CHARLESTON, W. Va. (WOWK) – The Biden administration said Wednesday that COVID booster shots will soon be available, but how will the Sept. 20 rollout work, and what side effects should Americans expect?
You can get these booster shots eight months after receiving your second dose of the Pfizer and Moderna two-shot vaccines. Some people question the third shot distribution timeline, side effects, and its protection potential.
Studies show the effectiveness of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine diminishes after six months, so who will get the booster shots first?
“The patients who are in nursing homes, immunocompromised patients, then probably health care workers, and then [it depends] on the aging process. They’ll start with the elderly then work their way down, said Dr. Lo’ay Al-Asadi, a pulmonologist.
Doctors say the distribution timeline for the booster shots will look similar to the first and second doses.
“I think whenever your turn comes up or whenever their recommendation comes out as you need your third shot, it should be readily available,” Al-Asadi said.
Dr. Al-Asadi says he sees complications of COVID-19 among the unvaccinated like long-term lung issues and constant shortness of breath, so it’s best to protect yourself despite a possible reaction.
“Sometimes you may get a reaction to it, sometimes you may not get a reaction to it,” Al-Alasadi said.
You can expect reactions to the booster similar to a flu shot, and higher protection against COVID and its variants.
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“I highly recommend getting it. I don’t know why you wouldn’t. Especially if you got the first two doses. With all these new variants, things are opening back up, we’re going back to normal life. Why would you not get the booster shot? It can’t hurt,” Srestha Shing, a vaccinated medical student said.
