Brush up on boosters

Pitt’s COVID-19 Medical Response Office (CMRO) is back with the latest on what our community needs to know about vaccinations right now. Here are the main takeaways:

1.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommend booster shots for everyone 12 years and older. That means every member of the Pitt community is eligible and should get boosted.

2.  Those who got Pfizer or Moderna are eligible at the five-month mark from their second shot. Those who got Johnson & Johnson should get boosted two months after their initial dose.

3.  People can choose which shot to get; you don’t have to get the same kind of vaccine you initially got. The important thing is to have the extra protection.

Plus, experts from the CMRO answer the most frequently asked questions they’ve been asked this month:

What’s the benefit of being boosted?

The science is clear: While no vaccine is 100% effective, the current boosters absolutely help prevent COVID-19 and, as a result, relieve some pressure on our health care systems.

Another benefit: Being boosted changes your quarantine requirements. You don’t have to quarantine after a COVID-19 exposure if you’ve been boosted — that’s five days of your life you get back, under current CDC guidelines. This is because people who are boosted are, on average, less likely to get infected in the first place, less likely to be contagious if they do get infected and less likely to get seriously sick. The most recent research from the CDC says that booster doses are 90% effective against hospitalization for the omicron variant.

If I already had COVID-19, do I still need a booster?

Yes. Immunity from natural infection is highly variable and wanes over time. Immunity from vaccination is consistently strong, but also wanes over time. (Immunity actually lasts longer from vaccination than it does from natural infection.)

With the highly contagious omicron variant spreading — and considering it’s definitely possible to get COVID-19 more than once — those who have recovered from natural infection will have the most protection by getting a booster as soon as they are eligible.

But I’m young and healthy, do I have to go through the vaccine’s side effects?

You can develop long-haul symptoms from a mild or even asymptomatic case of COVID-19. And not being boosted increases your chances of getting infected. In other words, the potential long-term health risks of not being boosted when you’re eligible outweigh the temporary adverse effects you might experience from a booster shot. Even a mild illness will likely disrupt your life more than getting vaccinated.

Will we have to get COVID-19 boosters forever?

The science on this is still developing, but some public health experts have acknowledged that “forever boosting” may not be a viable public health strategy in the long run, according to the The New York Times. What we do know is that the more people who get vaccinated right now and who stay up to date by getting boosted when they’re eligible, the greater the likelihood of putting the pandemic in the rearview mirror.  

Additional tips

1.  If you haven’t gotten your flu shot yet, you can absolutely get it at the same time as your booster — in fact, the CDC encourages it.

2.  The Pitt CoVax Vaccination Center will take care of you. They have plenty of available appointments from noon to 5 p.m. five days a week, with additional expanded hours on Wednesdays (10 a.m.-5 p.m.).

3.  If you received a COVID-19 vaccine internationally, chances are you are also eligible for a booster with the Pfizer vaccine. If you have questions about your booster eligibility after international vaccination, please visit the Pitt CoVax Vaccination Center to talk with a pharmacist.

— Micaela Corn