![]() ![]() "If you are not yet vaccinated, you are at significant risk from the delta variant," Lloyd-Jones said. That's why the most important advice for people with heart disease and stroke is simple. In the unvaccinated, the disease can require intensive care in a hospital and remains potentially fatal. ![]() That contrasts with the effects of COVID-19. When they do occur, they tend to be mild and people often recover on their own or with minimal treatment. Those potential side effects should not dissuade people from getting vaccinated, Di Palo and Lloyd-Jones said.įirst, those cases are "extremely rare," Di Palo said. "We currently do not have evidence that says it is OK to mix and match," she said.įederal regulators are continuing to monitor the COVID-19 vaccine's connection to rare cases of myocarditis or another type of heart inflammation called pericarditis. Side effects were similar to what was reported with the first two doses and included fatigue, headache and redness at the injection site.įor now, Di Palo said, people getting a booster will need to stick with whatever brand of vaccine they initially received. In authorizing the Pfizer booster, the FDA reviewed data from Israel showing a third dose provided about 10 times the protection against confirmed infection and severe disease compared with people who had two doses. The response from those memory cells is what helps protect against severe cases even if someone contracts the disease.Ī booster dose can help increase the number of those memory cells while also reviving levels of antibodies. "Those memory cells can rapidly ramp up the immune system if we're re-exposed to a virus or to a virus against which we've been vaccinated," said Lloyd-Jones, a cardiologist, epidemiologist and chair of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. Donald Lloyd-Jones, president of the American Heart Association. Eventually, that antibody response calms down.īut the body also has cells that remember what invading viruses looked like, said Dr. Vaccines work initially by safely provoking the body's immune response, which generates swarms of antibodies to attack an invading virus. "Certain viruses require vaccine boosters or annual shots, like the flu, to continue to provide protection and prevent serious complications." Di Palo, a clinical pharmacy specialist and assistant professor of medicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. It's important to keep in mind that no vaccine is 100% effective, said Katherine E. But the vaccines are still effective in preventing serious illness and death after infection. That includes heart transplant recipients, who must take drugs that suppress their immune system.ĭata shows COVID-19 vaccines can become less effective at preventing infection over time. ![]() In August, the FDA authorized a third dose of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for immunocompromised people. Regulators are reviewing the data from Moderna's request to authorize a booster, and Johnson & Johnson's booster is in advanced trials. The FDA and CDC actions apply only to the Pfizer vaccine. Her decision aligned with the FDA but allowed for broader use than a CDC advisory panel endorsed. Walensky issued the recommendations two days after the Food and Drug Administration authorized a Pfizer booster on Sept. People 18 to 49 with underlying medical conditions and adults 18 to 64 at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of their jobs or where they reside, such as a homeless shelter, may receive a Pfizer booster at least six months after their initial Pfizer vaccine doses.ĬDC Director Dr. People 65 and older residents in long-term care settings and people 50 and older with underlying medical conditions should receive a booster at least six months after their initial Pfizer vaccine doses, the CDC said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which sets policy on vaccine use, recommended Pfizer booster vaccines for several groups last week. Martin UW Photography/Moment, Getty Images)ĬOVID-19 vaccines offer protection against life-threatening disease caused by the coronavirus to people with heart disease and stroke, and a booster dose could bolster that protection, health experts said. ![]()
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