I'm over 65. When should I get my next COVID booster? Dr. Mallika Marshall answers your questions

BOSTON - Dr. Mallika Marshall is answering your latest health questions. If you have a question, email her or message her on Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter).

Alice writes, "I heard the CDC is recommending another COVID booster for those of us over 65. My husband and I are both immunocompromised and just had COVID for the first time in January. When should we get another shot?"  

Wednesday, the CDC recommended an additional dose of the updated COVID booster for adults 65 and older at least four months after their first updated booster. Many of us received that back in the fall and the concern is that immunity has waned since then, and an additional dose can protect seniors from severe complications of COVID.

If you've recently had COVID, you can generally wait three months before getting an additional booster because you probably have lots of circulating antibodies right now, and it's unlikely that you'll get re-infected within that time frame. As an aside, people who are immunocompromised have already been eligible for an additional booster.

Dr. Mallika is offering her best advice, but as always, consult your personal doctor before making any decisions about your personal health.  

In:
• Health
• COVID-19 Vaccine
• Senior Citizens

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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