Infectious Disease Specialist Questions Infectious Disease Specialist

Do we need the Covid-19 booster?

My husband and I were both fully vaccinated in March 2021 against Covid with the Pfizer vaccine. The day before we were eligible for the booster, we got Covid. We both recovered and now wonder if we need the booster. We also had the flu vaccine already.

Female | 63 years old
Complaint duration: 1
Medications: Me-flonase husband-metformin, cardura, eliquis, farziga, hydrocloriazide,atirvastatin,lisinipril, metprolol
Conditions: Diabetes, obessity, high blood pressure,A fib

3 Answers

Some experts say you don't need the booster, others say you do. I would still recommend you get it, and you don't need to wait.
Thanks for the question.
I will give you two answers: 1) the "Party Line" answer promulgated by the US government and 2) my answer as a life-long infectious disease vaccinologist: 1) get the booster; 2) vaccination booster is not needed because natural infection induces far better immune responses than the vaccine booster. In essence, having contracted COVID, you have been boosted by a whole live virus instead of the RNA of the spike protein alone. The induced immune responses are much more complex, comprehensive and the neutralizing antibodies longer lasting. In addition, you were most likely infected with the Delta variant and you now have immunity to this variant. The vaccine booster does not include delta variant RNA and so there are no delta-specific immune responses generated by the vaccine booster. God makes better vaccines than man. Natural infection is superior to a subunit vaccine like the ones for COVID.
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Controversial issue and no clear right or wrong answer at this time. I personally would get a booster, but not for at least 6 months after you both recovered from Covid-19.

Carl Lauter, MD, MACP, FAAAAI, FIDSA