Boosters

Spiderman0081

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120044681#Comment_120044681

It’s surprising alright. All those fools getting confused when looking up the definition of a vaccine, such as

Cambiridge dictionary- “a special substance that you take into your body to prevent a disease”

Oxford- “Any preparation of immunogenic material suitable for the stimulation of active immunity in animals without inducing disease”

Spudman_20000

I see the "nobody ever said" gaslighting continues:

Even more laughable as it seemed many Covid policies were based on the claim they did stop transmission.

Let's also not forget that the Pfizer CEO is no shrinking violet when it comes to dubious claims:

https://www.mmm-online.com/home/channel/u-k-regulator-chided-pfizer-ceo-for-misleading-covid-comments/

Mr.Nice Guy

Got my booster at the pharmacy. Went early and it was still busy enough but I was in and out in about 10 minutes.

Sconsey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120048407#Comment_120048407

Yep, so many people do not understand the difference between viral infection and disease.

Anyone can become infected by the SARS-Cov-2 virus, the vaccine helps prevent you contracting the Covid-19 disease (ie: getting sick or severely sick). You do not have the disease just because you have contracted the virus.

So the definition above “a special substance that you take into your body to prevent a disease” is entirely accurate when discussing the vaccine.

Beasty

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120048407#Comment_120048407

And in the vast majority of cases it does prevent disease. What's your issue with what I said?

Ohmeha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120048272#Comment_120048272

Appointments currently available on the HSE website for Croke Park Sat Jan 7th, Citywest Wed Jan 4th and Sat Jan 7th, Clonskeagh Tue Jan 3rd - Thurs Jan 5th. Nothing available for Swords

cuttingtimber22

why -

• does a 50 year old need to wait 4 months after a Covid infection to get a second booster, while
• a 49 year old needs to wait 6 months?

I am in the latter category. It will shortly be 4 months since infection and I want to get the booster.

Goldengirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120044323#Comment_120044323

Yes, probably should have made this generally available for whomever wanted it in November.

Charles Babbage

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120055781#Comment_120055781

had they done so then the transmisson of Covid in the festive season would have been a little less and perhaps the queues on trollies would have been a bit less also.

Goldengirl

Agree.

Spudman_20000

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120055781#Comment_120055781

I think you're overestimating the demand that's there for boosters.

Healthcare workers were offered the booster before Christmas and there was very low uptake. Think about that for a second. Most of the people on the frontline of healthcare, dealing face-to-face with Covid for the past 3 years, didn't want the booster.

Goldengirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120063544#Comment_120063544

Yes indeed . Think about that for a second...

Most have been infected and not just once because of the very fact that they have been face to face with Covid for the last 3 years.

So they have to wait until 4 months recovered before they get a booster, apoarently longer for the younger age groups.

So yes there would not have been as big an uptake all in one go with that particular group.

Not quite the gotcha you hoped for, eh?

Spudman_20000

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120065199#Comment_120065199

I suppose you have data on how many healthcare workers have been infected, and for multiple times? Odd then that communications were still sent by health services encouraging better uptake for hospital staff.

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/health/it-is-a-worry-for-our-health-service-only-15pc-of-healthcare-workers-have-had-their-second-covid-19-booster-jab-42098411.html

Goldengirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120065249#Comment_120065249

Never fails to amaze me how people post links with" a ha gotcha !" comments ...but don't read their own links!

The one above, I would start by looking at the date , lol 😊

Spudman_20000

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120065944#Comment_120065944

That's the most recent information I could find on uptake of boosters for healthcare workers. At least its better than the pure speculation from you on number of infections and how recent an infection might have been. You've literally nothing to back that up.

Goldengirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120065975#Comment_120065975

Common sense and experience , and the ability to read a link and evaluate it properly before sharing it ...something lacking in some others.

You tried unsuccessfully to be smart alecky , lets just leave it there .

Spudman_20000

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120066045#Comment_120066045

Ah ok, so we should just take your word for it? Yes, best we leave it there.

Cluedo Monopoly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120066045#Comment_120066045

To be fair there were numerous mentions of it in the news during December by senior HSE clinicians. They were imploring frontline healthcare staff to get the Covid vaccine and admitted that the takeup was low. I would like to know what the current rate is but it sounded like it was well below 50%.

It was also reported in the UK.

Vaccine uptake low among NHS and social care staff - BBC News

The Public Health Scotland statistics indicate higher numbers of no-shows are also being reported at vaccine clinics.

Goldengirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120066391#Comment_120066391

But that is probably because so many have contracted it in the last few months and are not eligible. Healthcare workers have had among the highest vaccination and boosting rates all along through Covid in the occupational vaccine data . . CSO figures available up to end of August show this .

Why would a group that have been among the best all along stop getting vaccinated ? It doesn't make sense . This in May after first round of boosters..

https://www.imt.ie/features-opinion/healthcare-workers-in-ireland-have-highest-rate-of-the-covid-19-booster-vaccination-09-05-2022/

As in the link by spudman the HSE are not sure themselves because they stopped recording vaccination by group in recent months and many people are getting boosted in their age groups instead back in October..

" However, the spokesperson noted that staff who are 50 or more may have got a second booster based on their age, rather than their status as a healthcare worker."

This is CSO data on vaccinations and boosters from October. In the graphs Q represents healthcare and health science...

https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/fp/fp-cvac/covid-19vaccinationstatisticsseries6/

Cluedo Monopoly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120066484#Comment_120066484

I don't know the reasons but there was definitely a push last month to get the rates up amongst healthcare workers. They didn't "all stop" as you put it but there was definitely less demand across all cohorts. There were also news reports of vaccine supplies being binned as a result.

The BBC article simple said "For many people this will be their fourth or even fifth Covid vaccine and some health professionals believe that the virus is considered a less immediate threat." and "When it comes to health and social care workers - historically vaccine uptake for things like flu has been lower than officials would desire."

Goldengirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120066175#Comment_120066175

No. If you look at the HSPC weekly epidemiological data there are records of how many healthcare workers recorded infections each week .

I know there is an average of 200 to 300 every week but the annual number is not given for this year as it will not be collated by the HSPC unlike 2020 and 2021. And I am not going to add them all up for you.

This proves my point about ongoing infections in staff and would have an effect obviously on numbers being boosted as a result.

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120044323#Comment_120044323

There's also the cohort in that age group that don't want to be flattened by the vaccine around Christmas time... I will shamelessly hold my hands up and say I'm one of them.

I was completely wrecked for about 24 hours after each of the last 3 jabs and didn't want that happening with all the partying the last 2 weeks. I and many like me would have rolled up our sleeves in November

Spudman_20000

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120066781#Comment_120066781

Looking at the HSPC data, there was around 200 to 300 HCW infections every week around the time the first booster was authorised for healthcare workers in November 2021, so that still doesn't prove your point about prior infections resulting in lower update of the 2nd booster.

Spudman_20000

More data showing the grá for boosters is definitely slowing:

https://www.irishtimes.com/health/2023/01/10/only-8-per-cent-avail-of-covid-19-boosters-in-some-areas/

Goldengirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120094167#Comment_120094167

And they also noted that it does seem to be according to demographic ie . reduced uptake in younger, less vulnerable people,which makes total sense ,doesn't it ?

Just on the health workers having low uptake - it’s quite possible that most of them have had a COVID infection within the last 4-6 months and aren’t eligible. It’s been utterly rampent.

I’m not a healthcare worker, but I’m sure that the fact that I’m now officially eligible in terms of age category but can’t reasonably get vaccinated until sometime in April / May having had COVID in late November will mean I’m counted as some kind of anti-vaxxer stat … There must be hundreds of thousands of people in the same position.

Spiderman0081

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120096972#Comment_120096972

Hundreds of thousands of people beginning to realize they don’t need a booster.

Spudman_20000

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120096972#Comment_120096972

You don't think Covid was rampant when the first booster was authorised for healthcare workers in November 2021? Or when it was authorised for everyone over 16 from mid-December 2021?

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-59428145

While a portion of the poor uptake of the second booster could be explained in terms of eligibility from prior infection, it doesn't explain the big drop off across all cohorts, including health workers.

Remember, Ireland had the second highest uptake of the first booster in Europe for people aged 18+:

https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/ba465-minister-for-health-welcomes-significant-uptake-of-booster-vaccines-in-ireland/

My guess is that as soon as Covid certs were dropped, otherwise healthy people didn't feel compelled to get any more boosters in order to go on their jollies, and generally participate in normal societal activities (no more so when mask mandates were dropped, majority stopped wearing them).

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120096347#Comment_120096347

I'm hoping they will soon offer third boosters for those under 65 with medical conditions that put them at risk of serious illness. I've never had covid (to date) and had a second booster in early July of 2022 due to diabetes and respiratory conditions, but I am concerned it would have now wained, and I currently don't qualify for the third booster, even though its been more than six months since my last one.

@Spudman_20000

@Spudman_20000 your guess is as good as mine. I wouldn’t think there’s much reluctance to take the booster though based on what I’m hearing, but literally every 2nd person I know has had COVID since November, mostly mild, with a couple of people who had pretty dramatic doses.

Goldengirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120103553#Comment_120103553

Same .

I got Covid last Christmas so am a few months later with my booster .

Some diabetics were being treated as immunocompromised, depending on their doctor. So extra shot initially .

Goldengirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120101876#Comment_120101876

You keep on plugging there spudman ! You are just wrong though .

As I have said in a previous reply to you on this subject , healthcare were far and away the top for the first booster (98% ) and will be a good cohort again but have to get over the " rampant " infections first . Your words there.

The data at the moment has healthcare workers at 23% end of November which is the best of all occupational groups at that time and that was not taking into account those with underlying conditions or older who probably got them earlier

It would be handy if they got those booster campaigns going a bit ahead of what is now ‘COVID / Flu season’ though. I think the general rollout of that 2nd booster came far too late to have had much impact on the 3rd wave. I know most of the very vulnerable people I know have had the max number of boosters, and had them early and weren’t impacted by this wave much at all.

The people I know who were hit worst were those who were maybe in 30s/40s with underlying issues that don’t qualify them as ‘vulnerable’ but they were seriously in trouble with this - absolutely wiped out for for 6 weeks in one case and still coughing having picked it up at the beginning of November.

Seemed to just be a lot of foot dragging on the rollout compared to the US etc. Ideally it should be available to anyone who wants it with similar timing to the flu vaccine.

Spudman_20000

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120104781#Comment_120104781

Please enlighten me, how am I wrong?

It's a pity Kraken will be the dominant strain by the time you're eligible again. Unfortunate that there always seems to be a new variant around the time boosters become available.

jackboy

I remember before the first vaccine shot many scientists were saying that vaccines should never be given out while there is high levels of infection in the community, as this massively increases the risk of variants. That was one reason a strict lockdown was required before the first shot. I’m wondering now was that actually true or were the scientists just saying that to back up the lockdowns.

Either way we can be pretty sure loads of people are getting vaccinated while having covid.

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120104954#Comment_120104954

Its an interesting angle. I dont remember hearing that re vaccines but rather the antibody treatments.

This article suggests it should not be an issue

https://www.science.org/content/blog-post/vaccines-will-not-produce-worse-variants

walus

“CDC & FDA Identify Preliminary COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Signal for Persons Aged 65 Years and Older’: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/bivalent-boosters.html

“Following the availability and use of the updated (bivalent) COVID-19 vaccines, CDC’s Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD), a near real-time surveillance system, met the statistical criteria to prompt additional investigation into whether there was a safety concern for ischemic stroke in people ages 65 and older who received the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent. Rapid-response investigation of the signal in the VSD raised a question of whether people 65 and older who have received the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent were more likely to have an ischemic stroke in the 21 days following vaccination compared with days 22-42 following vaccination.”

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120121906#Comment_120121906

Strange you pasted that and left this out, if you don't have an agenda.

Although the totality of the data currently suggests that it is very unlikely that the signal in VSD represents a true clinical risk, we believe it is important to share this information with the public, as we have in the past

bloopy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120105137#Comment_120105137

Take up very low according to Morning Ireland.

30% of all eligible population. Didn't break it down into age groups. Drops to 25% for healthcare workers.

Vyse Remastered

On the RTE website. Only 6% of 18-49 have taken up the 2nd booster.

https://www.rte.ie/news/2023/0118/1349311-covid-vaccines/

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120123860#Comment_120123860

It only opened for that age group 3 weeks ago, although they were hoping for higher initial turnout:

In the three-week period since the second booster vaccine roll out started on 29 December, some 76,000 jabs were administered. This falls behind targets of 210,000 set for the same three-week period.

By age, 6% of 18 to 49-year-olds have had their second booster, 42% of the 50 to 64-year-olds and 78% of people aged over 65 have had theirs.

Spiderman0081

There are a lot of people saying “each to their own” lately.

It wasn’t so prevalent the last few years though. Strange.

ceadaoin.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120123893#Comment_120123893

Why do you feel the need to defend and spin the fact that hardly anyone wants boosters anymore? It's over for most people, who cares if they don't. What must you think about the countries like Denmark and Norway who aren't offering more boosters, or even primary vaccinations to younger non high risk people anymore?

Goldengirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120125900#Comment_120125900

So why do you care about odyssey posting what is a fact after all ? Enough to castigate on the thread that is ?

Likewise the healthcare takeup of a booster that 98% took up previously , but over 8 months duration ...24% is not bad considering so many have been infected every week for the last 5 months , and likewise the general population .

Sure half the country has been infected and is recovering so why or how would they be getting boosters ?!

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120125900#Comment_120125900

Why do you feel the need to challenge anyone who posts in favour of boosters - if its so over?

Obviously it isnt or you wouldnt.

The figures I posted clearly contradict the notion that hardly anyone is getting the booster.

I posted more information from the article showing significant percentages of the eligible population has gotten booster.

Because of the initial vaccine rollout boosters are a marginal gain and rollout depends on many factors such as level of covid, extent of previous immunity.. its not as clear cut a decision as before.

That doesnt mean they dont have an important role to play.

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120123807#Comment_120123807

I heard that too and my jaw dropped just a little with the 25% for healthcare workers.

These are the people at the frontline and if they regard more vaccines as unnecessary, we should wonder.

Goldengirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120126060#Comment_120126060

Of course they don't seem it unnecessary , just that they have been infected in large numbers in the last 3 or four months . Do you and others not check any thing before ye post ..have a look through the epidemiological data, the weekly numbers of healthcare workers infected averaging 250 to 300 a week since last August alone .

Go on ...educate yourself !

Spudman_20000

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120126093#Comment_120126093

It was already pointed out to you that around 250 to 300 healthcare workers were being infected around November 2021 when the first booster was authorised. Tens of thousands were being infected with Omicron when the 1st booster was approved for other cohorts in mid-December.

Attributing the drop in uptake of the 2nd booster to prior infections is not backed up by any data, hence the continued appeals for greater uptake.

Coolcormack1979

The low up take can’t all be put down to those working in the health sector being sick in last couple of months.the low figure of 25% means that across all employees in the hse from the bottom cleaners to those in high management have seen tru the pile of crock that the vaccines are.

Goldengirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120126203#Comment_120126203

HSE are not recognising the high staff infection rate . If they do they might have to do something about it . The rate of vaccination if you note of healthcare booster vaccination is now 25% that would be an increase of 10% in the last month alone which proves my point.

And as said and linked to source before , healthcare science and social uptake of the booster in the count end of November was 98% ! Best group which is to be expected.

So why would a group with so much invested in keeping themselves , their families and their patients well , have changed from being so careful ....because they have to wait four months post infection , and so many are being infected every week all along .

If you have data to disprove this , feel free to post it.

Edited to correct according to CSO data .