About the booster shot
If you’ve already had your two COVID vaccine jabs (or one if you had Johnson & Johnson) you may be wondering when you’re eligible to get your COVID booster.
In this post, we’ll shed some light on the timing of COVID booster shots, eligibility requirements, where the boosters are manufactured, what the current FDA status is of each booster brand and why it benefits you to get a COVID vaccine booster. Plus, we’ll point you to the WWMG vaccination appointment page to get a booster shot scheduled at your convenience.
Who is eligible to receive the booster shot?
It was recently announced that people of all ages who had their initial full dosage COVID vaccine are eligible to receive a booster shot as long as six months have passed since the second shot of either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, or two months have passed since having the one shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The boosters, like the initial vaccines, are free of charge.
Who manufactures the booster shot?
All three of the producers of the original FDA-approved COVID vaccines, Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson, have formulated booster doses. Though it is not required that you get the same brand of booster as your initial vaccine doses, the importance is simply to get it. Mixing and matching is safe and effective as well if your initial brand isn’t readily available where you’ll be getting your booster.
Are all of the boosters FDA approved?
Indeed, all three of the makers—Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson—had their individual booster dosages approved by the FDA and are deemed to be safe and effective in providing extra protection against COVID, plus lessening the effects of it, if it happens to be contracted post-vaccination.
Benefits of Getting the Booster Shot
Just as boosters have been administered for childhood vaccines for decades, it was determined that due to a natural decrease of immunity over time from the initial COVID vaccines, it is recommended that a booster be used to supplement that loss of protection. Booster side effects have been reported to be mild and similar to those experienced by some after getting an annual flu shot. Fevers, aches, pains, chills, headaches, swollen lymph nodes and fatigue can occur, but symptoms shouldn’t last more than a few days. Having side effects is a merely a sign that your body’s immune system is working to fight the shots and build protection. Plus, side effects are never as severe as the virus has the potential to be, considering the risk of long-term effects or even death.
Data indicates that booster shots decrease the chances of getting a breakthrough infection of COVID, reduce the chances of hospitalization if COVID is contracted and reduce the chance of death for those who do need to be hospitalized after catching the virus.
Boosters also help prevent us from spreading the virus to less healthy and immunocompromised individuals. In a bigger picture view, the more people who have more protection against the virus via the original vaccine dosages plus the booster, the fewer people will get the virus, spread it or die from it, and we can all enjoy a more normal return to daily life.
Schedule a Booster Shot Appointment
Due to the increased demand for booster shots, we’ve added additional vaccination clinics to our schedule If you’d like to make an appointment for your COVID booster shot at WWMG, visit this page. If you’d like to schedule an appointment to see a doctor, contact Western Washington Medical Group Family Practice. For more general inquiries about our care facilities and practices, use the form on this page.