From what I have heard, it seems like the XBB.1.5 vaccines are now readily available if you are not picky about which brand to get. But if you do want a specific brand, it seems somewhat more difficult to find, especially if you want Novavax. Seems like Novavax was late now as it was before, so (under the new commercial ordering instead of government distribution) most providers stocked up on Pfizer or Moderna initially for their expected usage, probably meaning that they did not want to order much or any Novavax due to not wanting to pay for excess doses that would not be used.
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Ouch…
Although afterward, you may want to wait 4-6 months before getting a booster, so it will do more good then instead of getting it when your antibodies are still high shortly after infection.
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I was looking at our local pharmacies. Walgreen’s offers only Pfizer. CVS has both Moderna and Pfizer. They also have this note:
Trying to schedule a Novavax vaccine? Novavax vaccine is carried at all locations. Appointments are not required. Visit the location of your choice and talk with the Pharmacist in person. Continue scheduling your appointment online for a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.
All but my last bivalent were Moderna; that last was Pfizer. I was fine with both other than sore arms, which I now know how to mitigate by placement of shot. My last booster was 6/19/2023 so I guess I am good to go if I want to. There are no events ahead for me but son is visiting in early December for a week so maybe I’ll go in right after Thanksgiving. Than will give it 12 days to rev up.
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Although this isn’t peer-reviewed, this study is intriguing:
Also in the article is information on the low uptake of flu and covid vaccines. <33% of children and <35% of adults have gotten a flu shot. <5% of children and <14% of adults have gotten the updated covid shot.
Most of the US apparently doesn’t believe in covid shots anymore. Now more people are apparently deciding not to bother with the flu shot.
I wonder if pregnant women are getting the RSV shot? There was already a low uptake of the covid shot with them. (Yes, I realize that there is a very narrow timeline for pregnant women to get the shot - between 32 and 36 weeks, I think. But since there is a shortage of the RSV antibody recommended for all newborns, for many babies they will be getting some immunity from their mother’s vaccination or nothing.)
ETA: I just saw somewhere else that 13.5% of adults 60+ have gotten the RSV vaccine.
To start I’ll say I’m a huge supporter of vaccines/immunization for all ages.
I don’t know if people don’t believe in Covid vaccines, I think some people are just vaccine weary. Questioning - now that Covid is still here but NOT as overall a crisis/serious - and taking a breath to think “is it ok to be pumping all those vaccine cocktails in my body so often?” So rather than jumping in line, they are giving a little more pause.
Additionally we like convenience. In 2021 you could access Covid vaccines so easily…at work, schools, community centers, drive through parking lots! Now it’s not as convenient- people are lazy!
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A lot of people say they are done with COVID and believe COVID is done with them. I feel for the ones who are wrong. I hope my dad is not in that group.
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According to this, most people don’t care if they get covid, and don’t care if they spread it.
My older sis got the 7th shot before her trip to Australia/NZ and still got covid for the 1st time when she returned from the trip. She says she feels pretty good and it was a mild case. She did take Paxlovid.
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In my extended family, there seems to be a difference in vaccine acceptance between those who have gotten COVID (some multiple times) and those who have not had COVID at all.
I believe the national data is still somewhere around 25% for people who have never had COVID. That’s the approximate percentage in both my work place and in my extended family.
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I have not yet gotten the Covid booster due to vaccine burnout, and we are supposed to go to a restaurant tonight with a group of 17 people from my high school. We’ve been out and about quite a bit, eat out regularly, but this seems risky to me, since we’ll be talking to all those people. Can’t get out of it, but maybe we’ll try to just visit for a little. I would hate to get Covid for Thanksgiving travel!
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Quite a few folks got Covid in July-August, so those folks, including us, are just starting to get their shots because it has been recommended to wait 3-4 months after the infection.
Now… we need to get Shingrix. Not looking forward to that experience, so have been waiting. I know, not smart.
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Well yeah, you gotta do the Shingrix. Just make sure you don’t do anything the next day but laze around at home. Get your food and Tylenol ready (or whatever they recommend) and binge watch those shows you’ve been meaning to watch. The misery goes away quickly (from what I’ve heard/experienced), it just disappears without lingering. Hopefully you’ll have a mild response.
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November is usually a big month for flu vaccines, we will see if the vaccination increases to be more in line with norms:
I agree with abasket that it seems some have become vaccine weary. I am a strong vaccine supporter too and always get flu vaccine, even in years where there’s a mismatch to the circulating virus. This year the flu vaccine seems to be a match, so people should get it.
I received my 6th covid shot a month or so ago and it knocked me down hard for a day. While I am happy for the immune response, it did get me thinking how many more times I am going to get it. Of course if there were a new mutation where previous infection/vaccination didn’t provide any immunity, I would get any covid vaccine that is effective against the new mutation.
For now, I am not going to get the RSV vaccine as I don’t have any risk conditions.
The RSV vaccine for 60+ can be tough to find…mostly only at pharmacies as many physician offices haven’t bought it because it can be hard for them to estimate demand (and it’s expensive for them to carry inventory). There are also gaps in insurance coverage, especially for those 60-64 who aren’t on Medicare.
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I got the RSV vaccine not due to fear for myself but in the hope we can reduce transmission to babies if more people are vaccinated. I would not wish on anyone what we went through when our nine-week-old son got it in 1995. I had no difficulty getting the vaccine quickly.
And I do not understand the concept of “vaccine burnout.” It takes what, maybe an hour if you’re unlucky, and then a little unpleasantness? I find mammograms to be more annoying, but I never skip one. I guess I look at risk/benefit when I make decisions.
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I commend all of the 65+ folks who are getting RSV vaccine as it means they will be less likely to transmit germs to babies. My D took 2 1/2 month old grandson to pediatrician yesterday and was told the RSV vaccine for babies would likely not be available anywhere in Nashville this season - manufacturer rollout of this new vaccine has evidently been somewhat of a disaster. Also saw a local news story on lack of availability last week, so I suppose this anecdotal bit is true.
I guess if all you think is that it’s just a little bit of time and then a little bit of unpleasantness, you wouldn’t understand “vaccine burnout”. But there’s more to it than that, there’s wondering about what is the impact of the cocktail of whatever that they’re sticking into your body this time (particularly with vaccines that don’t have a long history), hoping that there isn’t any contamination from the needles and sloppy medical practices, hoping you’re not one of the few people who will get a really bad reaction, hoping they aren’t going to discover new consequences to new vaccines.
If you think that there’s only an upside to getting constant vaccinations, then you wouldn’t be concerned, but many people do have worries about this, which is why it would be awesome if they are successful at creating longer lasting vaccines, so people aren’t avoiding them entirely.
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I agree it’s a decision influenced by each person’s experiences. I expect if someone had been family or friend of one of the women who died from the JNJ covid vaccine (a rare occurrence but nonetheless it happened), this could impact their viewpoint. Or any of a number of other vaccine side effects, all rare, yet they happen.
Vaccine fatigue is well documented in the literature, in the baby/child population well before covid, and in adults during/post covid.
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The CDC announced yesterday that they are releasing another 77,000 doses of the infant RSV shot. Hope some makes it to Nashville for your grandbaby
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In Oct I had vaccines for flu, Covid, and RSV spaced by 10 days -2 wks each. A little punk for hours 12-36 after Covid, a little bit punk but less for about 8 hours the day after RSV. Little grandkids, including a newborn, in our life plus we lead a social life. My dr. recommended all 3. Just last week a friend, somewhere in the 65-70 age range, had to go to the hospital - was RSV. First time I was aware of that in an adult I know. (He’s recovering well)
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Sorry about your friend and RSV. Was he vaccinated? I got vaccinated about a month ago and husband got vaccinated a couple of hours ago!
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