The FDA is deciding Friday on whether or not to recommend booster shots for the Pfizer vaccine. Most health experts have said it’s likely that the shot will be approved for those in high-risk groups, such as those who are over the age of 65.
And if the booster is approved, other vaccines, like Moderna, could follow suit.
The outcome could also have wide-reaching implications for immunity overall. Some have wanted a booster to become available to help bolster immunity against new variants, and some places, like Israel, have already distributed a third shot and even a fourth shot.
But immunity is not the same thing as an iPhone battery – when it looks like the strength of the charge is failing, you can’t just go out and get a new one. There are multiple factors to consider and study before determining whether or not the level of immunity towards the COVID-19 virus has gone down.
Antibody levels, types of infections, and hospitalization cases are the areas of study that can help inform immunity analysis, said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, professor of medicine and Associate Dean for Regional Campuses at UCSF on Friday’s Ask an Expert with KCBS Radio’s Holly Quan and Dan Mitchinson.
Studying antibodies is particularly important when learning about immunity, but they aren’t the only indicators of how well our bodies are responding to the virus. “When you get a virus landing on your nose, the first line of defense is antibodies,” he said. “But it doesn’t mean your immune system has gone on vacation.”
Other branches, other cells of the immune system get activated too in order to help fight the virus, “Even if they get in the front gates, they’re not going to get into the house, your body.”
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