If I've had COVID, do I still need another booster shot?
BOSTON (CBS) — Dr. Mallika Marshall is answering your coronavirus vaccine-related medical questions. If you have a question, email her or message her on Facebook or Twitter.
Dr. Mallika is offering her best advice, but as always, consult your personal doctor before making any decisions about your personal health.
Joan writes, "If a 76-year-old who was fully vaccinated with one booster shot got COVID, when should she get a second booster? I understand that having COVID sort of functions to boost one's immunity, but I'm unclear on how long that immunity lasts."
It is true that when you get COVID, you get a temporary boost in your immunity to the coronavirus, but that immunity benefit probably doesn't last long - perhaps only a few weeks. Some people who were infected with the Omicron variant early on are getting infected again with the more recent subvariants, which have additional mutations in the spike protein and can evade immunity more efficiently than prior versions of the virus. Public health officials are now urging anyone over the age of 50 who has not received a booster in 2022 to get one now, even if you've had COVID. We hope to have a newly formulated vaccine this fall, but getting a booster now should not preclude you from getting an additional booster later this year.
