4 Questions and Answers Concerning Updated COVID-19 Boosters

Vaccines and updated boosters are significant in reducing our risk of illness, which in turn will hopefully reduce the risk of transmitting the virus to others.

Why is it important for me to get the newly approved COVID-19 booster?

COVID-19 vaccines available in the U.S.?reduce the risk of serious illness?due to COVID-19 infection.

As with other diseases, you can improve your resistance to COVID-19 when you stay up to date with the recommended vaccines and boosters. Boosters can help restore protection that has diminished since a previous vaccination.

In addition to bolstering your immunity to the original COVID-19 virus, the new?bivalent boosters?target Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5. Other subvariants will continue to emerge, but BA.4 and BA.5 are considered more contagious than earlier strains of Omicron.

Do I have to get a Pfizer booster if I received the Pfizer vaccine for my primary series?

No. People?ages six and older?can get an updated COVID-19 booster from a different manufacturer than their primary series or last booster.

So, if you received the Pfizer vaccine for a primary series, you can get the newly approved Moderna booster or vice-versa.

I had a COVID-19 booster earlier in spring 2022; when will I be eligible for the newly approved booster?

The CDC encourages you to?get the updated COVID-19 booster?if two months or more have passed since your last booster or the completion of your primary series.

Do I need a COVID-19 booster and a flu shot?

Yes. You need to get the?seasonal flu shot and a COVID-19 booster?this fall because they protect against different viruses.

Moreover, neither vaccine provides “cross-reactivity.” A flu shot will not help protect you against COVID-19, nor will a COVID-19 vaccination or booster improve your immunity against influenza.