but will probably go back for RSV soon. But that's a new one for me and I think I'll wait a week or two in case of a reaction.
BinaxNOW: Expiration Dates and Facing the "Kraken"
Since we’re about two weeks from the start of school, I’m pondering booster shots for my family, including my school-age kid.
An updated booster is due in the late September to early October time frame. So there’s a good reason to wait. But overall infections are up, including (I just found out) my parents. We’ve all gotten four shots total, but it’s been several months since #4 and I’m well overdue.
Another complication is when to time our annual flu vaccines. We don’t want to do them too early so they don’t lose efficacy before the flu season is over. It would be nice to get them both at once.
I would love to hear some opinions and the facts behind them from the crowd.