Community Chat

[Mindy D]

Many, including my friend, were vaccinated with their first dose in the first week of January there. They were given a card with the date of their second appointments but there was no time of day on the appointment cards. When other people with this problem called to find out what time their appointments would be, they were told they would receive a call or email with the time of their appointments or they were told when they called to just show up they don't have a time. My friend kept calling to find about what's true. She found out that they would receive a call back for second appt. time. She did not receive a call for her time but she did get a call for her husband's time. She is furious. There are many local online news articles about this. Some people just showed up as they were told and waited for hours only to be turned away. Now the state has some kind of new second appointment line. I don't know if that's open yet. I checked a site to go to if you didn't get your second appointment that was listed in one of the news articles. At that site you fill out a text box with and problems. It's the Florida Bureau ofEmergency Management and the problem text box is not just for problems with vaccines. My friend had the Pfizer and there's a 21 day window for the second vaccine with it. There's a 28 day window for the Moderna second shot. 

[Tinkrbl44]

Perhaps I missed this in the news. but just WHY is a second shot even necessary?  Is the first dose too weak?   What a hassle for everyone!  

When the doses were being created for FDA approval, they should have been sent back to the drawing board to create a one dose vaccine.   

IMO, if they can create a one dose vaccine for polio or shingles, why can't they do this for covid?  Anyone know the answer to this?  

[Carmie]

@Tinkrbl44   Polio and the Shingles vaccines are not given in just just one dose.  Medicine is complicated.  As long as what they are doing is working, it is a good thing.

Perhaps down the road, our scientists will invent better vaccines with better results.

[fairydogmother]

Seems to be no rhyme or reason to the incidents of chaotic vaccine administration. Here in Polk County Florida, my husband and I made our reservation for a drive through event. It went very smoothly. We we given cards with the date and time of our second dose. Not sure why other counties are in such disarray. 
Regarding a one dose vaccine, Johnson & Johnson has one but it is reported to be much less effective than Moderna or Pfizer. 

[Krimpette]

@Tinkrbl44 The Shingrix shot was a two-dose vaccination.

[Mindy D]

---

@Tinkrbl44 wrote:

Perhaps I missed this in the news. but just WHY is a second shot even necessary?  Is the first dose too weak?   What a hassle for everyone!  

@Tinkrbl44There are four reasons vaccine might need more than one dose:
• For some vaccines (primarily inactivated vaccines), the first dose does not provide as much immunity as possible. So, more than one dose is needed to build more complete immunity. The vaccine that protects against the bacteria Hib, which causes meningitis, is a good example.
• For some vaccines, after a while, immunity begins to wear off. At that point, a “booster” dose is needed to bring immunity levels back up. This booster dose usually occurs several years after the initial series of vaccine doses is given. For example, in the case of the DTaP vaccine, which protects against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis, the initial series of four shots that children receive as part of their infant immunizations helps build immunity. But a booster dose is needed at 4 years through 6 years old. Another booster against these diseases is needed at 11 years or 12 years of age. This booster for older children—and teens and adults, too—is called Tdap.
• For some vaccines (primarily live vaccines), studies have shown that more than one dose is needed for everyone to develop the best immune response. For example, after one dose of the MMR vaccine, some people may not develop enough antibodies to fight off infection. The second dose helps make sure that almost everyone is protected.
• Finally, in the case of flu vaccines, adults and children (6 months and older) need to get a dose every year. Children 6 months through 8 years old who have never gotten a flu vaccine in the past or have only gotten one dose in past years need two doses the first yearthey are vaccinated. Then, an annual flu vaccine is needed because the flu viruses causing disease may be different from season to season. Every year, flu vaccines are made to protect against the viruses that research suggests will be most common. Also, the immunity a child gets from a flu vaccination wears off over time. Getting a flu vaccine every year helps keep a child protected, even if the vaccine viruses

[millieshops]

@Tinkrbl44 It's sort of like the regular flu vaccines, protective but only to about 50%.  That enough for the regular flu most years for most people and that why it was approved.    The second dose ups the protection level to that 94/5 % which at least the most vulverable people want.

Note how much longer J&J has worked to get their one dose vaccine to a worldwide 88%, 72% in this country.

Organization to vaccinate hundreds of millions of people all over the world at one time is something nobody has ever tried before. I wish I thought we were going to see a huge improvement soon!

[Linmo]

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be a game-changer once it is approved and distributed.  One dose is 85% effective against serious illness and death from COVID and it can be stored at normal refridgeration temperatures.  

[Mindy D]

@Tinkrbl44 MMR, Measles Munps and Rubella,requires two doses and the HPV vaccine requires 3 does. Lots of vaccines require multiple doses or boosters. 

[Drythe]

---

@Tinkrbl44 wrote:

Perhaps I missed this in the news. but just WHY is a second shot even necessary?  Is the first dose too weak?   What a hassle for everyone!  

When the doses were being created for FDA approval, they should have been sent back to the drawing board to create a one dose vaccine.   

IMO, if they can create a one dose vaccine for polio or shingles, why can't they do this for covid?  Anyone know the answer to this?  

---

@Tinkrbl44 

When the vaccine was approved, it was always 2 doses, just as the current Shringrex vaccine. Not unusual.

The vaccine was authorized due to the pandemic Emergency the USA has been in for 10 months. Considering the number of people who have already died, and are still dying, ‘sending it back to the drawing board’  is not an option I would consider.

If my loved ones could have it right now, I’d be thrilled even if it were a three shot series.

There is another version being worked on that is one dose.