The coronavirus pandemic may appear to be waning in the US, but COVID-19 continues to rear its ugly head around the world, and cases of the BA.22 variant continue to emerge and persist in the US. By now, everyone with Medicare should have had the COVID-19 vaccine and booster to protect themselves from needless hospitalizations. William Lamb reports for the New York Times on why, when it comes to the coronavirus, extra protection is valuable; everyone over 60 should get a second booster.
Why get the fourth COVID shot? Evidence from Israel suggests that the fourth shot could prevent you from getting COVID-19, and it could also keep you from becoming seriously ill and dying. The early vaccine shots helped give you immunity against COVID-19. That immunity is now waning.
Which shots are approved? If you’re 60 or older, the FDA has approved second booster shots of both the Pfizer and the Moderna vaccines. We don’t yet have evidence of their efficacy for people under 60.
How dangerous is the COVID-19 BA.2 variant? We still don’t know whether the BA.2 variant causes more disease than other variants. What we do know is that fewer people are hospitalized with COVID-19 today than since the start of the pandemic.
Will a second booster shot keep you from getting COVId-19? A second booster shot might not keep you from getting COVID-19. But, it might. Even if it does not keep you from infection, it reduces your risk of becoming seriously ill.
What if I get COVID-19? If you’re over 60 or immunocompromised and you get COVID, call your doctor. Your doctor can prescribe you a new drug, Paxlovid, an oral antiviral pill, which should reduce your risk of hospitalization significantly.
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