Covid vaccinations - Moderna Bivalent query

COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
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Has anyone had any experience or clarification about the Moderna Bivalent (Dual) vaccine.
My GP has been worse than useless regarding my stem cell treatment and the follow up primary/booster/types of vaccinations etc.
As I have no faith or trust in my GP for advice, I have concluded that I am probably best advised to seek out a Bivalent vaccination and as I fortunately have well placed friends in the NHS, I shall be seeking their assistance to acquire that treatment.
Nevertheless, I would be interested to hear other people’s views on this subject.
Regards
Rob

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Hi @rofos ,

Thank you for posting, and welcome to our community. I do hope you’re doing okay? It’s very understandable to have questions and concerns around the roll-out of the Autumn Booster vaccine. Our understanding is that the Moderna bivalent vaccine which you have mentioned will be the standard and is recommended for those who are immunosuppressed. We will be updating our vaccine information pages on our website shortly with further information on the Autumn Booster programme, though we understand those based in England will be able to start booking their vaccine appointments from September 7th (In Scotland and Wales, they will need to wait to be invited). Our colleagues at Anthony Nolan have excellent information on covid vaccination post-stem cell transplant (COVID-19 vaccines for stem cell transplant patients | Anthony Nolan) and I understand that they will update their webpages with further information on the Autumn Booster shortly, too.

I hope this helps, and please do reach out if you need any support or wish to talk things through (Blood cancer information and support by phone and email | Blood Cancer UK).

Best wishes,
Tanya

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Hi @rofos a great big welcome and a very good question that @TanyaBloodCancerUK has given you really good information to.
I learnt a lot from it too.
I look forward to hearing more about you and look after yourself.

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Well thank you for the response and it is quite helpful.
However, I feel that I must comment on the presentation of this website, it really does need sorting. As it is, it is just a visual cacophony and is frankly most off-putting.
Regards
Rob

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Thank @rofos I will copy your comments to @TanyaBloodCancerUK
Take care of yourself

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Hi @rofos and welcome to the forum. I can see Tanya has provided you with lots of information that has helped.
We will wait to see what the autumn brings. I hope you are doing well?

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The online booking is open for Autumn boosters. You need to declare you are immuno suppressed and will need to take proof along. I have booked for 12th

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Thanks for this @Gwenda. I will do this tonight. How are you keeping?

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Hi, was diagnosed with myeloma at the end of August 2021 and had a stem cell transplant in April this year, worst experience of my life and never want to go through it again. However, after my diagnosis I have been on aciclovir 400 mg tablets twice a day (antiviral tablets). After a recent check up, and not yet had any vaccinations following my transplant (chemo wipes out all your previous covid and childhood vaccines), was told I had been tested positive for covid at end of July this year. I was shocked as had no symptoms whatsoever even more so in my vulnerable state. I am therefore thinking had the aciclovir suppressed the covid virus or am I not susceptible to the virus. The choice is yours but I will not be having any more vaccines for covid.
Regards

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Thank you for the information re Moderna Bivalent vaccine. I am due my third primary after a stem cell transplant. Does anyone know if the dose of Moderna Bivalent as the same for primary and booster jab? The “old” Moderna the booster dose was half of the primary.

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Given the importance of treatment of immunosuppressed patients, I find it quite disturbing that there are very confusing noises coming out of the health services. In that I had two primary vaccinations of Pfizer before receiving stem cell therapy and to be honest I didn’t find it so unpleasant as Anita did.
Nevertheless, I too was told that my childhood vaccinations would have to be repeated after a year and it is now 14 months past and not a peep out of my GP or indeed my Haematology team at the hospital.
Myeloma UK advice states the need for two more primary doses after stem cell treatment, so far I have only had two booster vaccinations.
By means of a detailed letter, I wrote to my GP practice outlining the confused situation, their response after three months was to “await advice from the NHS”.
So it is quite obvious that, in terms of poorly people and covid immunisation, the medical profession knows that we need to be given priority treatment, the only problem is, they are not at all sure about what that treatment should be.

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Hi @Berit
Page 35 of the Green book explains Reinforcing vaccination

The JCVI have advised that the following vaccines are suitable for boosting irrespective of the
vaccine used for the primary course:
Adults aged 18 or over (including pregnant women)

  • A full 0.3ml dose (30 micrograms) of adult/adolescent Pfizer BioNTech vaccine (ComirnatyÂŽ)
  • A full 0.3ml booster dose of bivalent (15/15 micrograms) Pfizer BioNTech vaccine
    (ComirnatyÂŽ Original/Omicron BA.1)
  • A half 0.25ml dose (50 micrograms) of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine (SpikevaxÂŽ)
  • A full 0.5ml dose of the bivalent (25/25 micrograms) of the bivalent Moderna COVID-19 vaccine (SpikevaxÂŽ bivalent original/Omicron)

The Autumn booster roll-out will primarily use the next generation, bivalent covid vaccine, which targets both the original strain of coronavirus and the Omicron variant.

you may find it useful to read this page of our webpage, particularly the ‘which vaccine will I get’ section - How to book a covid vaccine if you have blood cancer | Blood Cancer UK

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Hi @rofos, we’d really appreciate your feedback if you were happy to share it. We’re really keen to ensure this forum is as accessible and welcoming to everyone who uses it. My email is arandall@bloodcancer.org.uk if you have feedback, recommendations or just need some technical/navigation support. All the best, Alice

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I took my documents along to the dual vacc appointment at a pharmacy in Shropshire. They didn’t want to see anything and said it would be a sad state of affairs if they couldn’t trust someone who said they were immunocompromised! Got the flu jab in the other arm. Very good experience!

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Now that’s amazing service! Glad it all went well :blush:

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Dear Alice,

I have looked at this in more detail and have the following questions.

  1. Which vaccine is recommended for the third primary - revaccination following stem cell transplant?
  2. Can Moderna bivalent be given as a primary? If yes which dose?
    Kind regards
    Berit Moback
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