ARIZONA, USA — The Food and Drug Administration has now authorized another booster dose of the m-RNA COVID-19 vaccines for people over 50 years old and who are immunocompromised.
But, with COVID cases low at the moment and omicron’s subvariant here in Arizona, when is it best to get the second booster shot?
New eligibility
For a year now, everyone in Arizona over 16 years old has been eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine.
According to the Arizona Department of Health Services, more than five million Arizonans have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
“COVID-19 isn’t going away,” Naomi Lee, Ph.D., CPH, an assistant professor at Northern Arizona University, said.
The FDA approved everyone over 50 and those who are immunocompromised to get a second booster dose of Pfizer of Moderna’s COVID-19 shot on Tuesday.
“Current evidence suggests some waning of protection over time against serious outcomes from COVID-19 in older and immunocompromised individuals. Based on an analysis of emerging data, a second booster dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine could help increase protection levels for these higher-risk individuals,” said Peter Marks, M.D., Ph.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research in a press release on the matter.
The CDC updated its guidance as well to reflect the FDA’s decision.
The new recommendations say those who are 50 and older, or immunocompromised, can get another Moderna or Pfizer shot four months after receiving the first booster dose.
“We're going to continue to see rises and falls in cases over, you know, the course of this pandemic. And so, it's just a way for you or the individuals who are being vaccinated or boosted to, to stay ahead of the game to stay protected,” Lee said.
When to get the second booster
Lee said despite the low cases of COVID-19 in the state, it’s best to get the booster when eligible.
“You should get the booster as soon as possible because it’s just going to help protect you in the long run,” Lee said.
Currently, more than half of the COVID-19 genomes sequenced in Arizona are from omicron’s subvariant, BA.2. That particular variant is believed to spread even faster than the original strain of the omicron variant.
“We can’t fully predict what’s gonna happen in the future,” Lee said. “Maybe a new variant is going to start to emerge and then having that booster will help protect you against ongoing variants, and potential new ones as well.”
Whatever the future may bring for the pandemic in the U.S. and around the world, Lee believes the boosters can help keep people from getting seriously ill or dying.
“I really hope that people understand that these are safe. The boosters themselves are showing to be safe, and that they are still offering protection despite the fact you still need boosters,” Lee said.
Find where to get the COVID-19 vaccine here.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: ¿Quién puede recibir una segunda vacuna de refuerzo contra el COVID-19 y cuándo debe recibirla?
COVID-19 Vaccine
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