Pfizer Covid recall recipients ‘want normal Thanksgiving’ after receiving third injection

Massachusetts resident Preston Alexander, 66, was elated when he found out last week that he was eligible to receive a booster dose of the Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech.

Alexander, whose wedding photography business went bankrupt during the pandemic, was concerned about his level of protection against the virus as fall and winter approached, when the delta variant was expected to circulate alongside seasonal flu. After CDC director Dr Rochelle Walensky approved recalls for a wide range of Americans on Friday, including those aged 65 and older, he immediately called his local pharmacy to make an appointment.

The photographer and videographer regularly worked for big parties and weddings with 200 to 300 people, he said.

“I’m definitely not going to submit to others when they’re not even wearing masks and dancing on the dance floor like it’s 1999,” he said in a telephone interview. He received a third dose of the Pfizer vaccine on Saturday.

Four people interviewed by CNBC – among the first Americans to receive booster shots in the United States – said they were given extra doses for fear of exposing or exposing themselves to the delta variant and becoming seriously ill.

The strain has led to an increase in hospitalizations in the United States, primarily among the unvaccinated. Yet some vaccinated Americans suffered from so-called breakthrough infections and just over 19,000 of them – less than 1% – were hospitalized or died with Covid as of September 20, according to data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Scientists say vaccine protection against infection usually begins to wane six months after the second injection. Federal health officials hope the strengthening U.S. population will continue to provide long-term, lasting protection against serious illness, hospitalization, and death. Other countries, including Chile and Israel, have already started offering third doses to many of their citizens.

Walensky approved a series of recommendations on Friday, including distributing the injections to older Americans and adults with underlying health conditions starting six months after their first round of inoculations. She also authorized booster injections for people working in high-risk professional and institutional settings, such as healthcare workers and teachers, overturning the agency’s advisory committee on immunization practices after rejecting the same proposition.

The new policy will make the third doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine available to an estimated 60 million people, of whom 20 million were immediately eligible as the highly contagious delta variant continues to spread across the country, said on Friday. President Joe Biden.

Alexander of Massachusetts said he viewed the extra doses as a “blessing.” He noted that the side effects from the third injection of Pfizer were similar to those he experienced after the first and second doses.

“I wasn’t expecting anything major when I got my recall,” he said. “I still had a sore arm for a day and a half. No headaches, no fatigue, nothing. Just incredible peace of mind.”

Three other people who received the Pfizer booster also said they felt better after receiving the extra dose and experienced minimal side effects.

Karen Cobb of Sanbornton, New Hampshire looks after her two granddaughters, ages two and four. The 69-year-old said she received a reminder at her local CVS on Sunday because she did not want to give the virus to her grandchildren, who are currently not eligible for the vaccine.

“I am the treasurer of my city, and even though everyone in the office was fully vaccinated, there was an epidemic. Two women contracted the Covid and I was exposed to it,” she said.

Cobb, who also suffers from autoimmune diseases, said her arm was sore on Monday and on Tuesday she suffered from headaches and nausea that lasted all morning.

“But luckily I was able to rest,” she said. “I feel better now that I’ve been reminded to go back to work,” she added.

California resident Wayne Adams, 62, received his Pfizer recall on Monday at his local Walgreens. Adams, who has underlying health issues, said the third stroke took around 45 minutes and was painless on top of the initial stroke.

His work in public transport is seen as essential, “so I didn’t have the option of working from home. I didn’t want to take him home to my wife or other family members,” he said. he declared.

“I want to have a normal Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays for my kids and grandchildren, and it’s the right thing to do and the vaccine is the way forward for all of us,” he said.

Alberto Jacinto, 29, said he lied to get a third dose of the Pfizer vaccine, telling his local pharmacy he had a health problem.

He said he felt he needed a booster because he was moving to work in a town in northwest Texas that has a low vaccination rate. He said he received his extra dose in late August after finding out that a CVS offered third injections.

“It’s a college town, so I wasn’t going to take any chances with the students here,” he said.