The vaccines | vaxxed boosted unvaxxed? New poll

How's your immunity looking? Had covid - vote twice - vax status and then again for infection status

  • Vaxxed but no booster

  • Boostered

  • Still waiting in queue for first vaccine dose

  • Won't get vaxxed (unless I have to for travel/work etc)

  • Past infection with covid + I've been vaccinated

  • Past infection with covid - I've not been vaccinated


Results are only viewable after voting.
I thought there was an 8 week gap for a reason?
I thought the minimum was 3 weeks but could be extended, e.g. the standard procedure in Belgium is 5 weeks for Pfizer and Moderna (and 8 or 12 weeks for AZ).
 
Thats 3 weeks, which is the minimum time frame it is licensed for and what pfizer recommends. Most countries have been doing it for 3-6 weeks.

The UK took a public health decision to prolong the dosing interval to get on top of what was at the time a terrible situation. An informed decision, taken with lots of factors in mind but a bit of a leap regardless.

Ah ok, I see. Doesn't exactly help promote trust though with all the mixed messages...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-57682233

Interestingly when I rebooked online it didn't offer me anything in advance of the 8 weeks but it seems those that have had them after 4 are the ones who've been directly contacted by their doctors surgery. Again, mixed messaging.
 
That's not even 4 weeks!?

You're in the UK? The different gaps between doses is mostly down to availability (or so they're telling us). Here (in Greece) it's 21 days for the Pfizer vaccine, 28 days for Moderna and 8(!) weeks for the AstraZeneca one. That's how you can choose the vaccine you want, by selecting the dates on the platform. But it's been reported that we've been receiving more m-RNA vaccines (and Johnson) for quite some time now (due to a fallout between UK and the EU), thus the 8-week period between doses for the AstraZeneca.
 
Looks to me, and I’m no doctor or scientist, but no one really knows. It’s all been a massive mess, I’ve had the two vaccines now but it hasn’t filled me with confidence the more I see reported.

while I’m in this thread I may aswell have a little moan at the word jab. Have injections or vaccines always been referred to as jabs? Hearing someone’s been double jabbed or someone saying I’ve had my jab just doesn’t seem right to me, it’s all I hear now, jab this jab that, but again, what do I know.
 
You're in the UK? The different gaps between doses is mostly down to availability (or so they're telling us). Here (in Greece) it's 21 days for the Pfizer vaccine, 28 days for Moderna and 8(!) weeks for the AstraZeneca one. That's how you can choose the vaccine you want, by selecting the dates on the platform. But it's been reported that we've been receiving more m-RNA vaccines (and Johnson) for quite some time now (due to a fallout between UK and the EU), thus the 8-week period between doses for the AstraZeneca.

Ah, you're not in the UK. Fair play then, you're probably not under the governance of a bunch of feckless criminal toffs. Lucky you.
 
Looks to me, and I’m no doctor or scientist, but no one really knows. It’s all been a massive mess, I’ve had the two vaccines now but it hasn’t filled me with confidence the more I see reported.

while I’m in this thread I may aswell have a little moan at the word jab. Have injections or vaccines always been referred to as jabs? Hearing someone’s been double jabbed or someone saying I’ve had my jab just doesn’t seem right to me, it’s all I hear now, jab this jab that, but again, what do I know.

Jabs has been used at least as long as the 33 years I’ve been alive
 
Ah ok, I see. Doesn't exactly help promote trust though with all the mixed messages...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-57682233

Interestingly when I rebooked online it didn't offer me anything in advance of the 8 weeks but it seems those that have had them after 4 are the ones who've been directly contacted by their doctors surgery. Again, mixed messaging.

Youre right, it doesn't and I think its quite irresponsible for that Prof to word it in that way. I assume (or would hope) his thinking is that we still want to keep it at 8 weeks from a PH perspective which is fine if thats what you want to do but don't give a message which isn't how the company itself or indeed most of the world is using it.

To be totally honest, what seems to be happening is that the Government is outlining a national approach (which is fair enough) and locally, some public health authorities/ GPs are not as keen to follow thr advice and want to vaccinate as many people with both jabs as possible.

This kind of mirrors the initial move to 8-12 weeks, when quite a few trusts and GPs were very unhappy with this sudden switch and continued to do 3 weeks until the higher ups came down on them hard.
 
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So I've just rebooked and brought forward my second jab to Friday which is exactly 8 weeks after the first one (Pfizer).

Came back from holiday and a mate of mine said he's already had his second (also Pfizer) which would have been only 4 weeks since he had the first. Is that sensible? I thought there was an 8 week gap for a reason?
They were giving second Pfizer jabs 3 weeks after the first one in Italy earlier this year. By the time I had mine they'd extended it to 5 weeks, but I think that was partly because of supply.

Basically, there've been different opinions!
 
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Ah, you're not in the UK. Fair play then, you're probably not under the governance of a bunch of feckless criminal toffs. Lucky you.

They're all feckless criminal toffs, my friend, no matter the country. Good luck with your second jab. The main reason i chose Pfizer was to get it over with as soon as possible. Sadly, i don't think we're going to avoid new lockdowns during the winter. :(
 
@jojojo where did you find the vaccine stats among young folks for NI vs the other nations? Keen to look into it a bit more. They’re doing pop up centres around the place in part for underserved populations, reticent populations and just resource allocation, but there seems to be surprisingly few people here given there’s so few barriers. I just had to confirm I’d gone beyond the minimum threshold / dosing interval and they were all good to move it forward. Wondering if NI really is close to topping out among the young folks…
 


Key points:
Data collected over the past month suggest the vaccine is 64 per cent effective at halting infection among those who are fully inoculated, down from a previous estimate of 94 per cent, Israel’s health ministry has found.

However, the figures, first reported in the Ynet news portal, indicate the vaccine is 93 per cent effective against serious illness and hospitalisation.
 
How does the Moderna stack up compared to the others? That's what's being given round my area at the moment.
 
@jojojo where did you find the vaccine stats among young folks for NI vs the other nations? Keen to look into it a bit more. They’re doing pop up centres around the place in part for underserved populations, reticent populations and just resource allocation, but there seems to be surprisingly few people here given there’s so few barriers. I just had to confirm I’d gone beyond the minimum threshold / dosing interval and they were all good to move it forward. Wondering if NI really is close to topping out among the young folks…
https://covid-19.hscni.net/ni-covid-19-vaccinations-dashboard/
Currently looking like first dose 53% in the 18-29 which sounds ok. But they opened to the 18+ on the 29th May so they're on a different track to the other nations. Whether that's a matter of local rollout campaigns struggling a bit or a more general hesitancy issue I don't know - but I'd be interested if anyone does.

The divergence has only become noticeable in the past month or so - which is as they headed into the younger groups, but with cases rising maybe it will re-energise things.
 
That'll do. Any news on negative effects of Moderna, obviously AZ had the clots?

Both Pfizer and Moderna have seen a very small number of cases of heart inflammation (common in actual Covid cases) in young males but it usually goes away on its own.
 
That'll do. Any news on negative effects of Moderna, obviously AZ had the clots?
Very similar data to Pfizer. The trials suggest more people get side-effects (the "feeling a bit tired/rough" day or so) than with Pfizer but that's so variable between people anyway that it's not really worth viewing them as different.
 
He might have had it booked at the initial 12 week gap and moved it forward. I’m stuck at 8 weeks too.

That's a good point.

Yep. If you go to manage booking it shows you the dates available before you cancel your current appointment.

Did you F5 for twelve frantic hours while chewing the fingernails off your non-F5 hand until a slot opened up?

Seriously, thank you for the info though.

I got my first Pfizer jab on the 3rd June and the 2nd on the 29th June at the same medical centre. I'm not sure how that will effect me going forward as I thought it would be an 8 week gap in between.

Did you initially have that system-mandated eight-week plus gap and then manage your booking a-la Solius, or did you get that twenty-six day interval right off the bat?
 
Both Pfizer and Moderna have seen a very small number of cases of heart inflammation (common in actual Covid cases) in young males but it usually goes away on its own.

I'll keep an eye on that then. Never been confident in my heart. Fall right into the demographic.
 
That's a good point.



Did you F5 for twelve frantic hours while chewing the fingernails off your non-F5 hand until a slot opened up?

Seriously, thank you for the info though.



Did you initially have that system-mandated eight-week plus gap and then manage your booking a-la Solius, or did you get that twenty-six day interval right off the bat?

Nope I just checked and it showed I had loads of early august dates to choose from so I cancelled and just rebooked for earlier. All of my mates have done the same as well. Saved them 3/4 weeks each.
 
Just got my second Pfizer shot, 4 weeks exactly after the first one.

Waiting now to be released.

How did you manage that? Did you just rebook and it let you or did the NHS contact you to rebook? I thought the gap between doses was only reduced to 8 weeks?
 
That's some result with Moderna on hospitalisation & death.
Need to be a bit cautious on that because AZ for example was initially used with over 55s only and then with the over 40s in Ontario, which makes it difficult to apply results across the board.

The workhorse in Ontario has been Pfizer hence why Moderna has got bigger error bars around its numbers. Also, as in England, maybe Moderna and Pfizer have ended up with different usage patterns as well.

Broadly though, I agree with you: vaccines work :D
 
https://covid-19.hscni.net/ni-covid-19-vaccinations-dashboard/
Currently looking like first dose 53% in the 18-29 which sounds ok. But they opened to the 18+ on the 29th May so they're on a different track to the other nations. Whether that's a matter of local rollout campaigns struggling a bit or a more general hesitancy issue I don't know - but I'd be interested if anyone does.

The divergence has only become noticeable in the past month or so - which is as they headed into the younger groups, but with cases rising maybe it will re-energise things.


Cool, cheers! Didn’t know they had the age breakdown readily available in places like that. I’ll have a root around and see if there’s any answers. Unfortunately NI is too small for the national meda to pay much attention to anything beyond the fragile politics, while the local media don’t have the kind of resources to run these more investigative or analytical stories, so if there’s anything it’ll be anecdotal or citizen journalism! But with the pop up vaccination centres it is becoming more of a talking point so maybe the medical experts have provided some rationale at this point. Definitely would’ve expected higher take-up given how early it was opened up to everyone.
 
Need to be a bit cautious on that because AZ for example was initially used with over 55s only and then with the over 40s in Ontario, which makes it difficult to apply results across the board.

The workhorse in Ontario has been Pfizer hence why Moderna has got bigger error bars around its numbers. Also, as in England, maybe Moderna and Pfizer have ended up with different usage patterns as well.

Broadly though, I agree with you: vaccines work :D

As a terrible layman, I read so much worrying stuff in here specially about curve balls heading our way. Then every so often someone posts those vaccine figures and knocks those curvy concerns for home runs. :cool:
 
So I've just rebooked and brought forward my second jab to Friday which is exactly 8 weeks after the first one (Pfizer).

Came back from holiday and a mate of mine said he's already had his second (also Pfizer) which would have been only 4 weeks since he had the first. Is that sensible? I thought there was an 8 week gap for a reason?
Fwiw; here in the US, I had my 1st Pfizer and the 2nd one exactly 3 weeks later.
 
Any of our American friends got any freebies or won anything for taking the vaccine? Watched this clip the other day where a UK based senior nurse (very good channel btw) reads out a list of incentives some states are giving for people to get vaccinated. It's so unbelievable you've got to laugh.