8/30/21—The landscape of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve daily, and with each new evolution information is key. In a new bid to fight the rising COVID-19 numbers, caused significantly by this summer’s Delta variant, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and White House Administration have announced that booster shots will be coming out this fall, with the hopes of strengthening the fight against COVID and its many variants.
A booster shot is intended to “boost” your immune system against a disease for which it has already received a vaccine. Booster shots are quite common, in fact many common vaccines, like tetanus shots, are recommended every ten years. Vaccines are effective in helping your immune system defend itself against specific diseases, however they can lose that effectiveness over time, hence the need for a booster. Think of it as a reminder to your immune system about the disease for which it is being strengthened against.
According to the CDC, “available data make very clear that protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection begins to decrease over time following the initial doses of vaccination, and in association with the dominance of the Delta variant.” As such, the CDC, in conjunction with the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the current White House Administration have released plans to bring COVID-19 booster shots to the public, starting in the Fall of 2021.
While the new plan awaits Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and CDC endorsement, Americans can expect to see booster shots as early as September. However, not everyone will be eligible to receive them right away. Initially Americans had the choice of three different vaccines from Johnson & Johnson (J&J), Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, with the latter two requiring two doses of the vaccine. Currently only Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are approved to receive booster shots, but J&J is predicted to get approval as soon as enough data is collected. This is due to the fact that J&J’s vaccine wasn’t given in the U.S. until 70 days following the Pfizer and Moderna (mRNA) vaccines, so the data needed for approval is slightly behind.
Once booster shots are ready, the rollout plan will be similar to the original vaccine plan. According to the CDC, the first people eligible for a booster will be those at most risk, which includes healthcare providers, residents of long-term care facilities, and other older adults. Following that, the general public should expect to be able to receive their booster shots. Each person’s eligibility will also be based specifically on when they received their second dose of the initial vaccine, making them eligible for a booster shot 8 months from said date.
In accordance with CDC recommendations, vaccination is one step in fighting the spread of COVID-19. The CDC also recommends face masks, for both vaccinated and unvaccinated populations, practicing social distancing, testing for COVID when needed, and contact tracing to address positive cases and stop them from spreading. With AlertTrace’s innovate contact tracing system, you can rest assured that valuable contact data is at your fingertips, with user privacy protected on all levels. In the event of an infection in your organization, AlertTrace allows you to make fast, data-driven decisions to ensure you are safe and secure.
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“COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Shot.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/booster-shot.html.
“Joint Statement from Hhs Public Health and Medical Experts On Covid-19 Booster Shots.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 18 Aug. 2021, www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/s0818-covid-19-booster-shots.html.
“Medical Definition of Booster Shot.” MedicineNet, MedicineNet, 29 Mar. 2021, www.medicinenet.com/booster_shot/definition.htm.
