Introduction
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we live our lives, and it has also changed the way we think about our health. Taking a COVID booster shot is one way to help protect yourself and your loved ones from the virus. But what exactly does a COVID booster do to your body? In this article, we’ll explore the effects of taking a COVID booster shot and how it can help protect you from the virus. We’ll also discuss the potential side effects and how to make sure you’re getting the most out of your booster shot. So, if you’re considering taking a COVID booster shot, read on to learn more about what it can do for your body.
What Taking a COVID Booster Does to Your Body
As the world continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are wondering if they should get a COVID booster shot. While the vaccine is still relatively new, there is a lot of research being done to understand the effects of the booster shot on the body. Here’s what you need to know about the potential benefits and risks of taking a COVID booster.
What Is a COVID Booster?
A COVID booster is a second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. It is designed to boost the body’s immune response to the virus and provide additional protection against the virus. The booster shot is typically given four to six weeks after the initial dose of the vaccine.
What Are the Benefits of Taking a COVID Booster?
The primary benefit of taking a COVID booster is that it can help protect you from getting sick with COVID-19. Studies have shown that the booster shot can increase the effectiveness of the vaccine by up to 90%. This means that if you get the booster shot, you are much less likely to get sick with COVID-19 than if you had not received the booster.
The booster shot can also help reduce the severity of symptoms if you do get sick with COVID-19. Studies have shown that people who have received the booster shot are less likely to experience severe symptoms if they do get sick with the virus.
What Are the Risks of Taking a COVID Booster?
The most common side effects of taking a COVID booster are mild and include pain, redness, and swelling at the injection site. Other side effects may include headache, fatigue, muscle aches, and fever. These side effects are usually mild and should go away within a few days.
In rare cases, people may experience more serious side effects after taking a COVID booster. These side effects may include anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction that can be life-threatening. If you experience any of these symptoms after taking a COVID booster, seek medical attention immediately.
Should I Get a COVID Booster?
The decision to get a COVID booster is a personal one. It is important to talk to your doctor about the potential benefits and risks of taking a COVID booster before making a decision. Your doctor can help you decide if a COVID booster is right for you.
In the last six weeks, FDA has granted emergency use authorization to COVID booster shots by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson. An estimated 70 million people are in the groups eligible for a booster. If that includes you, you might be wondering what to expect. Here’s what getting a COVID booster shot does to your body. Read on to find out more—and to ensure your health and the health of others, don’t miss these Sure Signs You May Have Already Had COVID.
A COVID booster shot—given at least six months after the Pfizer or Moderna two-shot vaccines, or at least two months after the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine—strengthens your immune system’s response to the virus that causes COVID-19.
Like the first two shots, the COVID booster teaches the body to make the spike proteins found on the surface of the coronavirus, so the immune system can recognize it, fight it, and eliminate it.
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Studies have found that if you originally got the Pfizer or Moderna shots, those companies’ boosters increase the number of antibodies (the immune system’s fighters that find and neutralize disease-causing pathogens) to COVID-19 by about 10 times.
One study found that people who got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, then a Pfizer booster, saw their antibodies rise by 35 times. Johnson & Johnson recipients who got a Moderna booster saw their antibodies rise 76-fold.
According to the company’s data, getting a Johnson & Johnson booster shot after a first dose of that vaccine can increase your protection against symptomatic infection to 94%, up from 72%.
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Getting a COVID booster doesn’t guarantee that you won’t be infected by the coronavirus. It does, however, give you serious protection against severe illness, hospitalization or death from COVID-19.
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As with the initial vaccine doses, some people might experience mild side effects after getting the booster. These are a good sign—your immune system is learning how to fight off a coronavirus infection. (Some people don’t experience side effects, and that doesn’t mean the booster didn’t work.)
The FDA has published a list of the side effects most commonly experienced by clinical trial participants of Pfizer and Moderna boosters. They are similar and include pain, redness and swelling at the injection site, fatigue, headache, muscle or joint pain, and chills.
The FDA said that among people who got Moderna, swollen lymph nodes in the underarm were more common after the booster than after the initial two doses. Other than that, it hasn’t been reported that side effects from booster shots are more severe than those experienced with initial doses.
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Follow the fundamentals and help end this pandemic, no matter where you live—get vaccinated ASAP; if you live in an area with low vaccination rates, wear an N95 face mask, don’t travel, social distance, avoid large crowds, don’t go indoors with people you’re not sheltering with (especially in bars), practice good hand hygiene, and to protect your life and the lives of others, don’t visit any of these 35 Places You’re Most Likely to Catch COVID.