3rd Covid vaccine dose + booster

[Barry71]

Has anyone received a letter stating we should have a third does as part of the primary dose of vaccination that is separate to the booster. I got one this morning.

There is also info. on this here:

gov.uk/government/publicati...

[gillianTS]

Hi BarryI think it depends on the medications and volume of medication, for me I take less than the stated dose of 3mg per day of azathioprine, other medications have similar criteria and not just as simple as a lot of people first thought that taking an immune suppressant meant they would receive the 3rd covid vaccine opposed to the covid vaccine booster. I have been advised to tell the vaccination centre when I get called for my covid vaccine booster that I take immune suppressants because the criteria is ever changing.

[Barry71 in reply to gillianTS]

I'm 63.5kg and on 150mg of azathioprine a day. It also states in the JCVI info:Individuals with chronic immune-mediated inflammatory disease who were receiving or had received immunosuppressive therapy prior to vaccination, which would cover Behcet's, so maybe a combo of azathioprine with Behcet's?

I got my shielding letter 6 months late, so it is maybe worth people checking this.

[gillianTS in reply to Barry71]

I have checked quite a few areas for who is supposed to get the 3rd vaccine opposed to the booster and they all say the same as the JCVI which is who the UK is following, it states the following:

Advice:

At the current time, JCVI advises that a third primary dose be offered to individuals aged 12 years and over with severe immunosuppression in proximity of their first or second COVID-19 vaccine doses in the primary schedule. Severe immunosuppression at the time of vaccination is defined using the guidance and timings stated below.

2. Individuals on immunosuppressive or immunomodulating therapy at the time of vaccination including:

those who were receiving or had received immunosuppressive therapy for a solid organ transplant in the previous 6 months

those who were receiving or had received in the previous 3 months targeted therapy for autoimmune disease, such as JAK inhibitors or biologic immune modulators including B-cell targeted therapies (including rituximab but in this case the recipient would be considered immunosuppressed for a 6-month period), T-cell co-stimulation modulators, monoclonal tumour necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi), soluble TNF receptors, interleukin (IL)-6 receptor inhibitors, IL-17 inhibitors, IL 12/23 inhibitors, IL 23 inhibitors (note: this list is not exhaustive)

those who were receiving or had received in the previous 6 months immunosuppressive chemotherapy or radiotherapy for any indication

3. Individuals with chronic immune-mediated inflammatory disease who were receiving or had received immunosuppressive therapy prior to vaccination including:

high-dose corticosteroids (equivalent to ≥ 20mg prednisolone per day) for more than 10 days in the previous month

long-term moderate dose corticosteroids (equivalent to ≥10mg prednisolone per day for more than 4 weeks) in the previous 3 months

non-biological oral immune modulating drugs, such as methotrexate >20mg per week (oral and subcutaneous), azathioprine >3.0mg/kg/day, 6-mercaptopurine >1.5mg/kg/day, mycophenolate >1g/day in the previous 3 months

certain combination therapies at individual doses lower than above, including those on ≥7.5mg prednisolone per day in combination with other immunosuppressants (other than hydroxychloroquine or sulfasalazine) and those receiving methotrexate (any dose) with leflunomide in the previous 3 months

4. Individuals who had received high-dose steroids (equivalent to >40mg prednisolone per day for more than a week) for any reason in the month before vaccination.

Individuals who had received brief immunosuppression (≤40mg prednisolone per day) for an acute episode (for example, asthma / COPD / COVID-19) and individuals on replacement corticosteroids for adrenal insufficiency are not considered severely immunosuppressed sufficient to have prevented response to the primary vaccinati

I think we are on the same page Barry but perhaps read things differently. As far as I have been advised it makes no difference if I had been advised to shield previously, I am told it is all about what medications I take and the doses of those medications.

I also think it makes a difference if your health board recognises Behcet's, first lockdown mine initially recognised Behcet's, then I received a letter saying no need to isolate and then I received a further letter saying I should isolate...

I would love to know what I have left from the previous 2 doses of the vaccine but this is not something that is being routinely tested for so I just continued as I did when in lockdown with little interaction with others, nothing face to face, wear mask and gloves, continue to have my groceries delivered to home and run through all the hygiene for anything that comes into my home. The way things are with numbers increasing again it is a routine I am pleased to have continued with.

Take care.

[Barry71]

I have to work now all support has ended, and everything is open and "back to normal". I work at some packed venues, full of children, and I am usually the only one wearing a mask. To get a letter basically saying I needed a 3rd dose plus booster is a bit worrying, when my 2nd jab was 6 months ago. I'm 50 next month too, so age not on my side...

[Sherlock11 in reply to Barry71]

I'm almost 58, I have Behcet's + other auto-immune illnesses. I take Stelara, sulfasalazine+ maintenance pred of 7.5mgs (sometimes I take 10mgs )+ other meds. My local rheum told me recently I would be having a 3rd Pfizer dose, which I have just had and a booster dose in 6 months. I also received a letter from Aintree COE where I attend for the Behcet's stating the same.

[gillianTS in reply to Barry71]

Hi Barry, just wanted to send a quick update.

As I mentioned previously I had been advised to tell the vaccination centre when I get called for my covid vaccine booster that I take immune suppressants because the criteria is ever changing.

Today I had my appointment for the covid booster and mentioned the above asking had the JCVI changed the dosage of immune suppressants as I take Azathioprine and wished to know, the person went to enquire and came back saying they were changing my booster to a 3rd vaccination since if I required a further booster in future if things changed then I will now get called, I was told there's no difference at all between 3rd dose or booster only the fact you will get called back with a 3rd dose for a further booster or boosters if deemed necessary by the government. I was told my consultant or GP may change this if they think differently.

[Legomum]

Found this helpful chart from a GP on Twitter:

Guide to vaccine doses in UK in a one page table

[Retriever]

Yes I had my third primary dose a month ago. So far I’ve been able to keep covid at bay. Long May it last! M

[MrsR_75]

Hi Barry

I’ve just had my second booster. I take Azathioprine, so was on the immunosuppressed list. They said I was eligible no earlier than 3 months after first booster but up to 6 months after that was the general rule. For me it was 4 months. They gave it to me speedily as I have two children of school-age and it’s impossible to avoid/shield.

Hope all is well

[Barry71 in reply to MrsR_75]

Did you have 3 primary doses plus 2 boosters? I had my 3rd primary dose on 26th October last year and my booster on 26th Jan this year. It looks like I'm due another booster.

[MrsR_75 in reply to Barry71]

Yes I did. I had 2 x AstraZeneca as initial primaries with a Pfizer as third primary. 1st booster - Pfizer, 2nd booster-Moderna.