What To Know About The COVID-19 Booster Shot

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Just when we thought we might return to some semblance of real life and were feeling confident and safe with our COVID-19 vaccines, the Delta variant reared its ugly head and now there’s talk of a booster shot. Some feel frustrated that they’ll need more needles in their arms. Some are grateful for any additional protection offered against the virus that has ravished our economy, hospitals, and mental health for nearly 18 months now. But one thing is for certain: like with the original vaccines, when it comes to the booster shot, Americans have questions.

ABC News reports that roughly 1 million Americans have already received a booster shot. There are even rumors of people finding sneaky ways to get a third dose of their original vaccine as their own form of the booster. While some Americans remain wary and even afraid of vaccines, others want all the antibodies they can get. Like with many things about this pandemic, the booster shot feels rushed, but it needs to keep up with COVID-19 cases, which are moving even faster. So, here’s what we know for now about the COVID-19 booster shot.

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Why get a booster shot?

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a statement in August explaining the need for the COVID-19 booster shot. In the statement, the HHS explained that it is becoming apparent that the effectiveness of the original COVID-19 vaccines begins to decrease after some time. They write, “The available data make very clear that protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection begins to decrease over time following the initial doses of vaccination, and in association with the dominance of the Delta variant, we are starting to see evidence of reduced protection against mild and moderate disease.” They note their concern for at-risk groups potentially getting re-infected and requiring hospitalization without a booster shot.

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Is it the same as the first shot?

In the medical community, a booster shot refers to an additional dose of a vaccine that has already been administered, says the CDC. In the case of the COVID-19 booster shot, it will provide the same antibodies offered in the first. However, the interesting thing about booster shots is that they can be tweaked in order to offer protection against new and changing variants, so the medical community does feel confident that moving forward, they might be able to create booster shots that can offer better immunity against new variants. The fact that the current booster shot is a replica of the original doses can provide some comfort to those who wonder how they’ll respond to it.

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What are the side effects?

If you had a negative reaction to the original vaccine, it is understandable that you could have concerns around getting the booster shot. There is not yet enough research to provide conclusive information on how common or severe side effects from the COVID-19 booster shot are. However, medical experts feel confident that, because the booster is an additional dose of the original doses, novel side effects are very unlikely. Keep in mind that the original vaccine caused predominantly mild side effects that lasted either a few days or even only a few hours. The CDC reports that severe side effects occurred in a tiny percentage of the population who received the first vaccine.

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Can you get any booster shot?

If you’re in a rush to get a booster shot, you might feel inclined to get whichever is most readily available. Interestingly enough, research reported on Nature.com showed that individuals who received a mixture of the Oxford–AstraZeneca jab and the Pfizer–BioNTech for their first two shots show a more robust immunity to the COVID-19 virus than individuals who got both doses of the same vaccine. However, that research is very infantile. The jury is still out on whether or not boosters can or should vary from the original shot. An interview with the Chair of The Medical Advisory Group of BU suggests some medical experts are leaning towards mixing one brand of vaccine with a different brand of booster for optimal protection.

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Who should get it?

As was the case with the first round of vaccines, frontline workers and at-risk groups are the top priority for the COVID-19 booster shot. The HHS reports that individuals who are fully vaccinated with either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine can receive a booster shot eight months after having received their second shot. They add that some groups will be front of line. “The individuals who were fully vaccinated earliest in the vaccination rollout, including many health care providers, nursing home residents, and other seniors, will likely be eligible for a booster. We would also begin efforts to deliver booster shots directly to residents of long-term care facilities at that time, given the distribution of vaccines to this population early in the vaccine rollout and the continued increased risk that COVID-19 poses to them,” states the HHS.

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What about Johnson & Johnson?

The evidence and expert recommendations are rather robust and clear when it comes to booster shots for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, but what about Johnson & Johnson? As the HHS said in their statements, more research is still required before a J&J booster shot can be approved. They do believe a booster shot will be needed for those who received the J&J, but note that, because far less people received this vaccine compared to the Moderna and Pfizer and because the J&J vaccine has not existed for as long as the others, more data is needed before decisions can be made.