Who Needs a Booster (and Which One)?
The FDA and CDC have approved booster doses for all three COVID-19 vaccines : Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson. The details get a little more complicated, so let’s figure out who should get the booster, who can get the booster, and if you need to buy a different brand than the one you had in the first place. (Recommendations also allow people to get boosters of any brand, so you don’t have to stick to the same type as yours originally.)
A word of caution, as always: if you have a doctor or other healthcare provider you can talk to, they will be your best source of information on what you should personally do.
If you own Johnson & Johnson, be sure to get a booster
It is now abundantly clear that the J&J vaccine does not provide the same protection as the two mRNA vaccines. It is still a good vaccine, and it still provides good protection, especially against serious illness and death. But it could have been better.
A second shot of J&J will dramatically improve your COVID protection. (Many experts have asked if J&J should have been given a two-dose vaccine from the start.) It is recommended that a booster be given at least two months after the first vaccination. This is a shorter time frame than other vaccine boosters. So if you got your picture taken at J&J two months ago or more, it’s time to go.
Another important point: everyone who has received the J&J vaccine is advised to get a booster shot . You don’t have to be of a certain age or high risk group.
Easy solution, right? But there is one more detail. While J&J executives say their data confirm that people are given a J&J booster, and the FDA and CDC generally recommend getting the same type of booster as your initial vaccination, a recent NIH study found that people who received J&J as a the initial dose had the highest antibody levels. levels if they have Moderna for their booster.
“There is clear evidence for the benefit” of an mRNA vaccine (Moderna or Pfizer) as a booster vaccine after J&J vaccine, says Dr. Anthony Harris , board certified occupational health and environmental health and CEO of HFit. The J&J booster will still be a great choice if that’s all there is to it.
If you received an mRNA vaccine for your original batch , it makes sense to get a different mRNA vaccine for your booster vaccine (not the J&J booster). However, there is no compelling evidence to support Moderna over Pfizer, or vice versa.
If you have Pfizer or Moderna and are at high risk, get a booster
If you remember the recommendations for Pfizer boosters made a few weeks ago, the same recommendations now apply to the Moderna vaccine. Briefly speaking:
- Revaccination should be given to people over 65 years of age.
- People over 50 who have underlying medical conditions that put them at high risk for severe COVID should receive a booster vaccine.
- The booster vaccine can be given to people over 18 years of age and with high-risk diseases.
- People over the age of 18 working at an increased risk of COVID infection may receive booster vaccinations.
The boosters for both mRNA vaccines are intended to be administered six months or more after the first dose series.
Dr. Harris’s advice is that if you are not in the high-risk category, you “don’t need to run out and get boosted,” but it’s probably a good idea if you work in the healthcare industry and are COVID-positive. the patients. Another group of workers that can benefit is those who work indoors with people who are not necessarily wearing masks and where you are not sure if the ventilation is good. This category includes many servers in indoor restaurants and people in the entertainment industry who spend their time in theaters and concert venues.
Am I still “fully vaccinated” without booster?
The good news is that the definition of “fully vaccinated” has not changed. You are still considered fully vaccinated two weeks after the second dose of the 2-dose mRNA vaccine, or two weeks after the single dose of J&J.
If you are eligible for the booster shot but choose not to receive it, you will still be considered fully vaccinated, according to information discussed at the CDC advisory group meeting.