As Covid Deaths Climb, Even Seniors Skip the Latest Booster

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

As Covid Deaths Climb, Even Seniors Skip the Latest Booster
Nearly all Americans over 65 got their initial Covid vaccines. But that immunity is waning, and this time, the government is offering far less support for new shots.

PLEASANT HILL, Calif. — Bonnie Ronk is something of a public health matriarch at the Mt. Diablo Center for seniors in this liberal Northern California suburb.

When Ms. Ronk, a great-grandmother whose red walker bears a sticker saying “El Jefe” (The Leader), tells her peers to pull their masks over their noses, they oblige. When she received both doses of the Covid vaccine and a booster and told others to do the same, they did.

But even Ms. Ronk, 79, has not gotten the latest Covid booster, which was updated to protect against the Omicron variant and has been available since September. She said she didn’t know about it.

Across the United States, where about 94 percent of people 65 and older had their initial Covid vaccines, only 36 percent have received the updated shot, known as the bivalent booster, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Seniors have offered an array of explanations: They were unaware of it, unable to find it or unconvinced of its value.

------------

The diminishing immunity of seniors has largely transformed the Covid pandemic in the United States from a threat against the unvaccinated to one against the old, many of whom were once well protected. People over 70 are being admitted to a hospital with Covid at a rate four times higher than that of the general population.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/21/health/covid-bivalent-booster-elderly.html

[SunSeeker]

1. How could they not know? And why the fuck aren't doctors pushing the shots?

[GoCubsGo]

23. Yes, the CDC and Pfizer have been running TV ads non-stop for the past month.

The "tripledemic" is usually one of the lead stories on both local and national news broadcasts, and they always mention getting the bi-valent booster. It's all really hard to miss, unless one's TV is set to The Propaganda Channel all day long.

[BigmanPigman]

2. I am not surprised ...

No body is wearing masks anymore either. I stand out like a sore thumb when I wear mine in any store. I am making sure my mom gets vaxxed since she is overweight and 88. Being overweight is not a good thing when you get Covid.

[SheltieLover]

8. Same here, BP, about wearing my N95s!

None of the folks in this region are wearing masks. I'm not stopping. Idc how many weird looks I get.

[Irish_Dem]

19. I keep wearing my mask whenever I am out of the house.

I don't care if people think it odd.
I rarely see anyone else wear a mask now.

Merry Christmas Sheltie!

[womanofthehills]

44. The last two months barely anyone was wearing masks

But this week I’m seeing some masks again after a memorial in our town was a Covid spreader.

[Irish_Dem]

45. That is what it is going to take to get people wearing masks again.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

3. 4 of my relatives caught Covid in the past 3 weeks.

None of them got the latest booster.

[NBachers]

4. I'm 73 and self-tested positive yesterday. I've had 5 shots, including the booster on 10-22. I'm

still working full time; I mask at work and in public. Kaiser sent me a courier with the Paxlovid when I told them I was positive. I've been following the rules, but I know I've been getting exposed by those who don't. I'm lucky to be living in San Francisco where there's still a lot of masking going on.

So far, it's been like a cold coming on; not too bad. I expect this to be a light case. I'm home until I get a couple of negatives.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

14. Excellent to get Paxlovid by courier. I hear it is the most effective response available

and works pretty well.

Take care; wishing you a complete and quick recovery.

[Irish_Dem]

20. Glad to hear it is a light case.

And that you got the Paxlovid.

Take it easy.

[Iris]

49. Paxlovid - don't make my mistake

I used Flonase while taking it this week and had a horrible reaction. But, I did get a negative test back 5 days after find post I've test.

[jerseyjim]

5. We got all boosters..

and wear masks indoors. Why? Because we don't want to fucking die nor suffer from long COVID. My brother died from long COVID in 2020. Hardly anyone wears a mask. We went to the bakery for some XMAS cookies and the people behind the counter, passing out food were not wearing a mask. Thanks a lot!

[xmas74]

6. I was recently cleared by my oncologist

So I received both the bivalent and the flu shot this week-at the same time.
I haven't felt great but catching something is a risk I'd prefer not to take.

[womanofthehills]

48. I would still mask big time as the Univ of Texas just reported

The new booster is somewhat effective but way less effective than previous boosters because the new variants are escaping it.

https://www.utmb.edu/news/article/utmb-news/2022/12/16/new-covid-subvariants-are-the-most-immune-evasive-yet.-here-s-what-that-means

BQ and XBB present “serious threats to the efficacy of current COVID-19 vaccines,” according to a Columbia study. A University of Texas Medical Branch study came to similar conclusions, finding “low” neutralization of BQ.1.1 and XBB from the updated booster. The new shot is an enhanced version of the COVID-19 vaccine that targets both the original virus and omicron. But compared to its protection against the omicron BA.5 subvariant, the bivalent booster is four times less effective against the BQ.1.1 subvariant and eight times less effective against the XBB subvariant, said Chaitanya Kurhade, an author of the study.

[Silver Gaia]

7. We got the bivalent booster the first week it was available in September.

Daughter in her 40s got it about a month ago. We all wear masks everywhere we go. Northern CA. We see about 50-60% wearing masks.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

15. Got bivalent & flu combo in November, about 40% masked in this part of Canada. . . . nt

[YoshidaYui]

9. Got my booster and also

The Flu shot as well!

[bedazzled]

10. Almost no masks in PBC florida. I am usually the only one

Was in barnes and noble the other day and there was a child coughing all over the store. Not even covering his mouth. I got out of there quickly... Guess christmas shopping was more important to his slime of a mother than her kid's health, or the elderly cashier, who should have been wearing a mask but wasn't

[Meowmee]

11. More of bad response and craziness

Here cases are up, level is high. I see more with masks now but really very few.

[SheltieLover]

12. a rate four times higher

Yikes!

I had first 2 & bivalent.

A persistent infection prevented me from getting 3rd regular vax, then bivalent became available & I jumped on that.

Wondering if I should go & get that shot I missed?

Ty for sharing!

Happy Holidays All!

[AllyCat]

16. I don't think so. It's like the flu shot at this point.

You don’t go back and get the others. Not sure it is even offered. Bivalent protects against multiple strains.

Happy holidays!

[SheltieLover]

17. Thx!

[Hermit-The-Prog]

21. Same ones I got.

[SheltieLover]

24. Then I'm in good company

[Hermit-The-Prog]

25. I still can't get 5G from it, though. Do RWNJs lie?

[Karma13612]

31. 🤣👏👍🥰 nt

[Behind the Aegis]

13. Got ours on Tuesday...my arm finally stopped hurting.

Shame some still aren't taking this seriously.

[SheltieLover]

18. Glad you got yours!

Surreal, isn't it?

[Pobeka]

22. Well, if the media fails to adequetely report on it, what do you expect?

[ChazII]

26. I live in the southern part of Scottsdale

and I am seeing more folks wearing masks. It is mainly the 60+ age group.

[2naSalit]

27. Not me!

I'm vaxxed to the max and still wear a mask in public. SO far I have been fortunate in not getting anything to make me ill since the start of the pandemic, other than an abscessed tooth over a year ago.

[Mz Pip]

28. We've had ours

5 shots total. We’ve been Covid free so far. Hope to keep it that way.

[Bettie]

29. My whole family has had all their shots

I don't get why people don't get them.

Then again, I don't understand anti-vaxxers in any case.

[Karma13612]

30. I'm 68

Got mine in October, also got the flu shot. Not done at the same time per advice of my Pharmacist.

It’s all good.

I’m shocked that mask wearing has dropped to nearly zero around us. Including me. But I finally overcame the peer pressure of being looked at funny and donned a mask while out shopping in a really crowded food store.

I’m going to keep doing it despite even my own husband bitching that he can’t hear me thru my mask. Fck him. He’s hard of hearing and just turned 75. It’s his funeral.

Yup, he and I are kinda at a crossroads right now.
But I digress.

[tanyev]

32. And Covid stats are getting harder and harder to find.

I check Covid Act Now every day. I don't pay attention to their useless High and Low color coding--I scroll down the page to the actual numbers of Hospitalizations/Cases/Deaths. Texas was updating several times a week until recently. Now it looks like once a week updates have become the norm. So numbers where you live could be skyrocketing and it would be at least a week before you could even know about it. Completely ineffective for a virus that can be caught in a matter of minutes.

[JanMichael]

36. Correct. Every state is different. NC updated weekly now with a less informative portal.

You have to dig some to get good info. But to their credit it is still there.

But the rest of the country? Forgetaboutit.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

33. I know four people who are not anti-vaccine who have not gotten their bivalent shots.

One is concerned about the side effects and is not able to schedule time off work to recover from the shot. One is tired of getting shots and sees getting it as just another chore to have to schedule in a busy life, and, as the article mentions, is a little unconvinced of its value. The other two have walked in to advertised walk-in clinics at big-box pharmacy stores twice, only to be turned away and told they need to make an appointment. There's a lot more confusion and lack of urgency about this vaccine. People are ultimately the ones who are responsible for themselves, AND the messaging/infrastructure around covid vaccines has changed drastically since April 2021.

[Chainfire]

34. My wife and I have had all of the vaccinations.

What I think is happening is that people are so sick of hearing about Covid that they have given up taking protective measures and are willing to take their risks. A million deaths? Bah Humbug. Death is what happens to other people.

[ratchiweenie]

35. I had to go to Walmart the other day. It was packed with Xmas shoppers.

I was wearing a mask and several people smiled at me. In the whole time I was there waiting on a pharmacy item, I only saw one person, another white haired senior, wearing a mask. I am fully vaccinated and still keep alcohol spray in my car and spray my hands after I get back in the car no matter where I've been.

[MineralMan]

37. My wife and I got ours, and we're both seniors.

The headline should read "Some Seniors." Everyone I know has the latest booster. It would be foolish not to. We both got it on the first day it was available. My wife made an appointment. I walked into my supermarket pharmacy and was the first in line for it.

People shouldn't be foolish. They really shouldn't.

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

39. got mine too. no more crowds for shots, felt like I was the only one getting it

[liberal_mama]

38. Same reason people aren't wearing masks when everyone should know vaccines don't stop transmission

Most people have believed the lies that the pandemic is over. Who wants to bother with more vaccines if the pandemic is over?

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

40. media is no longer showing people in the ER, gasping for breath

[Greybnk48]

41. Not me! I got it right away.

I had a second bout of COVID in November after the booster, but it was very mild. Fever and a cough, but only lasted 5 days. The first time I had it last winter I was sick and positive for three weeks. My husband and middle daughter who lives with us in this crazy time, never caught it from me and they were in close proximity. So their shots worked!

[ornotna]

42. Not this one, I'm all up to date with my boosters

And the flu shot as well.

[GenThePerservering]

43. I had scheduled my 4th shot

when I came down with Covid (my husband caught it, I got it from him). Unfortunately, I probably had false negative home tests and by the time I had a positive and got on Paxlovid, I was pretty darned sick. About a month later, before I went overseas, I got the 4th shot - just before then I had the flu shot.

Anyway, I still haven't recovered my sense of taste and had the Covid Cough, and then came down with the horrible flu that is going around. Can't catch a break this year! I'm masking up more and more.

Definitely I mask up at the gym - for whiners who say masking is 'too hard', I manage wearing one for hours when I'm out sourcing inventory for my store, and do an hour of high intensity interval training wearing one - duh, it's not hard. I really don't want Covid again! And I don't want to spread germs to anyone else.

[DET]

46. Insanity

We got every shot and booster as soon as we could, and we’ll continue to do so as long as they are offered. I think people are so sick of dealing with Covid that they’re in denial. Human nature, but really, really stupid.

[mainer]

47. Is it time for a 6th shot?

If you had your booster in September?