One more shot? Fed approval of extra COVID-19 booster to give older people a choice
John Wingate will have a choice coming if California leaders sign off on Tuesday's federal approval of an additional COVID-19 vaccine booster for people 50 and older.
The 57-year-old Ventura resident said he would probably get the shot, baring his shoulder for the fourth time.
"The first three have worked for me so far," Wingate said outside a Ventura grocery store. "I haven't gotten COVID."
The Food and Drug Administration authorized an additional Pfizer or Moderna booster for older people at least four months removed from their first booster. Hours later, the U.S. Centers for Disease and Control Prevention signed off on the extra dose.
California health officials had not weighed in as of Tuesday afternoon but in the past they have held back for an additional review by a panel of experts from several western states. Ventura County officials said the additional boosters would be available as soon as the state gives the green light. Los Angeles County public health officials announced Tuesday they won’t wait and will start administering the additional boosters on Wednesday.
FDA officials said their decision Tuesday is aimed at protecting people who may be at higher risk of severe illness.
“Current evidence suggests some waning of protection over time against serious outcomes from COVID-19 in older and immunocompromised individuals," said Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.
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Kimberly Gresham, who lives in Montana and is visiting Ventura, will probably get the extra shot in hopes it prevents even a mild case of COVID, driven by Omicron or the emerging new subvariant, BA.2. Others will hold off because falling transmission rates make them feel less at risk.
"I don't feel like I need it," said Luby Bernardo, 58, of Oxnard. "It feels like everything is OK now."
State data as of Tuesday showed the county's infection rate -- an average of 4.6 cases a day per 100,000 people -- is the lowest since July. Officials say the actual infection rate could be higher because those relying on home COVID tests may not report their results.
The percentage of COVID tests turning up positive is less than 2% and hospitalizations are also low. The highly contagious BA.2 variant has grown in Ventura County but at a relatively modest rate, said Dr. Robert Levin, the county health officer.
"I just don't see it having a dramatic impact on Ventura County," Levin said. "We've not seen it lift off," he said.
He said he still worries that another variant could emerge, noting the two-year-old pandemic has been marked by unexpected turns.
Some area doctors cited an ongoing study in Israel showing no new health concerns and suggesting the second booster triggered a 10-fold increase in antibodies against COVID-19.
Dr. Jim Hornstein, a Ventura family physician, said he will encourage all of his patients 50 and older to get the second shot. The value rises for people who are 65 and older or have compromised immunities or a significant health condition.
"if you’re at high risk, it is a no brainer. You should absolutely get it," he said.
Dr. Uldine Castel, chief medical officer for Primary Medical Group in west Ventura County, said she will also recommend the additional booster for people at higher risk including those traveling to regions with a higher infection rate.
"There isn't really a huge downside to it," she said of the fourth shot.
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Other physicians encouraged boosters for people at risk but worried there may be unintended consequences to repeated shots for healthy individuals, along with diminishing returns.
The first two doses have been extremely effective in protecting otherwise healthy people from becoming severely ill from COVID-19, raising questions about the need for more boosters, said Dr. Paul Offit, who directs the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
"You may get a cold, even though you've been vaccinated," he said. "We're going to have to live with that."
USA Today contributed to this report.
Tom Kisken covers health care and other news for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at tom.kisken@vcstar.com or 805-437-0255.
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This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Fed OK of extra COVID-19 booster to bring people 50 and up a choice
