It’s hard to believe we’ve been married 43 years, and we approach nearly everything from a completely different perspective. I sometimes wonder how we lasted this long when we are such opposites.
I know, I know. Opposites attract. For the most part, we’ve learned not to argue about our differences, so at least it’s not opposites attack. But it is sometimes exhausting to hear each other out. The latest point of contention is the second Covid booster.
I’ll start first. Of course, I will.
Our numbers are looking really good right now. My state is currently at 5 cases per 100,000 population, and my county is at 3.9 cases per 100,000. One of my golf buddies said you can’t believe the numbers because people are testing at home and not reporting it. Probably, but all signs indicate the risk is much lower than it has been for quite some time.
I am inclined to wait until the numbers start rising again before I get the second booster. I liken it to the flu shot – you don’t want to get it too early in the season so you’ll still have some immunity during the peak. I’ve also read they are trying to tweak the vaccine to be most effective against specific variants, so waiting until that variant is somewhat more prevalent might be the prudent thing to do. Kind of like the flu shot targeting a specific strain.
Dale, on the other hand, says get the booster now. Why wait and put yourself at unnecessary risk? He wants to be all juiced up if and when another wave hits. If the effectiveness of the second booster wanes before the things get bad again, he figures they’ll authorize another booster. As he sees it, we’re probably going to need a booster every six months for the foreseeable future.
I’m wondering if his military background might have a role in this. Be ready no matter what. Don’t wait until the shit hits the fan. But I see his point. If we’re going to get a booster twice a year anyway, why not just go ahead and get the shot now?
If all else fails and I’m somehow caught between boosters, I can always hunker down. It’s a new skillset I picked up a couple of years ago.
What are your thoughts about the second booster?
My husband and I are in the same predicament, with me saying I’d like to see cases start rising again and then get my second booster, and Jon saying “you can’t time virus” along the lines of his belief that you can’t time the market for investing. And then, in our Indie newspaper that we subscribe to, they give a daily recount of number of cases, number of hospitalizations and number of deaths for our County, in percentages. Of course, the majority of cases, over 50%, are of people who have not had any vaccinations. But hospitalizations are higher for the fully vaccinated and boosted folks than for the fully vaccinated, and deaths are the same for both. My husband’s take on that is that perhaps fully vaccinated and boosted folks are more careless overall, figuring that they are immune to the virus, whereas in some instances one should probably still take precautions. I can get behind that logic.
Here is an excellent article by one of my favorite cardiologists. He’s a pragmatic, research-driven, no nonsense kind of guy. He has access to data that we don’t have access to and even he can’t make up his mind. We’re in good company.
(Oh crap, I just posted this comment on HIS blog…I had it open to copy and paste the URL below. Fortunately it’s awaiting moderation so I quickly sent another comment telling him that it was meant for a comment on another blog and to feel free to delete. Hopefully he will at least be pleased regarding my comments about him. I think it’s time for me to go for a walk!)
https://theskepticalcardiologist.com/2022/03/29/should-you-get-a-second-booster/
Thank you for the reference, and thanks for your perspective. It is a tough call.
The Skeptical Cardiologist posted a follow-up to his recent post about getting a second booster shot. I guess that I will shoot for a Moderna shot when I get mine, since my other three were Pfizer. And I will wait a bit to “try” to time it to a time where my exposure to Covid may increase, or, there is an increase in cases again.
https://theskepticalcardiologist.com/2022/03/31/the-second-booster-is-under-my-delt-mixing-and-matching-side-effects-and-risk-calculations/
Unfortunately, our grown son was one of those who has had a very bad reaction to the vaccine.Two weeks after his second shot he began experiencing neurological and heart issues.. he was previously a specimen of health,an athlete,marathoner, a world traveler, etc. and now he cannot do any exercise except maybe 15 min a day on a recumbent exercise bike. He is in pain 24/7 and has symptoms too odd and awful to describe here. Medical doctors do not know what to do. We have a brain injury specialist we hands to wait 4 months to see and pay a ton on $$ and we feel he is getting some slow results.. but we’ll take it!! Thankfully, our son can work from home mostly and has a good job with benefits. We are having to help him immensely.He is not married, no kids. I am a retired RN and have NEVER had a flu shot..Have always been a more natural-health inclined individual..And I have a big trust in that thing called our IMMUNE SYSTEM which actually does its job, often.I wasn’t silly..I got the first two shots.But after seeing the decline of our son, and the uncertainty of his future due to this reaction (and he is not alone..there are forums of people with same symptoms after the vaccine..) I am not inclined to have anything more vaccines. I have not had the first booster,even.I have no opinion about what others should do.it is an individual choice. But my husband and I are not having any more vaccines of any kind. I also have two friends with varying symptoms since the vaccine, one is very debilitated, the other is hanging on but unable to work due to fatigue and blood pressure issues. I am using TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) to stay well these days.
I can certainly understand some skepticism after all you’ve been through. Best wishes to you and your family.
My husband and I decided to wait on the second booster. I’m 69 he’s 75 but in good health and the numbers are low in our area. If cases start going up we will definitely get it. We would like to wait till the fall. There seems to be no definitive clarity on this second booster which makes us hesitant to get it. We are still masking and avoiding large crowds and have no travel plans. However we could change our minds next week……
That sounds like a pretty solid plan.
After giving this much thought and reading many articles I decided because of my age (69yo) I should get the booster even though I have no health issues. I really agonized over this decision. Went to CVS yesterday and easily got it, plus I got my 8 free covid tests (as of 4/4 Medicare will pay for 8 per month). It’s been almost 24 hours and no reaction other than a slightly sore arm. My husband has been battling a bad cold (testing negative multiple times for covid) so is waiting to get over that before he gets his booster.
We also have a family beach trip coming up with our 4 grandchildren (2 who are too young to be vaxxed), so this was another factor in my decision to get the booster.
If I were in the 50-60 year old age group I would’ve held off on getting this 2nd booster.
I agree with your rationale. We’re in good health, but in the age group that puts us at higher risk. We went to Walgreens and got ours yesterday. I’m glad we did it. My arm is a little sore, and I feel a little achy, but that might be the weed whacking I did yesterday!
I am in agreement with you; I will wait a bit before I get the next vaccination.
So hard to know! Thanks for sharing your perspective.
Getting the second booster in a couple of days. Go for it. There will be another opportunity in the early fall, but meanwhile we’ll be covered. I get my advice from my immunologist daughter-in-law.
I still haven’t decided, so I appreciate all this input!
I’m a “here’s my arm, have at it” type. I do suspect in flu season it will probably be a choice of flu shot with covid added or without. I’m not seeing a downside other than the poor arm from you know what for a day.
I got both my booster and flu shot on the same day last year. The booster was fine, but the flu gave me fever and chills for a few hours. That’s typical for me.
Just had my second booster this morning. I’m 72 and in good health and just want to be safe during this post Covid era. As I venture out doing the mundane things in life, I’m also still wearing a mask when in the stores (food shopping) and avoid large crowds. Not booking any air/ocean travel any time soon. Like Dale has mentioned, if this additional one wanes another will be suggested for us older folks. So, why wait and put yourself at risk? Keep up the good work on your blog Donna.
We don’t do large crowds either. No air/ocean travel any time soon. Although we have been a little loose on the mask at the grocery store — but as soon as the numbers start to inch up, we’ll be masked again. I ordered a stash for the next wave. I like your reasoning. I think we’ll probably get our boosters this week or next.
Thank you for the nice compliment on my blog! Always appreciated.
The second booster is only being offered in the UK to those over 75 and with highly compromised immune systems. Neither applies to myself and Himself, so no decision to be made here. If it was offered, I’d take it straight away, as I have done with each of the other Covid vaccines. I see no point in delaying as, though neither have compromised immune systems, we both have underlying health conditions which means it would likely be an unpleasant experience should we catch it. And I have small grandchildren who – like all small children – are germ bugs. They’ve had it twice already, as have their parents.
I have not had Covid that I know of, and I don’t want it!!!!
I guess I’m of the mind, like Barb, here’s my arm. If it’s available and will add an extra layer of protection, I’m in. I haven’t scheduled mine but I’m going to check CVS and Walgreens for next week.
We have appointments at Walgreens tomorrow. There were lots available, I presume because the wave hasn’t hit here yet.