A new generation of vaccines and boosters against SARS-CoV-2 may take a page from the anti-influenza playbook, with shots periodically tailored to target the most commonly circulating virus strains.
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Articles on Booster shot
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Boosters and vaccinating children mean we’re relying on two pharmaceutical companies to supply Australia’s COVID vaccines. That needs to change.
Research suggests that too-frequent immunizations may lead to a phenomenon called “immune exhaustion.”
Flu vaccines will soon be available. And this year, you can get your COVID shot at the same time.
It’s too soon to recommend booster shots for younger children. But we can watch what’s happening in the US, where children as young as 12 are receiving theirs.
Studies suggest seniors without the booster shot run a higher risk of infection and hospitalization from the omicron variant.
If you or your child test positive for COVID, you clearly can’t go to that vaccination or booster appointment you had booked this week. So, when can you go?
Even with a variant like Omicron that may be more transmissible than earlier variants, vaccines remain the most effective tool for protection against COVID-19 and for ending the pandemic.
For a number of reasons, as time goes on vaccines become less effective. So how do researchers calculate how well vaccines are working?
If it’s been six months since your second COVID vaccine dose, it’s time to book in for your booster. Here’s why.
The focus of the government seems to be about how many people can get vaccinated rather than ensuring the greatest protection against severe disease and deaths.
Your body produces antibodies after an infection or vaccine, but these slowly decline over time. New Johnson & Johnson data sheds light on the duration of protection and the need for booster shots.
‘Breakthrough’ infections can happen because of waning immunity or high viral doses. But our vaccines are still excellent at preventing severe disease and death.
You’ll read lots of different figures on this — six months, eight months, more — and that’s because the research is ongoing. We don’t yet have a concrete answer.
It has been six months since the Johnson & Johnson vaccine received emergency use authorization. What does six months of data show about its efficacy, side effects and protection from variants?
Top contributors
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Associate Professor, Discipline of Childhood and Adolescent Health, University of Sydney
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Associate Professor of Biology, Rochester Institute of Technology
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Infectious Disease Paediatrician and Senior Professorial Fellow, National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance, University of Sydney
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Deputy Director, WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza
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Paediatrician at the Royal Childrens Hospital and Associate Professor and Clinician Scientist, University of Melbourne and MCRI, Murdoch Children's Research Institute
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General Paediatrician; Research Fellow, National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance, University of Sydney
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Henry Baldwin Professorial Research Fellow in Health System Sustainability, University of Tasmania
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Associate Professor of Medicine and Geriatrics, University of Virginia
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Dean Faculty of Health Sciences and Professor of Vaccinology at University of the Witwatersrand; and Director of the SAMRC Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand
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Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, University of South Carolina
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Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, University of South Carolina
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Professor of Public Health, American University
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PhD Candidate, Quantitative Life Sciences, McGill University
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Associate Professor, School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle
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Senior Research Officer, National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance; PhD candidate, Australian National University
