Am I hearing correctly…??? ppl are having some strong reactions to the new biV booster? I had some strong reactions to past boosters but the ones for the new biV is making me nervous. Thoughts every/anyone? TIA
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DH was able to get his yesterday too. So for the 3 of us, the only thing I would comment on is the sore shoulder - same for DH and DS.
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Mine was a bit more intense but got flu at the same time. I’m always fatigued after COVID vaccine but it was more intense. Also got chills and a headache which was new. I was better in about 36 hours. So worse than before but nothing I couldn’t handle and still better than being out for a week by getting it. I also got Moderna which is stronger. Maybe try Pfizer.
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Among my family members and close friends who already had the bivalent booster (sample size of 9), I had the worst side effects of the group. Most of them had very mild side effects like a sore arm or fatigue for a day. My side effects were similar side effects to my first booster, and I have no regrets that I got the shot…
Edit to add: Of the group of 9, 8 got Modena and 1 got Pfizer.
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I am going to get it, I just want to be mentally prepared. I was shocked at one of my past reactions (baseball sized swelling in armpit). I appreciate hearing from others here!
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Our local Walgreens have Moderna and the CVS stores have Pfizer. Not sure exactly why that is.
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What I’m gathering is that the Moderna bivalent is akin to a full strength initial dose, with comparable side effects, as opposed to the half-strength earlier Moderna boosters.
That doesn’t worry me as much as the possibility of severe reactions, b/c they didn’t have any human clinical trial data for the new BA4/5 bivalent booster. Not that I’m expecting any, just out of caution.
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My teens had no reaction to the new booster other than the typical sore arm that lasted less than 24 hours. Both Pfizer. They’re the only ones in our family to get them so far.
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Had our Covid and flu shots for 4 of us yesterday. I had very mild swollen lymph nodes in my armpits today. It was much worse with my 3 prior vaccines. I’m also a little run down with a sore arm. DH got slammed again. This time he didn’t shake our bed with his chills last night, but he got them. He also was tired and had a pretty bad headache all day. DS13a was tired and felt cold most of the day. DS13B was tired with a minor headache. All three have a sore arm.
We had Pfizer.
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I think the CVS website said each of their locations would only have one or the other. With all the different dosages for different ages of the original series and now the bivalent formula, that’s enough to keep up with without having different amounts for different brands. Hopefully it will reduce potential for mis-dosing, as well as minimize waste. Here, some CVS locations offer Pfizer and some offer Moderna, but that might be because of the huge number of stores. It might be easier in some places to have one chain offer each to try to improve coverage for both for those who have a strong preference for whatever reason (Moderna is only available for 18 and up but Pfizer is 12 and up, for instance).
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DH and I both had Moderna boosters about a week ago. I got my flu shot the same day as the bivalent covid booster. DH was a bit run down for a day. I reacted pretty much the same way I did to the previous booster, which was also Moderna - a pronounced chill that evening and fatigue that night and a bit into the next day. I did get a sore arm too that lasted for a few days, but I always get a sore arm like that after the flu shot so I think that part was moreso from the flu vaccine.
@PrincipalTinker - we had them in MA, so if there’s a shortage it’s either new or pretty localized.
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I scheduled boosters for myself and 17 year daughter for next week, but my husband is saying that he heard and read that the booster is not recommended for kids who are vaccinated and have had Covid, so he thinks I should cancel her appointment. I have not heard this and told him I’d check with my Disney friends to see what they know. Of course he rolled his eyes, but we all know that this group does the best research!
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How recently did she have covid? There is a period of time after that they recommend waiting, but they have been very vocal that everyone should get the booster.
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I checked CVS today and although there does not seem to be any Moderna boosters available in my area, it is available in parts of MA.
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The CDC is recommending that everyone over age 12 get the updated bivalent booster, regardless of how many boosters they’ve received or how many times they’ve been infected. If it was a recent infection, there is some evidence suggesting waiting for 2-3 months will make the booster more effective. It sounds like they really want everyone boosted prior to Thanksgiving.
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Is it possible he misunderstood (or heard it from someone who misunderstood) and thought it applied to all kids, since it hasn’t been approved yet for kids under 12?
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She had covid 8 months ago.
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He is concerned about the lack of testing and data. Something about it only being tested on a few rats. Full disclosure, I’m a Fauci fan, husband is not.
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His concerns are not entirely unreasonable.
I listen to a lot of really reputable people. Here are some high level talking points.
None of them have safety concerns about the new boosters. They are extremely confident that the safety parameters of the original formula will carry over. That is how the updated flu vaccines have been handled for years. (Analogy: You don’t have to retest the car’s airbags if you come out with a new fuel formula.)
None of them think the new formula will be less effective than the original formula. The intent of the mice studies is to make sure neutralization works like they think it will. And the new formula showed statistical improvement in neutralizing antibodies.
What they don’t know yet is whether that will translate into a significant uptick in vaccine effectiveness in practice. But there is zero data suggesting it will be less effective.
Going with the new formula is a gamble on whether it will show an improvement over the old formula. But it should in no way be worse than if she was getting a booster of the old formula. Maybe ask if he’d still have the same concerns if it was the old formula and go from there? There is data to support boosting using the old formula, and this has the upside potential to do even better since it more closely matches the currently circulating variants.
Also, keep in mind they are currently running the human trials but data isn’t due for a month or two yet, I think. So if he really can’t move forward without the human trials, they’re coming. But she misses out on the added protection in the meantime.
ETA:
Here is a fairly balanced article on the topic. But when reading, it’s important to notice the naysayers do not express any safety concerns. Their concerns are whether there will be significant improvement over the old formula. (And FWIW, I’m not a fan of Gandhi and am on the fence about Offitt, but they still don’t express safety concerns.)
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Thank you so much for this detailed response! I think his biggest concern is that 5-10+ years from now she could have health issues related to all of these current vaccines and boosters. She is a mature 17 year old and I’m inclined to let her decide for herself.
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