What is the difference between a third dose and a COVID booster?

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Booster dose of COVID-19 vaccines could be available this fall, depending on what data is available and what sentence is said to be made by government officials. The third doses, on the other hand, are already available for people with weakened immune systems. Therefore, wis the difference?

The difference, in medical terminology, is that it happens with a reinforcementtime, usually a year or more, after getting the vaccine and developing immunity. The idea of ​​a booster is to “boost” your immunity as it begins to fade.

On the other hand, a vaccine can first be administered in a series of doses. Two-dose COVID vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) are not the only ones administered in series. There are also many childhood vaccines: according to the CDC Vaccine Schedule, the shot against measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) requires two doses, rotavirus requires two or three, polio requires three and there are many more. Babies develop their immune system, so they often require more doses than an older child or adult. Children receiving the flu vaccine for the first time should receive two doses, while those who have had it before or who are over 8 years old when they are first vaccinated against the flu can go with a single dose.

Once your body has had a chance to establish immunity to a vaccine, the primary series is considered over. If you later need another dose of the same vaccine, that it is a reinforcement. For example, you should get a shot against the tetanus (or Tdap) every 10 years. People vaccinated against meningitis you may need reinforcement shots every few years if they are in a high-risk group.

The extra feature of COVID for people with weakened immune systems is considered a third dose of the primary vaccine series, as two doses are not always enough to provide protection. After getting the first two doses three or four weeks apart (depending on whether it was Pfizer or Moderna), the third dose is given four weeks after the second.

On the other hand, boosters could be offered six months or a year after the initial vaccination, regardless of whether the initial series was two-dose or three-dose. (Uuntil recently, had the reinforcement discussion mainly centered around mRNA vaccines, however impellers from OJ&J non-shot vaccine it may be on the horizon as well.) The idea is that the original series of shots provided you with good protection, and as that protection fades, your immune system may need a boost.

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