Moderna
Working on a booster as well - either another dose of the current authorized serum, a serum tweaked to better target African variant (.351), or a 50/50 mix of the above. They have yet to apply for an EUA for their booster.
Initial data from Moderna’s Phase 2 study in the U.S. showed that a single 50 µg dose of mRNA-1273 or mRNA-1273.351 given as a booster to previously vaccinated individuals increased neutralizing antibody titer responses against SARS-CoV-2 and two variants of concern, B.1.351 (first identified in South Africa) and P.1 (first identified in Brazil). A booster dose of mRNA-1273.351, the Company’s strain-matched booster, achieved higher neutralizing antibody titers against the B.1.351 variant of concern than a booster dose of mRNA-1273. Safety and tolerability profiles following third dose booster injections of 50 µg of mRNA-1273 or mRNA-1273.351 were generally comparable to those observed after the second dose of mRNA-1273 in the previously reported Phase 2 and Phase 3 studies. A manuscript describing these preliminary results was submitted as a preprint to medRxiv and will be submitted for peer-reviewed publication upon completion of the multivalent mRNA-1273.211 booster arm.
ASAP - 6 months from when I was fully vaccinated. There are walk in clinics all over the place - doesn’t matter what FDA says.
As soon as FDA gives the EUA for a booster shot.
I’ll get a booster dose if I expect to be engaging in higher risk activity, such as travelling or nightlife.
This is unexplored territory - I’ll hold off for a few months after FDA gives the EUA for a booster shot.
I’ll wait for full authorization for a booster shot. It might be quite a while (~6 months) after the EUA and others start getting boosters.
I don’t think boosters are necessary, but I’ll think about it again in a year or so.
Booster shot already? Oops, it slipped my mind and I’d need to get vaccinated first!
I’ll never risk getting vaccinated. Period.
0voters
Certain groups has been getting third doses already on their advice of the doctors, such as the immunocompromised. It appears to be safe. The booster round will be more interesting, as it may be possible to get a booster shot without waiting for the FDA. There should be no concerns about depriving others as there are abundant shots available in the US. In June, the U.S. inked an agreement to purchase another 200 MM shots from Moderna.
Created this to see what folk’s thoughts are, and to separate discussions from getting initial vaccination.
I continue to be baffled at how folowing the proper FDA approval process was deemed so essential last fall…
Isnt the effect of a third shot mostly common sense? The more you are exposed, the more your body reacts. The fact you need two shots to begin with only indicates that, contrary to popular opinion, the virus isnt all that particularly hard of most people to get rid of - a notion supported by the ongoing fact a majority of people with the virus never know they’re sick.
I continue to believe that the vaccine is perfectly fine, it is the propaganda leading up to the vaccine that continues insisting the vaccine is so damn essential that is the fallacy.
IMO it’s more of a balancing act for each person, and for the populace. On a population level, 3-4 instead of 2 doses for these who can get it means depriving half to one other person from receiving their initial doses. On a personal (ie. selfish) level, the rational thing would be to weigh the costs of another shot vs. benefits.
Sure, I’d expect exposure to do something similar. But there’s the risk of being the 5-10% with severe adverse effects, vs. the far less than 1% chance of severe effects with a known vaccine. There is no cost difference besides time. If Novavax (pre-produced spike proteins) live up to its promises - it should allow for a relatively less risk shot vs either the mRNA or viral vector vaccines.
That’s the entire purpose of a vaccine - the same exposure, but without the risk of a live infection. The body’s immune system reaction is the same either way. But the more exposure, regardless of how, means more of a response. Anyone recovered from an infection already has the equivalent of one, maybe even two, shots of vaccine. While yet another dose doesnt hurt, it’s also not particularly essential - which is why I still fail to understand why ‘not previously infected’ wasnt the first criteria for qualifying for a vaccine ration (yes, I have my theories as to why, but no one seems to like the implications).
I suspect there is a lot of correlation between the 10% with severe adverse effects from being infected, and the 10% for whom the vaccine is ineffective. Both represent to some degree, people with, for the lack of a better word, defective immune systems.
I don’t think it’s that. It’s just that when the virus is broken up and destroyed from the live virus form for use as a vaccine, there are lots little pieces, including stuff from the inside of the viral capsule. Many of those you can’t physically access when your antibody runs into a live virus in your body. Hence those are not useful in stopping the virus while it’s active, whereas the spike protein, and possibly some of the other exterior surface proteins, will result in antibodies that can help your body inactivate, or isolate and destroy, the live virus if it shows up.
Well duh there is none yet, they’re in trials. He said nothing about no need for booster. Just no immediate need. Of course you preemptively have a fake flip-flip attack already…
The whole of the US is one big trial. But many countries that used less effective non-mRNA based vaccines (AZN, Sinovac, etc) and already using or considering a 3rd dose of the same vaccine in hopes it will help patients who might otherwise be at higher risk.
If the US was finding old people dying again from covid, they might give an additional shot of the same vaccine to them to try to boost their immunity while waiting for more tailored vaccine updates for the newer variants.
Israel didn’t wait. They’re at >80% fully vaccinated so should have plenty of shots to go around.
It’ll be interesting to see Israel’s experience for 3rd shot recipients a bit down the line.
Not sure where they are living that they got AZN, but hopefully there’s some PFE available now if they want it. UK mix and match data show it’s safe enough and helpful in addition. If it was me and I was worried, I’d try to get it now rather than waiting around for government vaccine policy to catch up. They have a vested interest in saying AZN is good enough.
There’s a bigger gain between the efficacy of PFE vs AZN against Delta (85-90% vs 65%) than there was between the variant degradation of PFE against Wuhan Classic vs Delta (95% vs 85-90%).
“The enemy of a good plan is the dream of a perfect plan.”
What the heck is that? It sounds like a Socialist military toy.
What does that mean? There is no immediate need for hurricane insurance or, for that matter, preparation in SC. Do you mean we should wait until after the hurricane to prepare or get insurance?
I’m pretty sure the basic science says that more exposure is better. That’s only untrue with the live virus, because that type of additional exposure comes with the additional risks of what the virus can do to your body while being erradicated.
If you ignore the lack of FDA approval (which is a concept that has been endorsed since the first dose given back in December), if I were high risk I wouldnt hesitate to get an additional shot as soon as possible. And if it remains available, even a fourth and fifth dose. I’m sure the debate on additional doses will remain focused on necessity, not safety. Any risk was already incurred when getting the first shot, so there’s minimal downside to additional doses.
I continue to believe that for most Americans, the vaccine simply isnt necessary. But if you are in a high risk demographic, reminding your body this virus is an ongoing threat is a good thing. Keeping your immune system on high alert, so it can react swiftly to every exposure, maximizes your ability to fight off the live virus before it leverages your vulnerability.
Although I do suppose there is a risk that after too much exposure, your body will eventually realize that this vaccine isnt a threat. And thus it stops reacting at all, including to the live virus. So maybe it isnt so straightforward after all.
The latest booster PR from PFE is trying to promote a 3rd shot of the existing vaccine. Those trials are almost done and the results will be out by next month. This was what Fauci was expressing skepticism about needing. On that front, it’s important to read those articles with the understanding that antibody levels naturally fall after the direct vaccine exposure and that’s fine as long as your body’s immune system remembers how to make them as needed (which seems to be the case), so I agree that for everyone who had a normal immune response a 3rd shot “just to be safe” is probably unnecessary.
As for an India strain / delta specific formulation, they only just developed it and haven’t even started the trial, so that’s a long way off.
are developing an updated version of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine that targets the full spike protein of the Delta variant. The first batch of the mRNA for the trial has already been manufactured at BioNTech’s facility in Mainz, Germany. The Companies anticipate the clinical studies to begin in August, subject to regulatory approvals.
You’re looking at end of year for the updated booster most likely for that to be available. If I was worried being high risk and didn’t want to hide in my basement for the rest of the year, I’d get the PFE shot now and hope it provided enough additional protection (above and beyond the AZN) against anything I’d get exposed to in the meanwhile.
