How effective is the second booster? And four other questions.
The first letters with an invitation for a second booster of the corona vaccine will fall on the mat from 26 February. These are approximately 110,000 letters. The recipients are people over 70 and certain risk groups. For many of them, it will be the fourth round of the corona vaccine. Read 5 questions about this second booster here.
1 Who will get a second booster?
People aged 70 and older can now make an appointment for a repeat of the corona vaccine, according to the RIVM. In addition, residents of nursing homes, people with a greatly reduced resistance and people with Down syndrome are invited. There must be three months between this shot and the previous corona vaccine. The invitations are not sent by age, but by how long ago your previous jab was. The injection is given at the GGD locations and, if you live in an institution, by your own medical service. After all, the GP gives the vaccines to people over 70 who really cannot come to the GGD locations and to people with Down syndrome.
For many people over 70, this will be the fourth round of the corona vaccine. The Health Council has advised this second booster shot, because the protection of the injections decreases faster in people over 70 than in younger people. All people will receive a corona vaccine from Moderna or Pfizer for this fourth round. It is not possible to choose.
2 I’m not one of those. Can I still get a second booster?
No, because according to the Health Council this is not necessary. The omikron variant of the coronavirus is less sickening than previous variants. And the contagion wave is slowing down. ‘The expected health gains from a second booster vaccination for the general population are therefore small,’ according to the Health Council.
And the New York Times had good news last week: An analysis of studies shows that the first booster shot provides long-term protection in people up to 70 years of age and people with a well-functioning immune system. Possibly even years.
3 How well does the second booster work?
The report of the Health Council the answer to this question has yet to be answered. There is still little experience with the second booster. In Israel alone, the extra jab for people over 60 and care workers had already started and some figures have already been collected.
The second booster caused two times fewer corona infections and four times less serious corona disease than a first booster alone. But the measurement period was very short, so we don’t know for sure yet.
4 What are side effects of the second booster?
The Health Council expects the side effects to be the same as with the first booster. Just like with the basic vaccinations against corona, these were pain at the injection site, fatigue, chills, fever, headache, muscle pain, joint pain or nausea. With the first booster there was only one striking difference: the Moderna booster vaccine seems to give slightly more minor side effects. According to the Medicines Evaluation Board (MEB), people who are injected with Moderna suffer from pain at the injection site, fatigue and headache and muscle pain more often than with Pfizer. Read more about it here.
For the side effects of the second booster, keep an eye on the website of the side effects center Lareb: https://www.lareb.nl/
5 Do you need a second booster for your holiday abroad?
Many countries have requirements regarding corona. Read more about the measures in holiday countries in this article.
