I have received 7 Covid vaccinations (Pfizer and Novavax) during the time period of March 2021 through September 2025. I also got a Covid (probably Omicron) breakthrough infection in January 2023.
The stuff I’m reading online has me confused. Some sources say that by this point I have enough hybrid immunity from all those shots and the infection, and says 7 is already a lot more shots than most other people get, that I should be good to go and need no further boosters. Other sources say Covid is just like flu now, in the sense that an annual flu shot is needed.
I usually react quite badly, physically, to the Covid shots, which have effects I can feel for days. Should I scale back down to, say, one booster every two years instead of one?
At the vaccine clinic at my work last year, they were giving the flu shot to anyone who asked, and the covid shot to anyone who had a preexisting condition that put them in a high-risk group. There was no actual enforcement of that; you just had to check off a box that says “I have a condition that makes me high risk”, and they were sort of encouraging folks to just check off that box… but, well, I don’t.
Note that the CDC recommendation to provide COVID shots only to those in high-risk groups was made at the behest of RFK Jr, a proud vaccine skeptic. I’ll leave you to decide if you think it was made for scientific or political reasons. Most medical organizations continue to recommend that everyone get one annually.
You have to make your own choices, but in my view, this is less about lying on a form and more about advocating for my health. My preexisting condition is knowing when RFK Jr is full of shit and gaslighting me.
Sometimes a little civil disobedience is justified.
The general recommendation for 65+ is twice a year, 6 months apart. Those with other medical conditions can generally say so and receive dosing on the 65+ schedule. I don’t lie, just state my medical conditions.
I requested the current covid booster at my recent physical exam. The doctor said they don’t have them. Not a small office either; affiliated with Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.
The 2026-27 booster won’t be available for another month or two, and the 2025-26 is no longer being produced, so it’s not surprising they are currently out. Check back in October.
You’d rather risk your health, or the health of anyone you live with or come into contact with, than disobey RFKjr’s pulled-out-of-his-ass directive??? Lying on a form such as that one is completely irrelevant, as was his directive. Don’t let him take away your health rights.
Having had covid twice now, I don’t want a third bout. One wiped me out for a week, and took about 3 weeks to get 100% back. Once I thought it was a persistent cold and if I had waited another day I would not have even gone to the doctor about my “cold.” And no one wants long covid. That is truely nasty according to the few people I know that had it.
The vaccine is not foolproof but pretty effective. I’m also 99% sure the science shows that vaccinated folks who still get covid have much milder cases.
The flu vaccine is kind of a crap shoot since there are so many different kinds of flu, and it’s an educated guess for which flu types to include in vaccine. That said, a barely noticeable shot vs being sick for a week is a no-brainer in my book. YMMV
I was just chatting with our local CVS pharmacist as I was getting my flu vaccine. She said they just got word that they’ll be receiving the newest Covid vax in a few days. We should be able to get that vax in a week or two. We’re in the Silicon Valley area, if that’s relevant.