If you’re 65 and up, it’s time to roll up your sleeves, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The agency announced this week that older Americans should get another dose of the Covid-19 booster — even if they got a shot in the fall.
Here’s a closer look at the updated guidance and why some experts are conflicted about the recommendation.
CDC recommends Covid booster for people 65 and up
The CDC’s vaccine advisory panel voted to recommend that folks 65 and over get a second dose of the updated vaccine. The virus poses a more serious threat to this group, and their immunity from vaccines fades faster than other adults: During the first seven months of 2023, the 65-and-up set accounted for 63 percent of Covid-19 hospitalizations and 88 percent of in-hospital Covid-19 deaths, the Washington Post reports.
“Most Covid-19 deaths and hospitalizations last year were among people 65 years and older,” CDC Director Mandy Cohen said in a statement. “An additional vaccine dose can provide added protection that may have decreased over time for those at higher risk.”
The agency also said that older Americans should wait at least four months from their last coronavirus booster — or at least three months from their last infection — to get another shot. For those eligible, the dose will be covered by insurance.
This shot is identical to the one released last fall, which was formulated to target a version of the virus called XBB.1.5. A new booster may be available this winter, so if you plan to get a second dose of the current vaccine, you should do it by June to adequately space out your inoculations, the Post reports.
What experts are saying about the CDC’s recommendation
One issue that surfaced during the debate over this guidance was the problem of vaccine fatigue. Some on the advisory panel argued that the language should be softened — that the CDC should say older people “may” get the shot, not that they “should” get it.
Demetre Daskalakis, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, warned that “more absolute statements around vaccines will create a chilling effect for folks who have not been vaccinated.” There are plenty of people who haven’t been keeping up on their boosters: Just 13 percent of kids received the latest vaccine, along with about 22 percent of adults and 42 percent of those 65 and up, per the CDC.
Others made the case that using “may” is too ambiguous and doesn’t underscore how important these vaccines are.
“I hope that clarity of the need for a second dose may encourage vaccination and protection in both those who have not yet had a first vaccine and those who would benefit by a second vaccine,” Camille Kotton, a panel member and physician at Massachusetts General Hospital, told the New York Times.
