What’s new: COVID-19 vaccine boosters

This information is current as of the date of original publication or update. It may have changed by the time you read this. I invite you to fact-check what you read here.

This information is not intended for diagnosis or treatment. Before making health decisions, discuss with your physician or other qualified healthcare provider to decide what is right for you.

You’ve been hearing and reading much news about booster doses for the 3 currently used COVID vaccines. Both the FDA and the CDC have been reviewing data. One reason why the reports about their findings and recommendations is confusing is that the two agencies do different things. ( I’m not going into that now.)

The CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky announced these recommendations, which are only for those people who received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

Recommendations for Pfizer Vaccine recipients

• people 65 years and older and residents in long-term care settings should receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least 6 monthsafter their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series

• people aged 50–64 years with underlying medical conditions should receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine atleast 6 months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series

• people aged 18–49 years with underlying medical conditions may receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least 6 months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series, based on their individual benefits and risks

• people aged 18-64 years who are at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of occupational or institutional setting may receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least 6 months after their Pfizer-BioNTech primary series, based on their individual benefits and risks

Previous COVID-19 updates

Breaking news – Vaccination in pregnancy

August 11, 2021

• COVID-19 vaccination is recommended for all people 12 years and older, including people who are pregnant, breastfeeding, trying to get pregnant now, or might become pregnant in the future.
• Evidence about the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy has been growing. These data suggest that the benefits of receiving a COVID-19 vaccine outweigh any known or potential risks of vaccination during pregnancy.
• There is currently no evidence that any vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines, cause fertility problems in women or men.

Breaking news-COVID-19 Vaccines for Moderately to Severely Immunocompromised People

August 13, 2021

CDC now recommends that people whose immune systems are compromised moderately to severely should receive an additional dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine after the initial 2 doses. Widespread vaccination is a critical tool to help stop the pandemic. Read CDC’s statement.