COVID-19 vaccines: to boost or not to boost

With a new COVID-19 booster approved and headed to healthcare providers, WINK News is digging into what you need to know about whether to boost or not to boost.

The latest booster is called a Bivalent vaccine.

The FDA and the CDC approved this updated shot that targets both the original strain and the widely contagious Omicron subvariants.

Joseph Pepe, with the Florida Department of Health in Charlotte County, said it is similar to how the flu shot covers several dominating viruses each year.

“When we talk about flu vaccines, we actually have something called a quadrivalent, which is actually four different types of viruses included in a single shot. So what the Bivalent vaccine is, is really two different major strains of COVID combined into a single shot,” Joseph said.

The vaccine’s blueprint is doing double duty, but the shot does not have twice the dose of MRNA.

“It’s just got the information in it for two different dominant strains of virus. As far as the risk factors and other things, it’s exactly the same as it was before. The most common complaint was really injection site irritation,” Pepe said.

Both Pfizer and Moderna have doses ready to be shipped to pharmacies and hospitals across the country.

They should be in Southwest Florida by mid-September.

That’s good, Pepe said.

“I support getting the booster,” Pepe said. “I think it’s very important. We’ve seen how the vaccines have prevented severe illness and death. We’ve seen how it lowers hospitalization rates, especially in our most vulnerable. And that’s really what we’re trying to do here.”

Most people should wait two months after their last vaccine dose to get an updated booster.

If you’ve been recently infected, you can wait longer, about three months after the start of symptoms.

People who recently boosted with an older version can wait up to six months.

If you have specific questions you should consult your doctor.

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