I wasted no time after I heard the evening news. Scheduled 2nd booster for tomorrow.

[LuckyCharms]

Normally in situations like this, for about 4 hours, I'd be walking around the house yelling mockingly and obnoxiously 8,000-10,000 times:

THAT'S RIGHT! GET-R-DONE!!! GET-R-DONE!!! Like that guy, whoever he is, that I'm not especially fond of.

But when I do shit like that, I'll get the hairy eyeball and the silent treatment from my wife for a few days, so I'm shutting up.

[dem4decades]

1. I'm thinking I'm going to wait a while, then booster towards the fall.

I'm going to have a period when the protection wanes, so I want that during the summer or winter?

[LuckyCharms]

2. Did you get the first booster (3rd shot) and how long has it been since your last one?

I'm curious because my wife is waiting as well, but she got her 1st booster later than I did, so she's not over 6 months yet, and I am. Also, she's not immunocompromised, and I am.

[C Moon]

6. Over 4 months is what I read...

The agency amended the emergency use authorizations as follows:

- A second booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine or Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine may be administered to individuals 50 years of age and older at least 4 months after receipt of a first booster dose of any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine.

- A second booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine may be administered to individuals 12 years of age and older with certain kinds of immunocompromise at least 4 months after receipt of a first booster dose of any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine. These are people who have undergone solid organ transplantation, or who are living with conditions that are considered to have an equivalent level of immunocompromise.

- A second booster dose of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine may be administered at least 4 months after the first booster dose of any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine to individuals 18 years of age and older with the same certain kinds of immunocompromise.


https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/coronavirus-covid-19-update-fda-authorizes-second-booster-dose-two-covid-19-vaccines-older-and

[dem4decades]

7. I'm 6 months out from my booster, fairly healthy, though just got on blood thinners

Plus I've heard the longer between shots the better but I'm not compromised, I think. I also heard that a fifth shot may be recommended for those who need it.

I've had all Pfizer but I think for the 2nd booster I'll go with Moderna

[brewens]

3. I'm going to call tomorrow. I thought we were still waiting of the CDC to sign off on it or

something or I would have today.

[sheshe2]

9. CVS website says they waiting for CDC approval.

You are correct.

I checked 15 minutes ago.

[Totally Tunsie]

51. CVS has now been authorized by Corporate to schedule second boosters.

After being turned away a few weeks ago (after honestly completing registration process), I phoned CVS today to confirm I can now re-register and was given an affirmative answer. Thus, I am now scheduled to receive second booster next week - Yay!

I would have liked to get in sooner, but have "stuff" for the weekend, and don't want to take the chance regarding a reaction taking me down.

[sheshe2]

54. Excellent. TY!

[LuckyCharms]

10. I went online on searched "Covid booster" and my zip code...

Found the the county health department is at various sites, so I chose to have mine done at a church about 3 miles away.

Took me over 30 minutes to register, and they were adamant about not arriving early or late, because they only let one person inside at a time.

Good luck!

[Poiuyt]

25. Walgreens says they have them available

From their website:

COVID-19 Vaccine Update: CDC allows for a second booster of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for ages 50+ and certain immunocompromised individuals ages 12+ who received a booster dose at least four months ago. Walk-ins welcome or visit this page beginning Friday 4/1 to schedule an appointment.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

4. I'm going on Thursday

Could’ve got in a half hour after I logged on this morning, but I won’t have a car till Thursday…

[LuckyCharms]

14. Good luck!

[FoxNewsSucks]

5. I got J&J first week of March last year

Moderna booster first week of October.

I'm planning to get the 2nd Moderna as soon in April as I can fit it in my schedule. Based on feeling like crap all day the day after the booster, I'm planning to have a couple days at home this time.

[LuckyCharms]

11. That's smart.

I've had wicked reactions to all 3 of my previous ones, but I know how long those reactions have lasted, and I'm pretty sure I'll feel better by Friday morning. I have an appointment first thing Friday.

Good luck!

[hunter]

8. That first covid booster knocked me on my ass with a 101 degree Fahrenheit fever...

... and my wife suffered my complaints.

I'm not sure how to handle this situation.

Although I'm older than fifty years, it seems my immune system clearly recognizes this virus now.

[FoxNewsSucks]

12. I had no big reaction to the original J&J

but the day after the Moderna booster, I had a fever, felt "generally shitty", and was asleep most of the day.

I got up at my normal time, but after taking the dog for a mile walk and having coffee, went back to bed. Got up for lunch, took dog outside, back to bed. Same thing for dinner. Watched TV for about an hour, went to bed early. Felt back to normal the following day. So based on that, I'm gonna allow a couple days at home when I schedule this one.

[LuckyCharms]

13. It's a tough decision, in fact,

my wife is not 100% happy with my decision because she personally wants to wait until more data is out.

However, she is not as compromised as I am.

I'm 63 and it has been over 6 months since my first booster, and I've been waiting for this approval, so I decided to get it out of the way.

5-day average cases in my county have risen just over 100% in under two weeks.

So all of these factors went into making my decision.

Good luck, whatever you decide.

Edit: I got hit pretty damn hard with reactions from all 3 shots as well.

[lagomorph777]

47. I had fairly typical reactions to my 1st and 2nd Pfizer shots.

My 3rd was not a good experience. Got AFIB for a few hours; I had only had a single prior episode, over four years before.

I will need to do something different for my 4th. Not sure what yet.

[BigmanPigman]

15. On a DU post this morning someone wrote that due to a change in payments

the boosters are no longer being covered for free so people now have to use their own health insur to get the 2nd booster and CVS and Rite Aid weren't giving them out due to the change. Is this true? Has anyone gotten their shot and can tell us what they did?

[LuckyCharms]

16. I'm not sure. Mine is through county health dept and they state the

cost is $0. I'm in NY state.

[BigmanPigman]

18. Where can you get it?

My doctor doesn't give them and refers patients to the drug stores.

[LuckyCharms]

21. Here's what I did...

I Googled "Covid booster" followed by my zip code.

I landed on several sites, and just picked one. It happened to be the county health department site.

The page listed several places where they are giving the boosters, and one of them was a local church that has appointments available tomorrow.

Try searching like that and hopefully you will find something easily. If you need help, and want to PM me your zip code, I'd be happy to look as well.

[BigmanPigman]

22. Thank you!!!

I'll try that now.

[LuckyCharms]

27. You'll find something!

[BigmanPigman]

29. Not so easy after all...

CVS said they are reviewing the CDC guidlines and to check back. Kroger said being over 50 isn't sufficient and I need to be ill with an immunity issue. Oh brother!

[LuckyCharms]

34. I think because it was just announced today...

that most websites have not been updated yet.

Perhaps if you try tomorrow, later in the day, they may be updated.

[LuckyCharms]

35. Also, try this...

include the name of the state you live in in all of the following searches...

4th covid shot name of state

Over 50 booster name of state

Second covid booster name of state

Also, go to a local television news site to see if they have any articles about it.

[BigmanPigman]

37. Yes, I will keep on trying.

My neighbor got Covid in Jan. and he was vaxxed and boosted and he has long haul. Very tired all the time even after 2 months. I do not want that. Also, I read an article in Time today that said Covid shrinks the brain as much as if you aged 10 years, and it's mostly related to the smelling part of the brain. They don't know why yet.

I will get my booster because I am determined.

[LuckyCharms]

38. I know that it is likely that we...

don't live in the same state, but if I hear or read anything that may be helpful, I will post it in this thread in response to you.

Your way of thinking is smart...I know dozens of people who have had Covid, especially Omicron, and they say it is no big deal, but I worry for them because of the possible long term effects.

My brother died from the Delta version.

[BigmanPigman]

39. That's so sad.

I feel so badly for you and your family. My dad died 3 years ago today and I am still in shock since he was healthy.

Thank you for keeping me up to date, I appreciate it.

[LuckyCharms]

41. I promise I will and if you don't you don't see anything, it means...

that I haven't found anything useful for you.

I'm so sorry about your dad, BigmanPigman.

You know, death is never easy...ever, no matter the circumstances. Make sure you allow yourself to grieve properly, it comes in waves, for a long time. I've experienced so much death of loved ones, up close, that I thought I foolishly thought that I would be better able to handle it by now, but it's always difficult.

I was raised by my parents in a manner in which they brought me along with them to every funeral that they went to when I was a child. They believed that early exposure to death and funerals was healthy for a child, and I believed it was indeed healthy for me.

My dad passed when I was 11 years old. 52 years ago, and I get tearful about it occasionally to this day. And that's ok. I can remember how his aftershave smelled, I can remember every detail of his appearance, but I cannot remember the sound of his voice, and that bothers me immensely.

I've experienced so much family death since 2009 that I now literally cannot go to funerals of non-family members. I do not know what the hell happened, but when I try to go, I start sobbing uncontrollably, and have to leave because I'm afraid of upsetting people.

So what I am trying to tell you with my babbling on is that I understand how you feel, and my best advice to you would simply be to allow yourself to feel how you do. Don't fight it. But also force yourself to remember the good times and good memories. Replace the sadness with good memories, while still allowing yourself to feel the sadness if I'm making any sense here.

By the way, I just noticed your sig line, and I get the reference

[BigmanPigman]

48. I miss my dad's voice and everything else.

I cried a lot last night and I am allowing myself to grieve as long as it takes. I've realized people handle it differently and I am not a great actress and can't hide my feelings and I know it is a bad thing to even try to hide them. I'm grieving my little dog too, she died almost 2 years ago. Two big deaths around the same time.

Your words from last night did help. I appreciate it!

[LuckyCharms]

55. I'm going to post an OP in a few moments in GD

Last edited Wed Mar 30, 2022, 07:10 PM - Edit history (1)

about the Covid booster I just got home from, that may answer some questions. Please take a look at it.

I'm so sorry about your dog as well. I understand how it is. Same thing happened to me. I talked yesterday about my experience with deaths since 2009...

Mother, Mother-in-Law, Father-in-Law, Brother, 3 friends, and had to put my two beloved dogs down due to age/illness.

You're going to be alright. Stay strong and laugh at the absurd! That's how I get through my sadness. Was talking to a friend on the phone yesterday and we both were laughing so hard, he had to hang up and call me back.

Hang in there, BigmanPigman.

[BigmanPigman]

57. Thank you, I'll look for it in GD.

[Hortensis]

58. Yes. After serious Covid, a 51-yo friend's health is permanently damaged.

Lung damage mostly, but other issues including tendency to develop dangerous blood clots. He's an outdoorsman and is working hard at developing enough stamina to be able to resume the activities he loves at a far more limited level.

We have other middle aged and older friends who were seriously ill (but didn't come that close to death), who've been struggling to resume their previous lives after organ and system damage.

[LuckyCharms]

36. Also see post #35, which i posted in the wrong spot...

[Totally Tunsie]

43. I found this in answer to our question:

https://www.ctpublic.org/2022-03-29/free-covid-tests-and-treatments-no-longer-free-for-uninsured-as-funding-runs-out

Coronavirus tests for uninsured patients are no longer free in some places. That's because the program that reimbursed clinics and hospitals for the testing, as well as for treating uninsured patients with COVID-19, stopped accepting claims last week "due to lack of sufficient funds." Some clinics have already started to turn away people without insurance who come to get tested and can't afford to pay for it.

Free vaccines for uninsured people are next — that funding will run out next week. After that, the vaccines themselves will still be covered by the government — for now — but the costs of administering them will no longer be billed to the federal program.

This is a clip from a lengthy article, but there's little explanation of how billing will be managed.

[BigmanPigman]

46. A bad decision.

I hope Covid realizes it is no longer a major concern and will magically go away.

[jcgoldie]

17. You have to be 50 right?

I'm 48.

[BigmanPigman]

19. Yes.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142896018

[Shanti Shanti Shanti]

20. I got 3 full dose Moderna shots, not the 1/2 dose "booster" version, will next one be half dosed?

I'm over 65, finished 3rd dose 6 months ago, never had any probs taking them

[LuckyCharms]

24. I'm sorry, I not sure...

I'm Pfizer.

[Bluesaph]

23. Lol @ hairy eyeball!

I wish I could give a hairy eyeball to get my husband to shut up when he acts all a fool!

[LuckyCharms]

26. It's impossible to stop us

[liberalguilt57]

28. I keep hearing we're going to have to pay for this one through our own insurance

I keep hearing we’re going to have to pay for the second booster through our own insurance.
I wonder if it’s going to be even harder to get people to go out and get a booster if they have to pay anything for it out of pocket.
It’s hard enough to get people to get a shot when it’s free!
Money’s tight, so I have to make sure I can budget for whatever copayment there is before I go out and schedule the shot.
But whenever I’m able to afford it, and find a day when I have nothing to do the next day, I will schedule one. The last booster had me down for the count the day after I got it.

[LuckyCharms]

30. If I find out anything tomorrow, I'll post it because here's the thing...

The county web site that I used kept referencing a "booster", and that the cost was $0.

However, for some reason I got the impression that they were talking about the first booster, and they had not updated their website yet to reflect the newly announced second booster.

BUT, the registration process was very detailed, and I was asked if I had received a "third shot" already, and they then asked when I received it. I answered yes.

So, the system is aware that I am asking for a 4th shot, and the registration was approved, so I'm assuming that the cost is $0. If it is not, I'll post otherwise tomorrow.

[liberalguilt57]

42. Thank you, in advance, for posting your experience.

Thank you, in advance, for posting your experience. I’ll be curious to see how different the logistics of getting the second booster shot will be, compared to the earlier shots. Whatever the cost or side effects, I will do whatever is indicated, for my age group, to protect myself from severe Covid. My employer gives us free flu shots each year; I hope someday we will also get free annual Covid boosters.

[Totally Tunsie]

45. Here's all I can find (posted above):

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100216542771#post43

[Totally Tunsie]

44. Here's all I can find (posted above):

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_poHst&forum=1002&pid=16543244

[Tomconroy]

31. I've gotten the others as soon as I was eligible but I'm going

to wait on this one. I don't think BA2 will create a new wave. So unless something changes I'll wait until fall.

[LuckyCharms]

32. Certainly a reasonable decision.

I think everyone will have different thoughts on this one, depending on their own situation.

[MLAA]

33. I saw the FDA approval this morning around 6:30 and got my husband and sister booked for noon.

Both got their 2nd booster with no issue. Unfortunately the CVS online registration as well as Walgreens wouldn’t let me schedule since my first booster was 4 months ago (ok per FDA) and the pharmacy systems still require 5 months since last booster. Hoping they update it is quickly.

[LuckyCharms]

40. I would try again tomorrow, say mid-afternoon

Neither my wife nor I got any news alerts about it until this evening, and then I saw it on the evening news.

[DenaliDemocrat]

49. I'm saving mine for the next surge

It’s obvious the neutralizing antibodies drop quickly. I’ll save it for when most needed

[Zorro]

50. Just got my second Moderna booster at the local CVS

They said they just got approval from corporate this AM to administer the shot. Just walked in, no one else was waiting.

[Leith]

52. I just got back from getting my second booster

The hardest part was finding the dang place. It is in a local mall. I saw one small sign deep inside on the second level. A very friendly and helpful security guard gave me directions - and it was on the lower level.

Yaayy!

[Evergreen Emerald]

53. I tried...Kaiser said not available.

[Pompoy]

56. Got an appointment tonight at a CVS

I heard the news yesterday, but when I went on the CVS site to request an appointment it said they are waiting for the CDC to clarify.
Today, I went back and there were 3 appointment brackets available from 8:00 PM to 10:00PM, so 9:00 PM it is.
The 1st Pfizer booster was back in October 10.
If another booster becomes available 6 months from now if another spike is expected for the winter, I would go for that too.
60 old fat guy. Never had any reactions to first 3 shots, no pain, soreness, nothing.