With the surge of Omicron and COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is introducing new tactics to keep the public safe. They recommend COVID booster shots and mask upgrades. 

The CDC advises adding layers of material, wearing a mask with a nose wire, and adding layers of material. The CDC also recommends not combining KN95 masks with another mask. 

Other than upgrading your mask, the COVID booster shot can also help you to stay safe. On Jan. 3, the booster shots were approved by the FDA for teens 12 to 15.

As we know, vaccines introduce a small amount of the virus to your body in order to help build up immunity. A booster shot is slightly different; it’s an additional dose after the initial protection from the vaccine. 

“Typically, you would get a booster after the immunity from the initial dose(s) naturally starts to wane,” wrote Lisa Maragakis and Gabor David Kelen at John Hopkins Medicine. “The booster is designed to help people maintain their level of immunity for longer.”

Just like the vaccine, you may experience some side effects from the COVID booster shot. Maragakis and Kelen explain that some symptoms may include body aches, headaches, and tiredness for a day or two. You may also feel chills, and swollen lymph nodes.

These symptoms may be uncomfortable, but they aren’t anything to worry about. When these symptoms occur, it means your immune system is naturally responding to the shot and building up protection against the virus. 

Depending on your health status and which vaccine you recieved, you should get your booster five to six months prior. This helpful chart on the CDC website can show you when to get your booster. For people 12 to 17 years old, the CDC recommends the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID booster five months after your vaccine shot(s). The Moderna booster is preferred for adults 18 and older. 

“This booster dose will provide optimized protection against Covid-19 and the Omicron variant. I encourage all parents to keep their children up to date with CDC’s COVID-19 vaccine recommendations,” said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky. 

Doctors and medical professionals are recommending booster shots due to the rising numbers of COVID cases, and highly contagious omicron variant.

“Plenty of school systems across the country are holding in-person classes after the holidays, despite the nationwide rise of Covid’s highly infectious omicron variant. On [Jan. 3], the U.S. reported a record single-day number of Covid cases — more than 1 million — according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University,” according to CNBC.

Stay safe!

Photo courtesy of RAWPIXEL.COM