If you are already fully vaccinated, you may be wondering whether or not you should receive the COVID-19 booster. The answer is yes. The vaccine is our best chance to eradicate the COVID virus and end the pandemic. A booster shot gives you further immunity as new variants emerge.

AFC Urgent Care Louisville provides COVID-19 testing to all patients on an appointment basis. Knowing you are sick with COVID can help stop the spread, so you don't share it with others. AFC Louisville also provides a vaccine clinic to help patients receive their vaccines. Do your part to stop the spread today.

Why Do I Need a Booster?

Patients are eligible for their booster vaccine six months after becoming fully vaccinated. Receiving your booster helps maintain immunity against COVID since general vaccination wanes over time. Additionally, those who are boosted have weakened symptoms and have less chance of spreading the virus to others. This is especially helpful if you're in a household with children who aren't eligible for the vaccine.

Omicron has been so easily spread because of its ability to evade some immune response. Getting boosted adds another level of protection.

Does Omicron Give You Immunity?

While getting Omicron does give you some level of immunity, this mentality is not beneficial to the greater good of the pandemic. Immunity from getting the variant also wanes after time, and you will need to get boosted anyway to protect yourself further.

Getting Omicron, too, increases a patient's chance of developing long-term COVID symptoms. So far, this has included neurologic deficits, such as brain fog, memory issues, and fatigue. There is no proven way to treat these side effects, and it could be a significant problem later on. Avoid these side effects and get vaccinated.

Are There Any Known Side Effects of the Vaccine?

Since the vaccine has been dispersed for over a year now, the side effects we've seen are mostly short-term. These occur within a day of the injection and include general symptoms like muscle fatigue or soreness. 

There have been extremely rare reports of severe side effects from the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. A blood-clotting complication has been found in some patients within a few weeks of receiving this vaccine, though again, it is very rare.

Those who were some of the first to receive the vaccine are under a two-year observation to monitor for any long-term side effects. Trials began in late 2020 and early 2021, so they are still underway.