Tuesday, the FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended certain people get another mRNA booster dose to increase their protection against severe disease from COVID-19. People who may get a 2nd booster dose include:
- Anyone age 12 and older who is moderately or severely immunocompromised, and
- Anyone age 50 and older, regardless of health condition.
This additional booster dose can be given at least 4 months after a person’s last booster dose. People who are immunocompromised were already recommended to receive an additional primary dose, in addition to booster doses. The CDC also provided clarification for people who received the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) for their primary dose followed by a J&J booster dose. They also qualify for a 2nd booster dose. For some people, this means the 2nd booster dose will be their 5th dose of a mRNA COVID-19 vaccine or 3rd dose of the J&J COVID-19 vaccine.
Studies reviewed by the CDC indicate people who are boosted have greater protection against COVID-19 than those who have not received a booster dose or who remain unvaccinated. Data in Utah shows this same trend. During the omicron wave in January, Utahns who were unvaccinated were at a 18.9 times greater risk of dying from COVID-19, 7.3 times greater risk of being hospitalized due to COVID-19, and 2.9 times greater risk of testing positive for COVID-19 than boosted people. We encourage people to get boosters so that they are as protected as possible for any future waves.
We recommend vaccine providers become familiar with the CDC recommendations and begin offering 2nd booster doses as soon as they are able. Vaccines are available at healthcare provider offices, pharmacies, local health departments, and other community locations. Please be patient if you are trying to get a 2nd booster dose as some vaccine providers may need to update their systems to allow for this.
If you still haven’t received your 1st booster dose, now is a good time to get one.