Mi’Chelle Johnson, RN prepares to give a COVID-19 test to a person in a waiting car at a mobile testing site in North Carolina. October, 2020.
© Mike Hensdill/USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY NETWORK
(New York, NY) – Are you planning on getting a COVID-19 booster shot this fall? Some doctors are recommending it for their patients. We’re about four and a half years past the point when the coronavirus first hit US shores in significant numbers. And this booster shot marks the third time the inoculations have been adjusted to match the most dominant strain of COVID.
Just this week, the FDA approved those updated vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer. Also, the federal government plans to relaunch the free at-home testing program — next month. The hope is that this will allow people to conduct testing and determine the risk of spread ahead of holiday gatherings. Plus, as people spend more time indoors amid colder temperatures, respiratory illness is more likely to spread.
Health officials say hospitalization and death rates from COVID have been on the rise recently. Some have called it a “summer surge.” As for vaccination, many remain skeptical of the jab that has not been show to avoid infection — but may lower the severity of symptoms for some people. As of May, just 22.5% of US adults had gotten last year’s updated COVID vaccination. People at risk of severe illness are typically considered the best candidates for a booster.
