Do we need REALLY need a BOOSTER SHOT of the COVID VACCINE?
I will start by saying that there are questions we need to answer regarding the Covd vaccines. Some of these are:
- What is meant by a booster shot a vaccine?
- Do we really need a booster shot of the Covid vaccine?
- Is there such a thing called the waning immunity against Covid?
- Are there priority groups for a booster shot, if needed?
- Will a “mix and match” of the vaccine brands be a good practice?
- Who are those people who belong to the group called “immunocompromised patients”?
Maybe, after a FULLY VACCINATED person receives his card indicating complete vaccination, he might think that he is fully protected against the virus for life.
This is not true!
This column now will discuss things that people should be aware of about the Coronavirus disease (Covid) vaccines. The more knowledge about vaccines one gets, the better opportunities of appreciation he/she will have for this medical milestone.
We have to know that the way our immune system works would direct to the fact that over time – after vaccination – our immunity over Covid would start to wane.
In order to prevent waning immunity against Covid, an additional shot is needed. We call this as a booster shot. Therefore, a booster shot is an additional dose of vaccine given to a fully vaccinated individual to ensure a continued protection against Covid.
There are priority groups to given the booster shot. The groupings according to priority are:
- A1 – All Healthcare Workers
- A2 – Senior Citizens
- A3 – Individuals with Comorbidities
- A4 – Frontline Personnel in the Essential Sector
- A5 – Poor population
What about the mix and match in the booster dose recommendations? In answer to this question, we have to know that the mix and match booster recommendations for the booster shot are interim and as such, these will be updated when necessary depending on the latest available evidence (which is rapidly evolving).
In relation to this, we present here the recommended booster mix and match:.
- If your primary vaccine is Pfizer-BioNTech, the recommended booster vaccine brand is Pfizer-BioNTech
- If your primary vaccine is AstraZeneca, the recommended booster vaccine brand can be Pfizer-BioNTech or a 3rd dose of AstraZeneca.
- If your primary vaccine is Janssen, the recommended booster vaccine brand is Janssen.
- If your primary vaccine is Sinovac, the recommended booster vaccine brand is Pfizer-BioNtech or a 3rd dose of sinovac.
- If your primary vaccine is Moderna. the recommended booster vaccine brand is Pfizer-BioNTech or a 3rd dose Moderna
Let us remember that all these booster doses are given 6 months after the completion of the initial covid19 vaccine/s administered on the individual.
Moreover, studies have showed that immunocompromised patients demonstrate better immune response if the 3rd dose is given 28 days after their initial Covid vaccine series.
Who are these patients who belong to the so called immunocompromised group? They are those with auto immune disease like patients with lupus, patients undergoing dialysis, patients with HIV/AIDS; any cancer patients on chemotherapy; patients with leukemia or lymphoma; patients who underwent a bone marrow transplant or any organ transplant, patients receiving immunosuppressant; people taking high dose of steroid/s for a long period of time and those suffering from severe malnutrition, among others.
So far, these are the latest approved booster shot recommendations for specific vaccine brands. However, let us also be aware that these recommendations are expected to change depending on the behavior of the virus. If the virus continues to mutate, then these recommendations will also continue to change.