Was out and about today, so stopped at the clinic where my GP works, and where I got my booster last October, to inquire about a second boost.
As I walked in the door, the girl at the reception desk was having a conversation with someone else and, as I entered, I heard her say “there’s a second booster?”. I said something along the lines of “that is just what I want to ask about”. She walked off to ask a nurse. Came back and said they had no guidance on it, other than for immune compromised people. Don’t know if Medicare will cover it (good question as the FDA approved it, but the CDC isn’t recommending it). So, I mosied on my way unjabbed.
**The F.D.A. has authorized additional shots for older Americans and those with certain immune deficiencies. Here’s what scientists know about who needs the doses, and when.**
**By Apoorva Mandavilli, The New York Times, March 29, 2022**
**...** **The limited research so far supports a fourth shot only for those older than 65 or who have underlying conditions that put them at high risk.**
**The most compelling data comes from an Israeli study that found that adults older than 60 who got a fourth dose were 78 percent less likely to die of Covid than those who got only three shots. The study was posted online last week and has not yet been reviewed for publication in a scientific journal....**
**The protection against infection from booster doses wanes quickly, in just a couple of months, so a booster shot now will not offer much defense in August or even July.**
**It takes the immune system about a week to rev up after the shot. From that peak, antibodies taper down over the next two to three months. So if you qualify for a booster, you may want to have the maximum protection right before your trip — or before the next surge....** [end quote]
I’m over 65. Both my husband and I have chronic lung conditions. Based on the expectation of another winter surge, I plan to get my second Covid booster in early October, along with my flu shot. By that time, there may be another variant and a new vaccine to counter it.
I’m leaning toward getting the second booster sooner rather than later, only because I’m traveling abroad in May and August. All the travel is to countries that the CDC currently rates “4,” meaning “don’t go there,” but that seems to be the CDC rating for almost everywhere.
…you may want to have the maximum protection right before your trip — or before the next surge…
My travel season runs from May through September. Reviewing my calendar, there is something interesting going on nearly every weekend over those months. The guys at the VW shop are amused at how little wear there is on the brakes on my car. That’s because probably 90% of my driving is on the highway, 100+ miles at a shot, without using the brakes. Winters are mostly spent in the bunker, because all the activities I enjoy are outdoors. Since I had the snow tires put on the car last November, I have driven about 800 miles. In the summer, I run about 1500/month.