The power of COVID booster shots does fade somewhat over four months, but they still continue to provide high levels of protection against severe disease, a new government study has found.
According to a study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna booster shots wane over time, but remain significant in keeping people out of the hospital.
Booster effectiveness against hospitalization during the Omicron surge was 91% during the first two months after a third dose, researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.
What’s more, protection against symptoms severe enough to land you in the hospital remained high, at 78%, four or more months after a booster dose, they discovered.
Protection faded even more in preventing trips to urgent care and emergency departments, falling from 87 percent in the first two months to 66 percent after four months. After more than five months, vaccine effectiveness fell to roughly 31 percent. However, according to researchers, that estimate was “imprecise because few data were available” for that group of people.
The Power of Boosters: Boosted Americans 97 Times Less Likely to Die
Will we need another booster?
Experts were not surprised by the findings since the same thing happened with the first two doses, and stressed that folks need not panic.
While the data suggest that additional boosters may be needed, the findings underscore the