By now GPs should be well into administering the new bivalent vaccine but some patients will still have questions.
Who should have it?
Everyone over 18 who’s due for a third or fourth shot (i.e. it’s three months or more since the last one).
Is it worth having?
Boosters are critical for getting your declining COVID immunity back to where it needs to be for maximal protection. There will be another surge of cases leading up to Christmas and currently it looks as though that will be BA5 again. The new vaccine generates much better antibodies to the Omicron subvariants than the original vaccine with exactly the same safety profile.
It’s still the case that if someone has a strong preference or a history of myocarditis, they can be given Novavax or AstraZeneca as boosters.
