The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a new recommendation for COVID-19 vaccines that includes people over 65, and a Northern Virginia doctor says it’s worth talking with your doctor about it.
Dr. Debra Lee, chief of emergency medicine for Sentara Northern Virginia and Sentara Lake Ridge, say the CDC’s latest recommendation is “specifically for patients who are above the age of 65 to get a booster somewhere between two and four months after their first shot.”
That’s two to four months after their first shot of the 2023–2024 COVID-19 booster, which many people received in fall, she explains: “Similar to what they’ve done with flu vaccinations, they’ve created this additional booster that also covers basically updates to the current variant of COVID-19.”
“Everybody, pretty much, has the recommendation for the one shot” of the 2023–2024 booster, says Lee, who will become the chief medical officer at Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center next month. “And there’s an additional recommendation for patients who are above the age of 65 or are severely immunocompromised to get that second shot at two to four months.”
The latest COVID-19 numbers are down across the country, statewide and in Northern Virginia, but Lee warns that there are always seasonal and regional bumps, which is why people particularly vulnerable to the disease should take care.
The disease continues to mutate, much in the way the flu does. Lee says an annual update of the vaccine is likely going to become a part of life. “The impact of [mutations] will likely become less and less, but it’s hard to say.”
Talk to Your Doctor
Recommendations for vaccines and boosters “always depend on what the cost-benefit is,” Lee says. “And the benefit is most definitely there for patients who are immunocompromised, or who are greater than the age of 65.”
Lee says there can be side effects to the vaccine, so you should consult with your doctor about the decision to get a COVID booster. Still, she’s happy with the results of vaccination, both in her practice and in her own life, having had a bout of COVID herself: “I’m happy we’ve been over the hump. We still see hospitalizations; we still see severe disease, but we have the benefit of more knowledge on the disease and this great tool of vaccines.”
Feature image, stock.adobe.com
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