mix and match booster shot?

sculptor

sculptor

Valued Senior Member
ie
If you get a booster shot from a different company than your original vaccine shot(s)?

good idea?
or
bad idea?

your thoughts?

.....................................
personally, we got the moderna vaccine shots
and could get the booster shots late november and mid december
 
sculptor said:
ie
If you get a booster shot from a different company than your original vaccine shot(s)?

good idea?
or
bad idea?

your thoughts?

.....................................
personally, we got the moderna vaccine shots
and could get the booster shots late november and mid december
Click to expand...
Good idea to mix vaccine types, or so I read. I've had 2 shots of Oxford/AstraZeneca and my booster, due at the end of the month, will be BioNTech/Pfizer.

(By the way, Oxford is developing a modified version of the AstraZeneca one, targeted at the Delta variant. It is not going into production yet but they want to have it up their sleeve, in case it proves necessary - there are suggestions that the UK now has a variant of Delta that is 10% more infectious than regular Delta.)
 
Last time I heard, there were only preliminary indications about the efficacy of mixing different kinds of vaccines, but they seem to point to it being a good idea. That makes some intuitive sense to me in the case of mRNA and non-mRNA vaccines.

If I get to choose, I think I'll do the same thing as exchemist. I've already had two shots of AstraZeneca, so Pfizer or Moderna next time sounds like it might be a good idea.

On the other hand, it will be good to have more definitive real-world data about the efficacy of mixing and matching vaccines. I guess that's in the works.
 
James R said:
Last time I heard, there were only preliminary indications about the efficacy of mixing different kinds of vaccines, but they seem to point to it being a good idea. That makes some intuitive sense to me in the case of mRNA and non-mRNA vaccines.

If I get to choose, I think I'll do the same thing as exchemist. I've already had two shots of AstraZeneca, so Pfizer or Moderna next time sounds like it might be a good idea.

On the other hand, it will be good to have more definitive real-world data about the efficacy of mixing and matching vaccines. I guess that's in the works.
Click to expand...

I don't care same or mix

But when I got back to doctor for his opinion on my fractured shoulder I will as if possible to do a blood antibody test for gauging level of cover

:)
 
James R said:
On the other hand, it will be good to have more definitive real-world data about the efficacy of mixing and matching vaccines. I guess that's in the works.
Click to expand...
There's pretty good data already. A German study showed a significant improvement in immunity by an adenovirus plus mRNA booster. It will be difficult to cover every possible permutation with testing, but the basic concept works.

The J+J is adenovirus based and Pfizer/AstraZeneca are mRNA. The body reacts to them slightly differently; the mRNA version does not act through the TLR9 protein that stimulates killer T-cells to attack infected cells. (Which makes sense, since mRNA does not result in infected cells; the adenovirus based vaccines do.) The difference is slight, but getting both versions could conceivably confer more immunity than either one alone.
 
James R said:
Last time I heard, there were only preliminary indications about the efficacy of mixing different kinds of vaccines, but they seem to point to it being a good idea. That makes some intuitive sense to me in the case of mRNA and non-mRNA vaccines.

If I get to choose, I think I'll do the same thing as exchemist. I've already had two shots of AstraZeneca, so Pfizer or Moderna next time sounds like it might be a good idea.

On the other hand, it will be good to have more definitive real-world data about the efficacy of mixing and matching vaccines. I guess that's in the works.
Click to expand...
It isn't my choice. It is what the NHS is doing for the over 50s, most of whom had the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine for their first 2 doses. But I'm very happy with it.
 
I just checked with my HMO and they are currently only administering booster shots to those who received Pfizer vaccine. But they said that they are prepared to roll out boosters for Moderna (the vaccine I received) and the others as soon as the US CDC authorizes it. (Right now the feds are still studying whether to recommend boosters.) So it looks to me like the boosters will only be additional doses of the vaccine that we originally received without mixing them up. Maybe that policy will evolve in the future, I don't know.

That being said, I've read anecdotal stuff in the media that suggests that mixing up the vaccines might be advantageous. I would guess that might be more true of vaccines with different modes of action. (A booster of a different m-rna vaccine might not provide much additional benefit over an additional dose of the same one, unless the m-rna code is different and they are generating different antibodies.) Again, I don't know.

I'm not an expert on immunology and will probably go with the judgment of the medical professionals that I trust.
 
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My HMO (Kaiser-Permanente) just changed their policies and are administering boosters to the Moderna-gang. They were waiting for CDC approval which they've received. So I signed up to receive one.

I'm not really all that concerned about covid, but figure 'better safe than sorry'. It's free, so why not?

Kaiser still isn't administering mix-and-match doses as far as I know, so I'll be getting 3x Moderna.
 
Had my Pfizer booster (following my 2 doses of Astra/Zeneca) yesterday. Sore arm and some muscular aches and stiffness today, i.e. fairly typical for any immunisation. With that and my previous encounter with the live virus in March 2020, I feel I must be as well immunised now as anyone can be.

But I'm going to keep going with the mask and avoiding crowded and ill-ventilated places, since all the evidence is that immunisation only cuts your risk of infection by about half and it is not nice to get, even if, as an immunised person, you only get it mildly. I particularly do not want to lose my sense of taste and smell again: that is quite disturbing. Also of course you have to isolate for 10 days, which is a huge pain.
 
Up in Northern Territory Australia the politicians are going to let us know about booster shots on the 8th November

:)
 
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