WASHINGTON (TND) — On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began urging 16 and 17-year-olds to get a booster dose of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine once they're six months past their last shot and recommendations for a fourth booster shot could be coming down the line.
This has some people asking when — or if — a time will come when health officials say they don’t need another shot.
The National Desk’s Megan O’Halloran asked Dr. Thomas Russo, professor of infectious disease at Jacobs School Of Medicine, about the expectations for vaccines moving forward.
Right now, Russo is encouraging everyone to get the booster and worry about what comes next after.
“We know that four to six months after your initial vaccination series, that protection begins to wane,” Russo said. “We have data out of Israel that shows that compared to individuals who have not received a booster, if you receive a booster you're less likely to get infected, you’re less likely to be hospitalized and you’re less likely to have a bad outcome.”
With the rapid spread of the omicron variant and talks about altering the boosters to better protect against it, some aren’t sure they want to run out and get the current version of the shot, then have to get another one later on. But Russo says any booster will help.
“Waiting for omicron-specific vaccine to be developed — which wouldn’t be until March 2022 at the earliest — is really going to prolong the number of bad outcomes we have in this country and almost certainly, that third booster shot is going to give you an increased degree of protection against omicron,” Russo said.
When it comes to gauging waning immunity over time, Russo says scientists are relying on the growing pool of data coming from around the world. He believes the numbers support getting boosted.
“We know from Israel that if you get three shots, you're less likely to get infected, be hospitalized, and have a bad outcome,” Russo said. “Getting a booster is going to help us get out of this delta wave and, as I was saying, data from Pfizer suggests that you'll get a 20-fold increase of neutralizing antibodies against omicron. So, it's early days on high levels of antibodies for encouraging and so it's likely you're going to get a two-for-one here.”
Dr. Walid Gellad, a drug policy researcher at the University of Pittsburgh, says there isn't enough evidence to show a benefit from giving 16 and 17-year-olds a booster shot beyond those with underlying health conditions or at risk for severe disease.
“We need to be very certain about benefits because the risks remain uncertain,” Gellad said. “I am not sure that we know enough about the benefits or the risks to clearly say the benefits outweigh the risks.”
Russo disagrees, saying all children should be given the best protection because the best way to avoid significant health consequences is to avoid infection.
“I think we need to look beyond benefits for individuals with underlying diseases that are at an increased risk of having a bad outcome because it's worth noting that unfortunately, we've had over 750 pediatric deaths to date in this pandemic, and about a third of them have been in apparently healthy children,” Russo said. “Whatever way we can optimize that protection is the best way to protect our children moving forward."
Russo adds that there is no need to worry about eating up the vaccine supply by getting your booster shot.
"Companies are ramping up their doses, but we already have plenty of doses to administer these boosters for individuals that desire their booster shots at this time. And the quantity of those booster doses really will have a minimal impact and the overall global supply.”