Central Ohio doctors applaud second COVID-19 booster shots

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Another round of COVID-19 booster shots will soon be going into arms across the country ad millions of Americans are now eligible for a second booster.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control gave its recommendation shortly after the Food and Drug Administration gave the green light to the shot.

However, not everyone is eligible for the shot; only those with weakened immune systems or who are 50 years old and older are eligible for the second booster.

Some central Ohio doctors said this move was expected.

“I am supportive of it,” said OhioHealth Infectious Disease expert Dr. Joseph Gastaldo. “We are having more BA2, it's more transmissible. We really have to pay attention to it and we really have to think about offering another layer of protection to older individuals and those with at-risk conditions.”

The FDA and CDC are recommending a second booster shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines for those who meet the criteria. Gastaldo said this likely won’t be the last round of boosters we see.

“This virus is not going away,” he said. “I get a flu shot every year. We have flu shots recommended for everyone six months and older every year and I do think eventually, when it’s all said and done, there’s going to be a regular schedule or regular cadence for us to receive a COVID booster.”

As for the second booster, both Gastaldo and Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center’s Dr. Carlos Malvesutto expect it will be available to younger populations in a matter of months.

“I suspect that may be a discussion we’ll be having toward the end of the summer and then, at that point, the question will be what will that booster look like,” Malvesutto said.

For those who are eligible now, the CDC said it needs to have been at least four months since their first booster.

“This is great that we have this, that we have the booster, but there’s still a significant portion of the population that has not been vaccinated at all and those are the patients that I worry about because those are the patients I still see coming into the hospital,” Malvesutto said.

The doctors said the second booster should be a no-brainer for some while not as pressing a matter for others. They also said a call to your doctor for a recommendation never hurts.