MIAMI – Americans with chronic conditions now have access to the two COVID-19 vaccine shots plus two booster shots. There needs to be a four-month period between each booster shot, according to federal public health officials.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the second Moderna or Pfizer booster shots, or fourth shot, after The Food and Drug Administration authorized it.
Dr. Dushyantha T. Jayaweera, who wasn’t involved in the policy decisions, said the second booster is for the most vulnerable. People who are 50 and older are more likely to have chronic illnesses that increase the risk of severe disease.
“When you are older your antibody levels drop faster than when you are younger,” said Jayaweera, a University of Miami professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases.
The booster shots offer an extra level of protection. Although it doesn’t protect everyone from every mutation, the boosters may be effective against hospitalization, needing a ventilator, or death, officials said.
The CDC also had these recommendations:
- For those who have two doses of the Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine, the CDC recommends one booster of either Moderna or Pfizer.
- For children age and older who have compromised immune systems, the CDC recommends a fifth dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
There may be more boosters on the horizon.
“As long as COVID keeps mutating I think we are compelled to start looking for better vaccine coverage as time goes on,” Jayaweera said adding everyone needs to ask their physician for guidance.
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