US (Washington Insider Magazine) -It’s a confusing time in America as the coronavirus pandemic continues to cause uproar in the lives of many Americans. Mask mandates are being lifted or reinforced depending on your location. Hesitation to receive the vaccine becomes a hot topic for many, as covid cases and hospitalization continue to rise despite the vaccine’s availability.
With many Americans returning back to work or the classroom, some are wondering when the booster will be available. Dr. Rochelle Walenskey, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has advocated the Covid-19 vaccine for all adults. This recommendation came shortly after the CDC’s vaccine advisor voted unanimously to recommend the booster for both Pfizer and Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccines 6 months after their first two doses.
The lead epidemiologist of the Coronavirus Task Force, Dr, Anthony Fauci said, “Just go out and get boosted. We know they’re safe and we know they’re highly effective in bringing very, very high up the optimization of your protection. So just go ahead and get boosted. Now’s the time to do it as we get into the holiday season.”
Booster shots are now available for everyone who’s received their two doses of the Pfizer or Modern vaccine and were vaccinated at least 6 months ago, but previously only adults 65 and older were eligible.
The data from Covid-19 vaccine studies show that susceptibility may increase to a milder version of the virus. Studies have shown that the booster reduces that susceptibility. The CDC assures Americans that the boosters have not shown ill side effects. Most recipients will have a sore injection site, headache, and experience fatigue.
With colder months on the horizon, news of the booster is welcomed by public health experts who maintain the booster couldn’t have come sooner. The public questions whether this will be the last shot required. Experts feel it’s too soon to say.
The medical community hopes that receiving the booster 6 months are the initial dose will prove to provide longer-lasting immunity. It’s too soon to say if a new variant will emerge or if immunity will last against existing ones.
“We’re going to take a look right now at what the durability is of the booster. We’re going to follow people who get boosted,” Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told Bash Sunday. “It will be guided by the science — and people should not be put off by the fact that as time goes by and we learn more and more about the protection that we might modify the guidelines.”
Both, Pfizer and Merck are experimenting with a pill form of the drug. Experts advise using both vaccines and pills together, rather than using the pills separately to build immunity against vaccines.
If planning on traveling for the holiday weekend like many other Americans it is advised to fly on less busy days or off-hours to avoid large crowds.
