UTSW infectious diseases experts offer advice on second COVID-19 booster : Newsroom

Reuben Arasaratnam, M.D.

DALLAS – June 15, 2022 – People ought to weigh their very own private well being and threat ranges in deciding when to obtain a second booster of the COVID-19 vaccine, UT Southwestern infectious illnesses specialists advise.

Sufferers who’re immunocompromised on account of a power situation or medicines that curb the immune system ought to get a second booster shot when they’re eligible. However when you’re wholesome, have obtained your first booster, your threat of catching the virus is low, and when you’re planning to journey throughout the summer time, it’s affordable to attend till nearer to your journey time to get the second booster, stated Reuben Arasaratnam, M.D., Assistant Professor of Inside Drugs.

“What the booster does is re-awaken the immune system in order that it’s particularly poised to battle COVID-19,” he stated.

In late Could, the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention strengthened its suggestions to say individuals 50 or older ought to get a second booster shot if no less than 4 months have handed since their first booster. Proof has proven that antibodies generated from the primary booster start to wane after about 4 months. Others included within the steering are individuals 12 and older who’re reasonably or severely immunocompromised.

Pearlie Chong, M.D.

Pearlie Chong, M.D., Assistant Professor of Inside Drugs, stated the negative effects of a second booster can be much like what a person skilled with their first booster shot. “You may get chills or fatigue, however it might be transient, and the advantages outweigh the dangers.”

Dr. Chong stated that people contemplating a second booster shouldn’t really feel discouraged upon listening to that antibodies will wane after a number of months.

“The protecting worth of the booster continues past that point as a result of our immune system has a number of varieties of safety. And a few components of our immune system, resembling B-cells and T-cells, will not be simply measurable, however they’re persevering with to guard,” Dr. Chong stated. “A single booster shot continues to offer excessive ranges of safety towards extreme illness.”

Drs. Arasaratnam and Chong shared their views on a latest episode of “What to Know,” a video collection produced by UT Southwestern to offer info on medical subjects for the group.

Dr. Chong is a Dedman Household Scholar in Scientific Care.

About UT Southwestern Medical Heart

UT Southwestern, one of many nation’s premier tutorial medical facilities, integrates pioneering biomedical analysis with distinctive scientific care and training. The establishment’s school has obtained six Nobel Prizes, and contains 26 members of the Nationwide Academy of Sciences, 17 members of the Nationwide Academy of Drugs, and 14 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators. The total-time school of greater than 2,900 is chargeable for groundbreaking medical advances and is dedicated to translating science-driven analysis rapidly to new scientific therapies. UT Southwestern physicians present care in additional than 80 specialties to greater than 100,000 hospitalized sufferers, greater than 360,000 emergency room circumstances, and oversee almost 4 million outpatient visits a yr.