Why Do We Need a COVID-19 Booster Shot?

Written By: Shruthi M.

Cover Design By: Sofia H.

As the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic comes to a close, mask mandates and vaccinations slow down from the rapid pace at which they began. However, data and news suggests that the Coronavirus is far from over. The Delta variant is the deadliest and most transmissible variant to date; people who have received two doses of the vaccine are not fully protected from the Delta variant. To counter this, the CDC is starting to recommend that certain people should receive a third vaccine shot to combat this virus: increasing the body’s response against the virus will be more helpful in the long run against any further variants that may increase the potential risk of getting COVID-19. So, why is this shot necessary?

First and foremost, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine company recently launched a clinical trial that showed efficacy in increasing the immune system’s response for people who had taken the original vaccine doses six months earlier. This shows that an extra booster shot could potentially help prevent the serious effects of the coronavirus and decrease risk of COVID-19 transmission.

According to the CDC, anyone aged 65 years or older is eligible to receive a booster shot. After that age group, people 18 years or older with medical conditions, long-term care settings, and those who work/live in high risk situations. Booster shots for the general public have not been released yet, but we will be updated soon. These booster shots are just like the ones most people have received as a child: for tetanus, chickenpox, measles, etc. They are designed to give longer lasting immunity towards viruses.

Since Pfizer and Moderna use mRNA technology to create the vaccines, it is easier to produce a booster shot that is tweaked to match the severity of the variant. Therefore, less time is needed to actually create the booster shot and distribute it, according to Yale Medicine. This contrasts flu vaccines, where influenza strains are grown in a chicken egg, then purified to become the vaccine.

So, the original question: are booster shots necessary? The direct answer is: yes, they are. Curving the number of new COVID-19 variants is one of the main goals influencing the production of vaccines and booster shots. The sooner the world vaccinates, the sooner the coronavirus’ strength will wane. Until then, we must do everything we can to stay safe and prevent further damage to the population.

Sources:

https://www.colorado.edu/today/2021/02/24/if-i-get-shot-can-i-still-get-covid-19-answers-common-vaccine-questions (photo)

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/booster-shot.html (CDC)

https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/covid-19-booster (Yale Medicine)