COVID & Meningitis Vaccinations

Hi @chintumitra1 and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. In the Connect forum, we’re not medical professionals so we can’t diagnose health problems. However, we can share our own personal experiences and valuable insights we’ve gleaned along the way to help give answers.

Believe it or not, at age 67 I’m having to get all of my childhood, adolescent, young adult and “Old” people vaccinations. Because of a new immune system from having a bone marrow transplant, I get to start from scratch. Adulting is hard!! LOL Since October, I’ve had over 22 vaccinations so I’ve become a bit of an authority on the subject. ☺️

From my experience with receiving my vaccinations at the Mayo Clinic and the guidelines I had to follow, your daughter can have all the vaccinations. However, there should be 30 days between the meningitis vaccination (or any vaccinations) and the covid vaccines. And, depending on which covid vaccination she receives they have their own timeframe.

In my opinion, she could have the covid vacs first. After the final covid vaccination wait 30 days and then schedule her meningitis vaccination. Should be good timing before she’s off to college. Is this helpful for you?
And...how are YOU doing with sending your baby off to college? 😉

Such a time of anxiety for moms and offspring! Lori
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Below is an excerpt from the CDC on spacing between covid vaccinations:
“If you received the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, you should get your second shot 3 weeks (or 21 days) after your first.
If you received the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine, you should get your second shot 4 weeks (or 28 days) after your first.
You should get your second shot as close to the recommended 3-week or 4-week interval as possible. However, your second dose may be given up to 6 weeks (42 days) after the first dose, if necessary. You should not get the second dose early. ​There is currently limited information on the effectiveness of receiving your second shot earlier than recommended or later than 6 weeks after the first shot.
However, if you do receive your second shot of COVID-19 vaccine earlier or later than recommended, you do not have to restart the vaccine series. This guidance might be updated as more information becomes available.”

Hello @loribmt! Thank you so much for your detailed and genuine response. It’s certainly tough sending my first child off to college- trying to hold off on the tears. I regret not finishing off the vaccinations earlier as it seems my daughter will be spending all summer getting these shots. 🙁

Just curious- why do you recommend getting COVID vaccinations before the meningitis one? Is it safer that way or is it simply more efficient?

Appreciate your help. Thank you again! 🙂

In my personal opinion and from my experience with my transplant team...they felt it was more important to receive the covid vaccinations before progressing with my vaccination protocol. It’s front and center in the world right now and we all need to get vaccinated. That’s why it was my suggestion. ☺️ It was also on my directions to space the other vaccines 30 days from the covid vax.

And, if your daughter has the opportunity to choose, (from experience and comments from friends and family members who have had their covid vax) it seems as though Pfizer has the least unpleasant side effects. I’m not promoting one over the other. I’m just relying on reports from several younger women in my orbit having the J&J that the side effects were pretty rough the first few days. My 36 year old daughter as well, had the J&J and was pretty miserable.

And really, your daughter won’t be spending all summer getting the shots. ☺️ It’s only 3 times. I’m betting she’ll fill in the rest of the time with all her preparations for college. And you’ll be busy right along with her trying to be all stoic and supportive. Is the campus far from home?? Will she be close enough for visits...from parents or to go home for a weekend?
And, there are always care packages you can send to feel closer. 💕

Thank you for your thorough response. It makes sense to give COVID vaccines first since it is most relevant currently; however, we will need to give meningitis shots first as it is required for her college health records and registration. I was worried that the order could potentially be harmful in the long run, but I am very relieved to hear that that is not the case.

We are looking at getting Pfizer actually. As you mentioned, J&J (and also moderna) were much more rough and led to worse symptoms in general.

I’m so glad my daughter chose to stay in state. She will be a long drive from home but it is certainly better than having to fly across the country. I’m trying to make the most of it and spend as much time as possible with her this summer. Care packages are a fantastic idea!

Thank you ❤️

You’re an awesome mom!! ☺️🌷