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Who is eligible for the second booster dose of the covid-19 vaccine?

2022-03-30T14:42:32.438Z


The FDA has authorized additional booster doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for adults age 50 and older. These are the conditions for you to receive a new dose. 


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(CNN) --

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized additional booster doses of Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna's COVID-19 vaccines for adults 50 and older, and now many people in that group are wondering if they should get that dose now or later.

On Tuesday, the FDA announced that it has expanded the emergency use authorization for the two vaccines to allow adults age 50 and older to receive a second booster dose as early as four months after their first booster dose.

The amended emergency use authorization also authorizes second booster doses for certain individuals over the age of 12 who are immunocompromised.

Following the FDA action, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its recommendations to allow a second booster dose for those groups.

The CDC noted that adults who received a primary dose and a booster dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least four months ago can now receive a second booster dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.

The FDA and CDC stressed that they "will continue to evaluate data and information" about the potential use of second booster doses for other age groups.

But for those who are eligible for a second booster dose, there are many questions about when might be the best time to get vaccinated, where and how.

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I am eligible for a second booster dose.

When should I get vaccinated?

Older adults and certain immunocompromised individuals who are eligible for a second booster dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccine can receive it at least four months after their first booster.

"The evidence that we now have from Israel suggests that by getting this, one can reduce the risk of hospitalization and death in this population of older people, so we think this is something worth people considering," he said. Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA's Center for Biological Evaluation and Research, on Tuesday.

"If they were my relatives, I would send them to do this again because of the higher level of protection," Marks said.

At 64, Dr. William Moss, executive director of the International Vaccine Access Center at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, is eligible for a second booster dose but said he plans to wait to receive it.

He completed his initial two doses of the vaccine, received a booster shot, and was infected with the omicron variant of the novel coronavirus.

Studies published in February suggest that being vaccinated and having been infected with the coronavirus may offer a "long-lasting" type of protection called hybrid immunity.

"And I don't have any underlying medical conditions, so I'm pretty comfortable waiting," Moss said.

"That could change if we see a big spike in cases in the United States. But if we don't, I may be more inclined to wait until the fall and maybe get my second booster at that time.

"My parents are now 89 and 93, and I would recommend that they get a booster dose now, because they are at much higher risk of severe covid-19."

  • The FDA authorizes the second booster dose of the covid-19 vaccine for those over 50 years of age

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Moss added that access to antiviral drugs to treat Covid-19 that infected people can take at home with a prescription may also play a role in how comfortable someone feels waiting to get their second booster dose.

"I think that's a very important part of the conversation," Moss said.

Several studies have shown that immunity to COVID-19 generated by vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson can wane over several months, especially among older adults who may have weaker immune systems.

So the timing of a second booster can make a difference, because the benefit of that vaccine may be "short-lived," said Dr. Jorge Salinas, an infectious disease specialist at Stanford University.

"It's the same as getting a flu shot," Salinas said.

"We get vaccinated once a year and we open it up pretty early. But some people have shown that if you do it too early, you can lose a little bit of protection towards the end of the flu season."

Where can I get my second booster shot?

The rollout of additional booster doses is expected to mirror the rollout of initial booster doses, with pharmacies and doctor's offices among the main places people could get their shots.

I am not eligible for a second booster yet.

How do I know when I can get it?

A second booster dose might be recommended for more Americans as we move into the fall.

"People may need to get another vaccine," Marks said Tuesday, adding that for adults over 50, getting a fourth dose now "will not prevent" them from getting an additional dose in the fall "if there is evidence of that another booster might be beneficial.

In other words, a second booster now doesn't necessarily mean you won't be eligible for another booster later this year.

"Some people who get a second booster dose in April or May may need and be eligible for another booster dose in the fall, in case we suspect a late fall or winter surge, as occurs with other respiratory viruses," Moss said.

It's "almost inevitable" that most people will need another booster shot at some point, because the coronavirus will continue to change, said Dr. Megan Ranney, an emergency room physician and academic dean at Brown University's School of Public Health. .

"The question is, is that time now? Or will it be sometime down the line, either when we see signs that another wave is hitting us or just in the fall, the same way we do with the vaccine against the flu?".

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What vaccines will be used for the second booster doses?

The vaccines currently available for second booster doses are the same as those that have been given for initial doses and booster doses during the pandemic.

But the boosters people get this fall or winter could be completely different, Moss said.

For example, it could be a protein-based vaccine, like the one from Novavax, which has applied for FDA approval, it could be a vaccine given as a nasal spray, or it could be a vaccine developed specifically to target a certain variant, like the omicron

"There has been a discussion for several months about specific vaccines against [the] omicron, and I understand that the data on those will be available in May. But many people, if not most people, may be better off receiving a booster. specifically against omicron [variant] if it becomes available. The timing of that is unclear," Moss said.

"The point is that in the coming months of the year, there may be more options for booster doses that may actually be better than another dose of the original mRNA vaccine."

The FDA's Vaccines and Related Biologics Advisory Committee is scheduled to meet next week to discuss the need for future COVID-19 vaccine boosters, including the process for selecting variant-specific boosters.

Some companies, including Pfizer and Moderna, are developing variant-specific vaccines that could target whatever strain is circulating when the booster is needed.

Pfizer and Moderna have also said they are working on a vaccine that would specifically protect against the omicron variant.

"There may be a need for people to get an additional booster in the fall along with a more general booster campaign, if that goes ahead," Marks said Tuesday.

"Because we may need to switch to different variant coverage," such as a formula developed to target a specific variant or combination of variants.

-- CNN's Brenda Goodman contributed to this report.

covid-19 vaccine

Source: cnnespanol

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