Covid-19 vaccines and vaccinations

Has there been any testing of fractionated vaccination anywhere else for people with potentially 'reactive' immune systems?

If this can achieve good protection with less severe side effects surely that would help convince more people to get vaccinated (I mean in general, not just pwME)?

Additionally there are the likes of me who very unexpectedly felt better after their vaccines (so much for the nocebo effect!). I'd love to try and see if having my booster as 3 small doses instead of 1 standard dose would make me feel better 3x3 weeks instead of 1x3 weeks.

 

Latest update re availability of boosters to under 50s in England:

5 minutes ago (note the NHS booking site has not yet been updated) to reflect the lowering of eligibility age.)


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-55045639

All over 40s in the UK will be offered a booster dose of Covid vaccine, and 16 and 17-year-olds are to be given a second jab.

The announcement has been made by the government's advisers, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

What are the new vaccine guidelines?

Anyone aged 40 or over can now have a booster vaccine, once six months have passed since their second jab.

Anyone aged 16 or 17 can now have a second jab, as long as it is 12 weeks since their first.

etc.

 

I'm in Scotland. I've an appointment for my booster next week. From the letter and from older friends who have already had theirs, I understand they are doing flu and Covid boosters at the same time.

I find this a worry as how can adverse reaction be monitored if you don't know which vaccine caused it?

I'm planning to only accept the Covid booster, as I have don't have contact with many people.

 

I don't have ME. I had 2 x AstraZeneca and have a booster (Pfizer or Moderna) booked for next week.

I've never bothered with a flu vaccine in previous years, but decided to have one this year. I felt rough for one day after the initial AZ, but less so after the second dose. I also felt rough for a day after the flu jab. We don't have the option, locally, to have both the flu jab and the booster administered at the same time, but if we had, I would have chosen to have had them at least a week or two apart.

My adult son with ME (22.5 yrs since onset) is of the age group that were only offered Pfizer. Apart from a slightly sore arm, exacerbation of his usual 24/7 ME related headache for a day or so and a gland in his neck coming up, he didn't suffer notable side effects. Boosters are now being offered to over 40s, so his age group (35) may be next in line for being offered a booster. I don't know what booster will be offered to his age group (ie those who have already had 2 x Pfizer). If it's another Pfizer, he may accept a booster but if it's a single dose of AZ, he's not sure yet whether he'll have it, as he rarely comes into contact with other people apart from his parents and we will, ourselves, have been triple dosed by then.

 

obviously cant be sure, but i was told in Boots pharmacy when i had my flu jab, that all boosters for everyone are pfizer. It was unclear if she meant all *their* boosters were going to be pfizer, but i think it meant nationally as i know loads of people, well lol, about 4 or 5, mainly health care workers or extremely vulnerable, who had 2x pfizer early in the year before AZ was 'in stock' & being given, and they have all already had their boosters a few wks ago, and all of them were given pfizer again.

I queried it because i'd though the science indicated better protection from a mix & match situation, but i guess they must have a good reason for doing it this way. I dont know anyone who has had AZ as their booster

 

I'm wondering if which vaccine causes an adverse reaction even matters? I had several vaccines during my ME viral onset 30 years ago and I think it was a mistake to have them all during that time period.

I've never had a flu shot, and I'm only getting the booster in March b/c I don't have much contact with many people either.

I suspect it was the second Hep B jab that brought my stamina even lower.

 

https://twitter.com/user/status/1460224699275919361

 

Thanks JemPD.

 

My daughter was given Moderna for her booster and Pfizer for her original jabs.

 

Thats interesting thank you. I dont know anyone in my area who has had moderna, for any of their jabs. Perhaps it is a regional thing then. I guess that would make sense based on supply considerations

 

Today, from the NHS booking site for boosters:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coron...ter-dose-of-the-coronavirus-covid-19-vaccine/

(...)

All people aged 40 to 49 years old who have not previously been eligible will soon be able to book an appointment for a booster dose using this service.

We will update this site with more information when these appointments are available to book. We expect this to be from Monday 22 November 2021.

 

One thing I find frustrating is there is evidence (mechanistically and epidemilogically) of recurrence of GBS due to the Pfizer vaccine (and AZ and J&J have been shown to cause excess cases of GBS in recent studies), yet they only consider GBS due to a dose of the COVID vaccine as an exemption. It is the same story in Australia.

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/fullarticle/2783708

 

I'm puzzled by this:

"I have never heard a reason not to take the vaccine that I have agreed with."

Surely there are several groups of people who should avoid vaccinations?

 

I found this whole piece (and the fact that it was published) disturbing, and that line stood out to me as well. They also say:

"I have many colleagues who have felt awful after vaccination and a few who had to take a day or two off work. However, I have not heard of any who have been hospitalised with Covid afterwards or who have had severe side-effects."

So, because none of their colleagues had "severe side-effects", it's an irrelevant consideration for everyone?

 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/20...t-cells-gives-better-immune-response-current/

Article is about AZ creating a new vaccine that gives a better response by focusing on the T cells.

Co- vac1 has strong phase 1 trial results.

. "The team suggested the vaccine would make for an effective complementary vaccine, particularly for the elderly and immunocompromised, alongside the currently approved jabs."

edit: phase 1 results were based on data from only 36 people. Are phase 1 trials usually as small as this?
edit 2: if this vaccine is aimed at the immunocompromised, I hope they have secure methods of ensuring that the trials contain adequate numbers of this type of patient for safety reasons. Can anyone advise on how this is dealt with.

 

Recent evidence suggests that the T-cell response of the mRNA vaccines is good enough. It is the drop in antibody titre that leads to the waning of efficacy over time - but keep in mind the efficacy against symptomatic infection after just two doses will not drop to zero for several years at least. It is simply that we demand very high efficacy since governments want to reduce spread, rather than simply reduce rates of hospitalisations and deaths.