Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) — Cases of “Covid-19” are increasing across the United States again, driven by the most infectious strain of the Corona virus to date, BA.5.
Federal health officials are urging Americans to complete their additional booster doses if it is time to receive them, but many feel overwhelmed.
Who qualifies for boosters now? Will all adults be able to get a second booster shot soon? If you develop new fall boosters, will people wait until then or take them now? How long after contracting COVID-19 do people have to wait to get the booster shot?
CNN Clinical Analyst Dr. Liana Winn answers these questions.
CNN: Who is currently eligible to receive booster doses?
Dr. Liana WinThe latest guidance from the US Centers for Disease Control and Control states that:
If you are 50 years of age or older, you are eligible for two booster doses of either Pfizer or Moderna mRNA vaccine.
The first booster dose is given at least five months after the primary vaccination (either two doses of mRNA vaccine or one dose of Johnson & Johnson vaccine).
The second booster dose is given at least four months after the first dose.
CNN: Will adults under 50 be able to get their second booster shot anytime soon?
Liana Wayne: Federal health officials are discussing expanding eligibility for a second booster dose.
I suspect it will be within the next month or so, and the recommendation will be lenient, allowing those willing to get a second booster.
Deciding who should get a booster shot and how often is not easy.
There is a fundamental disagreement among scientists and public health experts about the purpose of COVID-19 vaccines.
Some believe that the goal of these vaccines is to avoid severe disease, and as long as vaccines continue to protect against hospitalization and death, there will be no need for additional booster doses.
Others point out that vaccines can also alleviate symptomatic illness, and this effect is not long-term, so those who take the second view will advocate more boosters.
CNN: Are there any specific people who need boosters right now?
Liana WayneHere’s how I think of the three groups that I consider the boosters to be salty, if they don’t.
We know that age is a major risk factor for serious disease, and that protection against severe disease is diminished in older adults.
Therefore, people age 60 and older and those age 50 who have chronic medical conditions should receive the two booster doses of the vaccine.
So are people who are immunocompromised and who are eligible for more booster doses, as they are also in the group most at risk of severe complications from COVID-19.
More broadly, all adults should receive the first booster dose, to increase the level of protection, including severe disease. If you’re 18 and over and didn’t get any vaccinations after receiving the primary vaccination, you should get a booster now.
CNN: What about the kids? Should they also get the booster doses if they are eligible to receive them?
Liana Wayne: The data on foster children are much less convincing than the data on adults.
The CDC recommends booster doses for children 5 years of age and older, and I think many parents and caregivers will want to follow these guidelines.
CNN: What about timing, some people are worried about getting vaccinated now, because that won’t be able to get them vaccinated for the upcoming omicron mutant in the fall. Should this be a reason to wait?
Liana Wayne: For most people, I don’t think this is a reason to wait.
First, federal health officials said vaccinating now won’t prevent you from getting an updated vaccine in the fall.
It should be noted here that it is not certain that these updated vaccines will become available, and it is likely that the “bivalent” vaccine will receive licensing, which means that it will be a combination of the original vaccine and the sub-Omicron vaccine.
Secondly, there are a lot of viruses out there now, boosters now are meant to protect you, and if you need an extra level of protection during fall and winter, you can get another one afterwards.
Third, it is not yet clear if the updated vaccine will be better than the available vaccines.
The updated vaccine targets the omicron sub-mutants, currently prevalent.
However, if these vaccines are to be available in the fall, there is no guarantee that the Omicron sub-mutants will still be the dominant strains.
CNN: If someone just recovered from COVID-19, how long should they wait before receiving the booster?
Lyanna Wayne: They can get a booster shot once it’s been 10 days since symptoms first appear and the fever has stopped, though I recommend they wait a little longer.
This is because a recent infection provides good protection for a short period of time, and the infection rarely occurs again within three months.
To get the longest protection from your next booster dose, you can wait three months after injury.