The lowdown on booster shots
In this week's edition of the Covid Q&A, we look at boosters. In hopes of making this very confusing time just a little less so, each week Bloomberg Prognosis is picking one question sent in by readers and putting it to experts in the field. This week's question comes to us from Gracie. She asks:
How long will a booster shot last?
Boosters are a hot topic now, and our inbox is full of questions about them, especially this one: How long will they last?
But before we answer that, we should clarify who in the U.S. is currently recommended to get boosters and why. As of Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said you are eligible for a booster if you:
- Are 18 and older and received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine more than two months ago
- Received either the Pfizer or Moderna mRNA vaccine and are 65 or older
- Received either the Pfizer or Moderna shot and are 18 or older and have underlying medical conditions, live in a long-term care facility or work in high-risk settings
“Some of us need boosters for two reasons. The first is that the protection against mild and moderate illness provided by the initial vaccination appears to wane over time, especially among older individuals,” says Jessica Justman, an epidemiologist at Columbia University.
“The second reason is that the delta variant is more infectious. This means everyone, even vaccinated people, is more likely to get exposed to an infectious dose of the virus and have it challenge their immune system. The booster helps your immune system mount an effective response.”
Some states, such as California and Colorado, have opened up booster shots to all adults who are at least six months past their second mRNA dose. It may turn out that the term “booster” is a bit of a misnomer, and that the correct number of shots for maximum efficacy isn’t yet known. Vaccination recommendations often change as more data becomes available over time.
“It’s a good idea to keep an eye on CDC guidance,” says Justman.
Now on to the question of how long boosters will last. That’s a tough one.
It’s possible, says Justman, that the months-long gap between initial doses of the vaccine and boosters will help the immune system maintain a strong response for a much longer period than the initial regimen did. But we need more data to have any sort of definitive answer on that, she says.
Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease expert at the University of California, San Francisco, says it’s important to keep in mind that even without a booster shot, the vaccines are still providing strong protection.“The vaccines are doing an amazing job in preventing severe disease, even through the delta variant,” she says.
Thanks to all of you for writing in this week! Next Sunday, we'll be answering the best question we receive again. So if you have any, we want to hear from you. Write to us at CovidQs@bloomberg.net—Kristen V. Brown
Track the virus
The path out of the pandemic continues to defy straight-line forecasts. The hope was that getting the virus under control by vaccinating a large percentage of the population would turbocharge an economic recovery. Now we know it’s not that simple. As the chart below shows, countries with pre-pandemic challenges haven’t escaped them, Bloomberg Businessweek reports.
Vaccines Are Not an Elixir for Growth
Data: Bloomberg Economics
*Estimates
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