DOCTOR IS IN by Dr. Adil Manzoor OP/ED
We have moved on from the age of begging people to take the vaccine, let alone booster doses, I presume? That’s good news. Great news, in fact.
Perhaps the most tasking challenge we had all pandemic was convincing people to take the coronavirus vaccine. Conspiracy theories were flying, and many doubted the long-term safety of the vaccines. I don’t want to go too much into that today; I’ll need an entire book for that. Over the last few months, new variants of the virus came out.
So, back to our train of reasoning. There used to be a time, albeit short, where being fully vaccinated was heralded. Not anymore. Because of the stubborn variants that emerged last year, I mean the Omicron and Delta variants, being fully vaccinated is not enough to protect you from getting the coronavirus.
The reason for this, of course, is the mutation of parent strains to get more resistant and transmissible strains. Refusing to accept defeat, we sprung to action and introduced booster doses. I remember very early last year when I discussed the possibility of needing booster doses for the vaccines. This was even before the Delta and Omicron.
Essentially, booster doses replenish the immunity vaccines provide. This usually occurs when variants of an infection figure out how to evade the protective efforts of vaccines. Right now, booster doses have been approved for use by the CDC.
All of this talk of booster doses has led to a new line of questions, the most common of which is, “what booster should I get?”
This question is very common among people that have received the J&J shot. Emerging reports have shown that receiving either of the Moderna and Pfizer booster doses dramatically improves the antibody level of people who got the J&J shot. I say “dramatically” because there’s a reported 76-fold increase for Moderna and a 35-fold increase for the Pfizer vaccine. See, dramatic.
The study that showed this was done by the ACIP (Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices), which advises the CDC on immunization practices. There’s more. Studies have also suggested that the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines offer a longer-lasting immunity than the J&J vaccine.
When you take all of these into perspective, it makes sense that the Moderna and Pfizer vaccine will be better as booster doses, even for people that have had the J&J shot. However, you should note that all of these studies still have to be confirmed on a larger basis before making truly conclusive assertions. Summarily, you can take either of the Pfizer and Moderna booster doses.
Another question people ask is the safety of mixing different vaccines and boosters. Well, again, there hasn’t been any real long-term study to prove anything, but there is no perceived risk. If any, negligible. Many have brought up myocarditis – again. And, truthfully, there is always the risk of myocarditis with the vaccines, but the risk is very low. There’s actually more risk of getting myocarditis from the virus itself.
All in all, before getting the booster doses, you might want to consult with your doctor. This is important as people have different risks when taking the vaccines and their boosters. At the end of the day, you might end up getting a booster you didn’t plan on getting. One thing is for sure, though, you need the boosters. We all do.
Stay safe, folks.
This article was written by Dr. Adil Manzoor DO, a Board Certified Internist & Board Eligible Pediatrician, who works as a Hospitalist, and Emergency Room Physician. He is also the current President of Garden State Street Medicine, a non-profit organization whose sole purpose is to provide free preventive and acute urgent care services for the homeless. He is also the co-founder of his own unique medical practice Mobile Medicine NJ.
References
· https://www.aha.org/news/headline/2021-10-22-cdc-endorses-acip-recommen dations-covid-19-boosters
· https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/p0924-booster-recommendations-.html
· https://www.oregon live.com/health/2021/12/dear-doctor-i-originally-got-the-jj-covid-vaccine-which-booster-should-i-choose.html
· https://www.statnews.com/ 2021/12/09/fda-expands-authorization-for-pfizers-covid-19-booster-to-cover-16-and-17-year-olds/
