COVID-19 booster shots are ready for distribution, especially in a time where they are needed now more than ever.

Need For Boosters

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that adults (aka people over 18) take the booster vaccine. The booster shots help to strengthen the fight against COVID and its variants like the Delta and the most recent Omicron. According to recent studies, Pfizer’s boosters supply about 75% protection against asymptomatic omicron infection. Moderna also provided similar results.

Here’s How to Get a Booster 

• Anyone above the age of 16 vaccinated for at least six months with Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech or at least two months with Johnson and Johnson is eligible to receive a booster shot.
• Before getting a booster, make sure your vaccination card is with you.

Side Effects

Some common side effects of the booster are pain, redness, and swelling at the place of injection.

To relieve these side effects, you should apply a cool, clean, wet washcloth over the area. A person who received the shot might also experience tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, fever, and nausea. To best lessen discomfort from a fever, drink plenty of fluids, especially water.

If side effects stay even after a couple of days and the redness does not go away within 24 hours, make sure to consult a doctor.

Works Cited

CDC. (2021, March 16). Possible Side Effects After Getting a COVID-19 Vaccine. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/expect/after.html

CDC, & CDC. (2021, August 20). COVID-19 Booster Vaccine. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/booster-shot.htmlGinsberg, L. (2021, December 21). Why Covid vaccine booster shots are so important: Omicron will “rip right through the population,” says expert. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/21/omicron-expert-why-covid-vaccine-booster-shots-are-so-important.html