And that's not a place where we've been before," Faust said, noting the risk of myocarditis has shown to happen more frequently after the second mRNA dose.
Pfizer and Moderna have gauged side effects from a third shot tantamount to the primary course - fever, sore arm and fatigue - while the rare risk of more serious side effects, like myocarditis, remains.įaust points out the clinical trial data and real-world success of the vaccines have been an undeniable "slam dunk" thus far, but third doses are uncharted territory.
I can't, as a responsible physician, give someone advice, when I haven't been able to weigh those two things," Faust said, cautioning against taking a "shot in the dark." "The risks are unknown, and the benefits are unknown. Jeremy Faust, an emergency medicine physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital, is skeptical of boosters for the broader population so soon. Health officials don't want to wait until the nation gets stuck behind the pandemic eight ball again, but some experts worry the move was premature.ĭr. 19, 2021, at UCI Medical Center in Orange, Calif. Nurse Mary Ezzat prepares to administer a Pfizer COVID-19 booster shot for an immunocompromised healthcare worker, Aug. The same day federal officials previewed coming boosters, the CDC released several studies showing that although the vaccines are highly effective against severe disease, protection against infection may peter out over time. "There's real concern among nursing home residents and their loved ones about getting sick again," Bhatt said. Those people include nursing home and long-term care facility residents and staff, elderly Americans and front-line health care workers, for whom even a mild case of COVID could risk an entire hospital ward. "Because of all these breakthrough milder infections, and the diminution in antibody levels, those things combined to make the task force antsy and wanting to not wait," Schaffner said.Īdditional third doses should be prioritized first for the most vulnerable and those who were first given vaccines in December and January, experts say. Those who wait extend their "runway" of immune protection further. Getting a booster shot too soon may be counterproductive. Since its authorization came later, data is still developing on an additional dose.
Those who got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will also likely need an additional dose, health experts predict.
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