Kid "bridged" between Pfizer doses - will this get a red flag?

[squirk]

I'm probably worried about nothing, and I know the definitive answer can only be had by calling Safe Passage (which I will do), but just curious if anyone else was in the same situation, and how it played out.

My kid got his first Pfizer dose at age 11, so it was a pediatric dose. He turned 12 before he went in for the second shot, so they gave him the adult dose (claiming he was not eligible for the pediatric dose anymore).

So his vax card reads one ped dose, and one adult dose. I really don't think that this would cause Safe Passage to not give him the green light to sail, but our cruise is less than three weeks, so if this actually is an issue (i.e., if he needs a second adult shot), I need to know ASAFP.

Has anyone else been in this situation? If so, did Safe Passage care that the doses didn't match?

Please - no opinions, no politics, etc. Just first-hand experiences. I would prefer that this thread not get shut down before I can get an answer.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Clojel]

This should not be an issue, at all. But you can call safe passage. They’re very easy to deal with. I had lots of questions when we sailed back in December bc DD got her two shots in but wasn’t 14 days plus. She was 11 and they had JUST authorized shots for that age group and there wasn’t enough time to get both in plus the 14 before we sailed. They were quick to answer my questions/concerns and we had no issues sailing. Good luck and have a great trip

 

[KM82]

I'm probably worried about nothing, and I know the definitive answer can only be had by calling Safe Passage (which I will do), but just curious if anyone else was in the same situation, and how it played out.

My kid got his first Pfizer dose at age 11, so it was a pediatric dose. He turned 12 before he went in for the second shot, so they gave him the adult dose (claiming he was not eligible for the pediatric dose anymore).

So his vax card reads one ped dose, and one adult dose. I really don't think that this would cause Safe Passage to not give him the green light to sail, but our cruise is less than three weeks, so if this actually is an issue (i.e., if he needs a second adult shot), I need to know ASAFP.

Has anyone else been in this situation? If so, did Safe Passage care that the doses didn't match?

Please - no opinions, no politics, etc. Just first-hand experiences. I would prefer that this thread not get shut down before I can get an answer.

Thanks in advance.

He’s fully vaccinated (received 2 doses). He will qualify for a booster 6 months after that second dose. Standard of care with the vaccine is to give the age appropriate dose at the time of vaccination. Shouldn’t be an issue as the guidelines for vaccination were followed.

While I don’t work for the cruise line, I am a pharmacist and have been giving these shots since the beginning. You can always call them to see if they have a different opinion, but from the healthcare standpoint, the primary series is complete.

Hopefully that helps!

 

[squirk]

He’s fully vaccinated (received 2 doses). He will qualify for a booster 6 months after that second dose. Standard of care with the vaccine is to give the age appropriate dose at the time of vaccination. Shouldn’t be an issue as the guidelines for vaccination were followed.

While I don’t work for the cruise line, I am a pharmacist and have been giving these shots since the beginning. You can always call them to see if they have a different opinion, but from the healthcare standpoint, the primary series is complete.

Hopefully that helps!

It does help. Thank you very much.

It just seemed weird that within the span of a few months, the “unallowed” dose became the “required” dose, and vice versa. My kid didn’t change all that much in eight weeks.

 

[KM82]

It does help. Thank you very much.

It just seemed weird that within the span of a few months, the “unallowed” dose became the “required” dose, and vice versa. My kid didn’t change all that much in eight weeks.

It’s definitely weird to wrap your head around and I can tell you there were a lot of us with questions when it first came up for us too.

This is from the CDC site.

Have a wonderful trip!

 

[squirk]

It’s definitely weird to wrap your head around and I can tell you there were a lot of us with questions when it first came up for us too.

This is from the CDC site.
View attachment 667709
Have a wonderful trip!

Thank you again. Very much appreciated.

 

[lanejudy]

My kid didn’t change all that much in eight weeks.

Many OTC meds also have a dose change around that age. Prescription meds are often dosed by weight and therefore avoid that arbitrary age cut, but when dealing with the general public age is an easier-to-determine cut. It’s similar to any other age-related cut — buying/consuming alcohol, social media, driving, even youth sports or other activities.

 

[squirk]

Many OTC meds also have a dose change around that age. Prescription meds are often dosed by weight and therefore avoid that arbitrary age cut, but when dealing with the general public age is an easier-to-determine cut. It’s similar to any other age-related cut — buying/consuming alcohol, social media, driving, even youth sports or other activities.

Yes, of course. Voting, getting married, serving in the military, etc.

The circumstances are a bit different, though. Most of those activities are binary - either you can or you can’t do them at a given age, and usually the cut-off is with regard to our societal yardsticks of intellectual or emotional “maturity.”

My point was that my kid began his course of treatment with the ped dose, but two months later, could not finish his series with the dose he started with. As @KM82 stated, that kind of threw pharmacists for a loop, and I think it’s telling that the CDC had to state outright “this is not an error.”

Using your OTC meds analogy: if I give my kid a certain dose of Children’s Advil at age 11, is there really any change in efficacy if I give him the same dose two months later when he’s 12? We know the answer is "no," but I wasn't sure if Safe Passage, in this context, would see things the same way with the vaccine dosages.

 

[Disneyland_emily]

Is there a difference notated on the actual card? My card doesn’t look any different than my 5 year olds (ie it doesn’t say pediatric/adult etc) I don’t think they look THAT close to verify vials etc

 

[Kwami]

Is there a difference notated on the actual card? My card doesn’t look any different than my 5 year olds (ie it doesn’t say pediatric/adult etc) I don’t think they look THAT close to verify vials etc

Sometimes. I don't have a pediatric vaccine card to look at, but I do have my own. When I got my booster, they wrote "booster" and the dosage next to it because it's a smaller dose than the regular vaccine.

 

[lanejudy]

because it's a smaller dose than the regular vaccine

Nope. Not in the U.S. anyway, maybe elsewhere.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Sometimes. I don't have a pediatric vaccine card to look at, but I do have my own. When I got my booster, they wrote "booster" and the dosage next to it because it's a smaller dose than the regular vaccine.

The Moderna booster was a smaller dose. The Pfizer booster was the same strength as the basic vaccination.

 

[squirk]

Is there a difference notated on the actual card? My card doesn’t look any different than my 5 year olds (ie it doesn’t say pediatric/adult etc) I don’t think they look THAT close to verify vials etc

My kid's card has "Ped" written next to his first dose.

 

[Kwami]

Nope. Not in the U.S. anyway, maybe elsewhere.

The Moderna booster dose is absolutely smaller than the normal dose. In fact, it's half strength (0.25 mL vs. 0.5 mL).

 

[anricat]

The Moderna booster dose is absolutely smaller than the normal dose. In fact, it's half strength (0.25 mL vs. 0.5 mL).

Not to muddy the waters, but in addition, for some populations, you could get a "third dose" that was actually the same size as the first two doses. (My husband received a "third dose" of Moderna vs. a booster because his immune system is a little wacky.)

 

[squirk]

For those who are curious, I called Safe Passage today and they said it was fine. So long as the name and birth date on the card matched the reservation, and the card showed two doses of Pfizer, he was good to go.

 

[cwis]

For those who are curious, I called Safe Passage today and they said it was fine. So long as the name and birth date on the card matched the reservation, and the card showed two doses of Pfizer, he was good to go.

Thanks for keeping us updated!
Enjoy your cruise!