Spring COVID-19 booster shots. Who should get one and when? – UCHealth Today

Health experts want to give extra protection to older people, so a committee of medical advisers to the CDC in February recommended a spring COVID-19 booster shot for everyone who is 65 and older. Photo: Getty Images.

Its spring, the season for sweet strawberries, colorful tulips, crisp vegetables and a COVID-19 booster shot.

What? A spring dose of the COVID-19 vaccine?

Yes.

Health experts with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently recommended an extra dose of the 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine for all people in the U.S. ages 65 and older.

Why? Simple. Hospitalizations and COVID-19 death rates for people who are 65 and older have been significantly higher than COVID deaths and hospitalizations among younger people over the last several months, and vaccine effectiveness is waning over time.

Health experts want to give extra protection to older people, so a committee of medical advisers to the CDC in February recommended a spring COVID-19 booster shot for everyone who is 65 and older.

To help you sort out the details about the new spring COVID-19 booster shot, we consulted with Dr. Michelle Barron, UCHealths senior medical director of infection prevention and control.

CDC experts recommended the booster for everyone ages 65 and older. In addition, people who are immunocompromised also have been eligible for extra doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, said Barron, who is also a professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine on the Anschutz Medical Campus.

At this stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, older adults are having a tougher time when they get a bad case of COVID-19. Thats not surprising because immune systems in older people arent as strong as they are in the young, aside from younger people who are immunocompromised.

Here are some reasons why medical advisors to the CDC recommended a spring COVID-19 booster shot.

Youll want to wait at least four months since the last time you had a COVID-19 vaccine, Barron said.

No, if youve recently gotten sick with COVID-19, you should wait about three months.

You dont want to get your new shot until its been 90 days since your last COVID-19 episode, Barron said.

No, dont wait for the fall vaccine. Unless youve recently been sick with COVID-19, you should not wait to get a spring booster dose. If you are 65 or older, or you are immunocompromised, you should go ahead and get a booster of the 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine now. (Learn all about the 2023-2024 vaccine that came out last fall.)

Vaccine makers and experts at the CDC are planning for newly formulated COVID-19 vaccines for the fall of 2024, but you shouldnt wait to get that version. Anyone who gets a booster this spring will also be eligible to get a dose of the newest COVID-19 vaccine this fall.

Yes, its very wise to get another dose, Barron said.

She and other researchers have done a study that is due to be published soon that shows why booster doses are so valuable for at-risk older adults.

Hospitalizations are high in this group, Barron said.

Just like typical flu shots, the 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccines are not perfect, but they do help prevent deaths and reduce hospitalizations, Barron said.

Vaccine efficacy is about 50-to-60%, Barron said.

Some people might argue that that level of vaccine effectiveness isnt great, Barron said.

But Barron, who works hard every day to keep people healthy and out of UCHealths 14 Colorado hospitals, said vaccines that can keep as many as two-thirds of people from getting severely ill are incredibly valuable.

Thats pretty compelling, Barron said.

These vaccines may not keep you from getting sick, but if they prevent you from dying and being hospitalized, simple logic tells you thats a really good thing, she said.

So Barrons bottom-line advice to her older patients and relatives is quite simple: go get your spring booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. And, no matter your age, if you never got a 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine, you can still go get vaccinated.

Yes. Its true that vaccine effectiveness wanes over time. Thats why its wise for people who are ages 65 and older to get a booster shot this spring.

And even though vaccine effectiveness wanes over time, Barron said its still tremendously helpful to get COVID-19 vaccines and booster shots because they significantly reduce deaths and hospitalizations.

Barron is a co-author on an important new CDC study that evaluates how COVID-19 vaccines work over time.

According to the study, vaccine effectiveness for the 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine (which people started receiving last fall and will get this spring) was strongest in the first seven to 59 days after people received a dose of what was called the monovalent shot. Vaccine effectiveness decreased to about 43% in the two to four months following vaccination, the researchers found. While not perfect, the vaccines nonetheless continue to provide some protection over time.

We continue to see as many cases of COVID-19 as we do for flu, Barron said. (Its also possible for patients to get both flu and COVID-19 or RSV at the same time. Read more about that.)

COVID-19 is still a significant component of the respiratory illness pathogens that are requiring hospitalization now, Barron said.

Yes, absolutely. Barron said many people dont think much about flu or COVID-19, but these respiratory illnesses can cause death and can make people very sick.

People can die and do die from the flu. Thats also true, of course, for COVID-19, Barron said.

Thankfully, we know that the vast majority of people who get COVID-19 now are just going to feel sick and stay home and recover. Or you may just have a minor infection, and thats great, Barron said. But for some people especially those who are older or immunocompromised you can have some really terrible impacts from these viruses.

Barron thinks the newest CDC guidelines simplify things.

The message I have for all of this is to use good old-fashioned common sense. If you are sick, please dont visit your grandmother and grandfather who are older and vulnerable. Also, please dont spend time with your friend who is just finishing cancer treatments or visit a brand new baby, Barron said. All of those people are at risk for having complications if they get sick, regardless of the virus that were talking about.

So, be smart, Barron said. We all understand the concept of protecting people from viral infections.

If you feel sick, and youre coughing, sneezing or cant eat or drink, you should stay home. Your coworkers will be appreciative if youre not hacking all day long again, Barron said.

Whatever the cause, if you have a fever, you should not be at work or at school until youve no longer had a fever for at least 24 hours without taking anti-fever medications like Tylenol or ibuprofen, she said. Thats actually a rule at most schools, and its not new. Its just good old-fashioned common sense. If youre sick, you should be home, and you dont want to spread whatever you have to someone else.

Medical experts advise people to stay home and avoid contact with other people until at least 24 hours after they have symptoms like a fever, bad cough or other signs of illness.

Once a persons fever breaks, they should still be cautious about exposing others since some people can remain contagious later. CDC experts encourage people to use good hygiene practices like frequent hand washing and wear a mask if theyre in crowded indoor settings. Its also wise to keep your distance from vulnerable people and take steps to be in well-ventilated areas.

Under the old guidelines, CDC experts encouraged people to isolate for at least five days. Now that more people have built up some immunity to the virus that causes COVID-19 through vaccines and prior infections, fewer people are getting severely ill from coronavirus infections. Guidance for people in health care settings may be different. Read some Frequently Asked Questions about the new guidelines for COVID-19.

Barron thinks the new guidance is simpler because its the standard advice that we should all be using if were sick, regardless of whether we have COVID-19, the flu, RSV, norovirus or another infectious illness.

If youre sick, stay home. If you have symptoms of an illness, dont expose others, especially vulnerable people.

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Spring COVID-19 booster shots. Who should get one and when? - UCHealth Today