Who should get a COVID booster shot?
Believe it or not, COVID-19, or coronavirus disease of 2019, is still spreading through communities after all this time. With the fall and flu season approaching, it is a good idea to consider getting a booster shot against COVID-19. The COVID-19 vaccines have been shown to help protect people from becoming seriously ill, hospitalized, and/or dying. Communicable diseases tend to ramp up when the weather outside gets colder. One of the reasons being that people tend to retreat indoors during the colder months. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends a booster shot for those people who are 12 years and older if it has been more than two months since their last COVID shot. For those people who have recently had COVID-19, they can consider delaying their next vaccine dose by 3 months from the onset of symptoms or from their positive COVID test result. This is because reinfection is less likely in the weeks following an infection. However, each person is different. If you’re not sure whether you should get a COVID-19 vaccine, speak with your healthcare provider or pharmacist. There is a new booster shot available that should be used, called a bivalent booster. The bivalent booster shots are available from both Pfizer and Moderna.
What is the bivalent COVID booster shot?
The virus that causes COVID-19 has changed over time into different versions of the virus (called variants). We’ve seen a number of different variants of the COVID-19 virus throughout the pandemic including alpha, beta, delta, and omicron. The bivalent booster is so named because it protects against two different variants of the COVID-19 virus. It contains protection against both the original COVID-19 virus and the omicron variants that have been circulating most recently. Now, all the previous vaccines are called monovalent because they were designed to protect against the original version of the COVID-19 virus. The monovalent vaccines do offer some protection against the omicron variant, but not as much as the bivalent boosters do.
Most people are indicated to get a COVID-19 booster shot. Booster shots are important to help protect yourself and your loved ones from getting seriously ill or dying from COVID-19. To find out more information visit CDC.gov or speak with your healthcare provider.
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Note: Information in this article was accurate at the time of original publication. Because information about COVID-19 changes rapidly, we encourage you to visit the websites of the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), and your state and local government for the latest information.
Disclaimer: This blog is written for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read or seen online.
