Boosters

colly10

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118261645#Comment_118261645

Also an issue in Austria -

The 1-dose vaccine by Johnson & Johnson is only valid until 3 January 2022, after that date a booster jab is required as well.

I asked the crowd responsible for our covid certs yesterday if they'll be updated and was told:

Unfortunately, at the current moment we are not issuing or updating current vaccine certs with the booster vaccines. Once we are notified of any changes regarding this matter it will be announced on https://www.gov.ie/en/ We would like to apologize for the inconvenience caused.

I can't even imagine it would be that difficult to do, we're always last minute on everything

Sure we'll do it in a big rush at the last minute and in the most confusing way possible.

I can't understand why they didn't just put everything into that portal they used for booking your vaccines. It's still open and could easily have downloadable certs and ability to accept, cancel and amend booster appointments.

Wibbs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118262050#Comment_118262050

That's the initial rush you always see on the back of government advice on such matters and in the demographics that are by a huge margin the most vulnerable to this virus, the over 60's, the underlying conditions people and the immunosuppressed. In the medium to long term the rest of the population could well be more resistant, or more like feck it, couldn't be arsed. Doubly so with government advisors ramping up their clear bloody nonsense about further restrictions and the fatigue around that.

Of the people I know, the older and health compromised have all gone for or are waiting for boosters, but in the under 60's who are already vaccinated, all but two are either set against more boosters or adopting a wait and see attitude. The most resitant are among the J&J vaccine recipients who want more of the same or nothing as they're dead set against the mRNA vaccines for various reasons. I'd be in that latter group. If I can't get a J&J booster(which Id be 100% willing to pay for) or another non mRNA vaccine I simply won't be getting a booster.

colly10

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118262228#Comment_118262228

We'll do it after a rake of people have to cancel flights or are being refused entry while travelling and it starts to get media attention. We're a shambles, last minute suggests we'll sort it before it's a problem ... we won't

The government communication is piss poor at the moment and quite patronising, but I wouldn't really be of the view that viral vector vaccines have any particular advantage over mRNA, however each to their own.

It remains to be seen what the turnout will be, but I'd suspect somehow it'll be fairly high, certainly based on talking to most people I know anyway.

sunbabe08

So I got my 3rd booster last week and all they gave me was a card to say that I got the booster. Im flying to Spain in 3 weeks. Will they accept that card or is the original 2 vaccine passport still valid?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118262145#Comment_118262145

They will eventually and certainly before the summer

But currently, not adding it,you can take as another defacto deter travel policy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118262310#Comment_118262310

I suppose you've read the latest survey published in the Lancet ?

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-59489988

Wibbs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118262903#Comment_118262903

Yup. I've also read J&J's(and others) trials on boosting with that vaccine.

1) even the single dose provided "strong and long-lasting protection in the real world" and over nearly 400,000 subjects and against Delta.

2) The studies into the booster with J&J indeed showed a twelvefold increase in antibodies when given at six months, a much higher return than when given at three months.

After lots of reading last year I chose the J&J viralvector vaccine over the mRNA offerings and when it comes to boosters I'll choose the same way(or if others get to market in the interim) but will not accept an mRNA vaccine as a booster. Simple as that.

Lumen

@Wibbs, you're cherry picking evidence to suit your bias, which hinges on your fringe theories about mRNA vaccine safety.

I don't intend to root around over your various lengthy posts, but I'm fairly sure you've argued that antibodies are less important than other aspects of immunity (T-cells or whatever) when presenting research that focuses on Janssen's durability, and now you're posting a J&J press release focusing on antibodies.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118263008#Comment_118263008

Is that not a tad out of date? Last July it ended like,before a real world booster campaign started,even in the USA

Your reason for not accepting an mrna booster seems Niche to me

To each their own I suppose

I certainly wouldn't be letting my immunity run down in a desire to get j&j,especially if omicron ignores past infection, which we're already hearing it does

But then I'm only here to give my opinion

You make your own choices and take the consequences good or bad

Wibbs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118263202#Comment_118263202

I only posted that because the trend has been heavily focused on antibodies to little else of late. Before the talk of boosters that first kicked off out of Israel they were much less in play. Which is hardly a shock as levels of antibodies with any vaccine against any virus drop off over time, some faster than others. You're likely lifetime immune to measles either through childhood infection or vaccine. What do you reckon the levels of measles antibodies are in your blood today when compared to a couple of months post vaccine/infection? Plus if I were mad for bumping up antibody levels I would get a much bigger hit of same if I waited six months rather than three.

Both antibodies and immune memory are important. High antibody levels reduce infections, but drop over a few months. High immune memory cells reduce serious disease and death and last much longer. If we're ever going to live with this virus in the background, because we almost certainly can't make it go extinct, it is my opinion that immune memory is the way to do it.

As for fringe theories; mRNA technology is in its infancy in human models. Fact. It went from a magic bullet to oops in pretty short order, until they went into vaccines because of the lower risks of side effects(even if that was a much lower return on investment). Fact. Other than vaccines almost all of the other mRNA therapies for other conditions were halted at animal trials because side effects were too high. Fact. Moderna who are the poster boy for the tech after over a decade of research and large investment have only one single commercial mRNA product, their vaccine. Fact. Longterm risks by definition can't be judged by short term observations. Fact.

Do I think they will be a problem? I doubt it, but I can't say. Opinion. I have no issue with anyone else going for such vaccines/boosters, I chose not to. Opinion.

Wibbs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118263222#Comment_118263222

I certainly wouldn't be letting my immunity run down in a desire to get j&j,especially if omicron ignores past infection, which we're already hearing it does

IMH the important part for society going forward is much less about infection, but what that infection results in. So far omricon is more infectious but protection against serious illness in the vaccinated has stayed high. While infection rates went up because of dropping antibody levels, all vaccines retained strong efficacy against serious illness and death, except in the elderly and the immunocompromised who have much weaker immune responses and shorter immune memories. Unless a vaccine comes along that keeps antibody levels very high, which no vaccine or infection has ever done, or the virus itself mutates into a common cold like bug and infects the world driving out the dangerous variants, then we'll be into boosters every six months if we want to keep infection levels low. If we want to live with this like a "bug going around" it's the latent long lasting protection against serious illness and death which overstress hospitals which will do it, with boosters for the ones who need them. Not unlike the flu today.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118263393#Comment_118263393

Ultimately

However if you've to recruit and train 7 nurses for each just one extra icu bed,boosters are going to be quasi mandatory for quite some time

Has anybody here been given a booster appointment but decided not to get it? I wonder do they keep sending new appointments or if you're a no show is that it.

SusanC10

Which Age Group / Cohort are they doing now for Boosters ?

Is it 50+ and Cohort 4/7 ?

Husband and I are in mid/late 40s and are hitting 5 months now.

Heighway61

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118268082#Comment_118268082

Wondering the same. Think I pass on Pfizer appointment in the hope of Moderna at a later date.

Heighway61

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118268099#Comment_118268099

Think it's 60+ and 16-60 with pre-existing conditions.

Rket4000

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118268082#Comment_118268082

I got an appointment for a booster at a MVC that wasn't convenient for me. I booked an appointment in a local pharmacy and didn't attend the MVC (the form for cancellation was no good as it didn't cover the scenario that I booked in a pharmacy). When I didn't attend the MVC I got a text telling me I would get another text with another appointment.

I rang the HSE helpline and explained. The lady said she would pause any further appointments (just in case the pharmacy appointment didn't pan out for whatever reason) but once I got vaccinated and the pharmacy uploaded the details that'll be the end of it.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118268099#Comment_118268099

Some chemists are doing 50 to 59 without pre conditions

Gorey and Macroom are two that I know of

Happydays2020

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118268099#Comment_118268099

Also in that category but the pace of boosters is not particularly fast so i am banking on being offered it in February or even March.

fits

Does anyone know if a test for antibodies can distinguish between those from vaccine and infection? Suspect we had covid in house a few weeks ago with positive antigen tests and typical symptoms. But pcr tests were negative. Would like to know before we decide on boosters now.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118269505#Comment_118269505

Some tests target antibodies against the N protein which would indicate a prior infection.

Not sure if anywhere in Ireland does them. Most I've seen advertised target the S protein which can't differentiate between infection and vaccination.

fits

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118269611#Comment_118269611

Thank you. Information online is very scant.

husband was knocked out by second dose and also whatever he had that gave three positive antigen tests. So if he doesn’t need the booster for a while it would be nice to know.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118269776#Comment_118269776

Omicron seems to evade previous covid infection antibodies according to the south Africans

So I would get a booster shot when it's offered if I were you

ceegee

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118268498#Comment_118268498

Very unlikely that it will take until February for your age group to be offered a booster, based on the current rate of boosters, probably by first 2 weeks of January based on my (very rough) calculations

Wibbs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118269830#Comment_118269830

It also seems to be evading vaccine induced antibodies too as from the cases I've read that have popped up in Europe so far all were vaccinated, some recently had boosters too. The two Israeli doctors for example.

What matters in practical terms is the result of a positive infection. Mild? Carry on. Serious? Big concern. Currently we simply don't know.

There are other factors too. For example some studies on vaccine efficacy in SA when compared to the US showed lower efficacy in SA subjects. Some have hypothesised that SA with it's HIV problem may have more people with lowered immune systems in the population. Some have suggested that this Omicron variant may have arisen in an immune compromised patient where it takes time for the body to clear the virus and leads to more mutations because of that. Not necessarily in SA of course. They were the first to report it, not necessarily the origin site. Much like "Spanish" flu got its name because it was widely reported there unlike in the rest of wartime Europe because of media censorship.

Yes all of the above

I'd still get my free booster jab

Better looking at it than looking for it in the current circumstances

Happydays2020

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118269846#Comment_118269846

Hope you are right. I suppose a month late is a positive HSE result.

LeeroyJ.

Does anybody know how to access the booster for the under 50s in group 4/7?

I was vaccinated in early May so going on 8+ months now but from what I can tell the only group being offered boosters are 60+?