It's an interesting decision: Get a COVID-19 booster shot as soon as possible — because who knows when you'll be exposed? Or try to time the booster for when you think you're most likely to be exposed — say, when the weather grows cooler, or maybe the holidays.
The national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gives no particular recommendation. And infectious disease specialists give logical reasons to do either.
“It is always best to be vaccinated or boosted as soon as you are eligible,” said Dr. Lisa Marie Esolen, executive vice president, chief quality officer and associate of infectious diseases at the Guthrie Clinic in Sayre, Pennsylvania, in an email.
Trying to time boosters for specific gatherings is not recommended because it’s impossible to predict when or where COVID-19 exposure might occur, Esolen said.
“It is important to note that the restored immunity does not occur instantly; it generally takes a couple weeks for full impact,” Esolen said.
She acknowledges that pharmaceutical companies are working to increase vaccine effectiveness against newer variants — Omicron subvariant BA.5 is the latest dominant strain and is more resistant to vaccines than earlier variants — but added that any protection is better than none.
“It is widely accepted that protection particularly against severe disease still is evident (in standard vaccines) and is still our best defense,” she said.
But it's a little more nuanced than that, said Dr. Elizabeth Asiago-Reddy, chief of Infectious Diseases at Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse.
“The most important question is, ‘is this your first booster?’” she said. The first booster has the best response in boosting antibodies.
But if one is considering timing a second booster, there are elements to weigh, she said, and she has that conversation with her patients about their overall risk and their behavior.
She gave an example of a 65-year-old going on family vacation, who is taking three flights to arrive, and had a booster nine months before. She said she would recommend getting the booster immediately.
However, if the patient is someone who hangs out with a small group of vaccinated friends, with no particularly risky behavior planned — such as travel in confined spaces — she might recommend waiting for the newest vaccine most effective against the newer coronavirus variants.
Barring a case-by-case basis doctor recommendation, Cortland County Public Health Director Nicole Anjeski said in an email that people 5 and older should get the recommended booster five months after the initial vaccine series. She advises a second booster at least four months after the first.
“COVID-19 vaccine boosters can enhance or restore protection that might have decreased over time after getting the primary series vaccination,” Anjeski said.
