So are you going to get a jab for a variant that will most likely be gone in a couple months when doing so is likely to make you more susceptible?
Originally Posted by Ducbutter
Good question. I don't know. I got the bivalent booster in October, 2022. Right now, I don't meet CDC guidelines for the new monovalent booster. My decision will likely depend on any change in CDC guidelines, what I hear on Doctor Radio, and whether COVID takes off again. Right now it looks like it may be starting to take off, based on hospitalizations and emergency room visits for COVID in Texas.
The new booster is targeted towards XBB Omicron variants, which are closely related to the common (currently) EG variant. I don't think the variants that are around in a couple of months will be radically different. The BA.2.86 variant that Campbell described doesn't appear to be winning out over the others.
We may be comparing apples and oranges by the way. SpeedRacer is the most enthusiastic supporter of vaccination on the site, and you're at the other end of the spectrum. I'm in the middle, but closer to SpeedRacer. Based on what you and he have posted, I suspect he's the oldest of us, you're the youngest, and I'm in between. If I were, say, in my 30's, my interest in getting another booster would be a lot lower.
If the new variant is less virulent you have a lesser chance of going to hospital anyway, no?
Originally Posted by Ducbutter
Agreed. I suspect the decline in virulence is mostly because now people have better immunity from infection and vaccination.
And Campbell seemed to think the claim about those with natural immunity being more susceptible was dubious. Natural immunity is clearly better than from the jab.
Originally Posted by Ducbutter
I agree that a person would probably have better immunity if he got the disease six months ago, versus getting a booster six months ago. On the other hand, I suspect someone who last had COVID two years ago, before Omicron, wouldn't necessarily have better protection from severe disease than someone who's had a booster in the last few months.
And how much suffering are you going to go through to get the immunity from disease instead of vaccination? Take a look at Manslut and eyecu2's experiences on the previous page. Jackie on the other hand had an easy time of it when he was infected. If memory serves me correctly, Jackie did get vaccinated while Manslut never did. It would be interesting to know if Manslut previously had COVID, before his recent infection.
As Speed Racer's link says,
“Vaccination is the safest way to acquire immunity, whereas acquiring natural immunity must be weighed against the risks of severe illness and death associated with the initial infection,” says lead author Dr Stephen Lim from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington’s School of Medicine, USA.
Now, how much of an issue is this really, given all of us have immunity from the disease and/or vaccination? I don't know. But someone who's immune compromised or over, say, 65, who last had COVID in 2020 and never got vaccinated afterwards would probably be well advised to get the shot.
https://www.healthdata.org/news-even...idence-natural
Originally Posted by SpeedRacerXXX