According to President Biden's announcement, Americans who received an mRNA vaccine against COVID-19 in late September may be eligible to receive a third shot to increase their immune response to the virus.
The Washington Post reports that part of the reason is preemptive. There's preliminary evidence that a third shot will keep vaccinated people from becoming immune to the coronavirus, protect them against the deadly delta variant, and increase protection against COVID-19. This graphic is a basic representation of what a third vaccine might do for your immune system. It was created by Peter Hotez, a Baylor College of Medicine pediatrician. Hotez is also renowned as virologist and molecular virology expert.
In case it's helpful or illustrative, I modified a graph to explain the rationale for the third "booster" mRNA immunization pic.twitter.com/rk4InUnt4D Prof Peter Hotez MD PhD (@PeterHotez) August 18, 2021
There are some caveats. This graph isn't the most scientific in the world. Hotez clarifies in the Twitter thread that the axes show a generalized pattern showing how the immune system changes over time. Don't be alarmed that the graph below shows that your immune response to COVID-19 has fallen to near-bupkis eight months after your second shot. This is not how it actually happens.
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It should also be noted that this graph is only a rough estimate. The adaptive immunity does not drop to zero after the 2nd mRNA vaccinations. However, there are still strong immune responses. This graph shows the potential benefits Prof Peter Hotez MD PhD (@PeterHotez). August 18, 2021
The biggest problem is that scientists still aren't convinced booster shots are necessary. Nature News earlier this month reported that experts warn that data suggesting booster shots are soon necessary is incomplete, inconclusive or inconsistent.
These hesitations make it more sensible to give the first round of vaccines to more people before Americans have to triple up. A large portion of the world's population, and the US as a whole, is not yet vaccinated. Many countries, particularly those in poorer areas, are still without shots. This is a stark contrast to the US' anti-vaxxer policies and vaccine hesitancy issues.
The World Health Organization criticized Israel's decision to offer booster shots, but it hasn't stopped Israel offering them. This is a shame considering how many people still require their first doses. It's quite interesting to see the US following suit.
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However, much like the first dose of vaccines which you should have, refusing to get one when it's your turn at the pharmacy won't fix the global healthcare inequalities, but it could put you and your family at risk.
