A COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Is In Your Near Future

UPDATED 8-18-21 at 10:53 am

The U.S. is recommending COVID-19 vaccine boosters for all Americans,  eight months after they received their second dose, to ensure lasting protection against the coronavirus and the delta variant.  The new recommendation will go into effect on September 20th.

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According to a story on NEWS 4 (WIVB-TV) Federal health officials have been studying whether booster shots for the vaccinated would be needed as early as this fall, reviewing U.S. numbers as well as those from other countries.

An announcement on a booster recommendation in our country was expected as soon as this week.

U.S. health officials have previously recommended boosters for those with weakened immune systems, citing the higher risk of catching the virus and the vaccines’ effectiveness waning over time.

Officials said data still shows that people are highly protected from COVID-19, including the delta variant, after receiving the full vaccine regime.

“There is a concern that the vaccine may start to wane in its effectiveness,” Collins said. “And delta is a nasty one for us to try to deal with. The combination of those two means we may need boosters, maybe beginning first with health care providers, as well as people in nursing homes, and then gradually moving forward” with others, such as older Americans who were among the first to get vaccinations.

The White House stressed that even though the U.S. has begun sharing vaccine doses around the world, it still has an adequate supply for boosters to Americans should they be recommended by Fall.

Following the recommendation that the health officials are considering that would put me in booster shot range by December.

While I probably would not be one of the first to receive the booster, I would lean toward opting for the extra protection as long as there weren't reports of serious side effects as a result of the additional shot.