Boosters Are Your Best Shot Against Variants

Researchers found that vaccines were less effective against what the WHO calls COVID-19 variants of concern.

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By Paola de Varona, Associate News Editor Happy December 1! I personally cannot believe we've reached the final month of 2021. If you get your booster shot or second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine now, you'll be fully protected in time to celebrate the new year. Today's Top Story How Do the Vaccines Fare Against COVID Variants? With the constant rise of new COVID-19 variants, experts continue to question how well the vaccines protect against these new strains. A new analysis published in the journal Lancet Microbe included data from 24 studies to try to determine the answer.   The researchers found that the vaccines were less effective against what the WHO calls COVID-19 variants of concern (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta) than they were against the original virus. They found that antibodies induced by natural infection were less effective against variants of concern, too.   The researchers' models also predicted vaccine efficacy against variants could drop below 50% within the first year after vaccination. Know More Vaccine manufacturers like Moderna and Pfizer are already developing additional COVID-19 vaccines that may improve immunity against variants. In fact, in response to the rise of the Omicron variant, Moderna announced they're developing several booster candidates designed to anticipate the kind of concerning mutations Omicron is exhibiting. Feel Better Experts say these findings emphasize just how important boosters are. As new variants emerge, getting a booster shot is your best form of protection. The CDC recommends you get a booster in light of the Omicron variant. All adults over 18 are now eligible—if it's been six months since your Pfizer and Moderna shots or two months since your Johnson & Johnson dose. READ MORE Yes, COVID At-home Tests Expire With the holiday season in full swing, experts have recommended keeping a few at-home COVID test kids handy to use before gatherings or to help distinguish between the flu and the virus. But make sure you don't leave them unused for too long. These tests have expiration dates listed on their packaging. The shelf life generally varies among different manufacturers. For example, the RapCov Rapid COVID-19 Test can be stored for eight months while the BinaxNOW COVID-19 Ag Card can last up to 12. READ MORE Experimental Depression Treatment Worked For Most People A new method of brain stimulation treatment from Stanford University led to unheard-of remission rates in people with moderate to severe depression. About 79% of people went into remission within just days of treatment. Brain stimulation therapies aren't new. But for this study, researchers tailored treatment specifically to each individual, and they upped pulses per session and frequency, too. This type of therapy is only prescribed for moderate-to-severe depression that has not responded to other treatments, like medication and psychotherapy. READ MORE     In an interview with Verywell, Sheldon Campbell, MD, PhD, FCAP, associate director of Yale Medicine's clinical microbiology lab and professor of laboratory medicine at the Yale School of Medicine, shares why it's important to store your at-home COVID tests properly. Home-use tests generally are stored at room temperature, but that means a relatively regulated room temperature, not the back of a hot car or a car in the winter. Both extremely hot temperatures and freeze-thawing can ruin these kits. Sheldon Campbell, MD, PhD Pathology, Laboratory Medicine   Keep Reading   ■ I'm a Highschool Junior. Make Me Wear a Mask Please. NBC News     ■ The Pandemic's Next Turn Hinges on Three Unknowns. The Atlantic     ■ Counterfeit COVID Masks Are Still Sold Everywhere. The New York Times More From Verywell Are Booster Shots Common For Vaccines? READ MORE 4 Nasal Changes That Cause Sinus Infections READ MORE Are COVID Boosters Variant-Specific? READ MORE   How'd we do? If you have any feedback, send us a note at   feedback@verywell.com.       You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the Verywell Health newsletter. If you wish to unsubscribe, please click here.   A DOTDASH BRAND 28 Liberty Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY, 10005   © 2021 verywellhealth.com - All rights reserved. Privacy Policy