Booster protection wanes after 10 weeks against omicron….

[Muchtoomuchtodo]

Just seen this on the BBC news
… mine was 13 1/2 weeks ago and I’ve just volunteered to cover extra shifts outside of my normal area of work in the NHS should the need arise.
Oh heck…..

@Prescottdanni123

I don't know how they know this. We haven't even known about Omicron's existence for 10 weeks.

Antibody monitoring.

It is an initial view based on a small number. Whilst I would have some restrictions such as on large crowds introduced now, I think we do need more research and information to confirm if the ten weeks is typical.

I think just the elderly and vulnerable should be offered jabs now. Just like we do for the flu. I don't see why it has to be any different ? Protect the ones who need it and the rest of us can take our chances surely ?

Have had my three jabs over 9 months . I genuinely would question having another booster !! Long term where are the studies about side effects? Where does it end ? !!

It’s the protection against catching it, the article says that the protection against severe disease likely lasts longer, also we don’t know how sharply it wanes. I think it will start to wane after 10 weeks rather then wane to zero in a day. However I understand your concern completely, I was the same yesterday thinking wtf. I’m trying to be optimistic but it’s harder and harder tbh.

I’m not having the booster. I was concerned anyway due to how ill I was with the other vaccines but there is really no point now. I’ve had Covid before the vaccines and it was very mild (appreciate it wasn’t Omicron) but I was very ill with the vaccines. I cannot afford to have another week off work feeling ill and not being able to do anything to protect me from a virus which I’ve already had.

I had my third mid Nov. When the government brought out the new CEV list in February from their research on those at highest risk of severe outcomes. So I’m now a bit worried about this new research

Do the vaccines even work against Omicron, has there been a study?

Does Omicron make you ill?

Does it even work for 10 weeks.

It’s amazing what this government is getting away with, no decent opposition or journalist investigations against anything the government does and they have definitely not been following the science. Just blinding focusing on one virus to the detriment of all other health issues.

@janicewheeler

I think just the elderly and vulnerable should be offered jabs now. Just like we do for the flu. I don't see why it has to be any different ? Protect the ones who need it and the rest of us can take our chances surely ?

Yes, a number of doctors and scientists have expressed this view. In fact some saying that should have been the case all along. But they were dismissed and derided. As has anyone who's dared say a single word that doesn't align with the official narrative. Immediate allegations of 'anti-vaxxer' or 'conspiracy theorist' when they're clearly nothing of the kind. I've found it quite alarming. Anyway, I think more people will come round to your point of view in time...

I’ve decided, I’m not having the booster. If I end up regretting it then that’s on me I suppose: I just don’t see the point.

@Festivequiz that sounds like postviral fatigue/ME

I was diagnosed 7 years ago after glandular fever

It's awful but not specific to Covid.

@Bobholll

I think this thread title is misleading. The article says it starts to wain at 10 weeks and that’s from catching it. Protection against serious illness is thought to be much more robust.

And surely that's the main thing. We're all going to be ill at some point with one illness or other, it can't be helped. As long as the vaccines work against severe illness and death then they are doing their job.

I never knew it wained so quickly. Bugger. Suppose we'll all be having 4th soon. FFS.

I've had three jabs and Covid (Delta). I've got to be honest, that part of getting the booster was to ensure we could continue going to gigs and events.

I don't feel in a rush for a fourth, but wondering if it will be a requirement for the vaccine pass/future travel. The Govt knows this carrot/stick will ensure people take this up, if only for a week in the sun!

It spells the end of 'vaccinate and open up' as a tenable policy.

But if enough people get a third jab now, we'll make it through the next ten weeks with minimal restrictions, which takes us to March, fingers crossed that 'starting to wane' actually means that for most people it's a fair few weeks longer and we get through to the natural summer lull.

Then it can all be ignored, as the chances of this shower of shite actually planning for next variant or the next winter virus season seem remote (I'm sure there will be diligent experts doing the work, but it's not going to percolate up to decision makers!

Big area of remaining uncertainty is how many hospital admissions will happen in the coming days, and it's now a week or so since the start of the really big spikes in positive tests. And whether that will be enough to cause disruption (widespread sickleave/isolation and/or need for further restrictions)

Delta
2% admitted with 40,000 cases = 800 admissions

Omicron (if it causes 70% fewer admissions)
0.6% admitted with 120,000 cases (where we are now) 720 admissions
0.6% admitted with 150,000 cases (small increase) 900 admissions
0.6% admitted with 180,000 cases (moderate increase) 1080 admissions

Omicron (if it causes 60% fewer admissions)
0.8% admitted with 120,000 cases 960 admissions
0.8% admitted with 150,000 cases 1200 admissions
0.8% admitted with 180,000 cases 1440 admissions

There's a lot riding on very small 'headline' differences

I don't know at how many admissions the NHS starts buckling

I had 2 x AZ and a Pfizer booster. I'm a Covid vaccine centre volunteer so had my doses early, booster was mid-October. According to the charts, my immunity from the vaccine could be as low as 20% now.

The Pfizer has messed up my menstrual cycle. Completely skipped last month's period, this month was one day of light bleeding. Didn't have this with AZ at all. Has put me off having another unless it becomes necessary for travel (required for my job) or they adapt the vaccine to the Omicron mutations.

I've just recovered from having booster & feeling deathly for 4 days so the thought of yet another fills me with dread.

My observation is that people's views of Covid and what they are willing to tolerate is tied to their experience of Covid so far.. for me I've seen a lot of people get it. Some it's a non-event like a cold, others it's been so bad they have been hospitalized on ventilators (despite no pre-existing illness), others it's been very frightening as they are CEV, others are now dead. My daughter caught it last year and despite her being healthy as an ox, and the promise of nothing more than a sniffle she was symptomatic for 5 weeks and then exhausted for another 4 months. The kids in her class who had it at the same time were mostly asymptomatic or had very minor symptoms. I'm certain it was delta. In a class of 30, 25 were struck down. Many parents caught it... This omicron is apparently more contagious? No one really knows the long term affects of having this virus on adults, or children ( who we seem happy to repeatedly expose).

I'm exhausted, I just want it to stop but I fear if we continue to let Omicron rip it will have a devastating effect. I don't want anymore funerals, particularly ones I'm not allowed to attend.

Let's face it life isn't and can't be 'normal' even without restrictions while this is circulating at such high levels. Short sharp controls could allow us to have near normality most of the time and keep it in check.

I will be part of a booster trial in Jan so I can give some insight into how they probably know that the effect starts to wane. The study I will be involved in takes baseline bloods when you have the jab then does multiple follow up appointments during the next 12 months where more bloods are taken to check for antibodies. There is additional targeted monitoring of anyone who catches Covid during the study.

Is anybody going to post the link??

This helps quash we should have rolled out booster earlier and taken longer. Fast and quick is better, and the effort has been huge by so many.

It also doesn’t support delays through ‘circuit breakers’

Maybe we’ll go quicker and peak will be at around time we get more confirmatory data anyway

If this is the case and they roll out vaccine 4 are we still going to be forced to have vaccine 3 to get number 4? Seems utterly pointless if that the case.

But im sure they will and for vaccine passport to be valid itll soon be you have had to have all 4. Seems crazy! If your unvaccinated just skip to vaccine 4 no? All this bs about boosters, this booster isn't specifically for omicron its to top up your antibodies!

I've had enough of this now. I called in for a repeat prescription and had health nazi demanding to know why I haven't had flue vaccine or booster yet and lets book them in now. I'm like wtf I haven't had the flu in 25yrs why do I need a flu vaccine! Utterly mad.

Not to mention now the media are reporting almost 2/3 admitted to hospital are for other stuff and then get tested positive for covis yet they are still counted in figures.

And if you look st the omicron symptoms its basically cold symptoms, where has the taste and smell symptoms disappeared to?

Are we now going to have eradicated the cold.

I couldn't move all day after the first jab and last night threw up a few times after my booster, not doing that every few months

@DumplingsAndStew

Is anybody going to post the link??

It is mentioned here:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-59769967

Constantly having to vaccinate people at the expense of other appointments and procedures will be utterly unsustainable.
And I KNOW that the ultimate goal is to privatise the NHS and cream off the profits, but I don't see a mandatory vaccine every three months for
70m people is really something any private firm or government wants to be picking up the tab for.

According to the charts, my immunity from the vaccine could be as low as 20% now.

But the vaccines were never represented as providing immunity. They will still provide some protection against getting seriously ill.