My son and his girlfriend were over on Saturday and they both tested positive Monday. We were outside the whole time, but I still tested every day and still came up negative. I plan to get a (second) booster in a couple weeks so it ramps up in time for return to school but I‘m not terribly worried about getting it at this point.

Oh, great.

My employer has decided that I must get a second booster by the end of the month. Because I am over 50. Younger people don’t have to get it.

This is frustrating. I want to time boosters to fit with my life. I will probably go visit my dad in October, so that is when I would like to get a booster.

I fail to see the logic in forcing someone who works from home except one day in the office to get a booster. Who is my employer trying to protect?

Cindy, wow, that’s really frustrating.

I am pretty much as pro-vax as you can be, but I don’t think a policy like that makes sense.

I haven’t gotten my second booster yet either (also over 50) and am sort of waffling about the timing, and worried about side effects given how my previous experiences went…

Cindy, like Shiro I am very pro-vax but that definitely seems ridiculous to me. If you were in the healthcare field or another job where you had daily high risk contact with folks I would totally understand, but that’s not the case where you work. Bizarre, and frustrating for you!

Cindy, is that age discrimination to require it for over 50?

I’m vaxed up, but that’s my choice.

quote:

is that age discrimination to require it for over 50?

I was wondering that as well...

Does your employer require you to get a colonoscopy because you're over 50? At this point, the vax requirement seems like the same thing??

ETA, ok, ok, I know colon cancer isn't contagious so it's not the same, but....

I think it depends on where the university is getting its guidance. If there's something in either the state or federal/CDC guidance that recommends a 4th booster for anyone age 50+, I think the uni can say it's a public health directive without worrying about age discrimination.

It would be an interesting case. In the absence of specific state or federal guidance, though, I think they may be vulnerable.

Note there is a difference between a vaccination mandate and recommendations. SK, what are the consequences if you don't get the 4th booster? Are you fired? Are there exemptions (religious, philosophical, medical) that you can use?

Also, I think your uni is private? I'm not that familiar with private university legal stuff, but my impression is that they can do whatever the heck they want, including saying you'll be fired if you don't comply. Publics don't get quite that much freedom (and a whole lot more oversight).

quote:

Originally posted by Cindysphinx:
Oh, great.

My employer has decided that I must get a second booster by the end of the month. Because I am over 50. Younger people don’t have to get it.

This is frustrating. I want to time boosters to fit with my life. I will probably go visit my dad in October, so that is when I would like to get a booster.

I fail to see the logic in forcing someone who works from home except one day in the office to get a booster. Who is my employer trying to protect?

CDC just changed its guidance on quarantine, etc. Pretty much acknowledging that we're just gonna have to live with COVID. Any chance your employer will rethink the vaccination requirement?

quote:

SK, what are the consequences if you don't get the 4th booster? Are you fired? Are there exemptions (religious, philosophical, medical) that you can use?

Nina, you got me and Cindy mixed up!

I work at a public university in "the South." There are no sensible covid rules down here any more. In fact, the pandemic is over, haven't you heard?

quote:

Originally posted by wtg:

quote:

Originally posted by Cindysphinx:
Oh, great.

My employer has decided that I must get a second booster by the end of the month. Because I am over 50. Younger people don’t have to get it.

This is frustrating. I want to time boosters to fit with my life. I will probably go visit my dad in October, so that is when I would like to get a booster.

I fail to see the logic in forcing someone who works from home except one day in the office to get a booster. Who is my employer trying to protect?

CDC just changed its guidance on quarantine, etc. Pretty much acknowledging that we're just gonna have to live with COVID. Any chance your employer will rethink the vaccination requirement?

I don't think this decision was based on, "science." I've come to deeply distrust the CDC. The new guidance is wear masks (the ninth flip flop on this issue or thereabouts). People in my high risk Florida county ripped their masks off (including pharmacists-- you'd think they would know better), and they aren't putting them back on again from the looks of it.

Are we on fourth boosters?! The second one resulted in chronic fatigue for me.

quote:

Originally posted by SK:

There are no sensible covid rules down here any more. In fact, the pandemic is over, haven't you heard?

SK, I feel the same way. There are no sensible rules here, and people are acting like the pandemic is over.

I got the booster. Moderna. Like my first booster, it didn’t do anything.

The shots were great at first, but now they’re just dumb. It’s nice to know I’m protected against delta and omicron, I guess.

I'm still hoping to time mine for early September, but it's complicated at the moment based on some medications I'm taking.

But I'm pro-booster and will get it (my 2nd) as soon as I can, but hopefully at a time that makes sense as well.

I guess I don't think getting them is dumb, Cindy. While the vast majority of us will have a relatively mild case of COVID if we get it, we will also expose others who may have underlying medical conditions that mean contracting COVID could result in significant medical implications. For that reason alone I will be getting the 2nd booster.

I haven't seen any science that a second booster makes you less likely to catch or spread covid, especially if you e already had covid. Especially since the virus has already mutated away from the vaccine. Especially when the booster efficacy drops so quickly.