I just received this email from Tufts Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts and it's another confirmation as to who is really immunocompromised. I hope this helps some members of this forum who are on higher doses of Pred.
"Patient Update - Dear Tufts Medical Center and Tufts Children’s Hospital Community: On August 13, 2021 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided new recommendations for the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for moderately to severely immunocompromised people. The CDC now recommends a third dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for these individuals.
Tufts MC’s COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic at 276 Tremont Street is now administering third doses of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to moderately to severely immunocompromised individuals. If you meet the following criteria, you are eligible for a third dose:
* Are actively being treated for cancer
* Have received a solid organ transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system
* Have received CAR-T cell therapy
* Have received a stem cell transplant within the last 2 years or are taking medicine to suppress the immune system after a stem cell transplant
* Have moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (such as DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome)
* Have advanced or untreated HIV infection
* Are taking high-dose corticosteroids (i.e., the equivalent of 20 or more milligrams of Prednisone a day) or are taking other drugs that may suppress the immune response.
Why was an additional third dose recommended?
People who are moderately to severely immunocompromised are more likely to become very sick if they get COVID-19. They may also have a longer illness and may not get the same protection from two doses of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines as other people do. The available data suggests that they may receive more protection from a third dose of vaccine.
If you are immunocompromised:
Do I need to get the same vaccine I got for the first two doses?
Yes, the third dose should be the same vaccine as the first two. Those who got Pfizer for their first two doses, should get Pfizer for their third and the same with Moderna.
What if I got the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine?
At present, there are no recommendations for an additional dose of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine.
When should I get a third dose of vaccine?
The CDC recommends that the third dose be administered at least 28 days after receiving the second dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. Please consult with the physician who prescribes your immunocompromising medication to best assess the timing for your third dose.
Are there side effects to the third dose?
To date, the side effects reported after the third dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine were similar to what people experienced after receiving doses 1 and 2. Pain at injection site was the most commonly reported side effect. Most symptoms were mild to moderate and resolved within 3 days.
Can I stop wearing masks and social distancing if I get the third dose?
While the third dose of the vaccine may provide added protection, it is still recommended that you continue to wear a mask indoors in public spaces, anywhere that physical distancing by 6 feet is not possible, and continue to avoid crowds."
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Thanks, that is a very clear article. I did hear on the news this week that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine's efficacy did not reduce over time like the Pfizer and Moderna ones. Mind you they keep changing their minds so that might not be true next week!
Just read “US President Joe Biden has said third shots will be offered to all Americans from September 20”, so perhaps they are ignoring Tufts Medical Center?!
I have also just read this “AstraZeneca's antibody therapy has been found to prevent Covid in a late-stage study, paving the way for it to be potentially used as an alternative to jabs for those with weakened immunity”.
Don't see how they can tell yet - they didn't start using it until later. Someone said recently that part of the question relates to the time between the primer and booster shots - the longer gaps allowed a better second dose response and obviously the greater the response, the longer it takes to fall away to a level where it may not be enough.
So maybe the UK decision to have a 12 week gap may serendipitously been a good thing - unless it was TOO long and why they have reduced it to 8 weeks.
The latest webinar from Covid - posted yesterday did comment on the period between shots…and why Israel was now showing an increase in cases - 4 weeks between 1st & 2nd vaccines, whereas UK (mainly) 12 weeks.
I think they have decreased to eight weeks from twelve to get as many people vaccinated as quickly as possible no other reason! Being cynical again.If the new Astra Zeneca drug works it may be useful too. I don’t know how close it is to be being accepted for use though.
I assume the Astra Zeneca must be different somehow as they keep talking about it being revolutionary. Mind you that is the press! As you say the Roche one has already been OKed in UK. I will check as I really know very little about either.
Thanks for looking it up for me. Astra Zeneca have said they will not attempt vaccines again, I don’t blame them. I assume the Covid vaccine was a way of them getting into the vaccine market. I was wondering about the “born in” idea then thought no, but it is probably quite likely.
Read the links I put up for piglette a couple of comments up. It is NOT a vaccine, it was hoped to be a possible TREATMENTbut is looking more like a preventative if given after exposure and before symptoms develop.
I did actually do that before posting my question. mABs are being trialled in quite a few areas globally. But last year I remember an interview with a scientist from ICL about research in this particular area, but it seems to have gone ‘cold’.
Just read “US President Joe Biden has said third shots will be offered to all Americans from September 20”, so perhaps they are ignoring Tufts Medical Center?!
I know, I heard that too, the info given to us can be confusing and nothing about the approach to this pandemic has been very clear from day one.
I was able to read the article, thanks for sharing but it's a scary one. I was surprised it's a new article because some of the info is outdated."he said the argument in children had "already been won" as "40-50% have already been infected and most weren't ill or particularly ill". "
This is very misleading statement, here in the US we have a lot of sick children with the Delta variant and some are dying, not to mention long-haul Covid which the CDC has given up tracing. Just because it's not traced doesn't mean it doesn't exist and the next variant will be even deadlier unless the pharmaceuticals can figure out the next variant and have a vaccine ready, just like the flu.
"There is evidence of immune responses more than a year after infection" This one is wrong too with the breakthrough Covid cases we've seen in our areas. Maybe it works on the first Covid variant but not on Delta. This virus is getting stronger every time it mutates and I personally would rather not get it.
I hadn’t read that. I’m just back from blood test organised by virus watch. Will have results within two weeks and hope to have a clearer picture as to my antibody levels
I'm not sure they really know yet. When we were getting our first shots, here in the US, people on Prednisone weren't even included. The wording was very vague. I believe it said "people taking immunosuppressant drugs". Did that mean the stronger cancer drugs? So, at that point I didn't qualify for taking the shot, instead I took it with the majority of the population considering I was under 20 mg Pred. Also, in the beginning, it was said that Pred doesn't help with COVID-19 and it exacerbates the condition. Well, my sister-in-law was given 50 mg Prednisone when she came down with COVID. Luckily, she's ok now. I think the medical field is learning as we go along with the pandemic.
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