COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters

A booster dose is an additional dose of a vaccine that gives our immune system a “boost” of protection against an organism that causes infection so that we can keep the best level of immunity possible. With some vaccines, protection may decrease with time and the extra dose provides us with continued protection. The COVID-19 vaccine is not the first vaccine to need extra doses. We get multiple does of vaccines against disease such as the measles, flu, tetanus, whooping cough, and pneumococcus to keep our bodies defended from their infections. The COVID-19 booster works much in the same way – providing our bodies additional safeguarding against COVID-19 and its complications.

YES
• Boosters provide increased protection against the original COVID-19 virus and most variants
• With the omicron variant, booster doses provide about 50% protection from getting infected at all
• If you do get infected with COVID-19, even after getting a booster dose, your risk of hospitalization is decreased by approximately 90%.
• In people who get the omicron variant of COVID-19, hospitalization risk can differ based on how many vaccine doses you have received. Reductions in hospitalization after 1 vaccine dose is approximately 52% and 72% after 2 vaccine doses. That is much lower than in people who receive a booster dose.

• It depends on which COVID-19 vaccine you originally received.
• Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna (mRNA vaccines) – 5 months after you received your 2nd dose
• Johnson & Johnson (adenovirus vector vaccine) – 2 months after you received your vaccine
• People ≥ 18 years and over can get boosted with any of the available COVID-19 vaccines, but only the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines have been authorized in children, adolescents, and teenagers aged 5-17 years

Maybe. You do not have to get boosted with the same COVID-19 vaccine that you originally received. In fact, the mRNA vaccines (Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna) are preferred in most people because their booster doses appear to cause a stronger immune response and produce more antibodies than the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in most people. This is true no matter what the original COVID-19 vaccine was. However, for people who may be allergic to ingredients in the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccines or who feel more comfortable with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, any booster is better than no booster.

YES
All medications and vaccines have the potential to cause side effects. You may have had some side effects the day or two after your original COVID-19 vaccine dose(s). The side effects experienced with the booster doses are similar to the side affects you may have had with the original vaccine. The most common side effects seen so far include arm pain from the injection, temporary fever, chills, tiredness, headache, muscle pain, or nausea. Some people do not have any side effects. Having side effects with your first COVID-19 vaccine dose(s) does not mean you will have side effects, or at least the same side effects, with your booster dose. This is especially true if you get boosted with a different COVID-19 vaccine than you received initially.

YES. You can get other important vaccines on the same day as your booster.