COVID is once again climbing to troubling levels in California — a worrying trend as health officials attempt to navigate a vaccine landscape thrown into uncertainty by delays and decisions from the Trump administration.
This means availability in September may be later than what people experienced last fall.
While this is true, we know that Moderna and Pfizer’s vaccines have their best effectiveness during the first four months (NovaVax’s initial effectiveness is a bit less than either Moderna or Pfizer, but the protection also lasts a bit longer). And we know that the virus spreads most during indoor ventilation seasons, particularly winter due to holiday gatherings.
Due to those calculations, I’ve been getting my autumn shot in mid October. Counting the initial two-weeks for the shot to stimulate my immune system, that gives me full protection for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s and Valentine’s Day. Effectiveness will fall off around the beginning of March, by which point we’re hopefully past the main winter heating season.
I just similar logic for my spring shot: I get vaxxed in early to mid May, giving me best protection over Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, and through the start of the new school year.
While this is true, we know that Moderna and Pfizer’s vaccines have their best effectiveness during the first four months (NovaVax’s initial effectiveness is a bit less than either Moderna or Pfizer, but the protection also lasts a bit longer). And we know that the virus spreads most during indoor ventilation seasons, particularly winter due to holiday gatherings.
Due to those calculations, I’ve been getting my autumn shot in mid October. Counting the initial two-weeks for the shot to stimulate my immune system, that gives me full protection for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s and Valentine’s Day. Effectiveness will fall off around the beginning of March, by which point we’re hopefully past the main winter heating season.
I just similar logic for my spring shot: I get vaxxed in early to mid May, giving me best protection over Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, and through the start of the new school year.