CHARLOTTE, N.C. — With COVID-19 cases slightly on the rise and masks coming off on public transportation people are wanting to make sure they are fully protected against COVID-19. We have started getting more and more questions about the boosters.
OUR SOURCES:
- Family physician, Dr. Karla Robinson
- Cardiologist, Dr. Payal Kohli
- The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
- The CDC
THE QUESTION:
Is the second booster available for everyone?
THE ANSWER:
No, the second booster is *not available for everyone.
WHAT WE FOUND:
According to the CDC, people eligible for the second booster are:
- Adults 50 and older
- People 12 and older who are moderately or severely immunocompromised
- Or people who got a primary and booster dose of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine.
"So right now, if you're not in that, one of those categories is not available to you," Dr. Robinson said. "However, I do certainly expect that more data will come. And if it's proven to be effective and safe to give to the general population, then I imagine that those guidelines would be soon to follow. So at this point, it remains to be seen. But if you're 50 or older, you're certainly eligible for that fourth booster."
THE QUESTION:
The second question comes from Steve H.
He asked: "I had Moderna vaccinations and first booster. Multiple people tell me I should get Pfizer for my second booster to improve protection. Is there any truth to this?"
THE ANSWER:
Yes, you get improved protection if you mix and match your boosters.
WHAT WE FOUND:
"We have two very high-quality studies that just came out that if you mix and match Pfizer and Moderna, not only do you boost the total number of antibodies, you boost the infection-fighting cells t cells, but you also actually make different types of antibodies," Dr. Kohli said.
One of those studies is from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Researchers found People produced antibody responses from all three booster vaccines, no matter which vaccine they originally received. However, a booster of a different vaccine caused similar or higher antibody responses than a booster of the same vaccine.
Contact Meghan Bragg at mbragg@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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