Mild side effects are a good sign.
Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson have all
obtained emergency use authorization from the FDA in the last six weeks. A
total of 70 million people are thought to be eligible for a booster shot. If
this fits you, you may be confused about what to expect. This is how a COVID
booster shot affects your body. Read on to learn more.
1. It Reinforces Immune Response to COVID
A COVID booster shot, given at least six months after the two-shot
Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or at least two months after the one-shot Johnson
& Johnson vaccine, boosts your immune system's response to the COVID-19
virus.
The COVID booster, like the first two shots, trains the body to
make the spike proteins found on the coronavirus's surface, so the immune
system can recognize, fight, and remove it.
2. It Boosts Your Antibodies
According to studies, if you got your COVID-19 shots from Pfizer
or Moderna, the boosters from those companies raise the number of antibodies
(the immune system's fighters that locate and kill disease-causing pathogens)
COVID-19 by about tenfold.
According to one study, those who received the Johnson &
Johnson vaccine followed by a Pfizer booster had a 35-fold increase in antibody
levels. Antibodies among Johnson & Johnson recipients who received a
Moderna booster increased 76-fold.
According to the company's research, getting a Johnson &
Johnson booster shot after the first dose of the vaccine can enhance your
protection against symptomatic illness to 94 percent, up from 72 percent.
3. It Doesn't Make You Invincible
Getting a COVID booster does not guarantee that you will not
acquire the coronavirus. It does, however, provide substantial protection
against COVID-19-related severe illness, hospitalization, or death.
4. You May Have Side Effects Similiar to Your Earlier Shot
Some people may experience modest side effects after receiving the
booster vaccine, just as they did after receiving the first dose. These
symptoms suggest that your immune system learns how to combat a coronavirus
infection. (Just because some people don't have adverse effects doesn't
indicate the booster didn't work.)
The FDA has published a list of the most common side effects
experienced by Pfizer and Moderna booster trial participants. Pain, redness and
swelling at the injection site, fatigue, headache, muscle or joint pain, and
chills are common symptoms.
According to the FDA, swollen lymph nodes in the underarm were
more common after the booster dose than after the previous two doses. Aside
from that, there hasn't been any evidence that booster shots cause more severe
side effects than initial dosages.
5. How to Stay Safe Out There
No matter where you live, get vaccinated as soon as possible; if you live in an area with low vaccination rates, wear an N95 face mask, avoid large crowds, don't go indoors with people you aren't sheltering with (especially in bars), practice good hand hygiene.
