{"id":1289,"date":"2024-08-23T11:56:12","date_gmt":"2024-08-23T11:56:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/retirednurseblog.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/23\/new-covid-shots-are-coming-available-heres-what-experts-say-about-when-to-get-yours\/"},"modified":"2024-08-23T11:56:12","modified_gmt":"2024-08-23T11:56:12","slug":"new-covid-shots-are-coming-available-heres-what-experts-say-about-when-to-get-yours","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/retirednurseblog.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/23\/new-covid-shots-are-coming-available-heres-what-experts-say-about-when-to-get-yours\/","title":{"rendered":"New Covid shots are coming available. Here\u2019s what experts say about when to get yours"},"content":{"rendered":"

Newly updated vaccines against Covid-19 will be in pharmacies soon, just as the US is experiencing a surge of infections. But is it a good idea to get in line for a new shot pronto, or should you wait a few weeks to get optimal protection against a possible winter wave? <\/p>\n

Experts say it depends on your health, whether you\u2019ve recently had Covid-19, which vaccine you plan to get and when it\u2019s convenient for you. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not a straight answer, quite frankly,\u201d said Dr. Carlos del Rio, a distinguished professor of medicine at Emory University and expert on infectious disease. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re in the midst of a of a huge wave. Many people, including yours truly, have recently had Covid,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

For that reason, he\u2019s going to hold off on getting the updated shot. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf you had it in the last three months, I would wait. There\u2019s no need to get a vaccine, because you have, in a way. You\u2019ve been \u2018vaccinated\u2019 by the by the current strain,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

On the other hand, if you haven\u2019t recently had Covid, and especially if you\u2019re 65 or older, \u201cI would get it as soon as possible,\u201d Del Rio said. The same is true for people with underlying health conditions that put them at higher risk for serious outcomes of a Covid infection. <\/p>\n

Just who are the people at highest risk of hospitalization or death? Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children\u2019s Hospital of Philadelphia and a member of the US Food and Drug Administration\u2019s vaccine advisory committee, says people who are getting really sick with Covid mostly fall into four groups. <\/p>\n

\u201cOne is people who are immune-compromised; two, people who are who have medical conditions that put them at high risk, like obesity, diabetes and chronic liver, lung or heart disease. I think three are pregnant people, and four are what I now reluctantly describe as the elderly,\u201d whom Offit categorizes as people over 75. <\/p>\n

Offit and other experts say that otherwise younger and healthier adults are fine to bide their time. In fact, it may be smart to do that, since the boost to frontline immunity that the vaccine provides fades within a few months. Waiting until the fall ensures that you\u2019ll be better protected during respiratory virus season, which tends to peak in December and January. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf you haven\u2019t been recently infected, the new boosters matter a lot,\u201d said Dr. Megan Ranney, dean of the Yale School of Public Health. \u201cThe current variants of Covid differ substantially from last winter\u2019s variants, and this year\u2019s boosters are matched to the new variants.\u201d <\/p>\n

She agrees that older adults and people with underlying health conditions who haven\u2019t recently been infected should get in line for their shots now, but she\u2019s going to delay hers a bit. <\/p>\n

\u201cI am planning to wait until the same time as I get my flu shot, sometime in October,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

Ranney noted that the updated mRNA shots from Pfizer and Moderna will probably be available first, with Novavax\u2019s vaccine coming in a few weeks. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf you are nervous about mRNA for some reason \u2013 although these vaccines are very safe \u2013 the Novavax booster, which is protein-based, will soon be available, too,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease expert at the University of California at San Francisco, is also waiting a few weeks. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m definitely not going to run out and get a shot. I\u2019m more worried about winter than the summer,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

But a golden rule of vaccination is \u201cknow thyself,\u201d he said. If you\u2019re somebody who is likely to get distracted and busy and forget to get a shot, any time that works for you is the best time. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a general principle: If it\u2019s convenient for people and they may not get a shot later in the year, any shot is better than no shot,\u201d Chin-Hong said. \u201cI think for me, I kind of like to get everything in at the same time. So I get flu and Covid at the same time. It kind of minimizes trips.\u201d <\/p>\n

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