If he doesn’t foresee any safety complications arising for people receiving a 3rd dose, why discourage it? I’m reading him talk in that article and all I’m seeing is him sitting on the fence.
So he’s pretty much saying “Don’t go out and get a Moderna booster yet, not until I say it’s okay and a bunch of people tell me it’s okay… But also, it’s okay.” 
I think he’s just trying to be responsible by saying that as a physician he recommends using immunization consistent with FDA guidelines, but that if you decide to go “we’re not waiting” a 3rd shot of full-strength Moderna probably won’t hurt you.
I would wait for a different reason. I’ve seen some hints that waiting longer may increase the durability of the immune response after the 3rd dose.
I got Pfizer for my initial vaccines, so I didn’t really hesitate to get my booster shot today. But I agree, if it hasn’t been confirmed nor denied then the results of efficacy are inconclusive.
It’s also currently mandatory at my job, being I’m in health care and work in a senior living community. If I had my own choice in the matter, I probably would’ve waited to receive the Moderna vaccine - and would’ve awaited authorized use of the 3rd. That’s just me personally, though. Unfortunately I had to deal with the cards I was dealt. Not the end of the world, at least it serves its primary purpose - I’ll be protected against covid.
@Boerenkool Thanks for posting this, I hadn’t seen it previously and it goes a long way to educating people, even those that refuse a vaccine! While I had considered different testing environs, I hadn’t thought of the variant exposure aspect. It’s natural to want “the best” and I credit the Mayor cited for backtracking once he understood the logic needing to be applied…would that more people would do likewise. It’s a shame we often accuse folks of “flip-flopping” when actually they’re doing what they should: adjusting their position based on the information available, often things they hadn’t thought of or a different perspective.
I got a booster of Moderna two days ago. Had an “ice pic” headache the afternoon and next day along with a foggy brain, slightly sore arm, and general malaise. Symptoms stayed for a second day, though the headache relented with some Tylenol. My bg’s were a little wacko, normal at times then running much higher (50-100 pts) than normal with a significant increase (1.5 - 3 times) in my normal Novolog requirements. This morning, nothing; I feel fine, BG between 99-128. I encourage all to get a booster when eligible and (given the video sent above) of whichever brand you had or care for.
Yes. In the US at present you are permitted to get anything you want as a booster (not second shot, for those vaccines that require it).
No; that doesn’t mean you can actually get anything you want. I went to my family practioner, having repeatedly said what I wanted, waited in the dingy new waiting area, and then was told by someone who I can’t describe politely that I wasn’t permitted to get what I wanted (this was a lie).
So I 'phoned round. Walmart were doing walk-in boosters. I walked in, I was boosted, with what I wanted - you can have “any approved vaccine you want.” Same day, no pain, no beurocracy, no person in a peaked hat doing her job to the death. Walmart have now moved to appointment only (actually, they did that on the day after I got it…)
So, in some ways, “yes”; if you are eligible for a booster (+6 months in the US; today, if you are over 18, in the UK), anything you want. I got my second Moderna April 29 so I was eligible on and after October 29, after making the mistake of using my family practioneer I got the JnJ booster on November 30.
Boy, am I glad I fought for it.
In our large HMO they had a shot clinic, and you could stand in any of the three lines depending on which booster you wanted. They didn’t care. Was kind of nice to have the choice honestly.
Indeed. Alas I live in a quaint part of south west Oregon; I had to drive 52 miles, there and back, to get what I wanted. The local clinic (which I visited first) said they would do whatever I wanted, but only on Thursday.
The town I live in…all the Walgreens, CVS’s and the like ONLY carried Pfizer booster shots so even if I wanted something different I would have had to travel more. Since Pfizer is reporting great protection against Omicron, I jumped at getting the Pfizer booster. Since you can mix-and-match according to the smart people (scientists), I was happy to get it.
Eric, what I have read is slightly different. I read that the “Booster” vaccine is actually 1/2 the strength of the 2 previous ones. But apparently, you can go in and say you’re Joe Schmoe and get the first version/strength vaccine if you prefer/believe that it is necessary. I am not clear of the reasons for this, especially bc of all the new variants coming Stateside, but it is what it is.
and btw, there are many groups of people here in Brooklyn who do NOT believe in getting the shots (particularly the Hasidic and Ultra Orthodox Communities). They believe in Herd Immunity instead. I will leave my opinion out of this.
That’s true for the Pfizer booster, not Moderna.
BTW A friend in AZ had a heck of a time finding a pharmacy that administered the J&J vaccine, which is the only type she can have due to an adverse reaction to the mRNA type.
Thats interesting. I read that it was exactly the same for the Moderna as it was for the Pfizer. It was my understanding that the Pfizer is not as strong as the Moderna either, and that the Moderna offers more protection due to its strength. I could be way off base here, but that is what I could swear I read and understood.
Thats an awful shame. But on the TV news (NYC “infomercials”) doctors are encouraging people to get their booster vaccinations and that it makes no difference which brand you follow up with; you dont need to be consistent between the company brands. I will keep your friend in my prayers 
As for myself, I had a God-awful reaction to the booster, despite all info otherwise. I was laid up for 10 days in bed. I felt like I had a terrible flu but without a fever. Now I feel 100%, but it was truly rough going. I even had a CoVid test done just to rule it out as a possibility.
This might help understanding:
The 75% figure in there comes from UK figures, reported previously by the beeb a couple of days ago, that showed about 75% protection against COVID-19 (meaning no obvious symptoms) for Pfizer and AstroZeneca - the UK doesn’t have sufficient data about Moderna but it is assumed to be the same as Pfizer.
To clarify, the Moderna booster dose is half the amount of doses 1 and 2. Administration Overview for Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine | CDC
Whereas the Pfizer booster is the same amount as the two initial doses. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/info-by-product/pfizer/downloads/Pfizer-Dosage-Chart.pdf
The J&J booster is also the same size as the original dose. Administration Overview for Johnson & Johnson's Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine | CDC
Bear in mind that the CDC information is US specific. I don’t think it matters for dosages because those are determined by the manufactures but it does matter for dose intervals; other countries have chosen not to follow manufacturers guidelines.
Such is the case with Canada, where in some provinces the period between 1st and 2nd doses was as long as 3 months.
Canada also decided that mixing and matching vaccines was okay (primarily because of a host of issues related to the AstraZeneca vaccine meant the public was reluctant to take it).
Unfortunately, there has been no Canadian data released assessing the vaccine efficacy of either the delayed dosing or the mix and match population.
Depending on the province you reside in, they’re only now starting to offer 3rd dose boosters to older people who had their 2nd dose at least 6 months prior. This has only just begun, a result of the Omicron variant.
There is data on delaying the first dose I think from England. Seems to have worked okay and may even be a more optimal dosing schedule. But for everyone, we’ll probably need boosters regardless because omicron is so resistant to current vaccines.
Many scientists aren’t even referring to the booster as a booster… They are referring to it as the third vaccine dose because it really does provide much higher levels of protection than just the first two doses.
Herd immunity is a valid strategy. It just comes at a very very high cost. Personally, I think the cost is way to high to pursue that strategy, but clearly some feel differently. On a side but related topic, I think things in the US would be a bit saner if we followed what they are doing in many European countries where a positive PCR test is just as valid as a vaccination for the 6 months following that PCR test. Then we would have a much more accurate estimate of a rolling immunity in our communities, since it appears that nothing is going to give us permanent immunity to this one.
As a keeper of livestock, we always used the phrase, herd immunity, in reference to the immunity incurred to the 1 to 5% unvaccinated by the 95 to 99% vaccinated animals. The unvaccinated have some immunity because the vaccinated aren’t infectious.
The idea that herd immunity comes from being infected is just immoral.