People who have recently contracted Covid can wait to get an omicron booster

White House Covid Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha said on Tuesday that people who have recently contracted Covid can wait several months to receive a new omicron booster.

Studies have shown that people who become infected with Covid after vaccination have substantial protection against the virus, although the data is based on omicron variants that no longer circulate in the US and immunity wanes over time.

“If you’ve recently had an infection or been recently vaccinated, it’s wise to wait a few months,” Jah told reporters during a new conference on Tuesday.

Jha said that everyone else aged 12 and over should get a booster as soon as possible, especially the elderly, people with serious illnesses, and people with weak immune systems.

Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention authorized boosters targeting the dominant omicron BA.5 subvariant. Individuals aged 12 years and older are eligible to receive a new shot at least two months after completing their main two-dose series or last booster with old vaccines.

According to CDC guidance, people who are vaccinated and have recently contracted Covid can wait three months to get their next shot. Research has shown that waiting months for stimulation after exposure can lead to a stronger immune response to the vaccine, according to the CDC.

Jah told reporters in July that breakthrough infections in people who are vaccinated have become more common as the omicron BA.5 variant became the dominant form of Covid during the summer. Jha said at the time that Omicron BA.5 is the most infectious and non-susceptible form of the virus.

It’s unclear how long people are protected after recovering from a BA.5 infection, Jha said in July. Previously, the CDC thought the infection provided about 90 days of protection, although people were more likely to get reinfected before then, Jha said.

Data from Clinical trials of Omicron BA.1 vaccinations from Moderna showed that people with a previous infection who received a booster had the strongest immune response. This means that people who were previously infected and received an Omicron booster may have longer-term protection against Covid. according to the presentation from last week’s CDC committee meeting on vaccinations.

According to a study published in New England Journal of Medicine Weill Cornell Medicine in Qatar. People who received two doses and contracted Covid were more than 50% protected from infection.

But the study may not apply well to the US because Qatar’s population is much younger: just 9% of its residents are aged 50 or over, compared to more than a third of all Americans. Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 are also no longer circulating in the US. However, the currently predominant BA.5 variant is very similar to the earlier ones.

HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said Tuesday that public health officials are particularly focused on getting people aged 50 and over to get a raise this month.

The CDC approved a fourth dose of the older vaccines in March for this age group. The fourth dose was approximately 56% effective in preventing hospitalization due to omicron AD.5 four months after vaccination. according to the CDC.

U.S. health officials believe the new boosters will provide stronger and longer-lasting protection against Covid, as the vaccines target the omicron BA.5 variant, while older vaccines were developed against the original strain of the virus that emerged in Wuhan, China, in 2019.