INDIVIDUALS who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and have received a booster dose may take a second booster dose, following approval from U.S. regulators, Dr. Lily Muldoon, medical director of public health and emergency medicine physician at Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation, said on Friday.
“We are expecting another round of boosters [is] likely to be coming,” she said.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have yet to authorize a second booster dose.
“They are working right now on creating some regulations around this and even creating some more advanced boosters that are going to be specific to the variant that we’re seeing. That booster unlikely is going to be just the same [Pfizer-BioNTech] shot that we had before, but adapted to the current variant environment,” Muldoon said.
She recommends waiting until a second booster dose is recommended by the FDA.
Currently, individuals 12 years old or older are eligible to take the Pfizer-BioNTech booster dose at least five months after completing their primary Covid-19 vaccination series.
Minors aged 12 to 17 years old can obtain only the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine booster, while adults 18 years old or older may obtain either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna Covid-19 vaccine.
Similar to the Pfizer-BioNTech booster, the Moderna booster is available five months after an individual has completed his or her primary Covid-19 vaccination series.
However, for the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen booster dose, only adults 18 years or older are eligible to take this dose at least two months after receiving their single-dose Covid-19 vaccine.
Individuals may experience side effects after receiving a Covid-19 vaccine.
According to the CDC, these are normal signs that the individual’s body is building protection against Covid-19.
An individual is considered fully vaccinated with or without a booster shot.
Public health experts have stated that although Covid-19 vaccines are working well to prevent severe illness, hospitalization, and death, there is reduced protection over time against mild and moderate disease, especially among certain populations.
For more information on Covid-19 vaccine booster shots, visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/booster-shot.html
