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Answers to Your Questions About Covid Booster Shots
Answers to Your Questions About Covid Booster Shots
(25 days later)
This week, the Food and Drug Administration authorized Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine booster shots for certain older Americans and those considered at high risk for complications from Covid-19. Here are answers to some of your questions.
The Food and Drug Administration is considering expanding booster shots to certain people who received the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines and who may be more vulnerable to complications from Covid-19. Here are answers to some common questions.
The F.D.A. authorized booster shots for a select group of people who received their second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at least six months ago. Eligible people include Pfizer recipients who are 65 and older or who live in long-term care facilities. The agency also authorized boosters for adults who were at high risk of severe Covid-19 because of an underlying medical condition as well as health care workers and others whose jobs put them at risk.
The F.D.A. has authorized booster shots for a select group of people who received their second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at least six months ago. Eligible people include Pfizer recipients who are 65 and older or who live in long-term care facilities. The agency also authorized boosters for adults who were at high risk of severe Covid-19 because of an underlying medical condition as well as for health care workers and others whose jobs put them at risk.
People with weakened immune systems who received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines also are eligible for a third shot at least four weeks after their second dose. For these patients, the third shot is not really a booster dose, but is now part of the recommended immunization schedule for those with compromised immune systems who don’t generate a robust response after just two shots. About 3 percent of Americans are in this group for a variety of reasons, including those who received an organ transplant.
People with weakened immune systems who received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines also are eligible for a third shot, at least four weeks after their second dose. For these patients, the third shot is not a booster dose but is now recommended because some people with compromised immune systems don’t generate a robust response after just two shots. About 3 percent of Americans are in this group for a variety of reasons, including those who received an organ transplant.
Regulators have not made additional recommendations about booster shots for recipients of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, but officials say those may come soon. The Moderna vaccine uses similar technology as the Pfizer vaccine, and the company has applied for F.D.A. authorization of booster shots. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is given as a single dose and uses a different method to stimulate antibodies to the virus. The company has not submitted an application for boosters to the F.D.A., but it has reported that two doses of its vaccine delivered 94 percent efficacy against mild to severe Covid-19 in the United States, up from 74 percent conferred with a single shot.
An F.D.A. advisory panel has voted in favor of emergency authorization of a half-dose booster of Moderna vaccine, at least six months after the second dose. Those eligible would include Moderna recipients over 65 and other adults considered at high risk — the same groups eligible for a Pfizer-BioNTech booster.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said the risk of complications from Covid-19 is highest for people with high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, cancer, chronic lung or kidney disease, heart disease, dementia and certain disabilities. You can find a complete list here, although the agency may offer additional guidance in the coming days.
The F.D.A. typically follows the panel’s advice, and it should rule within days. This week, a committee advising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will make its own recommendations. The C.D.C. is expected to rule quickly, and people in the eligible groups could begin seeking the shots soon afterward.
A C.D.C. scientific committee said that people who are over 50 and have underlying medical concerns should get boosters, but it advised people 18 to 49 with at-risk conditions to make decisions based on their individual risk.
On Friday, the same expert committee voted unanimously in favor of authorizing booster shots for the roughly 15 million people who received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Its members are also supposed to discuss a federal study that suggested that those Americans might be better off with a Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech booster.
The category of immunocompromised people who are eligible for a third Pfizer or Moderna shot (technically not a booster dose) includes people who are undergoing cancer treatment; those who have received an organ or stem cell transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system; people with primary immunodeficiency, or advanced or untreated H.I.V. infection; or people taking high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that suppress the immune response.
The C.D.C. has said the risk of complications from Covid-19 is highest for people with high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, cancer, chronic lung or kidney disease, heart disease, dementia and certain disabilities. You can find a complete list here; the agency may offer additional guidance in the coming days.
The F.D.A. authorized booster doses for workers whose jobs put them at high risk of exposure to potentially infectious people. So far that list includes health care workers, teachers and day care staff, grocery workers and people who work in homeless shelters or prisons.
A C.D.C. scientific committee said that people over 50 with underlying medical concerns should receive boosters, but it advised people 18 to 49 with the conditions to make decisions based on their individual risk.
The C.D.C.’s advisers said boosters should not be given to so many healthy people since the vaccines remain highly effective at preventing severe illness, but in an unusual move, that decision was reversed by Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the C.D.C. director.
The category of immunocompromised people who are eligible for a third Pfizer or Moderna shot (technically not a booster dose) includes people who are undergoing cancer treatment; those who have received an organ or stem cell transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system; people with primary immunodeficiency, or advanced or untreated H.I.V. infection; and people taking high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that suppress the immune response.
The White House could begin promoting and rolling out a plan for booster shots as soon as Friday. Health departments, pharmacies and doctors’ offices will dispense boosters much the same way that they administered the first and second doses. Call ahead to find out about scheduling, and bring your vaccine card. Proof of an underlying medical condition won’t be required, but you may want to discuss the risks and benefits with your doctor.
The F.D.A. authorized booster doses for workers whose jobs put them at high risk of exposure to potentially infectious people. So far, that includes health care workers, teachers and day care staff, grocery workers, transit and postal workers and people who work in homeless shelters or prisons
You will be able to find more information about getting a booster shot in the coming days on your state’s health department website or pharmacy websites. People who are immune compromised also can talk to their physicians about the best way to get a third shot. Since the F.D.A. fully approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine as a two-dose regimen last month, physicians have had broad latitude to prescribe a third dose to people they deemed in need of one.
Health departments, pharmacies and doctors’ offices will dispense boosters 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. Proof of an underlying medical condition won’t be required, but you may want to discuss the risks and benefits with your doctor.
While people who are severely immune compromised can get a third shot sooner, everyone else who qualifies should wait until at least six months after their second shots. In addition to a lack of safety data, getting a booster too soon is probably a waste of a dose and may not increase your antibodies in a meaningful way.
You can find more information on your state’s health department website or pharmacy websites. People who are immunocompromised also can talk to their physicians about the best way to get a third shot. Since the F.D.A. fully approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine as a two-dose regimen last month, physicians have had broad latitude to prescribe a third dose to people they deem in need of one.
While the Biden administration has said it supported booster shots for everyone who is eight months post-vaccination, the plan has been rejected by F.D.A. scientists. But the recommendation could change in the coming weeks or months as more data becomes available on the durability of vaccine antibodies over time. The good news is that the consensus in the scientific community is that all the vaccines continue to provide strong protection against severe illness, hospitalization and death from Covid-19.
While people who are severely immunocompromised can receive a third shot sooner, everyone else who qualifies should wait until at least six months after their second shot. In addition to a lack of safety data, getting a booster too soon is probably a waste of a dose and may not increase your antibodies in a meaningful way.
While data are limited, so far reactions reported after the third mRNA dose from Pfizer or Moderna were similar to those of 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. says. A survey from Israel, where booster shots already are being given, found that 88 percent of Pfizer vaccine recipients said that in the days after the third dose, they felt “similar or better” to how they felt after the 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.
The F.D.A. vaccine advisory panel recommended that people who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine get a booster shot two months after their first dose.
It’s not recommended. For now, Pfizer vaccine recipients are advised to get a Pfizer booster shot, and Moderna and Johnson & Johnson recipients should wait until booster doses are approved for their manufacturer’s vaccine.
While the Biden administration has said it supports booster shots for everyone who is eight months post-vaccination, F.D.A. scientists have rejected the plan. But the recommendation could change in the coming weeks or months as more data becomes available on the durability of vaccine antibodies over time. The good news is that the consensus in the scientific community is that all the vaccines continue to provide strong protection against severe illness, hospitalization and death from Covid-19.
Some people who have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are seeking a Pfizer booster shot on their own. San Francisco health officials have said that they will accommodate these requests as long as people consult with their doctors first.
While data are limited, so far reactions reported after the third mRNA dose from Pfizer or Moderna were similar to those of 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, where booster shots are being given, found that 88 percent of Pfizer vaccine recipients said that in the days after the third dose, they felt “similar or better” to how they felt after the 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.
The F.D.A. panel is reviewing new research on mixing vaccine booster shots, but the practice is not yet recommended. For now, Pfizer vaccine recipients are advised to get a Pfizer booster shot, and Moderna and Johnson & Johnson recipients should wait until booster doses are approved for their manufacturer’s vaccine or the C. D.C gives additional guidance.
Some people who have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are seeking a Pfizer booster shot on their own. San Francisco health officials have said that they will accommodate these requests as long as people consult their doctors first.
Sharon LaFraniere and Noah Weiland contributed reporting.
Read more:A C.D.C. Panel Recommends Booster Shots for Many Americans
Read more:A C.D.C. Panel Recommends Booster Shots for Many Americans
This week, I answered a reader question about how much protection you get from a mask when nobody around you is wearing one. I was surprised to learn how a simple folding, knotting and tucking method can improve the efficiency of a surgical mask. One C.D.C. study found that a standard surgical mask protected the wearer from only about 7.5 percent of the particles generated by a simulated cough. But knotting the loops and tucking in the sides of the medical mask reduced exposure by nearly 65 percent. Covering the surgical mask with a cloth mask, a technique known as double masking, reduced exposure to the simulated cough particles by 83 percent.
More from Well
This week, I answered a reader question about how much protection you get from a mask when nobody around you is wearing one. I was surprised to learn how a simple folding, knotting and tucking method can improve the efficiency of a surgical mask. One C.D.C. study found that a standard surgical mask protected the wearer from only about 7.5 percent of the particles generated by a simulated cough. But knotting the loops and tucking in the sides of the medical mask reduced exposure by nearly 65 percent. Covering the surgical mask with a cloth mask, a technique known as double-masking, reduced exposure to the simulated cough particles by 83 percent.
Watch the video to see the “knot and tuck” method:How to Double Mask Correctly
Watch the video to see the “knot and tuck” method:How to Double Mask Correctly
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