We don't get flu shots biannually though, is there a reason to do COVID boosters that way? I was under the impression we need them annually, or is that just because of the quick evolution of new variants?

They say that, but it likely won't be widely available till early October.

I have a large gathering beginning October and a trip in December. Guess I'll be taking the currently available booster.

Seems like these things should be coordinated with kids going back to school every year but idk, not a medical professional.

COVID vaccines are free whether or not you have insurance.

The only difference is that if you don't have insurance, the government covers the cost.

You go to a pharmacy and ask for a shot and pay cash. Fuck you for getting screwed over, ya know?

In my county all COVID vaccines and boosters are free to residents and in most regions around me I know there are programs to get them for free if you can't afford them. I'm sure it's not that way everywhere, though, but it's certainly worth calling around and asking about.

How can a company steal your 401? It's already paid out to you

Just be rich and pay cash.

Seriously though, almost any vaccine distribution site was mandated to provide the shot to those without insurance including Walgreens, rite aid, etc., then the bill is sent to feds.

Not sure what point you're trying to get across here unless it's a veiled statement about you not getting vaccinated. People should get vaccinated for both especially since they're both easily transmittable and potentially deadly for certain demographics.

COVID disables healthy people in a way the flu does not.

I can get the flu shot before flu season occurs. The point of thr article is the slow ass speed of the newest booster rollout, combined of course with the premium price.

So you have references I can read about long flu?

Since it's the same and all

Hold on now! This kind of thinking just won’t do. It doesn’t fit the narrative.

Don’t you realize how scared you’re supposed to be?? It Covid version 2.1.1.2. This one will be worse and you simply must fear it. It’s the only way

We should honestly. Many lives would be saved if more people vaccinated for the flu. The vaccines for covid are safer than most vaccines last I checked, so taking it or not is less personal risk assessment and more doing a public disservice if one opts out. We should probably make access to participation in public life be contingent on taking safe, low risk, public health measures like getting vaccinated. Just like how food prepers are required to wash their hands to serve food, everyone should be required to take certain vaccines in order to take public transit or receive government funded Healthcare.

Covid has become like the flu in that it's seasonal, isn't going away, and is less fatal than other diseases, but that doesn't mean we should go back to business as usual. Covid was a warning shot from nature that disease is a major threat we were ignoring. We need to double down on making sure we're better prepared for the next one. Heaven forbid it's as deadly or scaring as polio, the plague, or smallpox. We frankly got a failing grade on how we handled covid, so we better study up.

First, it's a sub-variant of omicron, so the new shots should provide some protection against it.

Secondly, per the CDC, as of yesterday:

At least two cases have been identified in the United States. [...] It is also important to note that the current increase in hospitalizations in the United States is not likely driven by the BA.2.86 variant. This assessment may change as additional data become available.

That's my thought as well, these shots are not going to be tuned for the variants we face today but the variants we faced months ago.