JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended COVID-19 booster shots for those with weakened immune systems.
The move comes after the Food and Drug Administration did the same late Thursday night. Dr. Michael Koren who heads up vaccine trials at the Jacksonville Center for Clinical Research said the decision was based on early findings that a third dose dramatically increases antibody levels in those who already had two doses.
The emergency use authorization given by the FDA is for patients who are likely to have a poor immune response to two doses of the vaccine alone.
“This doesn't apply to the average person," Koren said. "I want to emphasize that for the average person, we are doing studies to determine if that third dose is truly valuable," he said.
“I know that I've already gotten a lot a lot of questions from many, many different people who have asked whether or not they should get the third dose. These are folks who have already gotten their first two doses, and I'm telling them, 'unless you're at extraordinarily high risk, the answer to that would be no,'" Koren said.
According to Koren, we should know whether we'll all need booster shots in two to three months.
"We have a situation where you have to measure the risk of an individual person, and then make a decision about whether or not the booster is worth it. And at this point, we can only say that for the most high risk most vulnerable people in our population," he said.
If you're vaccinated, Koren said you're pretty protected.
"You are in good stead. There are there are breakthrough cases to be perfectly frank, of people who have been vaccinated, there are breakthrough cases of people getting COVID, but they tend to be very mild, and the reason for that is your immune system is ready," Koren said.
As for now, he said we need to be patient.
"Don't be premature. It would not be a good idea for you to assume that there's something beneficial to a third dose before we actually show him the studies," Koren said.
Booster shots can start immediately for those with weakened immune systems now that the FDA and the CDC gave the ok.