Should You Get the New COVID Vaccine? A Primary Care Doctor Shares What to Know
An expert answers questions about the updated COVID vaccine, including who is eligible, potential side effects and when to get vaccinated.
Ahead of the winter respiratory virus season, the updated COVID vaccine is now available, and leading health organizations — including the American Medical Association, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Infectious Diseases Society of America — have issued independent, evidence-based recommendations for who should get the shot.
The four vaccines approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) include three mRNA-based vaccines, and a protein-based vaccine. They target the XFG variant of COVID, the most common variant circulating, which caused a summer surge of the virus.
The FDA approved the vaccine for people 65 and over, as well as younger people who have a condition that increases their risk of severe illness from COVID, however the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has yet to make recommendations.
To help untangle any confusion surrounding the updated COVID vaccines, Health Matters spoke with Dr. Joseph T. Cooke, chairman of the Department of Medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian Queens and an associate professor of clinical medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College.
Explore Primary Care Services at NewYork-Presbyterian
Who should get the COVID vaccine?
Dr. Cooke: First, if you'd like to get vaccinated, always discuss COVID vaccines with your doctor and follow their advice. This year, because of the various recommendations from health authorities, there’s a bit of a gray area for people under 65 who are generally healthy. But based on the latest available data, the four leading, independent health organizations recommend:
- COVID vaccines for children 6 to 23 months and certain risk groups for ages 2 to 18
- Annual updated COVID vaccines for adults 19 to 64
- Annual updated COVID vaccines for people 65 or older
- Annual updated COVID vaccines for people over 6 months with underlying health concerns, like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive heart failure, diabetes, renal failure, or other immunocompromising conditions.
The health organizations also recommend those who are particularly vulnerable – the above 65 group and immunocompromised – discuss getting a COVID booster six months later for added protection because COVID does come in two cycles every year, with an annual summer surge.
Are the new COVID vaccines safe?
Dr. Cooke: Yes. COVID vaccines are very safe, effective and they reduce the risk of severe disease or death across multiple age groups and risk factors. They are safe for pregnant women, and if you’re vaccinated, you’re less likely to spread it to anyone else.
The FDA approved four different shots. Which COVID vaccine is recommended?
Dr. Cooke: All of them are equally effective and safe. If you had a reaction to vaccine previously, depending on the degree of that reaction, you could consider a different COVID vaccine formulation.
They do all act differently. Three of the updated vaccines are mRNA, which teach our immune system how to make a protein that triggers an immune response, and one is a protein-based vaccine, which contain pieces of the virus that causes COVID. Neither vaccine can give you a COVID infection.
“If you don’t want to miss time from work or school, or you don’t want to get other people sick, particularly if you live with or spend time around high-risk people, getting the vaccine is a wise choice.”
What are the side effects of the COVID vaccine?
Dr. Cooke: The side effects of the updated vaccines are minimal, meaning you may get a sore arm or a slight fever afterwards. It will vary from individual to individual, but what I tell my patients is, when you get those types of side effects, it’s because your immune system is working. These vaccines are designed to stimulate your immune system, so you may feel like you’ve gotten COVID or the flu, so it’s not exactly a side effect. Your immune response can mimic an infection.
If you don’t want to miss time from work or school, or you don’t want to get other people sick — particularly if you live with or spend time around high-risk people— getting the vaccine is a wise choice.
If I’ve had COVID before, do I need an annual vaccine?
Dr. Cooke: While there seems to be a kind of baseline immunity from the virus having circulated, COVID is a smart virus. It changes its key proteins fairly regularly. Vaccines are formulated for the variant that is most dominant, which is currently the XFG variant, so it’s important to get one every year.
When’s the best time to get a COVID vaccine?
Dr. Cooke: After getting vaccinated, you want to give 4-6 weeks for the antibody levels in your body to peak. Respiratory virus season peaks in New York in December, January and February, so you would want to get vaccinated in mid-to-late-October. Halloween season could be your reminder.
Can I get my COVID and flu shot at the same time?
Dr. Cooke: Yes, it’s safe to get both vaccines at the same time, and you can get them at a local pharmacy or health care provider. They may one day be combined into a single shot, but for now, the CDC notes that it is safe to get flu and COVID vaccines at the same time.
The health and wellness newsletter you can trust
Featured Experts
Critical Care Medicine