Living with Long COVID: When is it recommended to get the booster?

Posted by jo2 @jo2, Jul 10, 2022

I had a mild case of COVID early March 2022 just before I was eligible for my second booster. I was told to wait 3 months before getting boosted. Now I have long COVID with breathing issues, and my doctor recommends that I not get boosted yet. It has been 9 months since my first booster and 4 months since I had COVID. I am more afraid of getting reinfected than I am of getting the booster. Any one with long COVID getting boosted? I am 72.

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94andhealthy | @94andhealthy | Jul 10, 2022

I had Covid April 21, 2022. I am 94 and was ready for my second booster. I was told to wait 3 months and then take it. I still have fatigue issues and also post nasal drip as you described. I am going to wait as long as I have to for the second booster - at least until some of this fatigue is eliminated and the post nasal drip has not become an issue as it is making me very hoarse when I speak. HMS

Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Jul 30, 2022

Hi @jo2 and @94andhealthy
Like you've been told by your health providers, Mayo Clinic recommends waiting 3 months after being infected by COVID before getting your next booster.
Read more here:
- All about COVID vaccines from Mayo Clinic https://www.mayoclinic.org/coronavirus-covid-19/vaccine-boosters

Also see this article:
- Study confirms effectiveness of COVID-19 booster vaccinations https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/study-confirms-effectiveness-of-covid-19-booster-vaccinations/

Excerpt:
Mayo Clinic recommends getting the COVID-19 booster vaccination five months after you've completed your last dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, or two months after the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. These recommendations also apply to those who were recently infected with COVID-19.

"If somebody has had their primary series and they got COVID-19 infection, they should get their COVID-19 booster as long as it's been five months since their last dose of the messenger RNA (Moderna or Pfizer) vaccine, and they're out of isolation," says Dr. Virk.

According to the guidance above (5+ months since your last shot and 3+ months since COVID infection), you are both eligible for the next booster.

Jo, there may be other underlying reasons that your doctor recommends waiting until your long COVID issues improve. If possible, you can continue to protect yourself by masking, washing your hands often and avoiding crowded spaces especially indoors. Have you talked to your doctor about your bigger concern being reinfection? Can you ask specifically why they recommend you wait?