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I had a call from my GP booking me in for my third covid vaccine, with the booster to follow in 6 months. I had been under the impression that the third vaccine was only for those immunocompromised but was told I am on the list due to having type 1 and rheumatology conditions. Has anyone else been offered the third vaccine due to having diabetes?
I thought the third vaccine was the booster which is available to all who were within the first 9 groups previously which includes everyone older than 50 and those with certain health conditions such as diabetes which make us more at risk.
Are you saying you will get a 3rd vaccine followed by a booster (4th vaccine) in another 6 months?
I haven't been called for my booster yet as it is not 6 months since I had my second jab.
I've been told (by GP receptionist) I will have the booster 6 months after having the third vaccine. This is why I am confused, I thought the same as you both. The dosage is apparently exactly the same, just that some people will have 4 jabs in total.
I suspect some confusion. At least, all we've heard so far from JCVI and NHS is the third dose for a small group of immunocompromised people and this booster (at least 6 months after the second dose) for (approximately, anyway) groups 1-9 from the original rollout.
(I say approximately because if the wanted to say it's groups 1-9 they could easily do so and they don't. So (to take a random example) it's not clear to me that people with diabetes under 50 will be offered a booster.)
I had my flu jab recently, and the nurse said she would be back in a few weeks for my Covid booster jab. Ive not heard anything about fourth jabs, sounds like someone has got confused at @Kel3's surgery.
I thought the third vaccine was the booster which is available to all who were within the first 9 groups previously which includes everyone older than 50 and those with certain health conditions such as diabetes which make us more at risk.
Are you saying you will get a 3rd vaccine followed by a booster (4th vaccine) in another 6 months?
I haven't been called for my booster yet as it is not 6 months since I had my second jab.
Wife was told last week she is due to have 3rd vaccine then booster later, she is on drug that compromises her immune system, dont know if it be offered to us with type 1.
I had my booster/third jab nearly a month ago. I’m immnuosuppressed ( no spleen) so was in the first batch. Not heard anything about a booster for the booster.
I got a letter from the NHS a few days ago (blue envelope) advising to get a third jab being vulnerable. It slightly confusingly says a third vaccination is not the same as a booster even though it is same medicine and if you have already had a booster it will count as your third vaccination. Maybe us vulnerable cases will be getting one every six months or yearly for the foreseeable future.
My friend and her husband (both immunosuppressed) have had the third first dose, then they will have the booster jab 6 months after that. They’ve been told that two doses isn’t sufficient for people with compromised immunity so they get a third dose of their first immunisation to take them to the same level of antibodies as 2 gives most people. Then they’ll get the booster 6 months later to pick up a reduction in immunity. Their NHS trust are using the terminology primary dose (2 or 3) and secondary booster to try and avoid the confusion it’s causing people, because understandably many people are very confused!
It's been suggested that a fourth dose may be needed, and possibly even more on an ongoing annual basis, much like the flu jab, to cope with variants.
(Having said that, I can't even get my third covid, I haven't quite reached the six month mark yet)
For some people that may be appropriate, but my guess is for most of us that'll only be for a year or two, and by then covid levels will be low enough that it's not such a risk. (Having antibodies is useful right now because ~1% of the population is infected and we want to reduce that. When it's less common, so long as we generate antibodies within a few days of exposure we should be OK.)
I've seen a suggestion that maybe the Pfizer vaccine (and likely others) ought to be thought of as a 3 dose vaccine rather than 2 dose because the booster is so effective compared to just the 2 doses.
For some people that may be appropriate, but my guess is for most of us that'll only be for a year or two, and by then covid levels will be low enough that it's not such a risk. (Having antibodies is useful right now because ~1% of the population is infected and we want to reduce that. When it's less common, so long as we generate antibodies within a few days of exposure we should be OK.)
I've seen a suggestion that maybe the Pfizer vaccine (and likely others) ought to be thought of as a 3 dose vaccine rather than 2 dose because the booster is so effective compared to just the 2 doses.
Just got an invite for mine, for a couple of weeks from now (which I think makes it 6 months and a couple of weeks from the second dose).
True, but flu is much more of a collection of variants, changing rather quickly. Covid seems much more stable and we have these really good vaccines. Maybe things'll look quite different in a couple of years but for the moment I'm pretty optimistic that while they may tweak the vaccines, they don't really need to, and most of us won't really need another dose.
True, but flu is much more of a collection of variants, changing rather quickly. Covid seems much more stable and we have these really good vaccines. Maybe things'll look quite different in a couple of years but for the moment I'm pretty optimistic that while they may tweak the vaccines, they don't really need to, and most of us won't really need another dose.
That's how I feel. I think one manufacturer (Moderna, maybe?) is already trialling a combined flu+covid vaccine, so maybe we'll all get that annually. And if so, fine.
