We could get matching t-shirts on this one! 
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yes me too.
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Apparently eligible people are having problems getting their second biV booster. Dr. Wen responds. for the length of this post. I thought it would be easier to c/p then gift the article or ask people to PM their emails so I could fwd. the newsletter
The recent announcement that people older than 65 and immunocompromised individuals are permitted a second bivalent shot has prompted much relief â and confusion. So Iâm devoting this newsletter to answering questions about the decision.
Unlike prior guidance, in which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explicitly recommended that newly eligible people should receive the vaccine, the new change says they may choose this booster if they wish.
I think earlier CDC guidance could have been framed as a permissive recommendation, too, especially regarding boosters for children and healthy young people. Indeed, the American public has understood it as such; the CDCâs own data shows that only about 17 percent of people eligible to receive a first bivalent booster have done so.
Some readers have already sought the second booster under the new guidelines, though not all have been successful. Maureen from Texas wrote that her husband, who is 72 and has heart failure and asthma, made an appointment at their local pharmacy. âWhen he got there, they refused to give him a shot. Iâm confused â itâs been seven months since his bivalent booster. Is he or is he not eligible for another bivalent booster?â
He is eligible, and Maureen should try again. Consider calling a couple of other pharmacies in the area to make sure that they understand the CDC guidance has changed: Your husband and others older than 65 can receive a second bivalent booster four months after the first.
People who are moderately or severely immunocompromised can receive a second bivalent booster two months after the first. But should they? Melissa from Georgia wanted to know whether her 13-year-old, who is taking an immunosuppressive medication for Crohnâs disease, should get a booster now. Sam from Orgeon is 42 and just received a bone-marrow transplant and asks, âWhen is the optimal time to get my second booster?â
I would advise Melissa and Sam to contact the physician most closely tracking their health. Their health-care providers need to help them weigh multiple factors, including their risks from covid, degree of immunosuppression, prior responses to the vaccine, and medication regimen. The revised CDC guidance gives physicians treating immunocompromised patients leeway to tailor a vaccine schedule for their specific medical situations.
Many readers have asked whether they should wait to get the booster. The most common reason seems to be fear that if they got a bivalent shot now, they wonât be able to receive another one in the fall.
âI am 83, have well-controlled diabetes and a heart valve issue, but I am in good health otherwise and, in fact, still work full-time,â wrote Larry from Michigan. âI received a bivalent booster at the end of last September. Should I get a new booster now or wait until the fall for the new booster?â
Ethel from D.C. has a nearly identical situation, and adds, âI really want a spring booster, but not if I canât get the vaccine thatâs updated against new variants in the fall. Will there be a more updated vaccine then, and can I receive it if I get the second bivalent shot now?â
The FDA and CDC have said they will consider an updated formulation of the coronavirus vaccines in June. We donât yet know what that formulation will be; presumably, it will more closely target circulating variants. But no matter the exact formulation, there will be a push for the coronavirus vaccines in the fall, with the timing to coincide with the annual flu vaccine.
Those eligible for the second bivalent boosters now are the most vulnerable to severe outcomes from covid, and I cannot imagine a situation in which they wonât be able to get another shot in the fall. In fact, Iâd bet that this is the group prioritized to receive those fall vaccines.
People should not put off their spring boosters if the concern is that it could somehow hamper their ability to get another coronavirus vaccine in the fall. Larry and Ethel, with their ages and medical conditions, should consider getting an updated booster now, in consultation with their physicians. Since the current recommendation states that those older than 65 must wait at least four months between shots, theyâd be eligible to be vaccinated again by early September.
What about people who are neither immunocompromised nor old enough for another booster? William from Georgia says he will be 60 this summer and has diabetes and high blood pressure. âI have never had covid and am making it a high priority to avoid getting it. I very much would like to get an additional booster now but donât fall into any of the categories allowed by the CDC. Would you suggest I try to get one anyway?â
I would not. As I discussed before, the effectiveness of boosting to reduce infection is modest and short-lived. People who prioritize avoiding covid should continue mitigation measures, including masking in crowded indoor places and dining and socializing outdoors.
âIs there a benefit to getting the Pfizer booster if I got all Moderna before?â Deborah from Wisconsin asks. There is no clear evidence either way. âMix-and-matchâ is permitted, and people are able to receive either the Pfizer or Moderna bivalent booster no matter which version they received for the first.
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Thanks for this. Weâre in the not-old-enough-nor-immunocompromised category and will hold off getting our 2nd bivalent booster til the fall, especially considering we had COVID in January, as Dr Wen advises in the last article you linked. Excerpt below:
I wouldnât advise someone who had a recent covid infection to receive the second bivalent booster shot. They are probably still well protected against both reinfection and severe illness, and they could wait until the fall to receive another shot.
What about people who arenât in high-risk categories themselves but are around those who are? Nimmi from Connecticut wrote that she is in her mid-50s and cares for âvery elderly, vulnerable parents.â She asked, âAm I eligible to get the second bivalent booster, and if so, would you advise it?â
My answer to both is no. The primary benefit of the coronavirus vaccines is to reduce the likelihood of severe illness. They are not as effective in reducing infection and therefore transmission to others, and this modest effectiveness wanes quickly.
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I donât totally trust the opinion of Dr. Wen (even the WaPo editorial bd. has openly criticized her), so I look at other sources as well to determine the best course of action. I do appreciate that she is encouraging those at higher risk to mitigate w/ masks etc.
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That is higher than my current opinion of her expertise in the Covid arena. At the onset of the pandemic I liked her writings/interviews, but I donât trust her at all at this point.
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Well⌠in all honesty⌠for the better part of a year, anytime her newsletter showed up in my email I deleted it w/o reading it 
This was after she started writing nonsense and misleading people. Iâm trying to hide my opinions a bit here 
. Iâve failed now 
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There are several people with significant clout (like Dr Osterholm) advocating for expanding this to include those with other high risk factors.
Bingo card check:
Massive random acts of pasta
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How is your mom? I hope you and your family all remained negative on the Covid tests.
âââââââââ-
Update on us: my dad and sister tested negative two days ago (day 14) which was the first follow up test they did. It had to be administered by the home health group that just happens to be working with my sister the last 6 weeks. (Theyâre discharging her soon for no improvementâŚ.weâve been trying PT, etc off/on for a yr (since the time she stopped trying to walk) in hopes to get her walking again.)
Anyway, the state agency needed an âofficialâ negative test (cannot administer at home test ourselves) in order to send the state aid back into the home to helpâŚ.Even though the state aid is the one who brought Covid into the home. And did she have to do an official test? Nope. Talk about red tape irony.
Thankfully, we happen to be using the home health services in this window of time because I donât know how weâd get an âofficialâ test for my sister who is homebound otherwise.
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Howâs your daughter? Did she get to start the new job? Hope the rest of you remain healthy and well!!
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Glad sheâs testing negative.
Mom is doing better. Sheâs waiting for a bed to open up at a rehab place that takes Covid patients. Itâs been enough time since the beginning of her symptoms, but not since the positive test.
So far I have tested negative and donât have symptoms. Well, I have a cough and congestion, but itâs also a severe allergen time with overlap of two major types. Iâm going to test Monday for the last time.
My DD isnât feeling well, but she doesnât have any tests, so I need to bring her one. I have been isolating from the outside world.
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Thatâs a supportive heart, because so much of this situation is so messed up. Glad your dad and sister are recovering. I know youâve been working super hard to help them navigate this as best you can. Last I recall, I think you had procured Paxlovid for your sister but werenât certain sheâd take it. Curious minds want to know!
As far as we can tell, no one else caught it this round. DS13.2 had a cough that got progressively worse throughout the day on Thursday, and Friday morning also a headache and nausea. He stayed home from school Friday and started feeling better that evening. Heâs tested negative daily starting Thursday. Weâll test him tomorrow and Monday before school and then chalk it up to âsomething elseâ, I guess. Although the timing is suspect with DD22âs infection. So maybe itâs another case of âsymptoms from fighting it offâ?
Yes, she did get to start her new job later in the week! She is a now a Graphics Developer doing synthetic imagery for Intuitive Machines. Honestly, every time I look at their website it sounds like science fiction. But since she got the job via her NASA internship contacts, I guess itâs legit?
^ except I think sheâs going 3D-modeling of the images? Itâs all a bit over my head!
So glad sheâs doing better. I hope youâre able to get her situated to get her what she needs!
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In case nobody else posted this yet:
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Great photo of her! Congratulations on the job! Itâs definitely a bit over my head, but so cool!!
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They sent an email to patients specifying that they arenât even allowed to ask their healthcare providers to wear masks.
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No heart for this. And apparently, they donât subscribe to their Hippocratic oath either.
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Coincidentally I had my annual dr visit yesterday.
Previous years she sat right beside me - we were both masked.
This year required masking has been stopped- just a week or so ago - due to declining community covid numbers.
This visit my doctor remained 6 feet away except for the brief time she spent with scopes.
This impresses me. Especially since itâs not easy to change providers. There arenât a lot that are taking new patients.
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Reminder that tomorrow (Thur) is the last day that most insurance plans are required to cover at-home tests. (8 per person per month)
Iâm hearing reports that places are running out around here due to last-minute demand, but you should be able to order online still.
Here is the CVS link:
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