Covid shots?
 

We will be getting our annual flu shot next week.

It has been over a year since our last covid shot....there is a 2024 update available....I don't see or hear much about pros or cons to getting this update.

We are in our 80's.....have had no reactions (other than prevention) to previous covid shots.

Opinions?

We will get it. Covid is all around us and last two times we have gotten covid we have had mild case.

My wife and I are still NOVIDs (neither of us has had COVID yet) and hope to remain that way. We just signed up at CVS for both COVID and FLU shots. We are still debating whether or not to get the RSV vaccination as well. To date, all of our COVID shots have been Pfizer, so we are sticking with that source.

I just got my Covid shot yesterday at CVS, in Ohio.
They use Pfizer

Late Sept or early Oct at the same time as flu shot for us

Haven't gotten a flu shot in five years and my first (and last) COVID shot was, as I recollect, in December 2020.

At age 76 I can play a solid two hours of tennis in The Villages summer heat, and average two rounds of golf per week in which I always use a pullcart.

Feel great.

No flu or Covid shots for me. I had Covid last month (would never had known if I had not taken a home test just for heck of it). Was no more than a few sniffles and taking a nap a few afternoons. Less than usual cold symptoms.

I am not sure I would go to the internet for medical advice.

Not seeking advice, medical or otherwise.
Simply taking into account others experiences (or not).

Our physician recomends for those 65+.

Was in the initial clinical trials for COVID and RSV vaccines and will continue with annual innoculations.


Flu or COVID-19 - Which is Worse?

Key Highlights:

Seniors who contract COVID-19 are much more likely to experience serious illness, hospitalizations, or death.

The rates of hospitalizations for individuals over the age of 65 is nearly 10x greater than those with influenza.

Among individuals over 65 they are 3-4x more likely to die from COVID-19 compared to influenza.

Get the Covid shot !

I got booster (last years, as current booster was not available) before I left for Europe earlier this month. I wore mask on plane trip over, but not on way back.

I caught it on return flight. It debilitated me for 2 solid days. Sick as a dog, in bed. Took me 4 days to get back to feeling normal.

I’m in my late 50’s, not overweight, non smoker and in good physical fitness.

I do know of one person, overweight and a smoker who ended up (recently)in the hospital from it.

So to those who have not gotten Covid or a booster, you are lucky!

Covid is alive and Kicking.

There is no way of knowing whether or not you have had Covid19. You may have NO symptoms. I tested positive for Covid (only tested because I lost taste - no other symptoms). My husband who had no symptoms - not even a sniffle - tested positive because I made him test.
Do you test daily? Thats is the only way I would believe you have never had it.

This is not to be construed as medical advice specific to any one individual:

If you are over 65, strongly consider the current booster
If you have any co-morbidities (diabetes, heart disease, obesity, COPD, etc.) consider it strongly as well
If you are going to care for or be in close proximity to any immunocompromised individuals, definitely get it.

I got both the flu shot and COVID booster yesterday, in my case COVID was because I will be overseas traveling for the next month to a relatively remote part of the world. I passed on the previous COVID booster as did most of my colleagues. They are considering this one strongly.

My neighbor has had the "current version" of COVID for the past two weeks. She doesn't feel well, but she's been out and about without a mask. You'd better believe as soon as I'm able, I'll be getting the current version of the vaccine. If she can be wandering around actively sick, so can hundreds of other people in this community.

I'll take "reduced risk" whenever possible.

Unfortunately many people are out and about playing Thypoid Mary

Same here,

Or those who have anaphylactic reactions choose not to vaccinate at all. Still upright, zero flu, colds, or Covid. It’s good to have a great immune system. Not a fan of big pharma, so hopefully everyone else other than my family keeps them in business.

OBB, I like that "reduced risk" philosophy.

We never got around to getting the last booster, although we were up on the shots before that one.

We are pretty social people and out and about quite a bit, but after Mr. Boomer flew to CO and back, he had Covid. (I know they tell us airplanes filter the air. But I'm not too sure about how well that works. I have a friend who flies all the time, is always up to date on her shots -- but gets Covid anyway.)

Mr. Boomer shared his Covid with me. Neither of us was very sick. It behaved mostly like a bad sinus infection and we sat around watching a lot of television -- which I think is a symptom.

Had it dropped into our lungs, I would have been scared. But it did not. The shots we had, even though we had not had the most recent at that time, must have helped.

It has been a few months since this happened, so probably the natural immunity from the case has waned.

The last time we had a Covid shot, it knocked us for a loop, made us achy and tired and grouchy and we watched a lot of television.

BUT the day after that, I swear we were much smarter and much better looking than we had been before the shot. . .That seems to have worn off though, so we will go get the new booster soon.

Boomer

The FDA just approved a new Covid vaccine, Novavax, which is a "traditional: vaccine, like the flu shot (which uses proteins from the vaccine to elicit an immune response), that does not use the mRNA technology...

It will give us more options...

Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine, Adjuvanted | FDA

I hope that the majority of the population gets the shots. I won't, but I like to see other folks stay safe. I haven't had the flu shot in over 50 years, but I have no problem with others getting the shot. I've never had the flu (that I know of) but I may change my opinion on the shot IF/IF I ever get a bad case of the flu. Although, it may be too late by that time. All my children have had COVID and survived with hardly more than symptoms of having a cold. They were too young to qualify for the shots at the time they caught the virus. Just saying. I did get the initial two shots of Maderna (?) because I was concerned for my spouse's medical conditions. I did not get the booster and have no intention. Even with the shots, we both had COVID but it wasn't any worst than what our children described. We did not get any treatment, other than treated ourselves with over the counter meds to treat the symptoms. Like I tell everyone else that asks me what I think of the shots, I tell them to seek the advice of their doctor. I do not try to dissuade them from getting protection the might save their lives. The COVID shot caused me more severe reactions than actually suffering from the COVID. Did the shot help me? Maybe so, maybe not. Maybe I would not have had a severe case with or without the shots. Who knows for sure?

I really can't pass on responding to that conspiracy theory ignorant nonsense. "China virus death jab"?????. Seriously? Does that come from the "Journal of Make Sure You Are Wearing a Double Tin Foil Hat"?????

There is no LEGITIMATE EVIDENCE that mRNA vaccines cause any more side effects that traditional vaccines or even common pharmaceuticals. Show me an article in the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, or the Lancet that states otherwise. Someone posted they are "not a fan of big pharma". Are they a fan of unnecessary illness or death? Perhaps we go back to 5,000 BC medical technology and consult the tribal witch doctor. Unbelievable what some people will actually believe is true, just unbelievable.

Consider this: I had the original vaccine, the first booster, and 2 days ago the latest booster, and I know about 10,000 times as much medicine as anyone posting that "death jab" idiocy.

Updated Guidance for COVID-19 Boosters for the Fall and Winter 2024–2025 Season
 

Of course! The big hype is over. No one takes precautions anymore and hasn’t for a few years. Get you vaccine and quit worrying about it. You get covid? well, then you got it.

Take your medicine! Now for my question, is the RSV shot from last year an annual thing, or a one-and-done?

According to CDC as of July 3, 2024:

"RSV vaccine is given as a single dose.

RSV vaccine is not currently an annual vaccine, meaning people do not need to get a dose every RSV season. If you have already received an RSV vaccine, you do not need another dose at this time.

If you have a moderate or severe illness, you should wait until you recover before receiving an RSV vaccine. If you have a minor illness, such as a cold, you can get an RSV vaccine."

I was a front line worker all through Covid until I retired in 2022, received all the shots and never got sick even when I was actively exposed. I haven’t had a booster in about a year and got Covid 2 weeks ago after a cruise, now I wish I would have got it. While I am testing negative I don’t feel great, have less than normal energy and a cough that is lingering.

Classic post hoc ergo propter hoc reasoning.
There is no "cause and effect".

Now for part 2: It is the healthy people who receive vaccines to PREVENT ILLNESS. If the goal was to have a plethora of sick people to "make money off of", no one would be spending billions to develop vaccines. Like I've already stated, unbelievable.

Here’s the latest info about Covid vaccines from the Florida Department of Health Updated Guidance for COVID-19 Boosters for the Fall and Winter 2024–2025 Season

My Dr said Covid booster only good for 3 to 4 months then loses strength, so if traveling over Christmas she suggested waiting till the end of October to get it, but get flu shot now.

I’m lucky, never had a flu shot in my life and it’s been over 15 years since I had the flu. I only seem to get an occasional sinus infection which goes away using a netti pot. Had covid once when it first came out and just tired for a week. A year later still had an immune against it as showed from a blood test. I think everyone is different and there’s no one fits all. I’ll continue for now with no shots of any kind. Too many friends got auto immune diseases soon after a vax and blood clots. Maybe a coincidence but everyone do what works for them! Obviously the vax is not stopping the spread, so do what you’re comfortable with for your own health.

Vaccine
 

Do the research before deciding.

The reward for getting an annual Covid booster vaccine for outweighs any risk. That said, if you're nervous, get a flu shot a week apart from Covid vaccination.

I get my annual flu shot but am done with Covid vaccine. I had my original 2 vaccines and a booster and still had Covid 3 times since 2020. The first time in 2020 it was like having a cold for 4 days the other 2 in 2021 and 2023 I had no symptoms at all yet the test said positive.

Pfizer vs Novavax
 

We just had our Pfiser COVID shots from CVS. My arm was sore and I felt fatigued for a day. Last year, we had the Novavax, which is protein based, and I had no side effects at all.

For me, the risk of getting COVID and getting hospitalized (or getting long COVID) outweighs the minuscule potential risks of vaccination. I believe that this technology is one the most stunning achievements in human history. These vaccines have been tested for safety and efficacy more than any other vaccines OR drugs. Sadly, over 230,000 American people died of Covid between June of 2021 and April of 2022 because they chose not to get vaccinated. 4 times more than the number of Americans who died in Vietnam war.

The current variants are less deadly but can still hit you like a ton of brick especially as you get older and your immune system gets weaker. Aside from age, recent COVID infection, and comorbidities, the severity of your illness would also depends on how many virus particles you get exposed to. The doze makes the poison so to speak. I choose not to play a Russian roulette with my health and get my shots.

Planning to get my flu shot in October to make it last through the holiday season.

:a20::a20::a20:

Got the new covid shot with no side effects. Both adult kids just got covid and it wasn't pleasant for them. One ran high fever and very sick for over a week. Both still tire easily. Both had covid in past and said this new strain is worse

Serious questions here.

I'm 76 with several comorbidities: coronary artery disease, asthma, cancer diagnosis that thankfully went no farther than removal of one small tumor and nothing since. My wife is 72 and healthy as a horse. We're active people: a lot of tennis, golf, walking, etc. We keep our weight down, keep in shape, and most of all keep a positive attitude.

From day one, neither of us wore masks unless mandated to do so. We made it a point to associate with people who didn't wear masks. We both had COVID early on: I got it in 2020 (didn't know it until after it was over and a blood test during my physical confirmed that I had it previously)--not fun but I've had worse cases of the flu. My wife had it a couple of months later--barely sick at all and didn't even think she had had it until, like me, a blood test confirmed it after-the-fact.

I had the shot (one) in early 2021, not because I thought I needed it but I have family up north in a state where any edict from the loonytunes who run the joint is possible and as I travel there relatively frequently I thought it best to have proof that I did have the shot. My wife has never had the shot.

Neither of us have had so much as a sniffle these past two years - plus.

I know quite a few folks who have had it (only one that has died, but that was because of a heart attack while he was in the hospital well on his way to recovering from COVID). An odd thing...seems as if the folks I know who feared it the most, many after the vaccine and booster, ended up the sickest when they DID catch it.

The questions :

1. What part does fear play in the course of a disease in an individual; and

2. Did the FEAR of COVID, as peddled by the powers-that-be, have a positive, neutral, or negative effect on the course of the pandemic overall?

Both interesting questions, but unfortunately it is an intangible postulate. Since we cannot quantify "fear", it is impossible to do a study to determine its effect either on individual illness or on a population.

Now, if you want something anecdotal, just look at the idiocy that fear of a vaccine produced in some previous posts on this thread.

My spouse and I had the original J&J shot but nothing since. Spouse had Covid once, thought it was Strep. I have not to my knowledge had it. All of the people I know who did not get the shots have not been sick and all of the people I know that did have all their boosters have had Covid multiple times and some were pretty sick. This is not scientific by any means but is good enough for me. I have trust issues.