Why 28 day wait for booster after mild covid?

[Clarkey86]

I had covid a week or so ago, very very mildly, and am testing negative on lateral flows already. I’m 37 weeks pregnant and would really like to get my booster ASAP amongst all the omicron chaos…but I have to wait 28 days.

Does anyone have any information on why? Would I be turned away if I went earlier?

All I can find is it’s so that they don’t confuse covid symptoms but I haven’t got any covid symptoms and barely had any when I had it…

OP theres a world of difference in how "protection" is being defined/ reported...the news reporting isn't often clearly differentiating between protection against serious illness and death v. protection against symptomatic infection v. protection against infection full stop. For the majority of us double jabbed or combination of jabbed/prior infection (and considered non CEV or immuno-suppressed) we are STILL likely to be protected against serious illness or death but may be more likely to experience symptoms...which may be mild. I know you are rightly more concerned about risk than the average person of your age because you are pregnant but you will still have had a boost to your protection after your recent infection. It really is something you would be best discussing with your midwife /GP as they will hopefully have the most up to date info to advise you.

@s1h2o3na Thank you, you’re right!

I'm in health research but not fully up to date on this. However, couple of things that strike me :

1. AFAIK, boosters in the UK are not yet tweaked specifically to protect against omicron. They're just regular Covid vaccines, so it's not clear how they'd protect you more against omicron than a recent natural infection.
2. Advice that a booster protects more than natural infection would be based on general figures looking at people who've had natural infection any time in, eg, the past year, vs boosters in the last 3 months. Thus antibody levels from natural infection would have declined more than booster antibodies. You'd expect antibody levels from a very recent natural infection to be at their peak and they may well be specific to omicron if that's what you had.

I'd need to read the research to check what time periods they compared to be clear on this. Also you probably know, but it's important to compare apples with apples and pears with pears. Infections, which may be asymptomatic /mild, or hospitalisations?

@s1h2o3na

OP theres a world of difference in how "protection" is being defined/ reported...the news reporting isn't often clearly differentiating between protection against serious illness and death v. protection against symptomatic infection v. protection against infection full stop. For the majority of us double jabbed or combination of jabbed/prior infection (and considered non CEV or immuno-suppressed) we are STILL likely to be protected against serious illness or death but may be more likely to experience symptoms...which may be mild. I know you are rightly more concerned about risk than the average person of your age because you are pregnant but you will still have had a boost to your protection after your recent infection. It really is something you would be best discussing with your midwife /GP as they will hopefully have the most up to date info to advise you.

Yes spot on.

I had my 2nd jab 14 days after testing positive, I couldn't wait as I needed 2nd jab to travel. No side effects whatsoever, and my understanding was the gap was to be able to differentiate covid symptoms from vaccine side effects. However I wasn't pregnant and was happy to take the risk!

Thanks everyone, it’s interesting and reassuring to read your views.

I’m generally pretty well read on the research but extensive googling threw up nothing concrete regarding the 28 day wait - though a lot of what you have all said has made sense.

I also couldn’t find much which distinguished between prior infection protecting against omicron infection, or serious illness/hospitalisation reduction. Obviously if it still protects well against the latter I’d be perfectly happy and much more reassured.

I do wish you all the best for a happy and healthy end to your pregnancy and meeting your new arrival, I don't envy anyone who's had to deal with the stress and dilemmas of the last couple of years whilst pregnant or trying to plan a pregnancy. One positive is it's likely there will be a low birth rate from people deciding to delay having a child ...so the parents of covid generation kids are less likely to be back on mumsnet worrying about getting into their preferred primary and secondary schools! I was pregnant during the swine flu epidemic and that caused me enough brain ache though it was a molehill in comparison to covid!

This is driving me mad too, caught covid end nov so had cancel my 3rd jab on 4th Dec now sitting duck. GP sent me 5 texts last few days telling me about clinics and that 2 jabs aren’t good enough. Not a single message about what to do when you can’t have it by their own system.

Mine was likely Delta as only 30 cases in UK when I likely caught it. Only info I can find is oh well it’s to stop you confusing covid and jab side effects. Well I’m day 20 now so covid all gone.

@Akire Yep exactly the same situation here that’s why I wondered if anyone had any other scientific advice! It’s frustrating isn’t it.

i have re-booked my booster for 28 days since i got symptons of Covid but the actual positive was 2 days later (i didn't test on the sympton day as not going anywhere)

I assume that is fine, or does it need to be 28 days after Positive on PCR? probably easier to move it now, than if turned away on the day.

From what I’ve read 28 days after symptoms is fine.

I’ve had to wait a bit longer because that falls on my c section date!