CDC Discussing Booster/3rd Shot

I would hope for a couple of things regarding the vaccines. First, it would seem to be an advantage to have them officially approved by the FDA. The fact that they are not would seem to fuel the fires for those avoiding vaccination. Second, if a booster will further support stopping the virus, and especially the current, and likely variants to come, it should be done. I have a relative, in her 30's who received both Pfizer vaccinations, and has been tested positive for Covid in the last 24 hours. She is important chiefly because I know her and know she is responsible. She is very sick. Not a candidate for the hospital or the morgue, but paying a hefty price for doing the right thing. Perhaps admission by the powers that be that they just don't know, but this is what we have, and if some will do good, more will do better could be a comfort. I am almost 74, and have had both Pfizer vaccinations, and I am frankly uneasy about the lack of information, and confusing information dealt to the public. This is my very first pandemic, as it is for everyone else...

@elwooodsdad

Hello

I agree that the information out there is confusing and you really have to do some research and soul searching. However, this is not your first pandemic. I am 80 and have lived through (here in the US) many pandemics that were not labeled as such back then especially when there was little media coverage.

I was about 17 when I came down with the H2N2 virus in 1958 which caused one to two million deaths worldwide. I remember being laid up in bed for the longest time.

In 1968 my parents contracted the H3N2 virus which cost over 100,00 lives in the US and about 1 million worldwide. This was hitting people over 65 at that time. They recovered but boy, where they sick. I remember that virus because it was the first time I actually heard anything on the news about it. They only recommended staying away from crowds. I had a young daughter at the time and came to my own conclusion about avoiding crowds on my own. But I heard nothing about masks or hand washing. We all sailed through it.

The Swine Flu in 2009 may have been the worse but it was widely misreported. The WHO was involved and they thought that it was more deadly than originally thought. Others thought it was a lot of hype. Sounds like today. This was the first time I saw people wearing masks in the airport and they were mostly of Asian descent. I didn't connect that to the swine flu at the time.

So I probably have antibodies from exposure to older viruses and you may have too. I had only had a mild flu in 1966 and my parents had to care for my daughter. I have not had anything like that since....had no reaction to the Pfizer vaccine but have a strong immune system. Started again with flu shots and got my first pneumonia shot when Covid started. Up to then I avoided yearly flu shots and will probably not get anymore. I definitely will not get a booster shot. I remember my son getting chicken pox as a toddler and there really was an epidemic in my area in Long Island. My daughter who was 3 years older did not.

So we have actually lived through many pandemics (more than I mentioned here) without realizing it either because we did not experience anything or mainly, I believe, because we did not hear of anything and the word "pandemic" was not heard. Back then we relied on local news and newspapers. Now there is not a day gone by when Covid is reported on.

Stay healthy and happy
FL Mary

@joko Good article. I, being an immunocompromised person, am waiting anxiously for the approval for the booster shot for us. My hospital, Mass General, will not advise it until the CDC has approved it. I have actually been advised by a few medical people that I should go ahead and get it but I am waiting, primarily because I think I would have to lie to get a third shot, and I'm not good at that, and also because I'm not sure how my team at Mass General would react when they discovered that I had been non-compliant with their advice.

There are people who have gotten the third shot and had a great improvement in their antibodies. I sure hope the CDC moves quickly on this, I need to get out of this bubble. I am doing more than I had done but I am still not doing a lot.

@imallears There have been a lot of contagious illnesses that have reached epidemic proportions but I'm not sure they reached the point of being a pandemic. I believe there are certain criteria to be classified as such.
JK

Here is a link to the French study at Strasburg dealing with a third dose. Dated July 23, 2021. https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19vaccine/93740

Fearless prediction. The FDA will approve a third shot very soon especially for immunocompromised people. Pfizer got ahead of the curve by going public with the booster announcement before the CDC and FDA were ready to go public. But every indication is that "a reasonable man or woman" would consider it prudent to administer a third shot to immunocompromised people The FDA is very likely to approve Pfizer and Moderna permanently and get over that business. Despite what I'm reading here and elsewhere, one years and the enormous number of people who have received the vaccinations make for a convincing result. The pressure must be enormous with Delta and autumn approaching particularly with schools, universities, stadia and offices/hospitals.

@joko I was not aware that Pfizer had gone public with the knowledge that a third shot was beneficial. I had read the article by the cardiologist who had a third shot and also attended a zoom by Johns Hopkins where some people had gone ahead and gotten the third shot.

Honestly, if I didn't have to lie about it, I would get the third one now to give it plenty of time to develop antibodies.

The article mentions a couple of immunosuppressants that seemed to be more apt to inhibit acquiring antibodies. I am on sirolimus but it is not mentioned so I wonder if that could be why I did develop some antibodies.
JK

Here's what I had seen on PBS. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/is-the-pfizer-booster-shot-necessary-to-beat-the-delta-variant-an-expert-weighs-in As you can see healthcare officials are not in agreement with Pfizer based on their own research or findings (whichever it is).

@joko With respect to lying, I am horrible at lying to others. I am great at lying to myself.
Best always,
s!

If my Delphic Oracle-like prediction is on target, you won't have to lie. Imagine because of the timelines on vaccinations, that a decision from FDA will come soon.

@elwooodsdad- Good morning. What wonderful points you have made in your post. I hadn't thought about a couple of them, but they are important to talk about.

Both Pfizer and Moderna have submitted applications for full approval to the FDA. However, the FDA has not indicated when they will make a decision. I agree, granting their applications would certainly stop some of the grievances against having a vaccine that has not been fully approved.

The only thing that will stop the virus and its variants are for everyone to be vaccinated so that the virus has nowhere to survive. It needs a host to live and propagate. Boosters, unfortunately, do not address this at all. They are for kick-starting our immune systems to fight the virus and its variants.

Do you mean that even though she was responsible because she was fully vaccinated and then became ill with COVID? The vaccines are not 100% foolproof. No vaccine is. I'm sorry that she is so ill. It sounds as if she might have one of the variants.

I agree. I am 74 and am very uneasy about inconsistent, false, and confusing information being publicized about the virus and its variants. It's early days still and hopefully, as we move along, learning more, we will be less confused.

How long after your relative finished her vaccines did she test positive?