The 411 On The Booster Shot
Confusion is circling around the media with the Covid-19 vaccine and the misinformation around it coming from all social media platforms, now, the booster shot is available and present in the media world which only adds to the confusion. Young adults, especially college students, can become overwhelmed and exhausted with the ambush of media coming from all directions and end up ignoring it altogether. But the facts are all here and clear for you to finally understand and keep yourself and others around you ultra-safe.
What we know about the booster shot
Studies from the CDC show that after a person receives the Covid-19 vaccine, the protection decreases over time and increases the risk of becoming very ill if the Delta variant is contracted. The vaccine does protect against Covid-19 and lessens the symptoms, but over time it weakens to protect against the Delta Variant which is more severe. A vaccine decreases in strength as time passes from when you initially received the doses; the booster gives you an extra boost, greater protection, and strengthens your immunity against Covid-19 and the Delta variant. The booster shot should be taken around 6 months after your second dose for most effectiveness.
Who is able to get it?
At the moment, only people who are 65 and older, or people who are 50-65 with underlying conditions like Cancer, chronic kidney disease, chronic lung disease( COPD, asthma, interstitial lung disease, cystic fibrosis, and pulmonary hypertension), Dementia, Alzheimer’s, Diabetes type 1 and 2, Down syndrome, heart conditions, immunocompromised, liver disease, obesity, pregnancy, Sickle Cell Disease, Thalassemia, smokers, organ or blood stem transplant, cerebrovascular disease, and substance abuse.
Residents or providers 18 years or older in long-term care settings are eligible and should receive the booster shot to not infect older adults or those who have underlying health conditions around them. People who are 18 and older can receive the booster shot if they have the underlying medical conditions listed above.
Most importantly, individuals who work in a high-risk environment are eligible and should receive the booster shot for stronger protection (this applies to college students who a majority work outside of school). Here is a list of the workers who can get the Pfizer booster according to the CDC: First responders, education staff, food and agriculture workers, manufacturing workers, correction workers, U.S. postal service workers, public transit workers, and grocery store workers. You can get the booster shot at CVS Health or Walgreens and bring your vaccination record card that lists the two doses and the dates they were received.
If you are not a part of eligible groups for the booster, it is not clear whether the public needs to receive the booster yet as data is still being collected on the effectiveness now with the new variants.
The misinformation around the booster shot
The Covid-19 Vaccines Are Not Thoroughly Tested and Moved Too Fast
A: The vaccine developers did not skip any steps for the vaccine, they just overlapped the routine to receive data much faster in a time of urgency. Sabrina Assoumou, an infectious disease expert at BU School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center stated, “I think there is a perception that things moved very fast, but we want to underscore that the technology being used now was being studied for a decade. The main difference between emergency use versus full FDA approval is that you need two months of monitoring rather than six months. When you look at the history of vaccines, if patients were to develop side effects, these occurred within two months. We are now over six months into our experience with these vaccines.”
Why Get the Vaccine If I Can Still Contract Covid-19?
A: If a person has received the vaccine and contracts Covid-19, then the result is a mild infection and prevents hospitalization. Davison Hamer, an infectious disease expert, a faculty member of BU’s School of Public Health, School of Medicine, and National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories states, “The breakthroughs have been occurring more frequently with the Delta variant because of the high level of infectiousness (or transmissibility) of the Delta variant and lower protection of current vaccines against this variant. But people having breakthroughs have much more mild infection, more like an upper respiratory infection.”
The Vaccine Affects Fertility
A: This false claim arose when it was reported on social media that the spike protein in the vaccine is the same as the spike protein called syncitin-1 which is a part of the growth and attachment of the placenta during pregnancy. This claim has been debunked by the scientific community like OB/GYN and infectious disease doctors. Dr. Maragakis and Dr. Kelen at John Hopkins Medicine explained, “The truth is that the COVID-19 vaccine encourages the body to create copies of the spike protein found on the coronavirus’s surface. This “teaches” the body’s immune system to fight the virus that has that specific spike protein on it. The two spike proteins are completely different and distinct, and getting the COVID-19 vaccine will not affect the fertility of women who are seeking to become pregnant, including through in vitro fertilization methods.”
I Already Had Covid-19 So I Don’t Need the Vaccine or Booster
A: If you had Covid-19 you do have a natural immunity to the virus, but the antibodies do not last long and last for about 3-6 months. The initial doses and booster will protect you for a longer period of time. As Assoumou states, “With the mRNA vaccines, you have two shots, one to prime and then another one to boost the immune system. You need the boost to protect you for a longer period of time.”
What If I Received The Moderna or Johnson & Johnson’s Vaccine?
A: CDC explains that the Pfizer booster authorizations only apply to the Pfizer vaccine. It is not certain yet whether Moderna or Johnson & Johnson’s needs a booster as its effectiveness is still being tested, but the CDC is expecting more data if a booster is needed depending on the length of protections and immunity.
If you have received the Pfizer vaccine and are eligible for the booster, it is recommended to get it done so there is extra protection and immunity for yourself and those around you. That’s why you got the two doses in the first place. But for lack of confusion, you are still considered fully vaccinated if you have received the two doses from Pfizer and Moderna, or received the one dose from Johnson & Johnson’s. The CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky left this message, “People have to identify their own individual risk and their own individual benefit” when it comes to the booster vaccine.