What Are COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Shots, And Will You Need To Get A Third Shot?

Boosters are an extra dose of vaccine given to maintain vaccine-induced protection against a disease. A booster shot is given to bolster many vaccines because immunity can wear off over time.

Booster shots are now discussed in the context of COVID-19, when several variants of the virus pose a big question - are two doses of COVID-19 vaccines enough to protect from the illness?

While some manufacturers believe that their vaccines are effective against all variants, there are some vaccines that have not shown enough efficacy in protecting against mutating variants.

Countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Thailand, and Bahrain, have already decided to offer a booster shot.

The United Kingdom — which has approved the Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and Oxford AstraZeneca vaccines— is already planning to give out boosters to those aged 50 and above before the winter.

Do you need a booster vaccine?

ANI

While vaccine-induced immunity may not last forever, it is not clear when a booster will be needed.?

However, booster shots are only for people who are fully-vaccinated.

Researchers are still figuring out the best way to measure the strength of someone’s vaccine-induced immunity.

Vaccines currently in use induce a robust immune memory against the coronavirus.

People above 80 years of age make lower levels of antibodies after vaccination, so their immunity may wane sooner than that of the general population.

Should booster shots match first shots?

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Most likely, not. Recent research has shown that mRNA vaccines, like Pfizer and Moderna, can be mixed with adenovirus-based vaccines like AstraZeneca with comparable results.

Israel offers third shot

With the rapid spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19, Israel registered a spike in COVID positive cases. To curb the spread, Israel said it will begin offering a third dose of Pfizer vaccine? to adults with weak immune systems but it was still weighing whether to make the booster available to the general public.

The rapid spread of the Delta variant has sent vaccination rates in Israel back up as new infections have risen over the past month from single digits to around 450 a day, and the country has moved to fast-track its next Pfizer shipment.

Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said that effective immediately, adults with impaired immune systems who had received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine could get a booster shot, with a decision pending on wider distribution.

Pfizer vaccines are not available in India currently.