Answers to 4 common questions about COVID-19 boosters

The emergence of omicron has caused many Americans to feel confused about receiving a COVID-19 booster, The Atlantic reported Dec. 8. Here are the answers to four common questions Americans have about getting the shot, according to the report:

1. Is a booster necessary for me? The initial vaccine series still does a good job of preventing people from being hospitalized or dying from COVID-19, but more vaccinated people are becoming infected as their immunity levels wane and more transmissible variants emerge. Boosters decrease a person's likelihood of being infected with COVID-19, and they're essential for immunocompromised and older Americans looking to protect themselves against the disease.
   
   
2. Should I wait for an omicron booster? An omicron-specific booster would be an ideal way to fight the variant, but it's not available yet. Immunology experts are advising people to get boosters now to provide interim protection before omicron's spread peaks, as booster doses have been shown to increase antibodies that can combat all known variants. Plus, people likely will be able to receive a booster now and an omicron-specific one later, once it becomes authorized.
   
   
3. Won't side effects get worse if we're getting booster shots often? Public health experts are unsure how often Americans will be getting COVID-19 boosters in the future, but they're optimistic that a third dose could provide sufficient protection for the long term. Booster side effects are similar to those experienced during the initial vaccination series. Serious events, such as blood clots and myocarditis, are rare, and physicians say the risk of getting COVID-19 without a booster outweighs the risk of one of these events.
   
   
4. Should I be getting boosted when millions of people around the world haven't even gotten their first dose? Refusing a booster in the U.S. doesn't inject a vaccine into someone in a different country. Getting a booster will help the U.S. experience milder outbreaks, as boosters make people unwelcoming hosts to the virus and reduce its ability to spread.