COVID-19 boostersare widely available now for those eligible. Bt does which COVID booster vaccine you get matter? Not as much as just getting the booster, experts agree: You should get a COVID-19 booster as soon as you’re eligible, regardless of what kind you got originally. "Currently, booster doses of vaccine are recommended for certain groups of individuals. For those who received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine for their initial vaccinations, those eligible for booster doses include individuals who are 65 years or older, those 18 to 64 with underlying medical conditions that put them at higher risk, and those who live or work in high-risk settings or long-term care facilities," Dr. Steven Gordon, chair of Infectious Disease at Cleveland Clinic, tells Parade. “The booster must be given at least six months after the second vaccination. For those who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, anyone 18 and older can receive a booster at least two months after their initial vaccine.” Dr. Charlene Brown, public health expert, former medical officer at the FDA and Everlywell advisor, concurred that if you’re eligible for a booster, it’s best to not wait on getting one. “Regardless of your original vaccine choice, there’s no need to wait to get a booster shot, even if you want to get a booster shot from the same company as your original vaccine,” she said. “All three booster shots are widely available across the country.” That said, the concept of “mix and match booster shots” can be a little confusing. Here’s what to know about your potential next dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Should you ‘mix and match’ your original COVID-19 vaccine and your booster?
There’s certainly no harm in mixing and matching your original COVID-19 vaccine and your booster, experts agree—especially if your original vaccine was from Johnson & Johnson as opposed to Pfizer or Moderna. “For those who are eligible, the FDA and CDC have said receiving a different booster is safe. For those who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, studies suggest that receiving a booster dose of an mRNA vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna) may produce higher levels of protection than receiving a second Johnson & Johnson vaccine,” Dr. Gordon says. Dr. Brown concurred. “Preliminary clinical trial data showed that the people in that SARS-CoV-2 vaccine booster trial who got a Moderna booster generated 76 times as many antibodies, compared to 35 times as many antibodies with the Pfizer booster, and only four times as many antibodies with the J & J booster,” she told us. “That’s why so many, even experts, who got the J & J vaccine initially, are choosing a booster shot from one of the two mRNA vaccines instead of a J & J booster.”
Will mixing and matching COVID-19 vaccines and boosters help prevent spreading coronavirus to others?
Dr. Daniel Boyer of the Farr Institute says another important reason to get a booster isn’t just to protect you, but also to protect others, as a booster will likely make you less contagious and less likely to spread COVID-19 to others if you do get infected with a breakthrough case. He noted that the Pfizer vaccine in particular was effective in this way. “The BNT162b2 vaccine (Pfizer/BioNTech) has proven great potentials of reducing Delta variant’s viral load breakthrough infections (BTIs), and also reduces infectiousness,” he explained. “However, the study result indicates that the effectiveness of the BNT162b2 vaccine may decline over time, and within six months may be restored by administering a third booster, vaccine dose.”
Are there any known side effects of mixing and matching?
If you had no issues or just mild temporary side effects from your original vaccine, your booster—whether the same or from a different pharmaceutical company—will affect you similarly. “The side effects from COVID-19 booster vaccines are mostly mild and are similar to the side effects from the initial vaccines. Side effects could include soreness at the injection site, headache, fatigue, body aches, or fever,” Dr. Gordon said. “Most side effects subside after a day or two.” While those symptoms aren’t fun, they’re signs that the vaccine is working its magic. According to the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, a study of 22,000 people showed that there weren’t any unexpected patterns of negative side effects from COVID-19 boosters. However, there are some symptoms that third doses of the Pfizer vaccine presented in a few patients more than it did in their second doses, Dr. Brown noted, including swollen lymph nodes in the armpit. In terms of severe side effects, the CDC describes extremely rare but serious side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine and its boosters may include a severe allergic reaction, blood clots, Guillain-Barré Syndrome, myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle), and pericarditis (inflammation of the tissue surrounding the heart) in adolescents and young adults. The frequency of these side effects after a third dose of the vaccine isn’t yet known. While the more severe side effects can sound scary, don’t let them spook you into skipping your shot if you’re eligible—because, as previously mentioned, the side effects are rare. The CDC notes that the benefits far outweigh the risks for adults 18 and over who got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine as well as high-risk populations who received any previous iteration of the COVID-19 vaccine. If you’re still unsure, speak to your doctor about what options are best for you and your specific health needs.
Will boosters provide protection against the delta variant?
While boosters aren’t designed specifically to protect against the delta variant, they’ll certainly lessen the severity if you do catch it—and it’ll make you a bit less contagious as well. “While booster shots are recommended for certain groups, it’s important to understand that the COVID-19 vaccines are incredibly effective at preventing serious illness and death, including from the Delta variant,” Dr. Gordon said. “However, data suggests immunity from COVID-19 vaccines starts to wane, so booster doses will provide us with another layer of protection against the highly transmissible Delta variant. Still, the most important thing we can do to slow the spread of the virus is to have more unvaccinated individuals receive their initial vaccinations both here in the U.S. and globally.” Next, find out what doctors say about getting your COVID and flu shots at the same time.
Sources
Dr. Steven Gordon, chair of Infectious Disease at Cleveland ClinicDr. Charlene Brown, public health expert, former medical officer at the FDA and Everlywell advisorDr. Daniel Boyer of the Farr InstituteCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):Possible Side Effects After Getting a COVID-19 VaccineCDC:Considerations for use of a COVID-19 vaccine booster doseCDC: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly ReportCDC:Some COVID-19 Vaccine Recipients Can Get Booster ShotsmedRxiv:Heterologous SARS-CoV-2 Booster Vaccinations – Preliminary ReportThe Washington Post: Opinion: Finally, an answer for Johnson & Johnson vaccine recipients. Here’s what I chose.
