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| Answers to Your Questions About Covid Booster Shots and Omicron | Answers to Your Questions About Covid Booster Shots and Omicron |
| (6 days later) | |
| The arrival of the fast-spreading Omicron variant has prompted health officials to urge booster shots for all as a way to strengthen the body’s defenses against a coronavirus infection. Here are answers to some common questions. | The arrival of the fast-spreading Omicron variant has prompted health officials to urge booster shots for all as a way to strengthen the body’s defenses against a coronavirus infection. Here are answers to some common questions. |
| While much is still unknown about Omicron, most experts agree that a booster shot is likely to give you additional protection. | While much is still unknown about Omicron, most experts agree that a booster shot is likely to give you additional protection. |
| The variant carries more than 50 genetic mutations, more than 30 of them on the virus’s spike, a protein on its surface that is the main target for current Covid vaccines. While these changes may help the virus sidestep some vaccine antibodies, it appears unlikely the variant will fully outsmart vaccines. It’s important to remember that your immune system has multiple lines of defense. | The variant carries more than 50 genetic mutations, more than 30 of them on the virus’s spike, a protein on its surface that is the main target for current Covid vaccines. While these changes may help the virus sidestep some vaccine antibodies, it appears unlikely the variant will fully outsmart vaccines. It’s important to remember that your immune system has multiple lines of defense. |
| A booster shot gives your body more neutralizing antibodies to fight the virus. Laboratory tests by Pfizer and BioNTech have been promising. Blood samples obtained from people one month after they had received a booster shot showed significant levels of neutralizing antibodies against the variant. | A booster shot gives your body more neutralizing antibodies to fight the virus. Laboratory tests by Pfizer and BioNTech have been promising. Blood samples obtained from people one month after they had received a booster shot showed significant levels of neutralizing antibodies against the variant. |
| No vaccine or booster offers 100 percent protection, and some people may still become infected after vaccination. If that happens, your immune system will keep working to clear the virus, which is why vaccinated people are less likely to develop severe illness or be hospitalized. | No vaccine or booster offers 100 percent protection, and some people may still become infected after vaccination. If that happens, your immune system will keep working to clear the virus, which is why vaccinated people are less likely to develop severe illness or be hospitalized. |
| While it’s possible a variant-specific booster could be developed, it’s too soon to know whether it will be needed. Preliminary reports suggest Omicron spreads quickly but causes less severe illness. However, we’ve known about the variant for only a few weeks, and concerns could change as more data come in. It would probably take three to four months to develop a variant-specific shot, but additional study would be needed to determine the timing for giving it. The best strategy is to get the booster shot that is available now. | While it’s possible a variant-specific booster could be developed, it’s too soon to know whether it will be needed. Preliminary reports suggest Omicron spreads quickly but causes less severe illness. However, we’ve known about the variant for only a few weeks, and concerns could change as more data come in. It would probably take three to four months to develop a variant-specific shot, but additional study would be needed to determine the timing for giving it. The best strategy is to get the booster shot that is available now. |
| Yes. Experts recommend booster shots even if you’ve had Covid. Early data from South Africa suggest that antibodies from prior infection aren’t enough to consistently ward off the Omicron variant. One study, which has not been peer reviewed, found that re-infection is more than twice as likely with Omicron as with other variants. The study looked only at immunity related to prior infection and did not look at whether Omicron sidesteps vaccine antibodies. | Yes. Experts recommend booster shots even if you’ve had Covid. Early data from South Africa suggest that antibodies from prior infection aren’t enough to consistently ward off the Omicron variant. One study, which has not been peer reviewed, found that re-infection is more than twice as likely with Omicron as with other variants. The study looked only at immunity related to prior infection and did not look at whether Omicron sidesteps vaccine antibodies. |
| While it takes your immune system about a week to 10 days to mount a strong response to the first series of shots, booster shots should start having an effect in just a few days. To understand why, think about what happens if you get exposed to the coronavirus. A fully vaccinated person’s immune system gears up the moment it detects the virus. This is why vaccines work. Your booster shot has a similar effect. Your immune system already has been trained by the first series of shots, so the booster triggers a much faster response. After the booster, your immune system continues to build even stronger protection over the next 10 to 14 days, so the sooner you get your shot, the better. | |
| The F.D.A. has authorized booster shots for people 16 or older who received their second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines at least six months ago. People who received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine are eligible for boosters just two months after their shot. | The F.D.A. has authorized booster shots for people 16 or older who received their second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines at least six months ago. People who received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine are eligible for boosters just two months after their shot. |
| People with weakened immune systems who received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines are also eligible for a third shot, at least four weeks after their second dose. For these patients, the third shot is not considered a booster dose but is the recommended regimen to spur a more robust immune response. | People with weakened immune systems who received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines are also eligible for a third shot, at least four weeks after their second dose. For these patients, the third shot is not considered a booster dose but is the recommended regimen to spur a more robust immune response. |
| No. The C.D.C. has changed its guidance and now says that all Americans 16 and older should get booster shots as soon as they are eligible. | No. The C.D.C. has changed its guidance and now says that all Americans 16 and older should get booster shots as soon as they are eligible. |
| Health departments, pharmacies and doctors’ offices will dispense booster shots in much the same way as they administered the first and second doses. Call ahead to find out about scheduling, and bring your vaccine card. | Health departments, pharmacies and doctors’ offices will dispense booster shots in much the same way as they administered the first and second doses. Call ahead to find out about scheduling, and bring your vaccine card. |
| Many vaccination clinics and local officials are reporting long lines and delays in booking vaccination appointments, the product of expanded eligibility on booster shots and fears of the Omicron variant. | Many vaccination clinics and local officials are reporting long lines and delays in booking vaccination appointments, the product of expanded eligibility on booster shots and fears of the Omicron variant. |
| You can find more information on your state’s health department website or pharmacy websites. Most vaccine providers require an appointment. | You can find more information on your state’s health department website or pharmacy websites. Most vaccine providers require an appointment. |
| While Johnson & Johnson recipients and people who are severely immunocompromised can receive an additional shot sooner, everyone else should wait until at least six months after their second shot. Getting a booster too soon is probably a waste of a dose and may not increase your antibodies in a meaningful way. Vaccine providers will check your card and won’t give you the booster if enough time hasn’t passed since your last shot. | While Johnson & Johnson recipients and people who are severely immunocompromised can receive an additional shot sooner, everyone else should wait until at least six months after their second shot. Getting a booster too soon is probably a waste of a dose and may not increase your antibodies in a meaningful way. Vaccine providers will check your card and won’t give you the booster if enough time hasn’t passed since your last shot. |
| It appears that side effects after a booster shot are similar to those that occur after the two-dose series. Fatigue and pain at the injection site were the most commonly reported side effects, and overall, most symptoms were mild to moderate, the C.D.C. said. A survey from Israel found that 88 percent of Pfizer vaccine recipients said that in the days after their third dose, they felt “similar or better” compared with how they felt after their second shot. About a third of respondents reported some side effects, with the most common being soreness at the injection site, and 1 percent said they sought medical treatment because of one or more side effects. | It appears that side effects after a booster shot are similar to those that occur after the two-dose series. Fatigue and pain at the injection site were the most commonly reported side effects, and overall, most symptoms were mild to moderate, the C.D.C. said. A survey from Israel found that 88 percent of Pfizer vaccine recipients said that in the days after their third dose, they felt “similar or better” compared with how they felt after their second shot. About a third of respondents reported some side effects, with the most common being soreness at the injection site, and 1 percent said they sought medical treatment because of one or more side effects. |
| Yes. The Food and Drug Administration recently authorized a mix-and-match booster shot strategy that now allows those eligible to pick a booster from one of three Covid-19 vaccines — Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson — even if it’s different from the one they initially received. | Yes. The Food and Drug Administration recently authorized a mix-and-match booster shot strategy that now allows those eligible to pick a booster from one of three Covid-19 vaccines — Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson — even if it’s different from the one they initially received. |
| Many combinations of shots are likely to provide strong protection, according to a large new study published this month. In a comparison of seven different vaccine brands, British researchers found that most of them prompted a strong immune response, with the mRNA shots from Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech eliciting the strongest responses. The study was published in The Lancet. | Many combinations of shots are likely to provide strong protection, according to a large new study published this month. In a comparison of seven different vaccine brands, British researchers found that most of them prompted a strong immune response, with the mRNA shots from Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech eliciting the strongest responses. The study was published in The Lancet. |
| You can learn more about the mix-and-match strategy here. | You can learn more about the mix-and-match strategy here. |
| Apoorva Mandavilli and Carl Zimmer contributed reporting. | Apoorva Mandavilli and Carl Zimmer contributed reporting. |