Advice re covid jab

[Ana-16]

I had Covid in early September. Not sure when to go for booster. I think I should wait for a few months. Any thoughts ?

[PMRpro Ambassador]

The advice varies - but most suggest it should be at least a month after a Covid infection and a postive test. However, the government guidance for the NHS vaccination programme says

"If you are unwell, wait until you have recovered to have your vaccine. There is no need to wait 4 weeks after having had COVID-19, provided you are well. You should not attend a vaccine appointment if you think you could be infectious to others."

gov.uk/government/publicati...

[Ana-16 in reply to PMRpro]

Thank you. That’s interesting. I’m sure my gp said wait for 6 months! I think maybe three months should be ok especially with winter upon us.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Ana-16]

It may have been 6 months originally before they studied how the immune response fades after a natural infection - it certainly doesn't provide as much protection as a vaccine and they are recommending 6 months after a previous vaccine.

[Ana-16 in reply to PMRpro]

I wonder if she meant to say 6 weeks. Anyway I will be booking my booster asap

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to Ana-16]

I had spring booster in May - about 4 weeks after I'd had Covid [quite mild fortunately] with no issues whatsoever... think you GP was confusing with the recommended time between boosters!😏

[Ana-16 in reply to DorsetLady]

Thanks. That seems feasible x

[Orange_2022 in reply to Ana-16]

Might be because the natural immunity from having Covid is apparently about 6 months (according to something I heard recently about some research into vaccine vs natural immunity).

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Orange_2022]

Any acquired immunity is only for the version you caught - it will be less for any others.

[Orange_2022 in reply to PMRpro]

Yes....seems reduced for Omicron and its variants. I had Delta (before my PMR started). thelancet.com/article/S0140...

[scrambledegg]

I had my booster just today. I was asked if I’d had covid in the last 4 weeks.

[Ana-16 in reply to scrambledegg]

Thanks for letting me know

[Grannymiaow]

I had my booster three weeks after covid with no ill effects.

[Ana-16 in reply to Grannymiaow]

Thank you for letting me know. Hope to have mine on Monday.

[Meggs01]

I also had covid early September. I had my flu booster after 3 weeks and my covid booster after 6 weeks

[Ana-16 in reply to Meggs01]

Thank you for letting me know. Hope to get mine on Monday. Best wishes

[dottydoris28]

My last email reminder said I could book anytime until December 15th so I am presuming this is the finish date for 2023.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Just to add to the range of answers, this just cropped up in a medical article in my Inbox which is all about Covid vaccination:

Q: If someone just got COVID this month, can we assume that they are protected from the current strain, and don't need the vaccine for 4-6 months?

Dr Patel: Getting a COVID-19 vaccine after you recover from COVID-19 infection provides added protection against COVID-19. You may consider delaying your vaccine by 3 months. However, certain factors could be reasons to get a vaccine sooner rather than later, such as personal risk of severe disease, risk of disease in a loved one or close contact, local COVID-19 hospital admission level, and the most common COVID-19 variant currently causing illness. People who already had COVID-19 and do not get vaccinated after their recovery are more likely to get COVID-19 again than those who get vaccinated after their recovery.

[Ana-16 in reply to PMRpro]

Thank you that’s useful

[Karenjaninaz]

This is not a booster but are reconfigured new vaccine against current variants. I would check with your doctor when to get it.

[Ana-16 in reply to Karenjaninaz]

Thank you