My grandmother is 99 and she got the Moderna shot, so we're waiting until that is available for her. She technically isn't immunocompromised, but she's 99.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/recommendations/immuno.html
Only the immunocompromised can get a Moderna booster right now. I wish she could switch to Pfizer. I'm sure a lot of people are getting away with that.
I was emailing some family members Saturday and came to the realization that I could get the shot soon technically. If you got the Pfizer shot and are overweight, 6 months after your second shot you can get a booster.
Here is what I wrote in an email Saturday:
I have the first two Pfizer shots. I got my second shot on April 26th, so I couldn't get a third shot until 6 months later, on October 26th, at the earliest. But you do have to still meet some other criteria.
From:
https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/p0924-booster-recommendations-.html
- "people 65 years and older and residents in long-term care settings should receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine at least 6 months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series,
- people aged 50-64 years with underlying medical conditions should receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine at least 6 months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series,
- people aged 18-49 years with underlying medical conditions may receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine at least 6 months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series, based on their individual benefits and risks, and
- people aged 18-64 years who are at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of occupational or institutional setting may receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine at least 6 months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series, based on their individual benefits and risks."
But that applies to a bunch of people and I don't think people realize that.
Here is the link to underlying conditions they mention in that section:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-medical-conditions.html
It applies to a lot of conditions. Among the broadest probably are:
- Diabetes (type 1 or type 2)
- Overweight and obesity
- Smoking, current or former
That means if someone has any of those conditions, 6 months after their second Pfizer shot they could get a booster.
It's not just obesity, but simply being overweight.
"The US obesity prevalence was 42.4% in 2017 - 2018."
From: https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html
Here's what the underlying medical conditions page says:
"Overweight and obesity
Overweight (defined as a body mass index (BMI) > 25 kg/m2 but < 30 kg/m2), obesity (BMI 30 kg/m2 but < 40 kg/m2), or severe obesity (BMI of 40 kg/m2), can make you more likely to get severely ill from COVID-19. The risk of severe COVID-19 illness increases sharply with elevated BMI."
And here is a BMI calculator:
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/lose_wt/BMI/bmicalc.htm
Since I am 5'10", I only need to be 174 or 175 pounds to qualify as overweight, which I can easily be. (one page says BMI of greater than 25 and another page says 25 or greater) Our scale is broken and we need to buy a new one, but I will in the next month. They don't check these things, but I wouldn't have to lie if I made sure I was 175 pounds. And as my dad says, you usually try to stand tall when you have your height measured so I could be 5'9" and then I would only need to be 169 or 170 pounds.
This is the page that says BMI of 25 or greater:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/clinical-care/underlyingconditions.html
And the CDC specifically says this on the first underlying medical conditions page:
"CDC completed an evidence review process for each medical condition on this list to ensure they met criteria for inclusion on this webpage."
So it's not a mistake, if someone is overweight, they qualify. And that is likely most Americans who got the Pfizer shot. Plus, "at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of occupational or institutional setting" could mean a person who has a job that is around people. No one is checking that kind of thing and I don't know what it really means anyway. Obviously healthcare professionals, but I assume teachers and grocery store workers too.
I'm going to get a scale in the next month and I might actually qualify at the end of October. Really unfair if my 99 year old grandmother wouldn't by that time. She still lives alone and the family members visiting her are vaccinated, but on occasion she goes out to get her hair done for example, so she's around more people than she needs to be. And of course being around only vaccinated people isn't a guarantee of not getting it. As people get further and further out from when they got their shot, their immune response lessens. I can't imagine what a senior living place would be like. They really should have required vaccinations for employees a long time ago, and for people there too. Making them wear masks all the time would likely be difficult at that age, so vaccination is a must. (as well as any visitors being vaccinated and they should be wearing a mask.) |