What to know
- Everyone ages 6 months and older should get a 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine.
- The COVID-19 vaccine helps protect you from severe disease, hospitalization, and death.
- It is especially important to get your 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine if you are ages 65 and older, are at high risk for severe COVID-19, or have never received a COVID-19 vaccine.
- Vaccine protection decreases over time, so it is important to stay up to date with your COVID-19 vaccine.
Discuss.
Difficult to tactfully comment here. A lot of politics involved. I’ll try to stick with basics.
The “new” vaccine has not been tested on anyone.
The current Covid variants are the equivalent of catching a cold.
There is still risk of myocarditis, especially in young men.
I doubt any other country is recommending vaccination for Covid except in high risk groups.
The immunity that wanes is antibodies, but you T cells are ready to go if you’ve had Covid or prior vaccinations.
Upon reading the new CDC guidelines, I still won’t be getting my first shot.
You’re either suggesting that these vaccines are not to be updated or developed, or that they shouldn’t be updated and released until clinical trials have been completed, when most assuredly the virus have mutated. There are known and unknown risks from COVID-19 infection that does not make it like ‘catching a cold’, like accelerated dementia progress, long covid.
Does the T-cells recognize new variants? If so why is there a new covid wave right now?:
Has anyone explained the absence of flu cases during the covid panic?
Ditto on Dr Karl’s assessment. As both of us worked EM during covid and post, we have substantial experience and understanding of this condition.
For myself it has been over a year since I last admitted a patient due to covid. I’ve admitted a number who also happen to have covid.
This was a scary condition at the beginning, but now it’s a cold, and as with any viral infection, if you get old and don’t sort out T cell optimization or have T cell dysfunction — you could end up sick. But it is so rare at this point, and the vaccines seem to have minimal impact at this stage, I don’t see a situation where I’ll take a vaccine for covid-19 again.
I’m getting the new booster. To me, the tiny risks from vaccination are far outweighed by the known short and long-term risks of COVID itself.
@DrFraser , wouldn’t you agree that you only see acute cases of COVID and not patients who suffer the long-term consequences, so you’re only seeing a limited part of the full picture?
I’ll take any help I can get to further hone my t-cells’ ability to better fight off newer variants. Also, the short term antibody protection should help me in an upcoming long vacation to Europe.
I am with you, Dr. Fraser. The only reason I took the Covid two shots and two boosters was because it was required to travel internationally for my work. But I would have never taken a single shot. And the one time I had covid, it was a stuffy nose for 3 days and didn’t even know I had it.
Never again!
The rate of myocarditis is 1 in 100,000 from the COVID-19 vaccines, by the way.
It’d be interesting to hear the risk vs. reward calculation with this fact.
Half the risk of hospitalization, which is thousands every year included with flu and RSV.
What was the incidence again? 1 in 25,000?
Well, I got pericarditis from my third covid vaccine - presented very much like a myocardial infarction, squeezing pain going down arm on left, into neck, profuse sweating, almost passed out - was on the way to work in the ER, symptoms came on over 15 minutes. Ended up showing up to my shift by ambulance, and because I looked so bad … they took me to Cath lab … negative. So at least I know my coronary’s were clear - but gotta love that vaccine #3.
My good friend, a GP in Australia, fit as can be had a clot form in his LAD and have a STEMI a week post AstraZenica vaccine - he had no coronary artery disease - luckily no long term harm as sought care and got a cath immediately.
In regard to me seeing a subsegment of the population … no not that case, I also am a primary care physician. Have seen plenty of cases of “long covid” and long disability - just not seeing new cases now.
It’s just a cold at this point, the fear simply isn’t warranted for most.
Rapamycin likely improves T cell immunity — there is the discussion on HGH on this also in regard to regrowth of the thymus.
I’m not opposed to others getting it - and certainly my situation is unique as I get exposed probably 10+ times per week, deliberately - so my immune system is getting hit with every new variant. If you are older and especially if you have lot of comorbidities, absolutely, a reasonable thing. Just think the number needed to treat to prevent a bad outcome at this point would be huge.
Okay and when I got vaccinated I felt nothing.
It’s all about the risk vs. reward, not the NNT, IMO. Every win that is available is a good thing.
I could never understand why vaccinations have become political. To me it’s strictly a medical question. I’ve been vaccinated for covid five times first Janssen, rest Moderna. Never had a single side effect, like injecting salt water, barely even a sore arm. Never had covid that I know of, been tested, and also tested myself several times.
Get a vaccine or don’t, I don’t care, it’s not political to me. I’m intrigued by the possibility that vaccinations in general, including for the flu, might be neuroprotective against dementia - in case that’s true, I’ll take it as a bonus in addition to whatever the vaccine protects against supposedly. No intervention, including popping a vitamin pill is risk free. You look at the balance of evidence the best you can and make your decision either way. For me, I’ll be getting the new covid vaccine as soon as I can. YMMV.
On a philosophical level, I tell you what - I am grateful science has progressed so far as having vaccines at all, I think it’s a great boon to humanity. And I am gobsmacked at how fast the covid vaccine was developed - honestly, I was not optimistic… look at the lack of a cold vaccine and the relatively underwhelming flu vac. I thought it would take years and years. But this new process is amazing. Hail science! Quite honestly, I think this is a triumph of medical science. Perfect? No, but what is. I’m just hugely appreciative that I have this option. But that’s just me, you do you, no presh either way.
Was it Moderna? I’m planning on getting Pfizer this time, just to further minimize any small risk of myocarditis. If I’d been unlucky enough to have such a scary side effect, I’m sure I’d have COVID vaccine PTSD and wouldn’t touch one again.
On the other hand, think of how many people have had genuine heart attacks/strokes (and myocarditis) from COVID itself.
If I get myocarditis despite it being 1 in 100,000 risk, I’m never trusting the FDA again!
Yes, I had 2 Pfizer’s then the Moderna was #3 and did me in. I had more Pfizer’s after that x 2 I think. See people get sick and die, sometimes younger than yourself puts a little fear in you. I have a PAPR and used a lot of precautions.
I remember working overnight on Xmas 2021 in a rural TN ER of a reasonable size. The population there was skeptical of the vaccine and probably 50% vaccinated , 50% not. That night I had the most Covid admissions I’d ever had on a shift. Just one after another. 50% vaccinated, 50% not. All old with comorbidities. 12 admits for covid and hypoxia in 12 hours. The point is … increasingly, vaccinated or not recently vaccinated doesn’t have a big risk reduction for bad outcomes in most individuals.
I however do think, I might jump in for a vaccine at the point I’m frail or have a bunch of comorbidities. Just don’t see a compelling reason currently.
I’ve had 3 Moderna’s. Every time I was wiped out from the vaccine for a day or two but I never got COVID. When I heard about the long-term effects COVID had on a few strong athletes in my community I was determined to avoid it. I’m happy with the outcome for myself (so far).
I think I’ve done enough for this virus.
I don’t think you see long covid patients in the hospital, they’re probably just at home, laying in bed or something.
