Two doses are likely good enough. Yes boosters help but it's clear that the standard two dose regimen effectively eliminates most of the risk from COVID. Don't get me wrong, I got my booster back in early November, and will likely get my 4th dose in March or whenever Novavax is being administered (I refuse to get AstraZeneca or Pfizer now that I got those).
And it has been mentioned by at least two CHOs that none of the ICU patients in Australia were tripple dosed.
It would be interesting to see what vaccine they got. Was it AstraZeneca, Pfizer or Moderna? Did they receive two doses of the same vaccine or was it a mix? Did they receive them in short succession or were they spaced out? A lot of folks are focusing on the high level numbers and not the details and nuance that likely matters here.
My general approach when it comes to the vaccine is to always choose a different vaccine technology at each point I can get vaccinated and try to spread out the vaccines too. Thus far I got vector (two doses of AZ as prime doses), mRNA (one dose of Pfizer as booster). I will likely get the protein vaccine next (Novavax). My thinking (and
confirmed by other reports) is by exposing my immune system to a different technology each time I get vaccinated it will develop a more comprehensive immune response than had I done what others had done (e.g. 3 doses of Pfizer). Spacing out vaccines has also been shown to do things. First, it allows the
immune system to mount a more robust immune response and second, it
may reduce your risk of developing myocarditis and other complications since you aren't overwhelming your body at once. Indeed, this was one of the reasons I chose AstraZeneca over Pfizer when I was eligible to get vaccinated back in April, as the Department of Health only had that 12 week spacing guidance for the AstraZeneca vaccine. One final thought about vaccines, get them as soon as you're eligible. I got mine in April and that afforded me the luxury to space out my second dose to the recommended 12 week interval for AZ. It also meant that I got my booster in early November about 4 months after the 2nd dose (so likely no risk for myocarditis) and fortunately giving me enough time to build an immune response before Omicron took hold in the state.
Unfortunately today NSW reported deaths in boosted people, I expect those people had underlying conditions but Dr Chant wont state that due to privacy, however I think they can safely divulge whether deaths were from covid only (no underlying conditions) vs with covid (serious comorbidities) without breaching privacy.
From ABC blog today:
Of those that died, 12 were women and 20 were men
- Three people were in their 40s, three in their 60s, eight in their 70s, 11 in their 80s and seven in their 90s
- 23 of those who died had had two doses of a vaccine, one had one dose, eight were unvaccinated, and five had had a booster
Dr Chant recognised requests for more information on deaths to better understand underlying health issues, however she said she would not be changing her daily released of information due to confidentiality issues. Instead, she said, she would regularly provide "a little bit more information on the types of conditions people have"
Good to see COVID deaths being broken out by vaccination status but somewhat troubling to see that many were vaccinated. Whilst most of these people were older adults, none of them deserved to go through this cough. I wonder what NSW Health and state health authorities are doing to protect those at risk? Are they being provided with N95 respirators to keep them safe in their nursing home? If they do test positive are they getting treatment right away from COVID where we know early treatment in high risk groups leads to better clinical outcomes?
Agree, whats becoming increasing apparent is that we cannot vaccinate our way out of the pandemic. There is already talk of a 4th dose. Governments all over the world made promises that getting vaccinated would solve everything. The "lets get back to the things we love" advert is a good example.
We've had two years of the pandemic and yet i have not seen any specific CV19 messaging targeting general health / fitness / diet etc, yet we are still bombarded with the same junk food adverts. We know obesity / fitness / general health is a factor in hospitalisations.
The
US Army respectfully disagrees with your statement that we cannot vaccinate our way out of the pandemic. They just developed a vaccine that can target all coronaviruses. Yes it still needs to go through further clinical trials but if true this could be our silver bullet out of the pandemic.
I agree though that the messaging on COVID needs to change beside just getting vaccinated. Wearing a good quality mask (e.g. P2 respirator) instead of the silly cloth masks we see, washing your hands regularly, particularly before you eat, practicing social distancing, taking supplements, going outdoors more where COVID cannot survive all play a key role.
Well if you suffer from RA or other condition which knowingly impacts immune response, better to assume your vaccination is less effective than in a healthy person.
It would be great to actually be able to get a blood test to confirm sufficient immunity the way you can with other viruses like Hep B, but no one seems to have landed on an agreed measurement or be offering anything other detecting if you have any (not necessarily adequate) antibodies.
As stated previously i don't consider 2 jabs fully vaccinated unless than 2nd jab was less than 5 months ago; wait and see the government change the definition as is occurring overseas.
The chances of coming into contact with an unvaccinated person given they are excluded from only some venues is still reasonably high, more so if you go to places that children go to since under 5s cant get vaccinated, only about 15% of 5-11s have had 1 doses (less than 2 weeks ago) and the 11-15 double dose rate has stalled below 80%. So the risk is larger than the 6% of 16+ who are unvaccinated.
I think we can all agree that different people in the community will have different risk factors and acceptance of risk. What is crucial is that we all make those determinations rather than living in fear all the time. One of the things I won't get over is the dumb stay-at-home orders that took effect on June 26th, 2021, the day I received my second dose of AstraZeneca. I was no risk to the community at that point and had a great deal of protection against Delta but was imprisoned in my home. Ever since those orders disappeared I got onto the travel websites and booked travel I have missed ever since the start of this dumb pandemic.
But don't get me wrong, I am a high risk patient (auto-immune disease taking immunosuppressants), if I get COVID it could very well be game over for me. What is different is I've put as many layers of protection as possible between me and COVID whilst living my life normally. If I'm in an enclosed space for a prolonged time, the P2 respirator and safety glasses go on. I practice social distancing, choosing times where I suspect fewer people will be where I am (when possible). I board planes at the very last minute to avoid gate lice and usually am seated in J or in the first row if JQ to again limit the bad air I'm breathing in. In terms of risk, it's hard to say what activities put us at more risk for COVID than others. Interestingly most of the COVID-19 exposure warnings I've received so far have been from supermarkets and not the cafes I work at for hours on end outdoors. Staying outdoors is one of the main weapons I have against COVID since again you can't get COVID outdoors
There are now well documented OTC medicines which at worst slow the progression of viral infections including covid. No one should now be sent home with "let's see what happens".
RA diagnosed people are a different issue. The next rheumatologist appointment will have a request to discontinue the methotrexate and restart the hydroxychloroquin. A number of my medically trained friends think this would be a "good idea".
Directions are sometimes useful in wandering
Fred
PS I did say OTC in the first case.
As someone who is allergic to over two dozen things and takes antihistamines (and immunosuppressants) year round but still gets the occasional runny nose, I can tell you that at this point with COVID being as endemic as it is now I'm leaving little to chance now. I'm taking a rapid antigen test once a week regardless of symptoms. Partly to protect others I work with but mainly to protect myself since again, for those in a high risk group the quicker you spot COVID the quicker you can get treatment and avoid the nasty consequences of it.
-RooFlyer88
