Hey, remember that time we all stayed home from school and work and yelled at each other on zoom and forgot how to wear real pants?
You could be forgiven for blocking it out. COVID-19 fatigue—the stress, the masks, the politics—is REAL and ongoing. Which could explain why only 16% of us have had our vaccine booster. Maybe we’re just tired of thinking about it.
Or possibly it’s being numb to the totally unimaginable numbers—104 million of us have had COVID-19 since it all started, and over a million of us have died. It makes a recent week in March that saw over 100,000 cases pale in comparison.
COVID-19 has officially lost its terrifying strength from the height of the pandemic, but it’s still here, still making people sick, still killing, and so we’re here to catch you up on what you should be doing RIGHT NOW to protect yourself—in case you lost the thread. Then hopefully you can put it on the back burner.
OK. By this time, you should have had the primary series of your COVID-19 vaccine—that means the two original doses of Pfizer or Moderna or the one dose of Johnson & Johnson.
You also likely have had one booster shot—that’s what the CDC currently recommends for everyone who’s not a tiny baby. There was an original booster for adults and then an updated booster that became available in September of last year.
If you have had the primary series AND that most recent booster shot, you’re good! The CDC is not currently recommending additional booster shots for most folks.
BUT if you are immunocompromised, you may not be considered up to date unless you’ve had additional doses or boosters. So, you will want to talk to your doctor to make sure you’ve done everything necessary in your particular case.
(Not immunocompromised but still haven’t had a booster yet? You can take the quiz here to find out when you can—or ask us, obviously: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/stay-up-to-date.html?s_cid=11747:do%20i%20need%20another%20covid%20booster:sem.ga:p:RG:GM:gen:PTN:FY22)
According to The L.A. Times, another booster shot for the general population could be coming for this spring. They’re already giving spring boosters in the U.K. to higher-risk people like nursing home residents, seniors and the immunocompromised.
The FDA, meanwhile, is pushing for an annual vaccine given in the fall like your regular flu shot—hopefully cutting back on confusion and increasing the number of people rolling up their sleeves.
And that’s about it for now. If/when there’s an update, we’ll be sure to post to our Facebook page and here on our website. And as usual, if you’re unsure, just call our office at 765-289-1011 or email your nurse through our Patient Portal. We’re happy to catch you up.