Vaccines are highly effective, so many people wonder: what are booster shots even for? After a few months, the original vaccine starts to weaken, so it won’t be as effective. This is why the booster shot is necessary – it helps prevent the spread of COVID-19, hospitalization, and deaths.

What is the booster shot?

Even though there are numerous ways to help prevent the spread of COVID, such as social distancing or wearing a mask, getting vaccinated is the best choice because it protects you and the people around you. When you get vaccinated, you should wait five to six months after you get your second shot. However, the CDC recommends that children from ages 5 -11 wait 28 days after their second shot to get the booster. Getting the booster will help keep the vaccine fully effective and fight off Covid because after so long, the original vaccine starts to wear out and will not be as effective. By getting the booster, it will build your immune system to fight off Covid. Research also shows that getting the booster also helps protect people from getting the Delta and Omicron variants. The booster shot is another small dose of the vaccine to keep the original vaccine as effective as possible. 

Effects of the booster 

You might experience a fever, body aches, headaches, tiredness, joint pain, and decrease in appetite after receiving the booster shot. Overall, these symptoms are mild to moderate. They might last a day or two, but this doesn’t mean you’re sick. They are a signal of your immune system responding to the shot and building your immune system to fight off Covid.

Who it is recommended for

People 50 or older, along with people with underlying health issues such as heart disease, asthma, children with obesity, and chronic lung diseases, are highly encouraged to get the shot as it decreases disease and hospitalization. The CDC says if you get the booster, you are highly encouraged to get it every four months. People who get the booster are 21 times less likely to die and seven times less likely to be hospitalized compared to those who haven’t gotten the booster. It is also recommended that if you are vaccinated with both shots to keep it updated with the booster.