- Question: If I received my initial series of the COVID-19 vaccine with Pfizer, can I get a booster dose via Kettering Health?
Answer: Yes. Kettering Health will provide a booster dose of the Pfizer vaccine at any of our COVID-19 vaccination clinics to those who qualify and who completed their initial series at least 6 months ago. The FDA has now given an emergency use authorization for a booster dose of the Pfizer vaccine for those 65 years and older, those who are 18 years and older with underlying medical conditions, those who live in high-risk settings, and those who work in high-risk settings, such as healthcare workers.
- Question: I received the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine series. Can I get a booster of Moderna? Can I get a booster of Pfizer?
Answer: To date, the FDA has not authorized booster doses of the Moderna vaccine except for immunocompromised individuals. It is not preferred for a booster dose to be given with a different vaccine than the original course. The data shows that the Moderna vaccine’s protection is lasting longer than that of the Pfizer vaccine, although all three COVID-19 vaccines (Moderna, Pfizer, and J&J) have shown to be effective in preventing hospitalizations and death. At this time, those who received the Moderna vaccine series do not need a booster unless they are immunosuppressed.
- Question: I am a healthy healthcare worker who received the Moderna series. Will I ever need a booster dose?
Answer: This has not yet been determined. Moderna is submitting their data to the FDA for consideration. As noted above, the durability of the protection from the Moderna vaccine seems to be very good but we do not know how long it may last.
- Question: Are the side effects of a booster dose worse than with the second dose?
Answer: Data from Pfizer shows that side effects of a booster dose are similar to those of the second dose. The most common side effect is fatigue, followed by headache and muscle pain. Most of these side effects are short-lived and of mild to moderate severity, and they tend to be worse in younger individuals. Moderna has likewise said, based on its clinical trial findings, that the side effects of its booster are similar to those of the second dose.
- Question: Will booster doses be required annually or at some other interval?
Answer: We do not yet know whether future booster shots or annual shots will be required. This will likely depend on the trajectory of the pandemic, emergence of other variants, and whether COVID-19 becomes an endemic seasonal virus.