Should You Get Your Booster to Fight Omicron?

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The latest COVID-19 question that people are legitimately (and not unreasonably) asking is: Should I wait on my booster to get an omicron-specific shot?

I’ve put together the reasons given by experts why the answer to this is, in fact, a resounding no. You should get your booster, if available to you, as soon as you are eligible.

Here’s why:

Delta is Still Dominant

Omicron may outcompete delta to become the dominant global variant over the next few months.

Some virologists expect this to happen. Some are less sure. We don’t know yet.

But here’s a basic fact: If you live anywhere other than parts of southern Africa, you are still far more likely to be exposed to delta than omicron.

We already know the boosters work against delta. Delta should be your primary concern for right now.

We Don’t Know If We Will Need an Omicron-Specific Vaccine

Vaccine manufacturers also researched a specific vaccine against delta. However, delta has not been sending swathes of vaccinated people to the hospital. It turned out that two shots of the original formulation were sufficient to prevent severe outcomes and do help reduce…