I’m the wife of someone with Waldenstrom’s. We found out about the spring booster programme by accident so have been doing reseach. On the gov website I’ve noticed this wording which I don’t recall seeing before If you have a severely weakened immune system your doctor may advise an extra dose 3 months after you have the spring vaccine. In the past he’s tried to get an additional jab on the basis that after 3 months efficacy wanes, but with no success.
Hi Martine, welcome to the forum! Is this the the page you were looking at A guide to the spring 2024 COVID-19 vaccination campaign - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
If you have not had all your vaccinations
If you have not yet had either of your first 2 doses of the vaccine (or a third dose for those with a weakened immune system) you should have a dose during the seasonal campaign.
If you are eligible and you have missed an earlier booster, you should have a dose this spring to catch up. Most people do not need extra doses to make up for those you have missed.
If you have a severely weakened immune system your doctor may advise an extra dose 3 months after you have the spring vaccine.
Our understanding is that this particular paragraph of information is for people who are immunocompromised but have missed previous boosters. Did your husband have the autumn 2023 booster?
You may find our vaccine webpage useful here to see what has been offered so far - Covid vaccine for people with blood cancer | Blood Cancer UK
Please do get in touch with us on 0808 2080 888 or support@bloodcancer.org.uk if you want to talk things through!
Alice
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Yes, he’s had all 8 primary/boosters This is the page I meant, my apologies, I hadn’t spotted that it was only for those who who had missed boosters
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I think you and @Alice_BloodCancerUK may be talking at cross purposes here? The extract Alice refers to is what happens for people who haven’t had their full prior complement of vaccine jabs .
My understanding is that anyone with lymphoma which would include Waldenström macroglobulinaemia (WM), should indeed be eligible for a spring booster (as they would typically fall into the immunocompromised group, is that right @Alice_BloodCancerUK ie whether on watch and wait, in treatment or in remission? Although I know some GPs get confused on the detail!). NHS England launch booking for spring booster jabs via the NHS app on 15th April with slots available from 22nd April onwards.
I have LPL (Waldenström macroglobulinaemia (WM) is a form of LPL), and am expecting to be able to book for a spring booster jab after 15th April booking system launches (like you, this would be jab no. 9 for me).
Household members of lymphoma patients are sadly not eligible for a spring booster (so my husband has booked a private Covid jab for mid April)
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Hi, CaroleCW. No we’re talking about the same thing, I just misread the gov website which Alice quotes. We know my husband (who is the person with Waldenström macroglobulinaemia (WM)) is eligible for the spring booster, he’s had them all so far (as I said, 8 jabs) with no problem at all accessing them and is looking forward to no 9. I thought the gov website meant he could get an extra booster (i.e.10th jab) later in the year (i.e 3 months after the spring jab) before the (presumed) autumn booster (no 11!) which will be in approx 6 months- hence my point about efficacy waning. I too will be paying for a private vaccination, as that’s another way to keep him safe. I’m just grateful that we can afford it, and feel for those households who can’t.
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Thanks. I understand now 
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@CaroleCW @Alice_BloodCancerUK Going through treatment
Just a heads up to all our forum friends–
I rec’d my invite for my Covid Spring Booster from GP this morning, and another prompt from NHS. App.
I’ve accepted my GP invite and await dates offered.
I responded to GP invite on basis of naive belief they will deliver as opposed to a NHS appointment miles away.
If you’ve not been invited as immunosuppressed/post 75 chase it!
Iain (Waldenstroms)
Thanks. Yes I got my invite too from both my GP surgery and NHS app message and NHS email (all bases covered!), luckily jabs being done at my GP surgery just 5 mins walk from home (my GP slots also appear among the appointments offered in the NHS app). Jab no. 9 for me.
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Good evening all, hope everyone has been able to enjoy some slightly better, and drier!, weather today.
Just back from having my Spring Booster for Covid19 and managed to make both the Nurse and the Receptionist smile and laugh, which I thought was quite good at 4:35pm after the day that they must have endured, especially as I was fully dressed! 
Hope that everyone that is eligible for the booster has/is able to get their appointments sorted.
Take care all, stay safe and remember to be kind to yourselves.
Jimbo165
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Hi @Jimbo165 I had my spring booster at a chemist I had not been to before today and they were absolutely lovely as I struggled in with a large bulky rucksack, Pilates mat, showerproof slippery coat, my sloppy Jo jumper, sheaf of medical eligibility papers, slip of paper with my details on it, but arm barred in readiness.
Then I went to my Pilates lesson.
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Hi dear @Erica, I’m glad that you are all jabbed up and ready for Summer, if it ever arrives! I also hope that your Pilates sessions are helping with your energy levels, especially after your earlier heart issue. I know how much that can “throw your system out”, both physically and emotionally.
I must admit, and one of our fellow/fellowette forum member’s is the author of this saying, but I am tired of feeling tired and wish that there was some magic pill answer but, sadly, there isn’t.
My Plantar Fasciitis has, thankfully, eased off somewhat now but has been replaced by a bad back! Do you ever feel like the rut is getting deeper? 
Best wishes
Jimbo165
As always, keep on smiling and be kind to yourself.
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Hi folks. I got my notification from the NHS last week and was straight on the phone. Got my 9th vaccination at 12.00 on Monday. Very slight soreness but much less than previous boosters. I have T-cell Large granular lymphocytic leukaemia (LGLL) on watch and wait.
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I also have Waldenstroms (Waldenström macroglobulinaemia (WM)) and got invite for Spring booster from my GP as well as the standard NHS invites . . . took the GP one as it’s local, I know the staff and therefore won’t need all the pile of ‘evidence of eligibility’ paperwork and it supports our excellent practice! Had the vaccine on Saturday: Spikevax (formerly known as Moderna), apart from dull ache/stiffness at site of vaccine, upper arm and neck for a couple of days, no adverse side effects.
I noticed in the ‘Package leaflet’ page 2 a reference to ‘close contacts’ getting the vaccine.
'Immunocompromised individuals . . . you should continue to maintain physical precautions to help prevent Covid-19. In addition, your close contacts should be vaccinated as appropriate. Discuss appropriate individual recommendations with your doctor."
The government has not allowed ‘close contacts’ to have the Spring booster, so I intend to take this up with my Consultant at my review meeting next week. I wonder if Blood Cancer UK could also take this up at a national level - it seems that the precaution of providing vaccine to ‘close contacts’ is an eminently sensible approach, permitted in some of the earlier vaccination programmes. I do wonder what the reason is for excluding them again, as with the Autumn booster.
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Hi @beverleyanny I believe Blood Cancer UK and other charities have campaigned at national level but I will copy your post to them @BloodCancerUK-SupportTeam
Look after yourself
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It is interesting and I will be following the posts that @Erica has linked. I have had covid twice my husband had it first on both occasions so I can only assume I picked it up from him. So it would seem sensible to vaccinate our close contacts.
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Yes it’s very frustrating that household contacts are not eligible for the jab, we paid for my husband to have one done privately (but conscious of the health inequality this situation creates for those unable to afford it).
The JCVI’s argument from their Feb 2024 decision announcement for not covering household contacts is cost effectiveness and “The value of COVID-19 vaccination as a means to reduce transmission of infection from one person to another is accordingly limited. These factors will influence the value of future routine COVID-19 vaccination for groups such as healthcare workers and household contacts of immunosuppressed individuals.” Of course even if a vaccine jab has limited effect in reducing transmission to those of us covid-vulnerable, it’s still better than nothing. I believe BCUK and other charities have lobbied for it but to no avail
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I’m just back from my booster. Despite making an 11:00 appointment, I arrived 5 minutes early to a queue at least 50 deep. The irony that this extensive queue was full of vulnerable and elderly patients, was not lost on me. Even longer when I left 
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Yes, @PollyVera I believe they make multiple bookings for a time.
I have had mine with no after effects
Yes, the irony is not lost on us.
Take lots of care
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Yes I’m just back from mine too, took my elderly parents along we were all in at 1pm unusually for us we were early thankfully! By 105pm there was a waiting room full of walk ins - like nothing I haven’t seen since the days of the pandemic. Glad we were there early as there was quite a queue when we left.
All fine apart from a stiff arm but I am dosing up on paracetamol just in case.
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