[Lekooks] Second Booster

[Michael McNett]

Hi, Fran,
To be honest, I'm not a strong advocate for a second booster, though I'll probably get one.  There's a great deal of ambivalence about it among Public Health physicians, Immunologists, and Infectious Disease specialists.

I would vastly prefer a second booster that includes specific immunity to the variants that have developed since the first vaccine was formulated - the alpha, beta, delta, and omicron variants.  It seems unbelievable to me that they haven't modified it but are just promoting another dose of a vaccine that's over a year old - this is comparable to promoting last year's flu vaccine.
It's notable that a study recently came out of Great Britain showing that if you're double vaccinated + boosted, your risk of long-haul symptoms was only 2%.
Also, many of the claims of "loss of immunity" are based not on increasing infection or severity but on drops in antibody levels in the blood.  The problem with this is that in some cases (COVID being a good example), the body saves energy by not continuing to produce antibodies and additional white blood cells to fight a virus that hasn't been present for months, but immunity against it still remains.  The cell lines that developed from infection or vaccination lie dormant (like hibernating) until they detect viral antigens.  As soon as they do, they "wake up," start dividing rapidly, and the ones that produce antibodies reactivate to do so within hours.  Studies have proven that COVID immunity remains robust even after antibody levels drop.

However, that being said, even though the benefits of the second booster are fairly small, they outweigh its risks.  As a result, I suppose I'll get it.
Thanks,Mike


Nehru to Gandhi, on his deathbed: "Mahatma, in your lifetime, you have turned the world utterly upside down. How must that feel??" 

Gandhi: "Yes, I turned the world upside down. I stood on my head."
 

    On Wednesday, March 30, 2022, 09:32:55 AM CDT, Fran B. via Lekooks <lekooks at lekook.org> wrote:  
 
  Dear Friends,Yesterday, the FDA approved a second booster for those over 50. I have scheduled a second Moderna booster for tomorrow at Pro Health Waukesha Memorial Hospital. Call 262-928-5566 for an appointment. You will need to tell them the dates and location of the first three shots and bring the card. Boosters are administered on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
I know there is some controversy over whether this is necessary as the first three shots probably prevent hospitalization and/or death. However, even mild, or asymptomatic cases of Covid can lead to long haul symptoms which might be permanent. I recently read that those who have had Covid are more susceptible to type 2 Diabetes.  
Wishing all of you good health and happiness,FranPS: I think Aurora Summit is administering second boosters of Pyzer but not Moderna.
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