What to Know About Getting a Second COVID-19 Booster

At this point, COVID-19 vaccines have been available for well over a year in the U.S. But the shots weren’t designed to prevent infection with SARS-CoV-2, and the immunity generated by the vaccines wanes, so the virus continues to mutate and become even more transmissible—and infect even the vaccinated. Boosting with another dose of the vaccine can increase that immunity again, so public health officials authorized an initial booster shot for most people last year. But as new variants of the virus continue to emerge, it’s time to consider another booster dose for the wider population. Already, that second booster is recommended for certain people at high risk of COVID-19 disease who could benefit from the enhanced protection provided by the additional shot. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Experts, however, aren’t comfortable with a strategy of simply adding booster after booster of the same vaccine. So they have launched studies to see if there is a better way to optimize the vaccines, and whether the current versions of the shots are the best ones to rely on in the face of a still-mutating virus. Here’s what we know so far. Who can get a second booster shot? For most adults in the U.S., being up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines right now means getting vaccinated, and then receiving a booster dose a few months later. For either Pfizer-BioNTech’s or Moderna’s shots, that entails two primary doses and a booster; if you w...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized COVID-19 healthscienceclimate Source Type: news