Important points
The CDC said adults 65 and older should receive their second dose of this year’s coronavirus vaccine six months after the first dose. People who have been immunocompromised for more than six months should also receive a second dose of the vaccine and may talk to their health care provider about booster vaccinations. The recommendations are aimed at protecting high-risk populations during the winter and late summer, when coronavirus infections tend to peak.
Older adults and people who are moderately or severely immunocompromised should receive their second dose of this year’s coronavirus vaccine six months after their first dose, according to the latest guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). be.
The CDC previously said people in these groups should talk to their health care provider about receiving multiple doses of the vaccine. The new guidelines strengthen that recommendation by encouraging healthcare workers to offer the vaccine twice a year.
“While the new coronavirus vaccine is highly effective in preventing serious illness, its protective effect wears off fairly quickly within four to five months for elderly people and people with weakened immune systems.” , a spokesperson for the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases and a professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, told Berrywell.
There appear to be two peaks in the number of coronavirus cases per year, according to data presented at a CDC advisory committee meeting this week. In addition to the normal winter increase, cases and hospitalizations always peak in late summer.
People in high-risk groups who have received their first dose of the 2024-2025 coronavirus vaccine will be able to receive a second dose around May to extend protection until the summer, Schaffner said. It is said that it became.
People with weakened immune systems have the flexibility to receive more than one dose of the latest coronavirus vaccine if their doctor determines that they can receive further protection.
From October to April last year, adults 65 and older accounted for 70% of all coronavirus-related hospitalizations among adults.
About 40% of adults over 65 have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine in the last year. By June, only 9% of people had received their second dose.
The committee still recommends that people who have recovered from COVID-19 wait three months before getting vaccinated again. Additionally, it is best to wait at least two months between COVID-19 vaccinations.
“Influenza and COVID-19 are going to be rampant this winter, causing a lot of illness, and we want to reduce the severity of the illness as much as possible,” Schaffner said. “To ensure that, we all must get vaccinated.”
what this means to you
Vaccination protects against serious consequences of COVID-19 and reduces the likelihood of long-term illness from COVID-19. The new coronavirus vaccine can be given at the same time as the influenza vaccine. People 75 and older can also receive the RSV vaccine at the same visit if they have not been vaccinated in the last year.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed research, to support the facts in our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and reliable.
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