How soon can I get a booster after recovering from COVID-19?

chrisbuttonJanuary 18, 2022

As Omicron surges nationwide, Coronavirus mutant Infects many who received initials Vaccine course — Two doses of mRNA vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna) or one dose of Johnson & Johnson — but those who have not yet obtained a booster shot.

So, if you had Omicron, should you get a booster, and if so, how long should you wait after the infection has passed?

The simple answer is “yes”. You need to get a booster, but you may have to wait at least a few weeks to maximize the protection of your booster shots, one expert told Live Science.

Timing of booster effect

But let’s say you can’t get a booster and then you’ve been infected with Omicron or are still recovering from Omicron. Should you still be boosted?

In that case, CDC It is advisable to wait to get the booster until the symptoms disappear and the quarantine is complete. People who test positive but show no symptoms can get boosters as soon as the quarantine period ends. (You can read the present Guidelines About the period of isolation in CDC websiteGuidelines vary by symptoms, vaccination status and work. )

Dr. Sharon Nakman, head of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Division at Stoney Brook Children’s Hospital in New York, told Live Science that it will take about two weeks for the COVID-19 infection to recover, except for inpatients. She says she waits at least two weeks for the symptoms to go away, as breaking the quarantine can infect others. In addition, most people have a good immune response to the vaccine and can feel sick, so vaccination when actively infected worsens the symptoms and further stresses the body. May take.

“We want to make sure we get the best possible response to the vaccine,” Johnson said. “It’s not that it’s unsafe to administer the mRNA vaccine before that, it’s just that you want to make sure you’ve had the most effective response,” Johnson said.

Why Omicron is different

Omicron is a past “variant of concern” because it can easily infect both those who were previously thought to be “fully vaccinated” and those infected with previous versions of the coronavirus. It is different from “stock”.Effects of Peplomer Mutations — Major Targets for Neutralizing the Body antibody, Prevents coronavirus from invading cells. According to a study published on January 4, 2021, at least 15 of these mutations are in the receptor-binding domain of the virus, or spots on peplomers where the virus is immobilized and invades the cell. cell..

And in fact, recent data New England Journal of Medicine Show that these mutations actually allow Omicron to be better avoided Immune system.. This study showed that the efficacy of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for hospitalization plummeted from 93% to 70% against Omicron compared to Delta infection.

Another reason for a weakened immune response to Omicron is weakened immunity. A December 2021 study from Israel. New England Journal of MedicineShowed that the vaccine was less effective 6 months after the second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech and that the vaccine’s immune defense against coronavirus variants was reduced.

Why boosting is important

This all means that it’s important to get a booster to protect against Omicron.One study published in the preprint database medRxiv, but not yet peer-reviewed Two-dose mRNA vaccine therapy was found to provide no protection against Omicron infection. However, the study found that the efficacy of the vaccine increased to 37% one week after the mRNA booster.

Boosters boost the immune response by helping antibodies better identify multiple parts of the coronavirus.Recent studies published in the journal cell We have found that mRNA boosters stimulate the production of cross-reactive antibodies, or antibodies that bind well to both Omicron and early strains of coronavirus. Dr. Erica N. Johnson, chairman of the American Board of Internal Medicine’s Infectious Diseases Commission and assistant professor of medicine at Johns, says it’s important to get a booster once you qualify, regardless of which vaccine you started. It states that. Hopkins University School of Medicine.

“People who have just developed the primary series may not have a serious infection, but they are still at very high risk of Omicron infection,” Johnson told Live Science. “But for those who received booster doses, it seems to provide effective protection against Omicron infections, and certainly against more serious illnesses.”

As of January 11th Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The (CDC) recommends that, in most cases, adults receive booster at least 5 months after complete vaccination. (There are some differences depending on age, whether you first received a J & J shot, and whether you have immunodeficiency.) Both mRNA vaccines are the preferred choice for boosters. (For more information on current recommendations, see CDC COVID-19 Booster Shot Page.. )

In any case, getting infected with Omicron is not a good reason to avoid being boosted, Johnson said.

“Vaccination with booster immunization is absolutely necessary to achieve the highest possible protection,” Johnson said.