Question: I am receiving conflicting information about how long I should wait between COVID-19 vaccinations. My last shot was in May, and I will be traveling at the end of November. When would be the best time to take my next shot to receive optimum efficacy?
Answer: Recommendations for 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccination are based on age, vaccination history and health status, according to the U.S. Centers Disease Control and Prevention, which has updated its guidance at 808ne.ws/cdc2425, now that new vaccines are available. The page has details about the 2024-2025 Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, and will be updated again soon to add the 2024-2025 Novavax COVID-19 vaccine, which was authorized Friday.
In a follow-up email, you said that you are 70 years old and have gotten a total of eight Pfizer shots over the years, including initial vaccination and recommended boosters; none were the new 2024-2025 vaccine. This means there should be at least eight weeks between your most recent shot and your 2024-2025 vaccine, according to the CDC website. So you are eligible now, since your previous shot was in May, but can consider waiting until closer to your trip, as immunity does wane over time. That’s for you to decide, perhaps in consultation with your doctor.
Dosage intervals aren’t the same for everyone; other readers can check the tables on the aforementioned website for details that apply to them.
Q: Does the recalled deli meat affect Hawaii?
A: Yes, recalled Boar’s Head products were distributed nationwide, including in Hawaii, and have been removed from store shelves, but no illnesses linked to the listeriosis outbreak have been reported here, according to an update Wednesday from the CDC.
The CDC urged consumers to check for any recalled Boar’s Head products at home, since some products recalled in July had far-off expiration dates. “Look for ‘EST. 12612’ or ‘P-12612’ inside the USDA mark of inspection on the product labels. Some of the products have sell-by dates into October 2024,” it said. If you have recalled products, do not eat them; throw them away or contact the store where you bought them about returns.
This outbreak of listeria infection, the largest since 2011, has hospitalized 57 people in 19 states, according to Wednesday’s update. Nine people have died.
Q: Has camping resumed at Sand Island Recreation Area?
A: No, and no reopening date is set, a spokesperson for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources said in an email Friday. Camping was indefinitely suspended there on Aug. 23 due to “constant disregard” of park rules, including camping by unpermitted large groups, drinking, rampant littering and lighting illegal fires.
“This behavior is overwhelming the park caretaker and maintenance crew who clean up the campsites and park. It is jeopardizing public safety and diminishing the quality of the park,” Curt Cottrell, administrator of DLNR’s Division of State Parks, said in an Aug. 13 news release announcing the closure.
The urban shoreline recreation area, which formerly permitted weekends-only camping, is next to the Sand Island Off Highway Vehicle day-use riding area, which has tracks and trails for motorized OHV’s and nonmotorized BMX bikes, according to the news release.
It said camping would resume once the DLNR implements a Civil Resource Violations System that enables enforcement officers to write tickets and levy fines on the spot, but did not say when that system would be up and running.
Correction
Our previous Sunday column, published Aug. 18 before our recent break, referred to a single application for driver’s licenses and state IDs. However, there are separate applications, which can be found on the website of Honolulu’s Department of Customer Services, at www8.honolulu.gov/csd/forms.
Mahalo
Some loud words of praise for our noisy but needed city emergency service. I slipped in my shower and fell. I am a senior citizen without enough strength to lift up from the wet floor. Now what? Have wife call 911, EMS for help. Lying helpless, somewhat crooked, trying to find rest for my head and space for all my extremities. Not enough space. Prepare myself for a miserable half-an-hour wait. Lucky me. They come in 10 minutes — with a gurney. Two big, mighty pleasant young men lift me up as swiftly as lifting a sick dog from the ground. Guiding me to bed. They present themselves as nurses. Made sure I’m alright. Brought some brand-new, compact, portable heart monitor. Stuck electric cables all over my body and did all kinds of tests. Somehow the tests got translated and sent to the other nurse’s computer. Great, never seen that. Also asked for my medicines. Knew them all and discussed. Whoa. After about half-an-hour, “Hey, you alright.” Most pleasant fist-bump parted us. Right on! — Mahalo, G.H.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
