Why you should get the COVID-19 booster.  

Herd Immunity

Within the past week, COVID-19 infections are at a record high due to the spread of Omicron and Delta strains. Since only a quarter of the U.S. population has received the COVID-19 booster, here is why you should get the booster.  

Regardless if you were previously infected with COVID-19 and/or received both doses of the vaccine, you should still get the booster given recent data published by the CDC. One example exhibiting the need for a booster is a family in Nebraska who contracted COVID-19. This family still contracted Omicron despite having previous COVID-19 infections or being vaccinated (1). 

Current data reveals stark differences in COVID-19 infection outcomes when comparing those who received the booster to those who didn’t. Research in Israel demonstrated that those who received a third COVID-19 vaccine had a 70-84% reduction in COVID-19 infection rates (2). Another study in Israel revealed that the third dose was 92% more effective in preventing severe illnesses compared to individuals that had two vaccination doses five months prior (2). They also witnessed a 90% decrease in mortality in patients who had the booster (2). The New England Journal of Medicine also confirmed these findings when analyzing the Israel Health database of over 4 million individuals; those with the booster shot were much less likely to contract COVID-19 and had lower rates of severe illness and death (3). 

Overall, the data exhibits the great importance of obtaining the COVID-19 booster regardless if you’ve had previous doses of the vaccine and/or were infected. It is saving lives, reducing symptoms, and preventing severe illness. Please consider getting one if you have not already to protect yourself, your family, and the general public.  

 

References:

  1. Jansen L, Tegomoh B, Lange K, et al. Investigation of a SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.529 (Omicron) Variant Cluster — Nebraska, November–December 2021. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. ePub: 28 December 2021. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm705152e3external icon 
  2. Barda N, Dagan N, Cohen C, Hernán MA, Lipsitch M, Kohane IS, Reis BY, Balicer RD. Effectiveness of a third dose of the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine for preventing severe outcomes in Israel: an observational study. Lancet. 2021 Dec 4;398(10316):2093-2100. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(21)02249-2. Epub 2021 Oct 29. PMID: 34756184; PMCID: PMC8555967. 
  3. Bar-On YM, Goldberg Y, Mandel M, Bodenheimer O, Freedman L, Alroy-Preis S, Ash N, Huppert A, Milo R. Protection against Covid-19 by BNT162b2 Booster across Age Groups. N Engl J Med. 2021 Dec 23;385(26):2421-2430. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2115926. Epub 2021 Dec 8. PMID: 34879188. 

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