The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) is advising all fully vaccinated Delawareans 18 and older to get a booster dose of Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccines.
Originally, eligibility was limited to individuals 65 and older and those 18-64 with underlying health conditions or occupational or residential risks of exposure to Covid-19. Booster doses were already approved for anyone who initially received J&J, two months after their original vaccine.
Evidence from clinical studies show that boosters do not merely top off immunity, but elevate protection well beyond peak levels from the primary series.
Some experts say the elevated levels of protection can be as high as 95%, according to a Delaware Division of Public Health release.
The same study showed an 85% reduction in hospitalization, 76% reduction in severe disease, and 94% reduction in deaths in those who received a booster dose, a DPH release stated.
Boosters became recommended after some evidence of waning immunity over time, especially as the Delta variant surged.
“We applaud the latest federal action to make all adults eligible for a booster vaccine,” said DPH Director Dr. Karyl Rattay. “Covid-19 cases are again rising and having this tool in our arsenal can help us in holding off another winter surge that could come with people gathering inside more often as the weather turns colder.”
Dr. Rattay says, ultimately, the most effective step continues to be for more people to get their first and second doses of the vaccine as over 75% of current Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations are among people who have not yet been vaccinated.
For more information on second, third and booster doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, visit de.gov/boosters.
Covid-19 vaccines have undergone and will continue to undergo the most intensive safety monitoring in U.S. history. This monitoring includes using both established and new safety monitoring systems, DPH noted.
