Sandy Klein looks forward to her European Cruise next month. At 78, she considers herself healthy. Still the Palm Beach resident wonders if she should get a COVID booster before her trip.This summer travel season has been forecasted to be one for the record books, and with so many people on the move, the risk of getting COVID-19 rises.
“It’s really a matter of how much risk you are willing to take because there is still COVID out there,” said Dr. Sergio Segarra, chief medical officer at Baptist Health’s Baptist Hospital in Kendall. This fall, most likely the end of September, vaccine manufacturers will be releasing updated COVID booster shots to target XBB 1.5, the predominant coronavirus strain in the United States that first arrived in late 2022. The new booster formulation will drop the original coronavirus strain, which no longer is in circulation. Some doctors believe that will optimize the immune response.
Waiting for fall can be tricky, though, particularly when there’s currently a booster available even if it’s not targeted atAt this time, the only COVID shots available to adults are the mRNA bivalent booster. Anyone 6 and older can get one. The bivalent booster blends an antigen aimed at the original strain of the virus with another designed for the BA.4 and BA.5 variants, which had been circulating when the shot became available.
When considering timing, the CDC recommends waiting four months between shots. That also applies to people 65 and older who are eligible for“If it has been more than four months since you had COVID or a shot, your immunity is not down to zero,” Schaffner said. “You still have some protection but it’s a matter of who you are, how robust your immune system is, how old you are, and do you have any underlying issues. The older you are, your risk goes up.