Should you get another COVID vaccine booster? It depends, doctors say

NEW YORK - The FDA has authorized a second booster shot of either the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for people 50 and older. But the CDC said that although it recommends the shot for those eligible it isn't urging people to rush to get the booster.

"Boosters are safe, and people over the age of 50 can now get an additional booster 4 months after their prior dose to increase their protection further," Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the CDC director, said in a statement. "This is especially important for those 65 and older and those 50 and older with underlying medical conditions that increase their risk for severe disease from COVID-19 as they are the most likely to benefit from receiving an additional booster dose at this time. 

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To come to the decision to green light a second booster, the FDA cited a preliminary study out of Israel showing that a fourth shot to those 60 and older saved lives during the omicron surge.

"By choosing age 50 and up, we felt like we would capture the population that might most benefit from this fourth booster dose," the FDA's Dr. Peter Marks said. "For most people who have been vaccinated and had one booster, your original booster shot is continuing to provide you with good protection from being hospitalized or dying."

Until now, the FDA had only cleared fourth doses for people with a compromised immune system. 

Some health experts say that healthy people may not need to get the booster yet. 

"It may be for some individuals best to wait until the fall, perhaps when they get their influenza vaccine, in an expectation that we'll see kind of a winter surge of a respiratory virus like SARS-CoV-2," said Dr. William Moss of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Holy Name Medical Center's Dr. Suraj Saggar, an infectious disease specialist, suggested you consult your doctor to decide if you're a good candidate for the fourth shot. He said people undergoing treatments and therapies for certain medical conditions — such as organ transplants, autoimmune disorders, multiple sclerosis, and cancer — may be immunosuppressed. 

"Those are the ones that are most at risk. So four months have elapsed, either since their primary series or since their first booster," Saggar said. "Those are the ones who certainly should at least strongly consider getting a second booster shot, or a fourth dose."

The omicron subvariant BA.2 is now the dominant strain in the United States. BA.2 is more transmissible than the original omicron variant. 

And Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine tweeted a warning that Manhattan is currently driving the latest increase in COVID-19 cases citywide.

"It does seem to be young people who most notably are having an increase in cases perhaps related to returning to socializing," he told Fox 5 News. "And we just want to call attention to that so that people do take some precautions, fairly modest steps."  

Levine said most of the cases in the borough are coming from people living in neighborhoods below 96th Street.

"We want people to get their vaccinations and boosters. We want people to get tested regularly, especially if they have symptoms, and we want people to think about using masks in scenarios where there's no screening for vaccination," Levine said. "This not to be alarmist — if we want to keep our comeback going and the way to do that is to stay healthy and safe."

FDA Amendments to Emergency Use Authorizations

• A second booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine or Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine may be administered to individuals 50 years of age and older at least 4 months after receipt of a first booster dose of any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine.
• A second booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine may be administered to individuals 12 years of age and older with certain kinds of immunocompromise at least 4 months after receipt of a first booster dose of any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine. These are people who have undergone solid organ transplantation, or who are living with conditions that are considered to have an equivalent level of immunocompromise.
• A second booster dose of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine may be administered at least 4 months after the first booster dose of any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine to individuals 18 years of age and older with the same certain kinds of immunocompromise.

SOURCE: FDA

Statement from FDA

Current evidence suggests some waning of protection over time against serious outcomes from COVID-19 in older and immunocompromised individuals. Based on an analysis of emerging data, a second booster dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine could help increase protection levels for these higher-risk individuals. Additionally, the data show that an initial booster dose is critical in helping to protect all adults from the potentially severe outcomes of COVID-19. So, those who have not received their initial booster dose are strongly encouraged to do so. —Dr. Peter Marks, Director, FDA Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research

Statement from CDC

Today, CDC expanded eligibility for an additional booster dose for certain individuals who may be at higher risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19. Boosters are safe, and people over the age of 50 can now get an additional booster 4 months after their prior dose to increase their protection further. This is especially important for those 65 and older and those 50 and older with underlying medical conditions that increase their risk for severe disease from COVID-19 as they are the most likely to benefit from receiving an additional booster dose at this time. CDC, in collaboration with FDA and our public health partners, will continue to evaluate the need for additional booster doses for all Americans. —Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, Director, CDC

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