So do I have hardly any protection?

[Twoweekcruise]

I went for my second Pfizer jab last Saturday.
Have had many months of worrying about getting the jab but felt happy and settled in my mind that at least I have had my twojabs now and within a few weeks should have a good level of protection until around March/April when I will get the booster.
I genuinely thought that the booster shots were for the vulnerable and elderly and those who had their 2nd a good many months ago and protection has probably waned hence the need for a ‘booster’ shot.
And then yesterday’s headlines hit.
Where does that leave people like me? I can’t have a booster a week after the second shot.
So do I now have to worry and stress about only having around 30% protection against omicron?
I honestly thought the ‘booster’ was just that, to top up and boost the protection from the spring/summer jabs.
Do the boosters have something in them which has protection against the Omicron variant and how come if they were developed before this new variant was discovered only weeks ago.
Can someone with a more scientific head enlighten me as I will just stress too much without a clearer picture, thank you.

Well done OP! You now have more protection than you did last week, and we all need as much as we can get at the moment!

@Twoweekcruise

PinkPlantCase that is what I had thought too. I need to step away from the Daily Mail!

@Twoweekcruise Please dont listen to vax scaremongering if you have health anxiety. Look on twitter for latest research: Jeremy Farrar, Prof Francous Balloux, Oliver Johnson, Muge Cevik are all people who have a good handle on the situation. Good work in getting vaccine. Get your booster as soon as you are allowed.

You won’t be as protected having only had 2 as you would have done having 3. Tbh you only have yourself to blame for not getting it when you should have done. Lesson learned hopefully.

There is nothing new in the booster. It was originally intended to be a "top up" but it now appears to be needed for omicron as antibody levels decline over a few months. People also protection against severe disease & hospitalisation, just not so much against symptomatic disease with Omicron. Plus there's cellular immunity which the experts believe should hold up well against new variants.
The fact of the matter is that for the next couple of weeks you won't be so well protected as those fully jabbed but that was the case before omicron too.

So some saying that having the second shot now gives roughly the same protection as the booster but others are saying the second shot now only has approx 30% protection. How can the booster give such protection against omicron when they were developed/manufactured before the discovery of this variant? No conspiracy just genuinely confused and can’t quite grasp that bit.
I am still none the wiser?

AntiMaskersAreTwats you no nothing about my life so no need to be so condescending. I have asked a genuine question no need to be a knob about it.

The virus hasn't changed so much that there is no protection.

So are people who have had two az jabs and then a pfizer or Moderna booster, much less protected than people who had Pfizer as the first two jabs as well as the booster too?

Or are we all at the same starting point now with the booster?

@Twoweekcruise

So some saying that having the second shot now gives roughly the same protection as the booster but others are saying the second shot now only has approx 30% protection. How can the booster give such protection against omicron when they were developed/manufactured before the discovery of this variant? No conspiracy just genuinely confused and can’t quite grasp that bit. I am still none the wiser?

@Twoweekcruise Ok so two vaccines of Pfizer work against original SARS virus and delta to reduce hospitalisation. It does not mean you wont get the virus or be sick but it will reduce your chances of hospitalisation. This effect lasts for a given amount of time which I think is 6 months after which effect wanes. The booster pushes immunity up once given for another few months. Omicron can evade a lot of the immune response which is why it transmits so quickly but boosted individuals have more protection. The Pfizer vaccine acts in a different way to AZ so its more successful. Long term I think the biggest development is going to be in home treatment drugs that stop the virus causing an immunity storm which is what makes people sick.

The percentages being thrown around are for symptomatic illness not serious illness/death. It looks like two shots of anything will give good protection from the latter, a booster helps with stopping you getting anything in the first place.

It's great you have had a second just in time for the next wave. It should protect you well (it takes about a week) and you can have a booster in three months time.

You might want to think about your anxiety though as months worrying about having a second (when presumably your first was ok) doesn't sound great.

Op I don’t get it either - you’re not alone! How can 2 AZ jabs suddenly be virtually useless without the booster? Is it just to do with time since they were done, or are the AZ ones just a bit crap wrt omicron?

@AntiMaskersAreTwats

You won’t be as protected having only had 2 as you would have done having 3. Tbh you only have yourself to blame for not getting it when you should have done. Lesson learned hopefully.

Not helpful- blame based language. OP did the right thing despite reservations. She is more protected now than she was last week.

@Toadsinholes

Op I don’t get it either - you’re not alone! How can 2 AZ jabs suddenly be virtually useless without the booster? Is it just to do with time since they were done, or are the AZ ones just a bit crap wrt omicron?

AZ is not successful with this variant.

Yuledo my understanding is that two AZ doses followed by a Moderna booster provide a high level of protection, equivalent to two Pfizers and a booster.

I could be wrong, and I suspect it's deliberately not spelled out because they just want people vaccinated and boostered ASAP rather than holding out for a particular combo.

You had Pfizer which is great as it provides better protection than AZ. You’ve also just had it so your antibodies will be high in comparison to someone who had it three to six months ago. The figures being given are against symptomatic infection but it’s thought that protection against serious illness and hospitalisation should be much higher even with just two vaccinations. Well done for having it done. It is what it is so try not to worry for now. I had 2 x AZ almost six months ago and just had my booster earlier this week so until that kicks in I have even less protection. What’s important is that you’re as protected as you can be in your specific circumstances, there’s nothing additional you can do right now and you’re in a much better place than if you hadn’t had the two doses. You may also find that the figures improve as more real world data emerges.

@Yuledo

So are people who have had two az jabs and then a pfizer or Moderna booster, much less protected than people who had Pfizer as the first two jabs as well as the booster too?

Or are we all at the same starting point now with the booster?

I dont think so. Once booster is Pfizer it affords more protection.

JaneandJohnny thank you
Grimbelima thank you. I am having therapy for the health anxiety.

@Toadsinholes

Op I don’t get it either - you’re not alone! How can 2 AZ jabs suddenly be virtually useless without the booster? Is it just to do with time since they were done, or are the AZ ones just a bit crap wrt omicron?

I know, it’s enough to drive you to distraction. Most of my friends had the AZ so are all now scrambling to get their boosters.

I'm exactly the same as you op

Thanks theyear and jane

Re your booster questions it’s the level of antibodies that the booster gives that means that the third dose gives better protection against omicron. The mRNA vaccinations have always worked better than AZ against variants too. AZ was very poor against the Beta strain which fortunately never really took off and omricon is most similar to the Beta strain.

@Twoweekcruise

AntiMaskersAreTwats you no nothing about my life so no need to be so condescending. I have asked a genuine question no need to be a knob about it.

I was wondering how we had got to page 2 without one, haha! It was going so well

it is good to be able to ask questions on MN, such a great wealth of varied info and opinions, well, it used to be.....before the napalm settled in.

"Hi mumsnet, i have a question about something, what do you say?!"
MUMSNET: "Are you STUPID what a silly question op!"

beatrixpotterspencil yep, there’s is always one. They just just can not help themselves lol!

The booster increased antibody levels 5-10 fold over and above the peak level four weeks after second dose. As a reduced percentage of the antibodies will bind omicron this is why the booster gives better protection. However this is just anibodies which can bind omicron and stop it entering your cells (neutralising antibodies). Two doses will still give you lots of memory b and T cells which can ramp up quickly if infected to stop you getting seriously well. So you are well protected with two doses against serious illness but more likely to get a mild infection than after a booster. However as you have only just had your second dose you have maximal levels of antibodies compared to someone six months after their second dose so you are still pretty will protected and likely to be more than 40% protected against symptoms which was for people six months past two Pfizer.

You'll be fine for now - once your second jab kicks in you'll have a good amount of protection from both Delta and Omicron variants, for about three months. That protection then starts to wane, but it doesn't go down to nothing (even after six months you still have some protection against severe disease, although less against symptoms) and you can then have a booster to get your protection levels back up again.

You are perhaps a bit less protected than someone who's already had two jabs and their booster, because your body has encountered the virus less and therefore built up less of an immune response. But as long as you get your booster in March you'll be as safe as you can be.

For those worried about being 'unvaccinated' with AZ - this is not the case at all. It's just that AZ doesn't seem to give much protection against symptomatic infection after six months. It is still effective against severe disease and death, and a booster of Pfizer takes you up to the same level of protection as those with all three Pfizer.