SCLaxAttack wrote: ↑Sun Oct 08, 2023 10:06 am
DMac wrote: ↑Sun Oct 08, 2023 9:26 am
RedFromMI wrote: ↑Sat Oct 07, 2023 7:00 pm
DMac wrote: ↑Sat Oct 07, 2023 11:50 am
But I do think it’s going to be a while before this virus becomes completely normal. And I’ve never been convinced that this current generation of elderly people will ever get to a place where it is completely normal. If you’re 65 or 75 or even older — it’s really hard to teach an immune system new tricks if you’re that age. And so while we may see excess mortality in the elderly decline somewhat, I don’t think we’ll see it ever disappear for this generation who was already old when the pandemic hit. Many will never develop that robust, long-term immunological memory we would want to see — and which happens naturally to someone who’s been exposed hundreds of times since they were a little baby.
Someone tell me how I'm wrong in interpreting this as it not being a clear cut good idea for that age group to be introducing the vaccine to their immune system.
Because the older population cannot experience a lifetime of adaptation to the virus it means to get that immunity the only sensible way is to actually get vaccinated.
Because the vaccine infers immunity without experiencing the disease, as long as the benefits outweigh the risks (true for most everyone regardless of age) it actually makes sense to get the vaccine
unless it is of high risk for a particular person.
Appreciate your input, Red. I wasn't convinced the benefits (brand new untested vaccine with no history to evaluate) outweighed the risk FOR ME. I saw myself as that particular person of high risk.
Dmac, I said on a different thread that, as Red alludes to, I’m in the same kind of boat as you. 67 yrs old, have always done my shots and updates. Got the shingrix vaccine when it first came out, flu shots every year. Had four Moderna COVID shots before last summer with no side effects and got a very mild case of COVID last summer. Fever and head congestion for two days, its mildness I attribute to the shots. Thanks modern medicine!
But then the fall I got a Pfizer booster and ten days later I got double vision, which I’d never in my life had before. My ophthalmologist wouldn’t 100% agree that it was a vaccine side effect but I found a Croatian study that has evidence of eye nerve palsy in the same way COVID and COVID vaccines have taste and smell side effects. So I’ve got my annual physical next week. I’ll definitely get a flu shot, but I’m still on the fence about the new COVID booster. Frankly im very concerned. Absolutely not getting it if my Dr only has Pfizer available and we’ll have a long talk if he has Moderna.
To conclude this, given my age, health (thankfully very good), experience after my Pfizer booster, and Paxlovid availability, my doctor said he’d pass on another booster, so that’s what I’m doing. He made me promise I’d immediately test (within 1.5 days of occurance) if I have a high grade fever so I can start a Paxlovid treatment if necessary.
To assure me that COVID is still deathly serious, he shared that his family is completely updated with shots and all four of them have had minor COVID illnesses until September when his completely healthy 20 yo son got it so bad he ended up overnight in the hospital to kick-start pneumonia treatment. The son is now recovered but missed two weeks of college.
