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My wife is three years younger than me. About a month after I got the shingles vaccine, when my Doctor recommended it, she contracted shingles. So, I would say do not wait to get the vaccine, until you are 60. Get it in your 50's. It's not worth the wait.
My Mom told me I had chicken pox at 7 months old. My Grandma (late 50's) and my Great-Grandma (late 80's) lived with us at the time. Neither of them ever had Shingles. Maybe because in their old age they were exposed to a baby with chicken pox?
My 32 year old SIL and a few months ago my 38 year old daughter had shingles. Neither were ever exposed to chicken pox again since their childhood. My SIL went to work for a week with it. My daughter's shingles were on her face and neck so she could not go to work with the public. Her employer didn't believe her and wanted a doctor's note. Only OLD FOLKS get shingles.
My husband got shingles 2 years after he got his Zoster vax. He had a $100 co-pay with Medicare Part D. His doctor told if he wanted a second vaccination he would have to pay the entire $300 because Medicare only pay for ONE vaccination. So while the CDC is now recommending that if you have gotten that Zoster vaccination to get the 2 dose Shrintrix, you better be prepared to open your wallet and pay $300 because Medicare won't pay for it. Certainly, no health insurance plan is going to pay for 30 year olds to get this vaccination.
I can tell you if my husband's new doctor tells him he MUST get that new shingles vaccination, I am going to raise the roof. $400 on Shingles vaccinations? I can think a lot better uses in our retirement for that money. No, I am not getting mine for ANOTHER $300.
My understanding is that the Shingrex version REQUIRES two shots to work - so that's what should be covered. The Zoster shot only required a single shot - therefore, only one was covered. The two are different vaccines with a different "dosage" so you can't make a comparison. Also, the two-shot dosage of Shingrex is estimated to cost $280 TOTAL (not per shot) - so it is a little higher than Zoster but more effective and effective over a longer period of time.
As for age, because Shingrex was tested on 50 year-olds (and older) and it was found to have a longer-lasting impact on immunity I'm hoping it'll be covered by insurance for 50 year olds and up...unlike Zoster which is mostly only covered if you're 60 and older. Individual insurance coverage may differ...of course you're always able to get it whenever if you're willing to pay.
Location: Was Midvalley Oregon; Now Eastside Seattle area
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Thx For the link.
I'm Will plan to get a booster shot using new vaccine.
I do remember the pain I had in my fairly mild case of shingles. I will pay oop, if necessary.
If I recall correctly, Kaiser made me wait until age 65 to get the Zoster vaccine. (They have their own internal guidelines for such things, and of course the guidelines may have changed since I was 65 eight years ago). I think my co-pay was $27.
I will be asking about the new vaccine come spring.
I had the old shot so I should at least have a little immunity. I've decided to hold off getting the Shingrix. It concerns me that the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted 8-7 to recommend it over the old vaccinie. Ouch. That's a bit too close for me. I'll try to wait until the "real world" evidence confirms that the eight experts were correct.
I had the old shot so I should at least have a little immunity. I've decided to hold off getting the Shingrix. It concerns me that the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted 8-7 to recommend it over the old vaccinie. Ouch. That's a bit too close for me. I'll try to wait until the "real world" evidence confirms that the eight experts were correct.
True, but the Committee voted 14 to 1 to recommend the new vaccine for immunocompetent adults aged 50 years and older, and they voted 12 to 3 in favor of immunizing these same adults with Shingrix even if they already had been vaccinated with Zostavax. It was only in recommending a specific preference for Shingrix over Zostavax that the Committee split 8-7.
True, but the Committee voted 14 to 1 to recommend the new vaccine for immunocompetent adults aged 50 years and older, and they voted 12 to 3 in favor of immunizing these same adults with Shingrix even if they already had been vaccinated with Zostavax. It was only in recommending a specific preference for Shingrix over Zostavax that the Committee split 8-7.
Thanks for the additional information but I'd still rather wait a few more years.
"Members agreed that data from clinical trials show the superior effectiveness of the new vaccine.But those who opposed a preferential recommendation raised concerns about the lack of data on its performance among minority groups and on the vaccine's safety and effectiveness in a real-world setting."
It just seems one's constitution has so much to do with getting shingles, whether having chicken pox or not. MOST do not get it and most of us have our stresses. I don't recall it ever in my relatives like my parents etc having shingles.
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