Now that federal health officials have laid out a plan to switch out the bivalent vaccine for a new booster this fall, readers have many questions about timing. Specifically, for those who have yet to receive their second bivalent vaccine, should they wait to get the shot until the updated version targeting the now-dominant XBB variants becomes available?
“I’m 73 and have always been in good health,” Doris from New York writes. “I eat right and exercise regularly. High blood pressure, osteoporosis and thyroid disease are all well-managed. I am not immunocompromised. I have had mild covid once. I continue to mask in crowds. Should I get the second booster now or just wait for the fall?”