The Pfizer Booster and Vaccine for COVID-19 brings uplifting news and hope to America’s young and old. Additionally, two recent announcements make it more likely that the hesitant shot-taker will soon choose to be vaccinated.
• Firstly, on Monday, August 23, the FDA validated and provided full approval to the Pfizer Vaccine.
• Secondly, Pfizer has released plans for the third dose, the Booster. Hurrah!
Pfizer Booster and Vaccine: Full Approval
It’s Here! Full Approval For the COVID-19 Vaccine. So, Celebrate By Taking the Jab.
Both announcements excite and generate hope for the demise of COVID-19. The certification and “full approval” of Pfizer’s Vaccine is a long-awaited dream come true. The certification marks it as “the first covid-19 vaccine to transition from an emergency authorization status to full FDA approval.”
FLASS Adds Congratulations For Pfizer Booster and Vaccine FDA APPROVAL
We at FLASS add our congratulations for a notable achievement. This milestone adds credence to the already accepted fact that virus injections are our best hope for the eradication of the COVID virus. We know the fear of the unknown has prevented many individuals from taking the strongest prevention available, the vaccine. Much of the concern relates to imagined side effects, Internet chatter, and unfounded claims about side effects.
U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy made this prediction on ABC’s “This Week” Sunday. “Full approval may “tip” some fence-sitters towards taking the shot, and prompt more workplaces and schools to move forward on requirements.”
Booster Not Available For Johnson and Johnson Vaccine
The CDC, additionally added, that “Third shots are only necessary for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines so far.” It seems that Johnson & Johnson is still conducting research on whether their vaccine will require a booster.”
New Pfizer Booster: Now a Reality
Because the Pfizer Booster is big news, our FLASS blog devotes our primary attention to it. The newness of the booster has promoted many questions. Therefore, we hope to answer some of these concerns in this blog.
The availability of the Pfizer Booster was originally scheduled for September. However, it arrived the last week in august for some Americans.
One of the questions everyone is asking is “Why do we need a booster?”
Pfizer Booster: Who Needs It?
If I have already had both Pfizer injections, why do I need another? This question has at least two answers.
1. Firstly, individuals with compromised immune systems may not have accumulated sufficient protection for the first two shots. At least this is the opinion of researchers and the CDC.
Therefore, those persons with compromised immune systems and previous COVID-19 vaccinations are considered most susceptible to COVID and the variations. In fact, many are already being given the shot.
In fact, booster shots are already available in many pharmacies across America.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) endorsed the booster. They stated that the “use of an additional dose of COVID-19 vaccine for people with moderately to severely compromised immune systems after an initial two-dose vaccine series was suggested.
This official CDC recommendation read as follows:
“Emerging data suggest some people with moderately to severely compromised immune systems do not always build the same level of immunity compared to people who are not immunocompromised. In addition, the recommendation added, “fully vaccinated immunocompromised people have accounted for a large proportion of hospitalized breakthrough cases (40-44%).”
2. Do I Need the Booster if I’m Not Immune Deficient?
Stay Calm And Quarantine If You Are Exposed.
Yes. Get the booster injection 8 months after receiving your second shot. This is the point the original vaccine is expected to wear out and provide less protection.
According to CDC, all Americans should get a COVID-19 booster shot. This statement applies to all persons that received the two-dose mRNA COVID-19 vaccinations.
Who is First to Get the Additional Vaccine?
Those who will have priority for the booster are those who need it most. This includes those who have:
- “Been receiving active cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood.”
- Received an organ transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system.
- Received a stem cell transplant within the last 2 years or are taking medicine to suppress the immune system.
- Moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency (such as DiGeorge syndrome, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome).
- Advanced or untreated HIV infection. Active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress your immune response.
People should talk to their healthcare provider about their medical condition, and whether getting an additional dose is appropriate for them.
Injections: Questions and Answers
Pulmonary Doctors Are Seeking New Cures and Preventative Meds Every Day.
Below, we have included additional questions and answers that are commonly asked.
1. Will the Booster Injection Be the Same Original Pfizer or Moderna Vaccine Doses?
Yes, the Pfizer and Moderna booster shots will be the same as the first and second doses that you already received. However, the companies are also testing other formulations of their vaccines, which are being engineered to target specific variants.
2. Will there be a Johnson and Johnson Booster?
Most probably. Public health officials anticipate that booster shots will be needed for those who received the single-dose J&J vaccine.
However, the J&J vaccine came out later. Additionally, it was not available across the U.S. until March. For that reason, health officials are waiting on more data on the effectiveness of the J&J shot before deciding on boosters.
The surgeon reported, “With those data in hand, we will keep the public informed with a timely plan for J&J booster shots.”
3. Where Can I Get the Injection?
The White House recently answered this question.
“The shots should be administered to fully vaccinated adults eight months after they received their second dose…” And will be available “to Americans at 40,000 local pharmacies and another 40,000 approved vaccination sites.”
4. Is the Shot Effective With the Delta Variant?
One of the CDC’s latest studies cuts to the core of this question. The actual wording of CDC officials states that “Vaccine effectiveness in protecting frontline workers decreased nearly 30 percentage points since the delta variant became the dominant strain.”
However, even the decreased effectiveness of the vaccine offers significant protection. As the old saying goes, “A Bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.”
FLASS Urges You, Get Your Shots
Keep Your Family Safe From COVID-19. Then, Mask Up.
FLASS agrees that “Vaccines are our first best hope” for the future. Vaccines.com says,
“The introduction of vaccination programs has led to dramatic decreases in disease, disability, and death from many infectious diseases. This means that many of the diseases that vaccines help prevent are rarely seen.”
It’s time to put COVID-19 in this same category: Rarely Seen. Schedule your Virus or Booster now.
Read more information on COVID-19 and the Delta Variant, please check our previous blog.