Alternating vaccine doses in your arms could provide best protection, researchers say

BOSTON - When you go get a vaccine, they usually ask you which arm you'd prefer and a lot of us choose our non-dominant side. But a new study finds you may want to think twice before rolling up your sleeve.

Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University looked at the antibody response in individuals receiving the COVID-19 vaccine for the first time and found that those who received their second dose booster in the opposite arm as their initial COVID-19 vaccine experienced a higher spike in antibodies over time than those who used the same arm.

So next time you get a vaccine that requires multiple doses, like many childhood vaccinations or the shingles vaccine, for example, you may want to alternate arms to get the biggest boost in protection.

In:
• Health
• Vaccine

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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