![]() ![]() “You are basically accepting a period of vulnerability that you don’t need to have,” he said. It’s hard to predict exactly when the surge will happen, so there’s a risk in waiting. However, Wachter says, this strategy is a bit like trying to time the stock market. If you’re trying to time it for the period of highest risk, he says, there are likely to be a ton more cases in December and January than there are in September and October. “You can make a rational argument to wait until case rates are higher,” Wachter said. Since the protection from boosters may only last several months, some people say they plan to wait to get the new booster in order to have maximum protection when the risk of infection is higher. It won’t be a surprise if there’s another COVID surge this coming winter. Can I time my shot for maximum protection at the holidays? Guzman-Cottrill says both her teenagers will also get the new booster “to protect us from COVID this winter so we can avoid sick days from work and from school,” she said. Fauci tested positive in mid-June and says he’ll wait three months before he gets his updated booster. That’s what the country’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. This is in line with the recommendation from CDC vaccine advisers - people who recently had COVID-19 may consider delaying a booster shot by three months. So I do think it makes sense to wait and get the updated booster about three months after our positive COVID test,” she says. “Our natural antibody response will protect us against COVID for another few months. Guzman-Cottrill and her children had mild infections in August, so she says she’ll wait until November to get boosted. If you’ve had a recent COVID infection, it makes sense to wait. “There are good reasons to get it, even for people that have a low chance of a super severe infection,” Wachter said. Boosting can protect against the risk of long COVID and helps protect the community at large by reducing transmission, if there’s another surge, he says. Wachter also agrees with the CDC recommendation that younger adults get the booster. “There’s no question that getting a booster increases the likelihood that you’ll have a benign case,” if you do get infected, he said. He plans to get an updated booster as soon as it’s available as a hedge against serious infection, given COVID is still circulating widely with about 400 deaths per day. And so my immunity has waned significantly,” Wachter says. “I’m about eight months out from shot number four. “I will get it,” says Physician Bob Wachter, who’s in his mid-60s and in good health. Gandhi says people in these groups are at highest risk.Īccording to CDC guidance, people are eligible if it’s been at least two months since they received their last COVID shot, either a booster or an initial vaccine, but some vaccine experts say it would be better to wait at least four months. “I would recommend this booster shot for those who are immunocompromised or those who are 60 years and above,” said Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease expert at the University of California, San Francisco. So, if you are navigating this decision, here are some things to consider: Who needs a booster as soon as possible? “I strongly encourage you to receive it.”īut after talking to several infectious disease experts, we found there’s a whole range of opinions on who needs to boost and when. “If you are eligible, there is no bad time to get your COVID-19 booster,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky told NPR. The Moderna booster is available for anyone 18 and older. Pfizer’s updated booster is available for anyone 12 and older. “I feel like we’ve been playing catch up and finally we have caught up.” “This virus has been mutating so quickly over the past two years,” said Judith Guzman-Cottrill, an infectious disease specialist at Oregon Health & Science University. Vaccine makers have scrambled to rejigger the vaccines as they’ve become less effective against new variants. ![]() The boosters target both the original strain of the coronavirus and the two omicron subvariants which are causing most of the current infections. These newly authorized shots are reformulated versions of the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines and they’re available at pharmacies, clinics and doctors’ offices around the country. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending updated COVID boosters, for people ages 12 and older. (Photo by Hannah Lies/Alaska Public Media) ![]() In early September 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended updated COVID boosters for people ages 12 and older. A nurse prepares to administer a dose of the Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine at a clinic in Anchorage.
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