Data Doesn’t Support New COVID-19 Booster Shots for Most, Says Vaccine Expert

And the latest data show that the newest booster shot, which targets the Omicron BA.4/5 strain and original virus variants in a bivalent formulation, isn’t that much more effective in generating virus-fighting antibodies than the original vaccine when used as a booster.

 No Increased Stroke Risk Linked to Pfizer’s Covid Boosters, Federal Officials Say

An uptick hinted at in surveillance data was a mirage, the officials said.

Biden’s chaotic messaging on Covid-19 boosters is pitting the White House against the government’s scientific advisers

Instead, though, the administration’s recent moves have pitted it against recommendations from VRBPAC and the ACIP, a tension that hasn’t gone unnoticed by former government officials.

Please Just Get the Dang Updated COVID Booster Shot

With widespread use of these boosters, we could potentially skip infection spikes, hospital visits, and pandemic backsliding this winter, when it seems likely enough that cases will surge again. Unfortunately, barely anyone has taken the booster.

The WHO is right to call a temporary halt to COVID vaccine boosters

Richer countries should focus on ramping up vaccine supply to the billions who are still waiting for their first dose.

Who actually needs a fourth Covid-19 shot?

Most people don’t need a fourth Covid-19 shot yet. But for some, it’s very important.

Why Wait 8 Months?

You could probably sneak in a COVID-19 booster shot right now. But there are a few good reasons to hold off.

Why You Shouldn’t Be Bummed if You Can’t Get a Booster

So although the boosters may temporarily provide, well, a boost, it’s not a slam dunk that they’re going to fundamentally change the situation.

Will we always need Covid-19 boosters? Experts have theories

With the world facing the latest in a seemingly endless stream of coronavirus variants — and with bullish talk from manufacturers about a need for even more vaccine shots — you wouldn’t be alone if you were wondering: Are Covid boosters always going to be a fixture in our future?

COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Shots Will Likely Be a Reality. Here’s What Experts Know So Far.

With so much uncertainty about booster shots, we asked doctors to explain why a third dose may be necessary in the near future.

Do I really need another booster? The answer depends on age, risk and timing

Still, if you're high-risk, you may not want to wait too long. Polls show many vaccinated people held off on a first booster dose when they became available last year. But waiting until you see another outbreak in your community could be risky.

Do You Need Another Covid Shot?

Making sure all people worldwide have vaccine access should be the highest priority, because population immunity is the best way to protect individuals, too. Only then should additional doses be given to already vaccinated people. But we should be prepared to accept that some groups may eventually need an additional dose for full protection.

Everything you should know about getting a second COVID booster

For now, studies indicate that a single booster dose provides strong protection against severe COVID-19 in most people. But a second booster may have advantages for those who are most vulnerable to COVID-19, experts say.

Here’s Why There’s So Much Controversy Over COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Shots Right Now

There are still scientific and ethical questions.

How Does a Variant-Specific Covid Booster Work?

The latest vaccines are designed to target the currently circulating Omicron variants—and head off a winter surge.

How helpful will the new COVID booster really be?

The updated shots clear the “safe and effective” bar for government approval. But in the real world, are Omicron-specific vaccines significantly more protective than the original vaccines so many have already had?

Omicron boosters: Do I need one, and if so, when?

Pfizer's updated booster is available for anyone 12 and older. The Moderna booster is available for anyone 18 and older.

The new COVID booster could be the last you'll need for a year, federal officials say

Going forward, COVID-19 could be treated more like the flu, with one annual shot offering year-long protection against severe illness for most people.

Why Antibody Tests Can’t Tell You if You Should Get a Booster Shot

They cannot really measure how strong your COVID immunity is.

Why It Is Hard to Know Who Needs a Covid Booster: Mysterious T Cells

Vaccine experts aren’t certain who under 65 years should get a second booster–and when–because the response of T cells is poorly understood.

Boosters Are Not Going to ‘Destroy’ Your Immune System

The newest vaccine conspiracy theory is based on a decontextualized comment from a European official and tons of feverish speculation.

Coronavirus (booster) FAQ: Can it cause a positive test? When should you get it?

"It would be absolutely impossible" to test positive because you got the vaccine, says Jeremy Kamil, a virologist at Louisiana State University Health Shreveport. This is because the tests are "testing for something not in the vaccine," says Dr. Seth Cohen, an infectious disease physician and medical director of Infection Prevention & Control at the University of Washington Medical Center.

COVID vaccine boosters: the most important questions

Concerns over waning immunity and SARS-CoV-2 variants have convinced some countries to deploy extra vaccine doses — but it’s not clear to scientists whether most people need them.

COVID-19 Booster Shots Are Still Controversial—Even for the Immunocompromised People Who Likely Need Them the Most

Immunocompromised people looking for extra doses are low-hanging fruit in the effort towards herd immunity, Branch-Elliman says. U.S. officials are expending a huge amount of energy trying to convince vaccine skeptics to get shots, while people who have already proven that they want vaccines—but who did not reap their full benefits—are practically begging for extra protection.

Covid-19 Vaccine Booster Shots Raise Tough Issues for Health Authorities

Western governments increase orders in case of waning immunity and variant threats, but need isn’t clear yet and much of world lacks initial doses

COVID-19 vaccine boosters: is a third dose really needed?

The evidence is showing vaccination is working: immunity is lasting and is protecting us against the worst effects of COVID-19. So why is the UK planning on third booster shots when there isn’t clear evidence that there’s a need? A huge concern should be that the majority of people in the world still remain unvaccinated. In many low-income countries as little as 1% of eligible adults have received one vaccine dose.

Do You Need A Second Covid Booster Shot? Experts Are Divided.

Though research demonstrating waning immunity against omicron after the first round of immunization justifies the first booster shot for all adults, experts find the data less compelling when it comes to whether or not a second booster shot is warranted.

Does it make sense for older people to get another booster against COVID-19?

That said, more evidence has been emerging that giving older people, those 60 and older, another shot could cut their chances of dying. So many experts say it could make sense to boost at least the older people and perhaps some younger people, like those with diabetes, high blood pressure and other health problems that put them at risk.

Does it make sense for older people to get another booster against COVID-19?

Is the evidence strong enough to warrant a fourth shot, does the timing make sense, and will there be much demand?

Got a Covid Booster? You Probably Won’t Need Another for a Long Time

A flurry of new studies suggests that several parts of the immune system can mount a sustained, potent response to any coronavirus variant.

Necessary or Not, Booster Shots Are Probably Coming

This has led to confusion. Should the nearly 60 percent of adult Americans who have been fully vaccinated seek out a booster or not? Is the protection that has allowed them to see loved ones and go out to dinner fading?

New Booster Shot Targets Covid Variants More Effectively, Pfizer Says

Federal officials are hoping that encouraging new findings will spur more Americans to get an updated booster before a feared surge in coronavirus cases this winter.

Pfizer booster spurs immune response to new Omicron subvariants

Pfizer and its partner BioNTech said Friday that their updated booster generated virus-fighting antibodies that can target four additional Omicron subtypes, including the particularly worrisome BQ.1.1. The immune response wasn’t as strong against the newer subvariants as it is against BA.5. But adults 55 and older experienced a nearly nine-fold jump in antibodies against BQ.1.1 a month after receiving the updated booster...

Real-world data show updated Covid-19 boosters increase protection against infection

The findings that a longer gap between shots elicited at least temporarily stronger protection highlight how the immune response can deepen with time after a person’s last exposure, whether in the form of an infection or vaccine. Health officials have recommended that people wait three months since their last infection before getting boosted.

Seriously, Why Not Get a Fourth Shot?

The risks from over-boosting are very small.

Should You Get Another COVID Booster?

How experts are thinking about another shot—and whether you should sneak one.

Should You Get Another Covid Booster?

The F.D.A. has authorized additional shots for older Americans and those with certain immune deficiencies. Here’s what scientists know about who needs the doses, and when.

The big questions about Covid-19 booster shots

From the why to the who, we still need a lot of answers about booster shots.

The Case Against Boosters

This isn’t the kind of protection we need right now.

The CDC's Booster Recommendations May Not Provide Optimal Protection

We may finally have achieved an advantage over SARS-COV-2 as the updated vaccine recipe matches the current dominant circulating BA.5 strain (and slow growing BA.4.6 strain) without another more transmissible variant of concern yet on the horizon.

The Only Way We’ll Know When We Need COVID-19 Boosters

New vaccine recipes, which haven’t yet been cleared, could also play a role in future vaccination efforts. Some researchers are looking outside the spike protein, to see whether they can build shots that contain more instructive bits of SARS-CoV-2 anatomy.

The Viral Triple Threat and Why You Need a Booster: COVID, Quickly

Circling back to COVID, let’s not forget that we’re still in a pandemic. And making sure you’re up to date with your COVID booster is the best thing you can do to protect yourself from getting severely ill. At this point in the pandemic, many of the people dying of COVID are actually older people who are vaccinated, but not up to date on their boosters. (That doesn’t mean the vaccines don’t work—it’s just that so many older Americans are vaccinated that a small percentage is still a big number.)

There’s Terrific News About the New Covid Boosters, but Few Are Hearing It

Not only will a booster with the new vaccines decrease the likelihood of infection and severe illness and help reduce transmission of the virus; it could also decrease the likelihood of developing long Covid.

US disputes WHO call to delay Covid booster shots to help poorer nations

The WHO said the moratorium would help towards the goal of vaccinating at least 10% of every country’s population by the end of September. Washington has not yet announced a booster vaccination plan. But the White House appeared to reject the WHO’s call, arguing it could deliver doses to Americans and support global vaccination efforts.

What to Know About a Fourth COVID-19 Vaccine Dose

Whether everyone needs an additional vaccine dose, and whether or not we can anticipate getting one every year or every few years, depends on what we want the vaccines to accomplish. The vaccines were not designed to prevent people from getting infected by the virus, but to protect them from getting extremely sick with COVID-19, and to keep them from needing hospitalization and intensive care.

What to Know About the New Booster Shots

New shots targeting the latest version of the Omicron variant are available. When should you get yours? Here’s what experts recommend.

What You Need to Know About COVID-19 Booster Shots

While the vaccine makers are understandably eager to sell an additional dose of their shots, the FDA said in a July 8 statement that boosters for the U.S. are premature at this point.

When and how will we know if we need Covid-19 booster shots?

There’s a lot we don’t yet know about the data behind Pfizer and BioNTech’s renewed push to change their two-shot Covid vaccination series to a three-shot regimen. But as various factions bicker about whether a third shot is going to be needed, one thing is certain: The final decision will not rest with the companies.

When, why, and how to get a new Covid-19 booster shot

The reformulated booster doses of the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna are “bivalent.” That means they target the original version of SARS-CoV-2 as well as the newer omicron variant. The hope is that when administered as boosters, these new shots will increase protection against the latest mutations in the virus, and head off a rise in hospitalizations and deaths.

Which countries are considering booster vaccines for covid-19?

THE RACE TO vaccinate the world is not a fair one. Even as some countries struggle to get first doses out into the arms of their most vulnerable, countries with advanced vaccination campaigns are starting to consider giving “booster” shots.

WHO calls for moratorium on booster shots – is it justifiable?

Although booster jabs would prioritise the most vulnerable people in high-income countries, the degree of additional benefit that boosters would have for these people – beyond the original vaccination – is uncertain.

Who should get a fourth Covid-19 vaccine shot — and when?

There is no right or wrong answer on getting another booster shot. Here’s what to consider.

Why might covid-19 booster vaccinations be needed?

Worrying variants and waning immunity raise the prospect of follow-up vaccine doses

Why the WHO doesn’t want you to get a booster shot

The WHO is opposed to booster shots because it considers it more pressing to get the majority of people in poor countries vaccinated with their first two doses than to get people in rich countries an extra dose.

Will we need booster shots?

As long as large pockets of people remain unvaccinated, she points out, we’ll continue to see surges in COVID-19 cases and new variants. Fuller suspects that over the next several years there may be regular boosters tailored to whichever variant has become dominant, similarly to the annual flu vaccines.

You’re Going to Be Able to ‘Mix and Match’ Booster Shots Now

The FDA is expected to endorse people getting a different brand of booster than they got for their original vaccination..