Answering questions about COVID-19 boosters with Dr. Abinash Virk

Every Minnesota adult will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccine booster shots by the end of the week — even if the federal government hasn’t officially given the OK. State health officials made that decision based on what they're calling an “alarming surge” in COVID-19 cases.

Is that the right call? Will giving boosters to adults who are already vaccinated really help? Or would it be better to focus on the almost 40 percent of Minnesota adults who haven’t yet gotten a single shot?

Dr. Abinash Virk, an infectious disease specialist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, answered questions about the booster shots from host Cathy Wurzer and Minnesota Now listeners.

Virk said that increasing vaccination rates among those who are currently unvaccinated is the most effective way to fight the pandemic, but administering booster shots more widely will also help fight the current wave of cases by strengthening vaccinated people’s immunity against COVID-19.

Virk has seen the call for boosters undermine some people’s confidence in the COVID-19 vaccines, but she reminded listeners that, big picture, the vaccines are incredibly effective at controlling the severity of the disease.

Is it worth it to mix and match different COVID-19 vaccines between your initial doses and your booster?

Virk said that, in general, it’s best and simplest to just get the same vaccine for your booster that you received for your first doses.

Virk noted that if you got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for your first dose, you may receive some additional immunity from getting an mRNA shot for your second dose. There may be some advantage to mixing and matching the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines as well, but Virk said people who initially received mRNA shots should be perfectly fine following up with the same shot as a booster.

How strong is the natural immunity produced by a breakthrough case of COVID-19?

Virk said that while a breakthrough infection can give you natural protection for some period of time, she still recommends getting a booster shot six months after your last dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Could boosters shots aggravate long COVID? Virk sees that as unlikely.

Why haven’t boosters been recommended for teens and children? Virk said studies simply haven’t been performed with those age groups yet.

Could a widespread push for boosters combined with the drive to vaccinate children deplete the supply of the vaccine? Virk believes the state has an ample supply of boosters and primary doses.

After you get your booster, can you stop wearing your mask? Even after a booster shot, Virk recommended continuing to practice caution by wearing a mask indoors, especially in crowded settings, given the recent surge in COVID-19 cases in Minnesota.

Will we need more COVID-19 vaccine booster shots in the future? Virk said it’s hard to predict whether that will be the case. On one hand, the immunity from this first round of boosters could last longer than the immunity imparted by the initial doses of the vaccine, but on the other hand, new variants of the novel coronavirus could emerge that require the deployment of a different COVID-19 booster.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.

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