Vaccines still effective against variants

DEAR DR. ROACH » I would like to ask you a basic question about COVID-19 booster shots, since no health authority seems to answer it directly. Why should I get a booster if the booster is based on the original alpha version of the virus from more than two years ago? Even if the booster shot were based on the delta variant, that variant passed through a long time ago. I had my two main Pfizer shots last summer while delta was raging, but now that the virus has morphed into weaker variants, the booster shot does not seem relevant or necessary. People are back to doing things in large groups, and if you get the virus, most likely you’ll get just mild, cold-like symptoms. So, why get a booster shot now if it won’t be effective against current variants?

— M.B.

The vaccine manufacturers are working on omicron-specific vaccines, as well as working on vaccines that are intended to be effective for all variants.

DEAR READER » You should consider a COVID-19 booster because it still provides protection against serious illness. People with at least three doses of the mRNA vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna) have more than 99% protection against disease serious enough to require hospitalization. People who have not been vaccinated at all are still dying of COVID, and among survivors, persistent COVID symptoms can be activity-limiting.

At the time of this writing, BA.2 is the dominant subvariant of omicron, but BA.4 and BA.5 are gaining ground.

The vaccine manufacturers are working on omicron-specific vaccines, as well as working on vaccines that are intended to be effective for all variants. Preliminary data on the omicron-specific vaccines show there is incremental benefit. For now, we are left with what we have, and these are still effective.