We live in a scary time. The Covid-19 outburst started back in 2019, and in 2021, we are still fighting against this virus. Scientists have been working day and night to be able to find a vaccine that will be able to protect us. In 2020, the World Health Organization issued the first Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use.
Months later, we are hanging in the balance, the virus is now mutating, creating new variants that are stronger than the vaccine. Here is what you need to know about the booster shots…
Booster Shots
In general, you will receive a COVID booster shot when the immunity from the initial dose has begun to wane. You might also receive a booster shot to protect you from the different variants. The booster should allow already vaccinated people to increase and maintain their immunity level for a longer period.
The Food and Drug Administration allows the Covid booster shots from Pfizer only for people aged 65 and above. Around the world, different laws are being passed for vaccines; some countries are making vaccination compulsory while others are making certain establishments non-accessible for non-vaccinated people.
Will You Need A Booster Shot?
As mentioned above, the FDA recommends the booster shot for seniors and people with health issues. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention support that view and provide an extensive list of health issues such as cancer, kidney disease, and heart disease, diabetes, and so on… These people should get a third dose at least six months after their last dose to level up their immune system by 5 to 10 times higher than the two precedent doses.
Does The Booster Protect You Against Delta? Or Other Variants?
The variant Delta is of great concern because it is more transmissible than preexisting variants and has been revealed to be more deadly in some countries such as India. Even after the creation of different vaccines, none of proven effective when it comes to stopping the transmission of the virus. So even if you are vaccinated, you can still contract the virus and transmit it to other people.
Even if there are still clinical tests going on, scientists and pharmaceutical companies are arguing that the booster shot could be the only effective way to keep the Delta variant at bay. Pfizer conducted a test, and its second-quarter report affirms that having a booster dose will increase antibodies against the Delta variant.
Different Vaccines?
The only boosters that are allowed by the FDA and CDC right now are the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. This means that people that have been vaccinated with the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson cannot get the booster shot.
They cannot get a booster shot as these pharmaceutical pharmacies have not yet provided data regarding their boosters. Health officials are clear about getting a booster shot out of your original vaccines, ‘they are not recommended’. Studies about mixing vaccines are still running, and people should not take the risk, as there can be different reactions, such as canceling out the previous vaccines.
Will We Have a Fourth or Fifth Dose?
There has been speculation that we will need annual boosters for COVID vaccines, and we have precedents of other vaccines that require annual boosters. A suggestion has been made that new mRNA vaccines are required to protect against other variants. We can avoid evading variants that could be more transmissible or can cause severe diseases, or evading the current vaccine by building new boosters.
So maybe that yes, there will be future doses, but it all depends if there are new emerging variants. Let us know in the comments if you will be getting the booster shot…
