My Health
Should I get a COVID-19 booster now or wait? Experts answer key questions
www.medicalnewstoday.com |Written by Annie Lennon on July 14, 2022
COVID-19 vaccines reduce the risk of infection, hospitalization, and death caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. While mRNA vaccines continue to provide durable protection against severe outcomes from all COVID-19 variants, data shows that immunity against emerging variants can wane over time.
perhaps should not wait,” noted Dr. Fady Youssef, a board certified pulmonologist, internist, and critical care specialist at MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center in Long Beach, California. “With the current variant gaining dominance and showing its high transmissibility now may be the best time to get a second booster.”
Recent research found that the current dominant SARS-CoV-2 variants, BA.4 and BA.5, are significantly more resistant to current mRNA vaccines than the Nicola Stonehouse, Ph.D. FRSB FRSA, Professor in Molecular Virology at the previous BA.2 Omicron subvariant. University of Leeds, told MNT:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends getting a “If eligible, it is always a good idea to take the opportunity of an additional vacbooster shot for everyone over 5 years old to overcome waning protection. The cine dose. It is especially important for older people and those who are clinically agency also recommends a second booster shot for immunocompromised indi- vulnerable.” viduals over 12 years old and those over 50. “Although SARS-CoV2 is not my direct area of research, I personally got a However, current booster shots use the same formulations as the original booster because of the rise of the variants,” said Brian J. Akerley, Ph.D., AssociCOVID-19 vaccines for the alpha variant. ate Professor of Cell and Molecular Biology at the Center for Immunology and Microbial Research at the University of Mississippi. “Basic principles of immuThe Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently recommended including a nology would indicate that boosting can increase antibody and T-cell responses SARS-CoV-2 Omicron component in COVID-19 booster vaccines for the 2022 against parts of the spike protein that are similar in multiple variants.” fall and winter seasons. “I would have preferred a booster corresponding to the most prevalent variant, Pfizer and Moderna have announced the development of new vaccines targeting but prevention only works if done in advance. Given persistently high transmisBA.4 and BA.5 to be ready for distribution by fall. sion rates and the growing evidence of long-term health effects even after the resolution of COVID, I think it is common sense to get some protection before Some may wonder whether to get a booster shot this summer or wait for the one gets infected, rather than gambling on avoiding exposure while waiting for updated shots. To help answer some of the key questions, Medical News Today an improved vaccine,” Prof. Akerley added. spoke with six experts across multiple medical fields, including immunology, microbiology, and critical care. “If people haven’t been vaccinated yet, they should go ahead and get the immunization,” John Bates, Ph.D., Scientific Director at the Human Immunology and Inflammation Biomarker Core Laboratory at the University of Mississippi told MNT, “If a person has been vaccinated, to include the recommended booster dose(s), then they should wait.”
Should people get another vaccine shot now or wait? “Those who have medical conditions that predispose them to severe COVID
TT 161 | July 19th - July 25th| 2022
