Do I need a second COVID-19 booster shot? Here's how to know

Nicole Villalpando, Austin American-Statesman
·5 min read

When the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that it had approved a second COVID-19 vaccine booster for people ages 50 and older, it might have led to questions about whether or not you really need one.

Check with your doctor for individual recommendations, but here's a look at some of the general details and guideliness for whether you should get a second booster shot:

What does a second booster mean?

In mRNA vaccines made by Pfizer (also known as Comirnaty), the vaccination schedule is now as follows:

  • First dose for ages 5 and older

  • Second dose three weeks later for ages 5 and older

  • Third dose four weeks after the second shot only for immune compromised people for ages 5 and older

Those two or three doses are considered the primary series.

  • First booster shot for ages 12 and older at least three months after completing the primary series.

  • Second booster shot for all people ages 50 and older and for immune compromised people 12 years old and older four months after the first booster shot.

In mRNA vaccines made by Moderna (also known as Spikevax), the vaccination schedule is now:

  • First dose for ages 18 and older

  • Second dose four weeks later for ages 18 and older

  • Third dose four weeks after the second shot only for immune compromised people for ages 18 and older

Those two or three doses are considered the primary series.

  • First booster shot for ages 18 and older three months after completing the primary series.

  • Second booster shot for all people ages 50 and older and for immune compromised people 18 years old and older four months after the first booster shot.

You can mix and match between the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. The Moderna booster is half the dose of the primary series vaccine. Pfizer boosters are the same dosage as the primary series.

If you received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, you can get a second vaccine two months after the first vaccine that is either Moderna or Pfizer, and then follow the boosting schedule with Moderna and Pfizer.

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Why do we need boosters?

Every time a new booster is recommended it's to get ahead of the disease, medical experts say. With the omicron and now silent omicron variants, we have seen more breakthrough cases and waning immunity.

"The vaccine is still very much proven to be effective in preventing hospitalization, but it hasn't been absolutely preventative," said Dr. Suneet Singh, medical director of CareHive, a primary care provider in Austin, after booster shots became part of our lives. "There are more breakthrough cases that end up in the hospital and the antibody immunity is starting to wane."

The breakthrough cases and hospitalization among the vaccinated are still far less than the unvaccinated, Singh and other doctors have noted as we've moved through the pandemic.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the FDA also have been looking at data from vaccine trial participants as well as breakthrough cases among the vaccinated.

They also have been looking at data coming out of countries such as Israel that have already begun giving their citizens first and second boosters.

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Isn't COVID-19 over?

While counties around Austin have low rates of infection right now after a surge from omicron this winter, "all it takes is one mutation the right way or one mutation the wrong way," to change the trajectory of this disease, said Toby Hatton, a trauma nurse with Ascension Seton who did his master's thesis in pandemics and pandemic response.

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What about side effects?

The side effects with the boosters have been similar to the initial rounds of vaccines — headache, fever, sore arm. The one notable difference, the FDA said, is that the rare side effect of myocarditis in teens and young adults, mostly males, tends to happen more with the second dose than the first dose or the booster.

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Where can I get a COVID-19 booster?

Most pharmacies have COVID-19 vaccines and boosters and available appointment times. COVID-19 vaccines are free.

It's best to call ahead or look on a pharmacy's online site to get an appointment. There you can see which vaccine that pharmacy is offering. For teens 12-17, they can only receive Pfizer vaccines. Kids ages 5 to 11 are only approved to get the pediatric version of the Pfizer vaccine.

Austin Public Health also has clinics for all vaccines: The Far South Clinic, 405 W. Stassney Lane, and the St. John Clinic, 7500 Blessing Ave., are both open 10-a.m.-1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m.-7 p.m. Mondays; 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; and 8-11:30 a.m. Friday. The first Saturday of the month the Far South Clinic is open 8 a.m.-noon. The third Saturday of the month, the St. John Clinic is open 8 a.m.-noon. Make an appointment by calling 512-972-5520.

While you're getting your COVID-19 booster, go ahead and get your flu shot if you haven't already. The flu has returned to Central Texas after two years of being relatively contained by social distancing and mask wearing.

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What if I haven't been vaccinated?

Medical experts recommned that you start it now.

Vaccines don't mean that you won't get COVID-19, but they can lessen your chances of infection and also lessen the symptoms if you do become infected.

"The goal is to keep you out of the hospital and to keep you from dying," said Dr. Stanley Spinner, vice president and chief medical officer at Texas Children's Pediatrics and Texas Children's Urgent Care.

"The more people we can get vaccinated, the quicker we can get back to a more normal life," Hatton said. "We need to think about not just ourselves but others."

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: What to know about the 2nd booster for COVID, who needs it