Is it a good idea for two-dose vaccinated people to get a third dose? I know there won’t be an “official” Very Serious Person answer to this question for a while, but I’m interested in knowing the best course of action to take as an individual now, given the info we have.
“Pfizer and BioNTech have seen encouraging data in the ongoing booster trial of a third dose of the current BNT162b2 vaccine. Initial data from the study demonstrate that a booster dose given 6 months after the second dose has a consistent tolerability profile while eliciting high neutralization titers against the wild type and the Beta variant, which are 5 to 10 times higher than after two primary doses.”
Given the above, I’d probably try to get a third dose right away, except that I’m unsure about:
If there are any negative side effects to “eliciting high neutralization titers” (e.g., chance that your body overreacts to COVID if you’re infected, cytokine-storm-style)
How well the above results might translate to people who get a booster 3-4 months after the second dose (instead of 6 months after). I’d guess that they probably transfer to some extent, but I also wouldn’t want to impair the optimal immune response I could get by taking a third dose too early (e.g., if 6 months is the optimal delay for getting the third dose)
Would greatly appreciate anyone’s input on the above!
Is it a good idea for two-dose vaccinated people to get a third dose? I know there won’t be an “official” Very Serious Person answer to this question for a while, but I’m interested in knowing the best course of action to take as an individual now, given the info we have.
The most relevant data I’ve seen on third dosing is from Pfizer: https://cdn.pfizer.com/pfizercom/2021-07/Delta_Variant_Study_Press_Statement_Final_7.8.21.pdf?IPpR1xZjlwvaUMQ9sRn2FkePcBiRPGqw
“Pfizer and BioNTech have seen encouraging data in the ongoing booster trial of a third dose of the current BNT162b2 vaccine. Initial data from the study demonstrate that a booster dose given 6 months after the second dose has a consistent tolerability profile while eliciting high neutralization titers against the wild type and the Beta variant, which are 5 to 10 times higher than after two primary doses.”
Given the above, I’d probably try to get a third dose right away, except that I’m unsure about:
If there are any negative side effects to “eliciting high neutralization titers” (e.g., chance that your body overreacts to COVID if you’re infected, cytokine-storm-style)
How well the above results might translate to people who get a booster 3-4 months after the second dose (instead of 6 months after). I’d guess that they probably transfer to some extent, but I also wouldn’t want to impair the optimal immune response I could get by taking a third dose too early (e.g., if 6 months is the optimal delay for getting the third dose)
Would greatly appreciate anyone’s input on the above!
See also this question, which asks the same question and comes with a $1000 bounty for the best answers: https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/fBGzge5i4hfbaQZWy/usd1000-bounty-how-effective-are-marginal-vaccine-doses