Do you need a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot? what to know

The Food and Drug Administration green light of an additional dose for all three COVID-19 shots being administered in the US – manufactured by Pfizer Inc and partners BioNTech SE, Moderna Inc and Johnson & Johnson – starting in mid-September. was expected. That’s when health officials said boosters would become available. However, the timetable may be pushed back, as regulators need more time to review the data, at least for Moderna and J&J shots.

The FDA had already authorized the additional shot for some people with weakened immune systems. Here’s what we know and don’t know about the need for a booster.

What is a Booster Shot?

This is an extra dose of the vaccine. In the case of messenger RNA vaccines, this would be the third dose. That third dose will likely be the same as the first two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech shot. The FDA is exploring whether to give a dose of Moderna Vaccine less than the first two doses given. The extra dose boosts your body’s immune system to defend itself against COVID-19, especially variants like Delta that are better able to evade the protection posed by the vaccine. Pfizer and partner BioNTech said early testing indicates antibody levels are five to 10 times higher after two doses than a booster shot given at least six months after the second vaccine dose. Johnson & Johnson said in August researchers found antibody levels increased nine-fold in people who received an additional dose of its single-dose vaccine, compared with a month after they received the first dose.

Should I get a booster shot?

If and when the FDA authorizes the additional shot, many people should consider getting it, some doctors and health officials say. Additional doses can strengthen a person’s immune defenses against COVID-19. Driving the recommendation for boosters, federal health officials said, several studies indicate that vaccines lose their protective powers against mild to moderate disease over time and may not work as well against the delta version as they did. Did against previous strains. The data are not definitive, but health officials said they decided to support the booster given Delta’s prevalence and because it appears the vaccines may lose effectiveness against serious disease.

It would not be unusual for a vaccine to lose protective potency over time. Although some vaccines, such as those for measles, provide lifelong protection from a virus, other vaccines do not. For example, the tetanus and diphtheria vaccines require a booster every 10 years, and women should get the whooping cough vaccine every time they become pregnant, as recommended by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. according to vaccine recommendations.

An additional COVID-19 vaccine dose can mobilize more antibodies against the coronavirus, helping to maintain a stronger level of protection. Yet the evidence supporting an additional dosage is not definitive. The immune system is complex, involving more than just antibodies. Other studies are still ongoing to evaluate any benefit from an additional dose.

In Israel, where the country began offering the booster to people over 60 in July, early data suggests a Pfizer booster dose can significantly improve immunity in people in that age group. The data indicated that the booster dose reduced the risk of infection by 86% in people 60 and over, and by 92% against severe infections.

A major factor behind the US government’s support for the booster is the proliferation of the Delta version. Some studies suggest that the vaccine, while still highly effective against Delta, does not work against the original virus. An additional dose may also help strengthen people’s immune defenses against delta, although this has also not been conclusively shown.

People with weakened immune systems may benefit most from additional doses. Shots are already available for some of these people, known as the immunocompromised. Eligible people include people who have had an organ transplant or are taking medication that weakens a person’s immune response.

Where can I get a booster shot?

Federal health officials said receiving a booster would be similar to an initial course of vaccinations. The boosters will be available at about 80,000 vaccination sites nationwide, including pharmacies, US coronavirus response coordinator Jeffrey Ziants said. He said the additional doses would be free for all, regardless of immigration or health-insurance status.

Under the Biden administration’s plan, people age 65 and older and individuals in chronic care facilities are expected to get a booster starting Sept. 20, along with health workers and anyone else who received their last dose six months ago. US health officials said they are making arrangements for residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities to get additional doses at the sites. Immunocompromised people who are currently allowed to receive boosters are suggested to consult with their doctor, but may receive them wherever vaccines are administered.

Why at least six months after vaccination?

Data from vaccine manufacturers and other countries under review by the FDA are based on boosters being given over six months. Protection from these vaccines is well maintained, preventing serious disease in most people, even against the highly infectious delta variant. Yet over time the protection they provide, officials said, especially the delta version has spread and against even mild and moderate disease. Pfizer said in July that the effectiveness of a symptomatic disease-preventing vaccine drops to 84% every two months, from a peak of 96% within two months of vaccination. To maximize safety, officials have previously said that it is best to give people a third dose eight months after getting their second dose, even though the data are not definitive. Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser and director of the Biden administration, said, “With COVID-19, if you wait for something bad to happen before responding to it, you find yourself behind a real full capacity to be accountable. Huh.” National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. “It is better to pursue it than to pursue it.”

Only Pfizer’s vaccine has so far been fully approved by the FDA for people 16 years of age and older. Moderna has emergency authorization for its vaccine for people age 18 and older and has filed for full approval, which is expected in about three months, the Journal reported. The J&J vaccine is authorized for emergency use in people 18 years of age and older, and the company said it plans to file for approval later this year.

I got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. What does this mean for me?

The FDA is weighing whether adults receiving Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose shot will also need another COVID-19 vaccine shot. According to US health officials, it is likely that this population will also need booster shots. The company said in August that a study found a second dose of its COVID-19 vaccine to produce a stronger immune response, which justifies a booster shot.

“The single-dose vaccine is still highly protective, and we know that — it hasn’t subsided, but we now also know that a second dose given in six months substantially amplifies the immune response,” Dr Dan Baruch, who contributed to the development of the J&J vaccine.

Why won’t COVID-19 immunity last?

Studies show and many researchers say that the immunity provided by COVID-19 vaccines will diminish over time.

Vaccines work by producing neutralizing antibodies, which prevent the virus from entering cells and replicating.

Pfizer states that antibody levels begin to drop from their earlier peak about eight months after the second dose. According to data from Pfizer, after the third shot, antibody levels were more than five times higher in people aged 18 to 55 and more than 11 times among those aged 65 to 85.

According to researchers and published research, even with fewer antibodies, vaccines are protecting against serious disease. That’s because vaccines help other immune-system weapons: T-cells that hunt for and destroy infected cells, and memory B-cells, which circulate in the blood and produce antibodies when they detect the virus. Helps to brainstorm. According to researchers, both are helping to prevent serious disease.

What about people with weakened immune systems?

The FDA has already authorized additional doses for some people with compromised immune systems. Research shows that immunocompromised people are more likely to become seriously ill with COVID-19, more likely to transmit it to household contacts, and more likely to contract infection. In reaching the FDA’s decision to authorize boosters for immunocompromised, those who received organ transplants or have conditions with similar weakened immune levels, recent data from Moderna noted that the third shot of its vaccine increased antibody levels in recipients. , a person familiar with the deliberations told The Wall Street Journal.

Immunocompromised people include transplant recipients, some cancer survivors, and people living with HIV; Their weakened immune system makes them less responsive to vaccines, which stimulates the immune system to provide protection. The elderly also have weaker immune systems and are likely candidates for boosters. France and Israel are already giving some at-risk people a third shot. However, the World Health Organization has called for a moratorium on boosters until at least the end of September, citing an urgent need for vaccination in the rest of the world.

Is it safe for me to get a booster shot from a different vaccine brand?

For immunocompromised people who are already authorized to receive a third messenger RNA dose, the CDC says they should try to get the same vaccine as their first two shots, but can mix and match if they have to. Huh. Mixing and matching is currently being studied.

In June, the NIAID, which is part of the National Institutes of Health, launched a study looking at whether mixing and matching vaccines and boosters could prolong immunity and better protect against variants. One thing that will be discovered by the study is the best combination of shots. It may be that getting a vaccine from one manufacturer and a booster from another may actually lead to stronger protection, the researchers say. The ability to mix and match can also simplify the logistics of delivering boosters to people.

Will the boosters protect better than the Delta or other variants?

Researchers say the current vaccines work well against the forms of anxiety that have come to the fore. Yet they may not work as strongly against the new variants as they do against the earlier ones. For this reason, people want booster shots to make sure they get the full level of protection against variants. And they want a third shot if a variant emerges that proves better at avoiding current vaccines. Drugmakers are working on shots targeting variants.