Seniors over 60 years old should be getting a second COVID-19 booster shot, according to the new White House COVID-19 response coordinator.
Ashish Jha, M.D., on Sunday said that new data out of Israel is “pretty compelling for people over 60” after being asked about the need for people 50 and older to get a second booster shot.
Findings from a study released late last week showed that the fourth dose of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine cuts the risk of infection and severe illness in older adults when compared to a third dose given four months earlier.
It also found a fourth dose provided increased protection against COVID-19 by up to 54% and against symptomatic illness by as much as 64%, respectively, between 14 and 30 days after receipt of the shot. It also reduced the risk of COVID-19-related hospitalization and death by up to 79% and 91% in the same timeframe, researchers reported.
“When people got that second booster shot four months after their first booster, what we saw was a substantial reduction, not just in infections but in deaths, so I think people over 60 should be getting it,” Jha said during an appearance on Fox News.
He added that people ages 50-59 should consider their own risk profile and talk with their doctor before making their decision on a second booster shot.
“But for me, based on the data, 60 and above, I think it’s very reasonable,” Jha said in a separate appearance Sunday, according to a New York Times report. “This is what I’ve recommended to my elderly parents, and that’s what I think people should do.”
