You Should Get a Booster Now
As the air gets colder and drier and people in most of the United States move indoors, a winter spike in COVID-19 cases is beginning to materialize. The drop in new infections across the Deep South after a difficult summer raised hopes that the country could get through this winter without another surge. But that no longer seems likely. With less than 60 percent of Americans fully vaccinated, the U.S. remains vulnerable to renewed winter outbreaks. European countries with even higher vaccination rates are experiencing a substantial uptick in infections.
This is why all vaccinated adults would benefit from a booster. People who received the Johnson & Johnson after their first shot. The mRNA vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer yield a higher level of immunity against infections early on, but it gradually over time. For young, healthy people, breakthrough infections are usually mild. But for older people, they can be deadly. And breakthroughs can lead to further spread, albeit less often than infections among unvaccinated people.
