JustCare

Tag: Booster shot

  • Coronavirus: Beware of the latest Covid strain

    Coronavirus: Beware of the latest Covid strain

    If you’re careful and lucky, you have yet to fall prey to the latest strain of Covid hitting people in the US, JN.1. But, large numbers of Americans are coming down with it, reports Adriel Bettelheim for Axios, so beware. Fortunately, the symptoms tend to be mild, including dry coughs and fatigue.

    I recently caught Covid, for the first time, sitting next to someone who did not stop coughing and sneezing, on a plane trip to visit my 88-year old aunt. As soon as I saw that my seatmate was ill, I put on two masks, but it was too late. So, instead of caring for my aunt, she ended up having to take care of me!

    I had a very mild case of Covid and recovered in a few days, though I continued to test positive for a week. My worst symptom was exhaustion. I think I slept 12 hours for the first two nights, but I had no respiratory symptoms. I’d like to believe that all the Covid booster shots I’ve gotten helped minimize symptoms, but who knows.

    The experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) believe that this latest Covid strain is likely better at getting around our immune systems than other strains because so many people are catching it. Time will tell whether more people will be hospitalized as a result of catching it. As of now, there are relatively few hospitalizations.

    People in the Northeast have been most likely to be infected by the JN.1 Covid strain.

    According to the CDC, people who have had vaccines should be better off fighting the JN.1 strain. And, the World Health Organization believes it poses low risks to the public health. If you end up with respiratory symptoms, you should talk to your doctor.

    If you do catch Covid, you should be immune for at least a few months afterwards. Once your body has successfully fought off the virus, it is as if you have been vaccinated.

    Keep in mind that Covid symptoms tend to be similar to flu symptoms. And, there are a lot of people who are catching the flu this winter. To know whether you have Covid, take a Covid test.

    Here’s more from Just Care:

  • Coronavirus: Should you get the 2023 booster shot?

    Coronavirus: Should you get the 2023 booster shot?

    The next Covid-19 booster shot should now be available from your local pharmacy, health clinic or doctor’s office. Medicare pays for it in full, whether you are enrolled in Traditional Medicare or a Medicare Advantage plan. If you are in a Medicare Advantage plan, the booster shot should be covered in full from network pharmacies, but perhaps not if you go out of network for the booster. Should you get the booster shot?

    The Food and Drug Administration just approved the booster as safe and effective. The booster shot protects people from the current Covid 19 variants in the US. The Centers for Disease Control panel of advisors believes that everyone over six months old should get it. Some argue that if only older adults are vaccinated, it will mean 100,000 additional hospitalizations.

    Fewer than one in five Americans got the Covid-19 booster that was approved in 2022. But, the data show that people who got the booster had a much lower likelihood of getting very sick or dying.

    Many people are getting Covid-19 now and more people are being hospitalized for it than earlier in the summer. More still are expected to be hospitalized this fall and winter.

    The list price of the booster is $130. But Medicare pays for it under Part B. Medicaid also covers it. And, so does commercial insurance. If you are uninsured, the federal government’s Bridge Access Program covers the vaccine at Federally Qualified Health Centers and at Walgreens, CVS and some other pharmacies.

    While the booster shot might only keep people from getting Covid for a few months, it still reduces the likelihood of being hospitalized and dying for a much longer period of time.

    The booster was tested on monkeys and mice, not people. But, around the world, billions of people have gotten the booster safely.

    Should you get the booster shot? You probably should not get the booster shot if you’ve had Covid in the last two months. Otherwise, many recommend you get the booster shot soon. If you are planning to travel over the winter holidays, you might wait until early November to get the booster. You then increase the likelihood that the vaccine protects you from infection during your travels.

    Some doctors question the value of the booster for people who have had Covid-19 and have been vaccinated one or more times. They believe that this alone should keep them from getting seriously ill from Covid-19, even if they get Covid.

    Should you get the Covid booster, the RSV vaccine and the flu shot at the same time? It might be smart to space them out.

    Free Covid tests: The federal government is once again offering free Covid tests beginning September 25. Click here to get four free tests sent to your home.

    Here’s more from Just Care:

  • Coronavirus: You should take it seriously, even in year four

    Coronavirus: You should take it seriously, even in year four

    I don’t know about you, but I have now had my two initial Covid-19 shots and three booster shots. As much as I’d like to treat Covid like a cold, the risk of hospitalization and long-Covid are real and frightening if you have not been boosted, reports The Guardian. Whatever the people near you are or are not doing, you should take Covid seriously.

    What should you do to protect yourself? Get boosted. And, get boosted again when your immunity drops. The bi-valent boosters are very effective. Always wear a mask in public and around strangers when you’re indoors. You will then likely protect yourself from a bad case of Covid. If you could be wearing a mask, you should be.

    Don’t assume you’ll be ok if you don’t get the bivalent booster shot. 84 percent of people appear to be making that assumption at grave risk to themselves and others.

    Don’t assume that you’ll be ok if you’ve already had Covid. Data is mounting that if you’ve had Covid once you’re more likely to face greater physical and mental health risk if you get it again.

    New variants of Covid are virulent. It might be the fourth year of Covid-19, but it is not waning. And, once again, many people are being hospitalized, particularly the unvaccinated and unboosted. Hospitalizations for Covid are at the fourth highest level since the beginning of the pandemic.

    It shouldn’t matter whether the government is requiring people to be masked and tested, you should wear a mask to protect yourself and others.

    Older adults are most at risk. People with Medicare comprise the better part of all patients hospitalized. And, many people are dying needlessly. During the week of January 4, nearly 4,000 people died of Covid, thousands more have become disabled, largely bedbound, with little energy to perform even basic activities of daily living.

    Is Covid going away? Experts do not believe Covid cases have peaked. People in the northeast appear to be hit hardest. The XBB.1.5 subvariant is largely responsible.

    Here’s more from Just Care:

  • Covid deaths on the rise, particularly among older adults who have not gotten booster shots

    Covid deaths on the rise, particularly among older adults who have not gotten booster shots

    ABC News reports that only one in three older adults have received a Covid 19 booster shot. Not surprisingly, three times more older adults are being hospitalized for Covid 19 than younger adults. And, more than nine in ten deaths from Couid are among older adults.

    Earlier this month, nearly seven in 100,000 older adults were hospitalized with Covid. In sharp contrast, fewer than one percent of people under 18 were hospitalized with Covid. The number of hospitalized older adults is trending upwards.

    Many hospitalized older adults with Covid will be ok. But, some will have long Covid. Today, more than nine in 10 Covid deaths are among Americans 50 and over. Covid deaths are highest among older adults 80 and over.  After then, death rates are highest among those between 60 and 79 who are unvaccinated.

    Older adults who have received booster shots are far less likely to be hospitalized than those who have been vaccinated but not boosted. To be clear, more than nine in 10 older adults have received the Covid vaccine. But, fewer than one in three of them have received the booster shot.

    if you haven’t yet gotten the Covid booster shot, you need it!

    Why haven’t more older adults received the booster shot? Many people do not appreciate how much they need it. They also might not know it’s free. Or, they might have had Covid and mistakenly think they are protected against getting it again.

    Covid 19 is not the only virus older adults need to protect themselves against. Older adults are also being admitted to hospital for the flu and RSV at a rate of 18 and 3.5 per 100,000, respectively.

    Here’s more from Just Care:

  • Coronavirus: Get your booster shot as soon as possible

    Coronavirus: Get your booster shot as soon as possible

    Fall is in the air and the new Covid-19 booster vaccine is ready to be administered. This new booster shot is designed to protect you against different strains of the coronavirus. Get your booster shot as soon as possible.

    Pfizer and Moderna both offer updated booster shots, which target omicron variants. The new booster vaccine gives you better protection against variants of the original virus. You should be able to get your shot from your doctor, at your local pharmacy or health clinic.

    Covid-19 vaccines have saved millions of lives already. The vaccines and boosters available to date have worked best on the original Covid-19 virus. But, they are not as good at fending off new strains of the virus. That’s why it is so important to get this new booster shot.

    How will the booster shot help? The booster will reduce your risk of hospitalization from Covid-19 as well as your risk of getting seriously ill from Covid-19. It also reduces your chances of getting long Covid.

    When should you get the booster? Right away, if you haven’t had Covid-19 recently. It’s excellent protection against what could be a new surge of the virus this fall or winter. If you have had Covid recently, talk to your doctor. You have antibodies in your system, so it might be ok for you to wait a couple of months before getting the booster.

    Are there safety concerns with the booster? The CDC says there are none.

    Are there side effects from this booster? Side effects are said to be similar to side effects from the original vaccine and boosters, pain, fatigue, headache, chills, nausea and fever.

    Can you get the booster at the same time as the flu shot? Yes. And, if you’re over 65, ask about getting the high-dose flu shot.

    Here’s more from Just Care:

  • Coronavirus: Booster shots and Paxlovid

    Coronavirus: Booster shots and Paxlovid

    As much as we might wish for an end to the coronavirus, it continues to rear its ugly head, mutating along the way. What’s new? A booster shot better suited to new versions of the virus, along with some evidence that a dose of Paxlovid to treat the virus may lead to a Covid recurrence.

    As for the new Moderna and Pfizer booster shot, millions of doses should be ready for prime time in mid-September, reports The New York Times. And, they claim that it is better able to fight the Omicron BA.5 variant than the original shot. So, if you have not yet been boosted or are ready for yet another booster, you might consider holding out another month.

    This new booster is expected to better strengthen your immunity to the virus. And, this is important. Scientists are expecting a new Covid-19 wave beginning in the Fall.

    This all said, the administration’s position appears to be that if you are over 50 and have not yet gotten a booster shot, you should get it now. Covid infections are on the rise. I assume the administration is trying to keep Covid-19 infections at bay.

    N.B.: Officials are warning against getting two booster shots in close proximity. If you get one now, don’t get one in September. There is a rare heart disease, myocarditis, that can be a side effect. Getting two shots in a row increases the risk of this side effect.

    Experts also say that getting a second shot soon after the first is of no benefit. You already have your antibodies from the first shot. Those antibodies keep the second shot from working.

    If you do get Covid, talk to your doctor about getting Paxlovid, especially if you’re over 60.  Paxlovid, an anti-viral, is intended for people at risk of serious illness from Covid. It is designed to reduce the likelihood of hospitalization. It’s the drug President Biden took to treat his virus. It should quell your symptoms, but with a big catch.

    Some people who take the drug, and then test negative, experience a Covid rebound–they get Covid again a few days later!!! That’s what happened to President Biden, who tested positive, after taking Paxlovid and testing negative, but had no symptoms the second time round.

    The government says not to be concerned if you take Paxlovid, test negative and a few days later test positive. And, no one is suggesting you need to take another round of Paxlovid if that happens.

    Here’s more from Just Care:

  • Coronavirus: Older adults without booster shots are still at significant risk

    Coronavirus: Older adults without booster shots are still at significant risk

    The latest COVID-19 data reveal that vaccines are not enough to protect many older adults from serious illness if they have the virus. Fenit Nirappil and Dan Keating report for The Washington Post that a higher proportion of vaccinated older adults are dying. Apparently, over time, COVID-19 vaccines do not work as well as you might hope; to minimize risk, older adults need booster shots.

    In January and February, more than four in ten people who died of COVID-19 were vaccinated. Most of them had not received a booster shot. Last September, just 23 percent of people who died of COVID-19 were vaccinated.

    Researchers who analyzed the data found no meaningful difference between people who had had the Pfizer vaccine and people who had had the Moderna vaccine. For both, it appears that the vaccine’s full protection lasts for about three months after the second vaccine.  That said, one CDC expert said that Moderna appears to offer a somewhat more effective vaccine against hospitalization than Pfizer.

    For people over 65, Moderna is 87 percent effective against hospitalization versus Pfizer, which is 77 percent effective. And, the effectiveness of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine appears to increase over time.

    Some people are mixing up the types of vaccines they receive. But, they do so at their own risk. There is no data on whether that is either safe or effective.

    Note: People who are unvaccinated are most likely to die from COVID-19.  In fact they have a 20 times greater likelihood of dying from a COVID-19 infection than people who are vaccinated and boosted. Still, two-thirds of deaths from the omicron variant of COVID-19 were people over 75. Most of those deaths, among the vaccinated, were people who had not gotten a booster shot.

    Here’s more from Just Care:

  • Coronavirus: If you have Medicare, it’s time for a second booster

    Coronavirus: If you have Medicare, it’s time for a second booster

    The coronavirus pandemic may appear to be waning in the US, but COVID-19 continues to rear its ugly head around the world, and cases of the BA.22 variant continue to emerge and persist in the US. By now, everyone with Medicare should have had the COVID-19 vaccine and booster to protect themselves from needless hospitalizations. William Lamb reports for the New York Times  on why, when it comes to the coronavirus, extra protection is valuable; everyone over 60 should get a second booster.

    Why get the fourth COVID shot? Evidence from Israel suggests that the fourth shot could prevent you from getting COVID-19, and it could also keep you from becoming seriously ill and dying. The early vaccine shots helped give you immunity against COVID-19. That immunity is now waning.

    Which shots are approved? If you’re 60 or older, the FDA has approved second booster shots of both the Pfizer and the Moderna vaccines. We don’t yet have evidence of their efficacy for people under 60.

    How dangerous is the COVID-19 BA.2 variant? We still don’t know whether the BA.2 variant causes more disease than other variants. What we do know is that fewer people are hospitalized with COVID-19 today than since the start of the pandemic.

    Will a second booster shot keep you from getting COVId-19? A second booster shot might not keep you from getting COVID-19. But, it might. Even if it does not keep you from infection, it reduces your risk of becoming seriously ill.

    What if I get COVID-19? If you’re over 60 or immunocompromised and you get COVID, call your doctor. Your doctor can prescribe you a new drug, Paxlovid, an oral antiviral pill, which should reduce your risk of hospitalization significantly.

    Here’s more from Just Care:

  • Coronavirus: Booster shots reduce risk of hospitalization

    Coronavirus: Booster shots reduce risk of hospitalization

    The New York Times reports on the value of Covid-19 booster shots in preventing hospitalization, particularly for people 50 and older. Still, everyone, including people who have had booster shots are best-off wearing N95 masks whenever indoors and around other people.

    The Centers for Disease Control just released new data showing that people with booster shots are much less likely to be hospitalized than people who are not vaccinated. Booster shots are also a good weapon against Covid-19 infection to begin with. But, vaccinated or not, you should not be going without a surgical mask, ideally an N95 mask, when around other people indoors.

    People over 50 who have not been vaccinated are 17 times more likely to be hospitalized than people who received two shots of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine. The risk of hospitalization for those unvaccinated is 2.5 times greater still than those who had received a booster shot. Unvaccinated adults between the ages of 50 and 64 have a 44 times greater likelihood of being hospitalized than people who had received the booster shot as well.

    Risk of hospitalization for the unvaccinated over 65 is even higher than for those under 65. People over 65 have a 49 times higher likelihood of hospitalization than people their age who had received a booster.

    Interestingly, getting Covid affords people more protection against the Delta virus than vaccinations, according to the CDC. The CDC has not yet determined the efficacy of booster shots against Omicron and whether getting Omicron delivers more protection than a booster shot.

    But, the CDC has now reported that wearing cloth masks offers far less protection than wearing a surgical mask. And, the Washington Post explains why the best mask to wear to protect yourself against Covid-19 is an N95. In short, it fits snugly to your skin around the edges and is made of a material that blocks the novel coronavirus particles from slipping through it with 95 percent efficacy.

    Everyone can reduce the risk of getting Covid by using an N95 or KN95 mask instead of a cloth mask. N95 masks are now widely available. If you are buying masks, choose those. The Biden administration is now giving out free masks through community health centers (sometimes called FQHCs) and through participating pharmacies, such as CVS and Walmart.  You can visit this CDC webpage to see how to ensure the mask you buy is not counterfeit.

    Here’s more from Just Care:

  • Coronavirus: Should you get the Pfizer booster vaccine?

    Coronavirus: Should you get the Pfizer booster vaccine?

    The FDA gave emergency approval to Pfizer’s “booster” vaccine for people over 65 who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 at least six months. And, soon after, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)  announced that it supports that decision as well as booster shots for people who have a serious medical condition or work in a high-risk settings.

    In short, about 60 million of the 100 million people who received the Pfizer vaccine and who are at high risk of getting a serious case of Covid-19 are eligible for the booster shot.  The booster is the same Pfizer vaccine as people originally received, just a third one, to boost people’s antibody levels and better protect them.

    Older adults and people with compromised health need vaccine protection. Covid-19 is the deadliest disease in American history, deadlier than the Spanish flu of 1918.

    Pfizer had wanted the booster to be available to all 100 million Americans who had received its vaccine. But, an expert FDA panel did not support Pfizer’s request, nor did the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Still, projections are that booster shots around the world will contribute $26 billion to its bottom line in 2022, PBS reports.

    Should you get a booster if you did not get the Pfizer vaccine? The FDA has not yet given approval for a booster to people who had the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. For that reason, experts have not  recommended a Pfizer booster to people who received the Johnson & Johnson or Moderna vaccines.

    Some experts believe that people who are immunocompromised should get the third vaccine even if it is a different brand from the brand they initially received. But, one FDA representative says there is not enough evidence to know whether it would be as effective as getting a third injection of the same vaccine you originally received.

    Here’s more from Just Care: