Another Covid booster approved for 65+ and for the immune-compromised

[allisolm]

Covid news has pretty much disappeared but 250 people a day are still dying from it in the US.

So...

the CDC updated its recommendations to allow for an additional bivalent booster for people 65 and older (has to have been at least 4 months since your last one) or who have weakened immune systems (has to have been at least 2 months since your last one.) The FDA had already okayed it.

I don't know how soon local sites will have it available. I guess everyone will just have to check their own.

CDC signs off on additional Covid-19 booster doses for certain people | CNN

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its recommendations on the Covid-19 vaccines on Wednesday to allow another dose of the bivalent booster for people who are 65 and older or who have weakened immune systems and who "want the option of added protection" against the coronavirus.

www.cnn.com

FDA clears extra COVID booster for some high-risk, older Americans

The Food and Drug Administration is allowing an extra dose of the omicron-targeted vaccine for anyone 65 and older if it's been four months since their last shot.

www.pbs.org

 

[Fenixgoon]

Thanks for posting. I take immune-suppressing medication. While I'm relatively young and (otherwise) healthy, I'll take all the boosters I can get to tip the odds in my favor

 

[K1052]

They seem to be leaning to pushing out updated shots for everyone concurrent with the flu vaccine campaign in the fall. I'll just take both shots at he same time from now on.

A combo mRNA COVID/influenza vaccine would be nice some day.

 

[allisolm]

Thanks for posting. I take immune-suppressing medication. While I'm relatively young and (otherwise) healthy, I'll take all the boosters I can get to tip the odds in my favor

👍

I'm relatively old and relatively healthy and I, too, will take all the boosters I can get in that effort to tip the odds in my favor. Both my husband and I have had 5 shots and so far we have remained COVID free.

 

[MtnMan]

Effective this month, Medicare added coverage for the following immunizations.

• Shingles
• Tetanus/diphtheria (Td)
• Tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough) (Tdap)
• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B

Last time I checked, my cost for shingles shot was almost $200, each.

 

[Pens1566]

Effective this month, Medicare added coverage for the following immunizations.

• Shingles
• Tetanus/diphtheria (Td)
• Tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough) (Tdap)
• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B

Last time I checked, my cost for shingles shot was almost $200, each.

I'd pay it. Shingles fucking sucks.

 

[Brainonska511]

They seem to be leaning to pushing out updated shots for everyone concurrent with the flu vaccine campaign in the fall. I'll just take both shots at he same time from now on.

A combo mRNA COVID/influenza vaccine would be nice some day.

That would be nice to have a combo shot, but I'm fine with it being two separate ones - you can still get them simultaneously. Last September, I just had both shots in the same arm. Felt like garbage later the next day, but the flu shot alone usually makes me fatigued, so it wasn't totally unexpected. And it got both out of the way, saving me one day of potential suffering from my immune system responding to another vaccine (if I had done them on separate days).

 

[K1052]

That would be nice to have a combo shot, but I'm fine with it being two separate ones - you can still get them simultaneously. Last September, I just had both shots in the same arm. Felt like garbage later the next day, but the flu shot alone usually makes me fatigued, so it wasn't totally unexpected. And it got both out of the way, saving me one day of potential suffering from my immune system responding to another vaccine (if I had done them on separate days).

Well part of my hope for an mRNA flu vaccine is that since they can wait longer for strain selection it can be more effective. I get the flu shot ever year and a couple years where they missed I got sick twice.

 

[Thump553]

Effective this month, Medicare added coverage for the following immunizations.

• Shingles
• Tetanus/diphtheria (Td)
• Tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough) (Tdap)
• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B

Last time I checked, my cost for shingles shot was almost $200, each.

Great news for me-shingles is the only major vaccine I'm missing. I had discussed getting it with my pharmacist in Dec and she suggested that I hold off till this year so I don't face two deductibles (shingles vaccine is two shots). I got the hepatitis A vaccine in Feb (planning an overseas trip, recommended by our travel doctor) and it was fully overs by our medicare coverage so maybe that coverage started earlier. Yellow fever vaccine also was fully covered and that is an expensive one.

 

[allisolm]

Effective this month, Medicare added coverage for the following immunizations.

• Shingles
• Tetanus/diphtheria (Td)
• Tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough) (Tdap)
• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B

Last time I checked, my cost for shingles shot was almost $200, each.

So good to hear about the shingles vaccine. Last time I checked, it was going to be about $800 for the 4 shots for the 2 of us. I like $0 better.

 

[hal2kilo]

Covid news has pretty much disappeared but 250 people a day are still dying from it in the US.

So...

the CDC updated its recommendations to allow for an additional bivalent booster for people 65 and older (has to have been at least 4 months since your last one) or who have weakened immune systems (has to have been at least 2 months since your last one.) The FDA had already okayed it.

I don't know how soon local sites will have it available. I guess everyone will just have to check their own.

CDC signs off on additional Covid-19 booster doses for certain people | CNN

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its recommendations on the Covid-19 vaccines on Wednesday to allow another dose of the bivalent booster for people who are 65 and older or who have weakened immune systems and who "want the option of added protection" against the coronavirus.

www.cnn.com

FDA clears extra COVID booster for some high-risk, older Americans

The Food and Drug Administration is allowing an extra dose of the omicron-targeted vaccine for anyone 65 and older if it's been four months since their last shot.

www.pbs.org

Been checking Kaiser. Nothing yet.

 

[hal2kilo]

Effective this month, Medicare added coverage for the following immunizations.

• Shingles
• Tetanus/diphtheria (Td)
• Tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough) (Tdap)
• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B

Last time I checked, my cost for shingles shot was almost $200, each.

You got a good deal then.

 

[MtnMan]

Great news for me-shingles is the only major vaccine I'm missing. I had discussed getting it with my pharmacist in Dec and she suggested that I hold off till this year so I don't face two deductibles (shingles vaccine is two shots). I got the hepatitis A vaccine in Feb (planning an overseas trip, recommended by our travel doctor) and it was fully overs by our medicare coverage so maybe that coverage started earlier. Yellow fever vaccine also was fully covered and that is an expensive one.

Shingles is the big one I've yet to get. I got Hep B through the county as a volunteer firefighter/first responder a decade or so ago. Probably need to check if I need it again. Wife got her Shingles as she is covered through a state retirement Advantage Plan as part of her retirement bennies.

PS. If you are on Medicare, you still have until mid-May to get no cost at home Covid tests through Medicare. This is about $100 worth of tests, as they seem to average about $25 per box, each with 2 tests included.

 

[esquared]

Been checking Kaiser. Nothing yet.

My shingles shots (Shingrix) were $0, from Kaiser.
There was an initial waiting list of nearly a year to get the first shot and it took 4 months or so to get my second shot.

 

[iRONic]

Ohman… I have had two J&J shots. I better check and see if there is another booster available for those.

 

[hal2kilo]

My shingles shots were $0, from Kaiser.
There was an initial waiting list of nearly a year to get the first shot and it took 4 months or so to get my second shot.

I got my first one before I retired and was on Medicare, that was not as effective as the later shingles vaccine, so I saw what was billed to my coverage, it was almost $300.

 

[Muse]

Since I heard of it I've been trying to get my 2nd bivalent booster. It's been ~7.5 months since my first. I'm traveling to see my family for the first time since before the pandemic on May 12, so I want to get boosted ASAP.

My HMO says they can't yet, local agencies have to approve. Pharmacies, OTOH, according to what I saw online aren't so restricted, they can go off federal guidelines and those are a go. So, I made an appointment with CVS for Tuesday (they were unsure yesterday if they could, so I went out a few days for my appt), then set one for Thursday at Costco pharmacy, just in case. I will cancel that if CVS comes through. I want the shot at least 2 weeks before I travel.

 

[Muse]

Shingles is the big one I've yet to get. I got Hep B through the county as a volunteer firefighter/first responder a decade or so ago. Probably need to check if I need it again. Wife got her Shingles as she is covered through a state retirement Advantage Plan as part of her retirement bennies.

PS. If you are on Medicare, you still have until mid-May to get no cost at home Covid tests through Medicare. This is about $100 worth of tests, as they seem to average about $25 per box, each with 2 tests included.

Based on that I just ordered 4 at home tests from my HMO (Kaiser P). Their site offered a choice... get them from the government or from them (you pick the button to click). I have no idea why I should pick one over the other but since I got all the ones before from the government I clicked from the HMO. I am on Medicare. It said I'd get them in ~4 days by mail. No charges.

 

[Lanyap]

I waited too late to get the shingrix vaccine. I got shingles on the right side of my face, including my right eye, back in 2018. I recognized it early and went to my doctor to start treatment. My right eye has never fully recovered and will not according to the eye doctor. I go to a cornea special at least once a year to keep any eye on it (pun intended). I also developed a grade 2-3 cataract in that eye. I asked the eye doctor why it's worse than the left eye. She said it's usually caused by having to use strong steroid eye drops when I had the shingles.

Thanks for the new bivalent booster news.

 

[Muse]

I waited too late to get the shingrix vaccine. I got shingles on the right side of my face, including my right eye, back in 2018. I recognized it early and went to my doctor to start treatment. My right eye has never fully recovered and will not according to the eye doctor. I go to a cornea special at least once a year to keep any eye on it (pun intended). I also developed a grade 2-3 cataract in that eye. I asked the eye doctor why it's worse than the left eye. She said it's usually caused by having to use strong steroid eye drops when I had the shingles.

I was offered the Shingrx vaccine the other day when a guy from my HMO (Kaiser P) called to cancel my appt to get my 2nd bivalent covid booster (said they weren't approved by local agencies yet). I said I'd wait instead of taking the long bike ride until I could get both together. I guess I should get Shingrx ASAP, actually, but my 1st priority right now is the covid booster because I'm traveling in about 3 weeks to see extended family.

I had shingles in 1993, but the guy on the phone 2 days ago said I was at risk because of my age regardless and that the shingles vaccine I took maybe ~7 years ago isn't in the same league as the Shingrx vaccine, which gives ~80% immunity after one dose and ~97% immunity after the 2nd dose. I saw a post online the other day saying it's probably not a good idea to get covid booster and shingrx on the same day, but that might not apply to me. I have had extremely good luck with vaccines. Anyway, I'll wait for the shingrx until after I'm covid boosted, probably get it from Kaiser (pretty sure it's free there). Costco said they'd charge me over $175 for it.

PS At CDC's website it says:

Medicare​

• Starting in 2023, people with Medicare Part D coverage will pay nothing out-of-pocket for the Shingrix vaccine.

 

[hal2kilo]

I waited too late to get the shingrix vaccine. I got shingles on the right side of my face, including my right eye, back in 2018. I recognized it early and went to my doctor to start treatment. My right eye has never fully recovered and will not according to the eye doctor. I go to a cornea special at least once a year to keep any eye on it (pun intended). I also developed a grade 2-3 cataract in that eye. I asked the eye doctor why it's worse than the left eye. She said it's usually caused by having to use strong steroid eye drops when I had the shingles.

Thanks for the new bivalent booster news.

My 7th grade math teacher got it, and she was gone for most of the school year. When she came back she had a scab on her face. Definitely affected my motivation to get that protection since I'm old enough that there was no vaccination for Chickenpox and you basically exposed yourself on purpose to get it over with in those days.

 

[Captante]

I have type II diabetes (controlled) so I'm considered "immune-compromised" and I'll be getting a booster ASAP @ my local CVS.

At this point I'm inclined to stick with Moderna if that still matters.

 

[Muse]

I was offered the Shingrx vaccine the other day when a guy from my HMO (Kaiser P) called to cancel my appt to get my 2nd bivalent covid booster (said they weren't approved by local agencies yet). I said I'd wait instead of taking the long bike ride until I could get both together. I guess I should get Shingrx ASAP, actually, but my 1st priority right now is the covid booster because I'm traveling in about 3 weeks to see extended family.

I had shingles in 1993, but the guy on the phone 2 days ago said I was at risk because of my age regardless and that the shingles vaccine I took maybe ~7 years ago isn't in the same league as the Shingrx vaccine, which gives ~80% immunity after one dose and ~97% immunity after the 2nd dose. I saw a post online the other day saying it's probably not a good idea to get covid booster and shingrx on the same day, but that might not apply to me. I have had extremely good luck with vaccines. Anyway, I'll wait for the shingrx until after I'm covid boosted, probably get it from Kaiser (pretty sure it's free there). Costco said they'd charge me over $175 for it.

PS At CDC's website it says:

Medicare​

• Starting in 2023, people with Medicare Part D coverage will pay nothing out-of-pocket for the Shingrix vaccine.

ATM I am scheduled to get 2nd bivalent covid booster April 25 at pharmacy. Made appt this morning for May 4 to get my Shingrx shot #1 at my HMO. Both should be free.

I made a 2nd appt for the covid booster at different pharmacy two days later in case the first flakes on me. I want to make sure I get it 2+ weeks before my trip to see family. I'll cancel the 2nd if the first works out.

Odd thing is the online questionnaire had a dropdown list for how many covid shots I've had:

0
1
2
3
4
Don't know

I've had 5!

Feb. 2021
Mar. 2021
Oct. 2021
Mar. 2022
Sept. 2022

I picked the closest one, 4.

 

[Shamrock]

There is a new strain of Covid, its called Arcturus. It adds a new symptom. VERY high fever.

MSN

www.msn.com

 

[Muse]

There is a new strain of Covid, its called Arcturus. It adds a new symptom. VERY high fever.

MSN

www.msn.com

It's getting its footprint, it's early.

LA County Reports First Cases of New Arcturus Strain of COVID-19 – Pasadena Now

Daily Newsmagazine and City Guide to Pasadena, California featuring local news, breaking news, events, weather, sports news, schools news, shopping, restaurants and more from Pasadena Now

www.pasadenanow.com

New coronavirus subvariant Arcturus is now in L.A. Is there reason to worry?

Arcturus, also known as XBB.1.16, has also attracted attention after reports linking it to what has been a rare COVID-19 symptom: pink eye.

www.latimes.com