SKL Posted March 17, 2022 Share Posted March 17, 2022 Months ago, the word was that the existing Covid boosters weren't really working against Omicron, but an Omicron-specific booster was expected out in March. I haven't heard anything about this lately. I guess Omicron is going away on its own, but there's a new variant rising up. Anyone know whether or not this new variant beats the existing boosters, and if so, whether anyone is working on a booster to fight the new variant? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted March 17, 2022 Share Posted March 17, 2022 I'm not sure about this, so I hope someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought I'd heard that the testing showed that the new boosters weren't any more effective than the existing ones, so they won't be releasing them. But again, I could be wrong! I wish they had a booster that really worked, and what I wish for most of all is a simple Tamiflu or Xofluza-type medication that would work against Covid, so if we catch it, we can get a prescription that will work against it. I would much prefer that to the vaccinations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted March 17, 2022 Share Posted March 17, 2022 1 minute ago, Catwoman said: I'm not sure about this, so I hope someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought I'd heard that the testing showed that the new boosters weren't any more effective than the existing ones, so they won't be releasing them. But again, I could be wrong! I wish they had a booster that really worked, and what I wish for most of all is a simple Tamiflu or Xofluza-type medication that would work against Covid, so if we catch it, we can get a prescription that will work against it. I would much prefer that to the vaccinations. ...Of course there is starting to be skepticism whether Tamiflu actually works against flu as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted March 17, 2022 Share Posted March 17, 2022 1 minute ago, vonfirmath said: ...Of course there is starting to be skepticism whether Tamiflu actually works against flu as well. All I know is that it has worked incredibly well for our family over the years, both as a treatment for the sick person and as a prophylactic for the caregiver who was sleeping in the same bed as the sick person. We absolutely swear by it. I know some people have adverse reactions to it, though, and I'm sure it works better for some people than it does for others, so I'm certainly not going to discount others' experiences. I can only say that among my own family and friends, we are all big fans of Tamiflu -- although I have heard that Xofluza may be even better. (And I'm probably spelling that wrong!) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted March 17, 2022 Share Posted March 17, 2022 What I heard (on our local news one or two nights ago, so recently) was that the targeted boosters didn't really work but the current boosters still provide enough protection against severe disease for current variants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom_to3 Posted March 17, 2022 Share Posted March 17, 2022 As far as I have heard, all we know about targeted boosters are some small sample size experiments with animals (https://khn.org/morning-breakout/omicron-vaccine-booster-plans-slowed-may-not-be-needed/). Moderna recently mentioned they were still working on targeted boosters for this summer. Apparently plans are delayed for both Pfizer and Moderna. https://khn.org/morning-breakout/omicron-vaccine-booster-plans-slowed-may-not-be-needed/ So much for a quick turnaround for variants. Is anyone considering getting a 4th shot now before B2 takes off here? My third shot was in mid October. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corraleno Posted March 17, 2022 Share Posted March 17, 2022 59 minutes ago, SKL said: I guess Omicron is going away on its own, but there's a new variant rising up. Anyone know whether or not this new variant beats the existing boosters, and if so, whether anyone is working on a booster to fight the new variant? The new variant (BA2) is an even more contagious mutation of Omicron, and the existing vaccines and boosters seem to work as well against BA2 as they do against original-flavor-Omicron — which is to say not super protective against infection but quite protective against severe disease and death. The hybrid that's been called "Deltacron" seems to have most of the same spike mutations as Omicron, with a Delta core, so it's presumed that vaccines would be similarly effective against that as they are against Omicron. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy2BaMom Posted March 17, 2022 Share Posted March 17, 2022 (edited) 15 minutes ago, Mom_to3 said: As far as I have heard, all we know about targeted boosters are some small sample size experiments with animals (https://khn.org/morning-breakout/omicron-vaccine-booster-plans-slowed-may-not-be-needed/). Moderna recently mentioned they were still working on targeted boosters for this summer. Apparently plans are delayed for both Pfizer and Moderna. https://khn.org/morning-breakout/omicron-vaccine-booster-plans-slowed-may-not-be-needed/ So much for a quick turnaround for variants. Is anyone considering getting a 4th shot now before B2 takes off here? My third shot was in mid October. I'm not due to get my 4th shot until June, but, yes, I'm planning to once eligible. My only goal for me & mine: no serious Covid (meaning anything that requires hospitalization), no long Covid. Don't expect to avoid getting it entirely, but so far vaccinations have/are proven/ing themselves in achieving these goals, so I'mma keep going. Edited March 17, 2022 by Happy2BaMom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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