An informed guide to the pandemic, with the latest developments and expert advice about prevention and treatment. |
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 | | The New York Times |
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 | | A Maryland resident receives a booster shot last month.Kenny Holston for The New York Times |
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Should you get another booster? |
But the scientific evidence for the additional dose is incomplete, at best, and researchers do not agree on whether the shots are needed. So should you get one? My colleague Apoorva Mandavilli answered some common questions. |
What do scientists think about second boosters? |
Many are dubious. Experts point out that the limited research so far supports a fourth shot only for those older than 65 or who have underlying conditions that put them at high risk. |
The most compelling data comes from an Israeli study that found that adults older than 60 who got a fourth dose were 78 percent less likely to die of Covid than those who got only three shots — but that study is deeply flawed. The participants volunteered to get a fourth shot and therefore are likely naturally to be more careful about their health, experts said. |
Other factors may make the booster shot look more effective than it actually is. In fact, other data from Israel suggest that a second booster has only marginal benefits in healthy young people. |
Who benefits most from a second booster? |
"If you're more than five or six months out from your last booster, and you're at high to very high risk," the obvious choice is to get the shot, said Dr. Robert Wachter, chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. "As a healthy 64-year-old man whose third shot was seven months ago, I will get one this week if I can." |
Should I get the booster now? Or time it to my summer vacation or the next surge? |
"The one thing that matters is where we are in this whole pandemic," said Marion Pepper, an immunologist at the University of Washington. "I would be watching what the variants are doing." |
Are there drawbacks to getting a second booster? |
Maybe. Repeated boosting offers diminishing results. Pepper's team has evidence suggesting that a fourth exposure to the virus — whether through infection or the vaccine — will not make immunity any stronger than it is after the third. |
There is also some worry that repeatedly boosting with the original version of the vaccine will make the body less responsive to future versions. There is some evidence that more spacing between shots may produce a stronger, more lasting immune response. |
I just had Covid. Do I still need another booster shot? |
Probably not for a while, all the experts said in interviews. Pepper's team found that in people who had been infected and then vaccinated, even the first booster shot did not offer much of an advantage. |
 | | President Biden received a second booster shot today at the White House.Doug Mills/The New York Times |
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Biden presses for aid as the country moves on |
Despite Biden's urgency, much of the country appears ready to move on. |
- Illinois and other states are shuttering free Covid-19 testing sites.
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- Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii and Ohio have stopped releasing daily data on virus hospitalizations, infections and deaths.
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- Some places are also diminishing their campaigns to vaccinate residents, even as federal authorities approve more booster shots.
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If another surge is ahead, public health officials said, it could be a daunting challenge to revive the vaccination and testing sites and other measures that are now being shut down. |
- A Covid resource for Americans. The White House launched a new coronavirus website this morning: covid.gov. It is aimed at helping find access to testing, treatment, vaccines and masks. It will also aid U.S. residents in assessing the risk of Covid-19 in their neighborhoods.
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What else we're following |
We are one of the many with kids under 5. And, in a word, we're exhausted. Our oldest still wears a mask every day, and we are counting down the days until she and her baby sister can be vaccinated — because any protection, to me, is better than nothing. We somehow made it through Delta and Omicron without getting Covid so, while I feel lucky, I worry our lack of exposure or infection makes us even more vulnerable with the next surge. We've been trying to take advantage of the lull in cases but are bracing ourselves with each new day. — Maggie Van Arsdell, Ashburn, Va. |
Let us know how you're dealing with the pandemic. Send us a response here, and we may feature it in an upcoming newsletter. |
| Sarah Hughes compiled photos for this briefing |
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