booster shots :: Article CreatorDoctors Are Begging Patients 65+ To Get An Extra Dose Of This Vaccine This Year
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) announced new guidance for COVID-19 vaccine boosters—but the new guidelines don't apply to everyone. Find out below what the CDC and infectious disease specialists say is the best course of action—but always remember to speak to your own physician and care team to know what's specifically best for you as an individual.
Related: The Best Way to Time Your COVID-19 Vaccine Booster and Flu Shot
What Is the New COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Guidance?
The new guidelines, released in late October 2024, state that patients 65 or older, as well as individuals who are moderately or severely immunocompromised, should get a booster every six months as opposed to just one annual shot.
"This vote allows people to make the best decisions possible to keep themselves and their loved ones safe from COVID-19," CDC director Dr. Mandy Cohen, MD, MPH, said in a statement. "CDC will continue to educate the public on how and when to get their updated vaccinations so they can risk less severe illness and do more of what they love."
Related: A New Study Points to an Unexpected COVID Side Effect We Definitely Didn't See Coming
Who Should Get a Second COVID-19 Booster?
"Specific populations at most risk should get a second dose," Dr. Suraj Saggar, DO, FIDSA, chief of infectious disease at Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, New Jersey, tells Parade. "These include the elderly and those with chronic medical conditions that impact their immune system such as cancer, active chemotherapy treatments, kidney disease, uncontrolled diabetes and those on dialysis are a few examples."
Dr. Jennifer Veltman, MD, chief of infectious disease at Loma Linda University Medical Center in Loma Linda, California, believes that eventually, everyone will be recommended to get a second annual jab.
Related: The Vaccine Doctors Want Every Single Person Over 65 to Get ASAP
Why Do Some People Need a Second COVID-19 Booster?
"I anticipate that all people will be recommended to get annual COVID boosters. The reason for this is that COVID virus is always mutating and similar to flu shot, the annual dose is designed to match the circulating strain," Dr. Veltman explained. "In addition, the immunity from vaccine is not lasting, so boosters are needed to maintain sufficient immunity."
Dr. Saggar also noted that there isn't just one season for COVID like there is with the flu.
"Unlike other viruses, COVID persists year-round. Those who get a vaccination in the fall of 2024 may need another dose, as there can be a different strain and surge in summer of 2025," he said. "For the flu, you don't worry about a summer surge, but we have seen a summer surge of COVID this past few summers, so the most at-risk populations should get more than one dose annually."
Related: Everything You Need to Know If You're Coughing Up Green Phlegm (Including What to Do About It)
What Are the Benefits to COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters?
"Vaccination remains the number one way to protect against respiratory illnesses like COVID-19 and flu," Dr. Kevin Ban, MD, chief medical officer of Walgreens previously told Parade, adding, "It may help prevent you from getting COVID or the flu, and will help lessen the intensity of the illness if you do get sick."
Dr. Ban also noted that vaccination can also reduce your risk of getting long COVID, which can have devastating effects on physical and mental health for years—and which has no current treatment.
Related: Do You Have the Flu? Here's Everything You Need To Know About Navigating Symptoms and Treatment
What Are Side Effects of the Newest COVID-19 Boosters?
Side effects of fall 2024 COVID-19 boosters are the same as previous ones—and not everyone will experience them. Some patients who get COVID shots this year may get the following side effects, most of which subside within 48 hours:
These symptoms are usually mild—much more mild than symptoms of actually being infected with COVID-19, especially for at-risk populations.
Related: These Are the Most Common Side Effects You Can Expect From the Brand New 2024 COVID Vaccine, According to Doctors
What Are Other Ways to Prevent COVID-19?
You've heard them before, but we'll say it again! Aside from vaccination, which is your best protection against severe infection, these all can help stop the spread to keep you and your loved ones safe:
Masking in crowded spaces
Frequent testing for COVID-19 (especially if you suspect you've been exposed to the virus)
Staying home when you're sick
Frequent handwashing
Properly ventilating indoor areas by opening windows and doors, air conditioning or heating spaces, and using high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration systems and air purifiers
Covering your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze
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Related: This One Thing Could Make Your COVID Vaccine More Effective
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HHS Spent $911M On COVID Vaccine Messaging, 'consistently Overstated' Virus Risk To Kids, Damning House Report Finds
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) spent $911 million of taxpayer money on a massive COVID-19 vaccination promotion campaign that lied about masking, vaccines and boosters — and "consistently overstated" the risk of the virus to children, according to a shocking House committee report.
The GOP-led House Energy and Commerce panel released a scathing, 113-page document Wednesday about the most significant public health missteps, fibs and cover-ups from HHS and its subagency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"CDC's guidance, which the Campaign relied on, went beyond the terms of FDA's Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to state, without evidence, that COVID vaccines were highly effective against transmission," the report states. "This ultimately had a negative impact on vaccine confidence and the CDC's credibility when proven untrue."
HHS shelled out $911,174,285 from taxpayer funding to the behavior change research and strategy firm Fors Marsh for the multimedia advertising campaign between August 2020 and June 2023. Bloomberg via Getty Images
It also states that the CDC "had inconsistent and flawed messaging about the effectiveness of masks," "consistently overstated the risk of COVID-19 to children" and still "continues to recommend COVID-19 vaccines for all Americans ages six months and older, which has made the United States a global outlier in COVID-19 policy."
HHS shelled out $911,174,285 to the behavior change research and strategy firm Fors Marsh for the multimedia advertising campaign between August 2020 and June 2023.
That's 20 times more than the $45 million spent on an ad campaign by the National Institutes of Health to promote its National Cancer Institute in 2012 — and roughly 40 times the whole communications budget that same year for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The "We Can Do This" campaign kicked off as the final stages of Operation Warp Speed vaccine trials wound down — and then-Democratic vice presidential nominee and California Sen. Kamala Harris sowed doubt about their efficacy.
"I will say that I would not trust Donald Trump, and it would have to be a credible source of information that talks about the efficacy and the reliability of whatever he's talking about," she told CNN of Operation Warp Speed in September 2020. "I will not take his word for it."
The "We Can Do This" campaign kicked off as the final stages of Operation Warp Speed vaccine trials wound down — and even prominent politicians like Kamala Harris began to sow doubt about its efficacy. US Congress
Nevertheless, Harris and President Biden's administration went on to spread unreliable information about "vaccine uptake, masking, social distancing and booster vaccine uptake," much of which was based on CDC guidance.
As the House panel probed the campaign, the CDC began to "edit and erase" many of the video ads from its YouTube channel, the report noted.
None remain available to the public — and most used scaremongering to browbeat the unvaccinated into believing that taking the shot was the only way to return to pre-pandemic norms.
"Say yes. Say yes to seeing friends. Yes to hanging out. Yes to vacations. Yes to sleepovers. After a year of saying no, imagine how good yes is going to feel. Everyone 12 and older is now eligible for COVID vaccines," a June 16, 2021, ad script read.
Charts from the report show vaccine uptake remained relatively flat despite the ad campaign. US Congress
"Get a COVID vaccine. Party like it's 2019," a June 22, 2021, ad also promised while showing footage of a nightclub.
"The Delta wave that we're seeing now, people are younger and sicker, and we're intubating and losing people that are my age and younger," said a visibly rattled nurse in another October 2021 ad. "People with kids that are my kids' age that are never gonna see their kids graduate. They're never gonna meet their grandkids and then to know that they could have gotten vaccinated, and it could have made a difference."
The campaign also tapped social media influencers, whose videos remain up, and made use of health professionals who toed the party line in an effort to reach the so-called "movable middle" of vaccine-hesitant Americans.
"I will continue to listen to the health professionals in my life and I will continue … believing in science because it's brought us so many good things," one of many vlogs boosted by the campaign declared.
Even after a majority of the US population had gotten vaccinated by June 2022, the campaign was pushing for children as young as 6 months old to be given the jab. MediaNews Group via Getty Images
Fors Marsh's internal surveys, however, found that by March 2022, between 60% and 76% of parents with unvaccinated kids younger than 18 had concerns about side effects that were not sufficiently answered.
Through several "Ask a Doctor" sessions, the campaign also parroted CDC recommendations — that did not align with published scientific studies — to urge vaccination and continued booster shots.
Even after a majority of the US population had gotten vaccinated by June 2022, the campaign was pushing for children as young as 6 months old to be given the jab.
"It doesn't really matter if your child's completely healthy, because some children will have the sniffles, maybe signs like the flu; fever, runny nose, or body aches. But others will end up in the hospital and end up there for a long time," another ad from the campaign threatened.
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky had overruled her agency's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices in September 2021 and unilaterally approved booster shots without their input. Getty Images
Then-CDC Director Rochelle Walensky overruled her agency's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices in September 2021 and unilaterally approved booster shots without their input. Two senior advisers on the committee resigned the same month.
Walensky would also later cave to pressure from powerful unions like the American Federation of Teachers to keep schools closed to in-person learning in early 2021.
The US was an outlier in pushing for child vaccinations, as other industrialized nations like the UK, France, Germany, Australia and Japan did not recommend COVID shots except for those with pre-existing conditions.
The FDA had also issued emergency use authorizations for the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID vaccines back in December 2020 despite no clinical data showing the length of their efficacy or whether they blocked viral transmission from person to person.
Walensky would also later cave to pressure from powerful unions like the American Federation of Teachers to keep schools closed to in-person learning in early 2021. REUTERS
At the time of Walensky's booster decision, studies were already showing that COVID posed virtually no risk to children and the virus was not spreading at higher rates in classrooms.
The then-CDC chief had already made erroneous assertions about the vaccines in high-profile media interviews and congressional testimony, going beyond even the manufacturers and the FDA's assessment to claim COVID-19 transmissibility was reduced after vaccination.
"Data have emerged again, that have demonstrated, even if you were to get infected during post-vaccination, that you cannot give it to anyone else," Walensky told members of the Senate Appropriations Committee in a May 2021 hearing.
"CDC personnel should — and must — have known that, historically, vaccines inoculating against respiratory viruses are seldom 100[%] effective at stopping transmission, largely due to viral mutation," the House report notes.
To counter the growing consensus that breakthrough infections were occurring, the campaign rolled out ads that called for double masking. Getty Images
To counter the growing consensus that breakthrough infections were occurring, the campaign rolled out ads that called for double masking.
"My son and I were headed down to the store when he asked me why I always get an extra bag of nuts and an extra water. 'Well, it's a backup,' I tell him. It's doubling up, so you are covered for later," an ad titled "Double-Up Dad" from July 2021 stated.
"He then asks me why I am still avoiding crowded places and wearing my mask since I already got the vaccine. I say, 'Son, it's the double-up effect.' It's doing our part and doing what is right, so we are protected. There are new forms of the virus, so we need to double up to beat them," it adds.
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The ad ran alongside one featuring a "Double-Up Mom," with both spots targeting Native American parents.
"I know many people are getting the vaccine, but there are new forms of the virus, and I don't want to take the chance. Wearing a well-fitted mask, keeping 6 feet apart, and avoiding crowds are my way of doubling up against the virus," the mother says.
Children and young people under 18 years of age who had a positive COVID-19 infection in the first year before vaccines were approved had a survival rate of 99.995%, according to a July 2021 study in the UK of all COVID-related deaths in that cohort conducted by Nature Medicine.
Children and young people under 18 years old who had a positive SARS-CoV-2 infection in the first year of infection before vaccines had a survival rate of 99.995%, a Nature Medicine study found. UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
"The risk of removal of [children and young people] from their normal activities across education and social events might prove a greater risk than that of [COVID-19] itself," the authors also warned.
HHS' masking crusade was also a crucial part of the ad campaign and continued even after the rollout of vaccines in 2021.
"I know we need to keep up everything we're already doing — masking up, keeping that 6-foot distance, and avoiding crowds," intoned a radio ad that aired in March 2021.
The all-out masking effort by the most prominent public health figure of the pandemic — Dr. Anthony Fauci — had the worst effect on schoolchildren, according to the committee report. Bloomberg via Getty Images
Another radio ad that same month featured two women discussing how they had become "experts at things like social distancing in the park" and that others "won't see us hanging out indoors with our friends."
All state governors had terminated stay-at-home orders by the end of May 2020, and the CDC published a study four months later that only found the restrictions were able to "help reduce activities associated with the spread of COVID-19" — not the actual viral spread.
The all-out masking effort by the most prominent public health figure of the pandemic — Dr. Anthony Fauci — had the worst effect on schoolchildren, according to the committee report.
Fauci urged leaders "to be as forceful as possible in getting your citizenry to wear masks" during a July 2020 event with the US Chamber of Commerce — though studies and the doctor himself later confirmed they made little to no difference. CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
The Education Department later released statistics in September 2022 showing reading scores among 9-year-olds had plummeted over the course of the outbreak to their lowest point in 30 years, while math scores fell for the first time ever in a half-century of tracking.
US officials like Fauci, then director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and Surgeon General Jerome Adams infamously advocated against the use of masks early in the pandemic, before reversing course.
"Masks are really for infected people to prevent them from spreading infection to people who are not infected rather than protecting uninfected people from acquiring infection," Fauci even wrote in a private February 2020 email.
The ex-NIAID head testified to another House committee in January that he was worried about causing a shortage of masks for frontline health care workers and they were not aware how prevalent asymptomatic spread was at the time.
A page from the House committee report on the unvaccinated population. US Congress
Fauci later urged leaders "to be as forceful as possible in getting your citizenry to wear masks" during a July 2020 event with the US Chamber of Commerce — though studies and the doctor himself later confirmed they made little to no difference.
The White House chief medical adviser still called for a federal mask mandate on planes, trains and other public transportation that was struck down by the courts in 2022, after pressuring schools in the preceding years into adopting a 6-foot social distancing rule that had no scientific basis.
The Energy and Commerce panel closed its report with several recommendations calling for further transparency, as well as a system to report vaccine injuries and further study of the risks of myocarditis and blood clots after taking the shots.
"While parts of CDC's former COVID-19 health guidance have been preserved on its COVID-19 Museum Timeline — albeit the more favorable parts of such guidance — the CDC has also entirely erased and replaced unscientific guidance, blatant errors, and unfavorable press releases," the report notes.
Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) added in a statement that the agencies spent nearly $1 billion "trying to manipulate Americans with advertisements — sometimes containing erroneous or unproven information." CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
"Such editing and erasing of guidance and web content on its government-controlled website, and making taxpayer funded Campaign videos inaccessible is unacceptable," it concludes, "particularly considering the historic and life-altering nature of the COVID-19 pandemic."
Committee Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) added in a statement that federal agencies spent nearly $1 billion "trying to manipulate Americans with advertisements — sometimes containing erroneous or unproven information."
"By overpromising what the COVID-19 vaccines could do — in direct contradiction of the FDA's authorizations — and over emphasizing the virus's risk to children and young adults," she added, "the Biden-Harris administration caused Americans to lose trust in the public health system."
Reps for HHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Here's What You Need To Know About Getting The New 2024 COVID Vaccine
COVID and flu season is coming sooner than you might think, and getting up to date with vaccines is the best way to protect yourself in the months ahead. This year's COVID vaccine is a little different from previous versions, not to mention that there are three different options for your shot this year (more on that in a moment). So it's safe to say that you may have some questions before making your appointment, including, "What are the new COVID booster side effects?"
Meet the Experts: Amesh A. Adalja, M.D., senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security; David Cennimo, M.D., infectious disease expert and associate professor of medicine & pediatrics at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School; Richard Watkins, M.D., an infectious disease physician and professor of medicine at the Northeast Ohio Medical University.
To help you be informed before you get your annual jab, we tapped experts to answer all of your burning questions. Here's what you need to know about the new vaccine, plus potential side effects to keep in mind.
What is the latest COVID-19 booster?
There are three different COVID vaccines to choose from this season: two mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, and a protein-based vaccine from Novavax. These vaccines replace the previous COVID-19 vaccine that was available and target strains that are more relevant to this year's virus season.
The latest COVID vaccines are updated to better reflect the currently circulating strains of the SARS CoV-2 virus, says David Cennimo, M.D., infectious disease expert and associate professor of medicine & pediatrics at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. "Moderna and Pfizer updated their mRNA vaccines to target the KP.2 variant, while the Novavax is a protein-based vaccine and is targeting the JN.1 variant." The difference is due to the timing and the manufacturing process and does not reflect any particular strategy for forecasting the future of the pandemic. Looking at the current data for variants circulating in the U.S., the KP.3.1.1 variant is leading at 58%, Dr. Cennimo points out. "This is closely related to KP.2 and JN.1, so all the vaccines available should work well," he explains.
The virus that causes COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, is always changing and protection from COVID-19 vaccines declines over time. Receiving an updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine can restore and enhance protection against the virus variants currently responsible for most infections and hospitalizations in the United States. With that said, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) points out that COVID-19 vaccination also reduces the chance of suffering the effects of Long COVID, as well as being hospitalized with COVID-19 and dying from the virus.
Who should get the latest COVID-19 booster?
Everyone ages six months and older should get the 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine, advises Richard Watkins, M.D., an infectious disease physician and professor of medicine at the Northeast Ohio Medical University. "This includes people who have received a COVID-19 vaccine before and people who have had COVID-19 in the past," he notes. The vaccine is also strongly recommended for pregnant people because COVID can be more severe in pregnancy and the antibodies can help protect the infant after birth, notes Dr. Cennimo.
Most certainly, anyone at high risk for severe COVID should be vaccinated, says Dr. Cennimo. Though, in the U.S., everyone is eligible to get the vaccine, those at high risk for severe disease (including pregnant women) should get the updated vaccine after it has been at least 3 months since their last COVID infection, adds Amesh A. Adalja, M.D., senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.
When is the best time to get the new COVID-19 booster?
For most people, the best time to get the new COVID vaccine is now, says Dr. Watkins. However, the exception is that people who recently had COVID-19 may delay getting a COVID-19 vaccine for 3 months, Dr. Watkins adds. This is because "the risk of getting COVID-19 is less likely in the weeks to months following a SARS-CoV-2 infection."
The vaccines are currently available and can be taken now, agrees Dr. Cennimo. "When people delay, there is a risk that they miss the vaccine altogether and/or they contract COVID in the interim."
And for convenience purposes, you can get your flu shot at the same time that you receive your updated COVID vaccine. "The COVID and influenza vaccines can be given together and there is good data that the safety and effectiveness is not compromised," says Dr. Cennimo.
Potential side effects of the new COVID-19 booster
The most important thing to know is that the COVID vaccine is safe and effective, says Dr. Watkins. With that said, side effects from the COVID vaccine are rare, says Dr. Cennimo, and they usually resolve after a day or two.
Per Dr. Watkins, the most common side effects include:
Serious adverse reactions are even more rare, says Dr. Cennimo. "However, if anyone is experiencing signs of an allergic reaction such as trouble breathing, they need to seek immediate help." If someone had a severe reaction to a previous vaccine, they should speak with their provider before getting a booster, Dr. Cennimo advises.
How to reduce booster side effects
If you are experiencing some discomfort after your jab and are looking for relief, feel free to take acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or naproxen to minimize side effects, Dr. Adalja recommends.
Dr. Watkins adds that using a warm compress on the injection site can also help to relieve any discomfort and bring down any swelling.
When to see a doctor about COVID booster side effects
If you have any severe symptoms or if your mild symptoms persist beyond a few days, you should consult with your doctor, Dr. Watkins advises. Dr. Adalja agrees, saying that if your side effects last for more than two days or the side effects interfere with your ability to perform daily activities, you should seek medical attention to rule out any serious concerns.
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