by Julie Estlick

Health is often on our minds as we start the new year. In 2022, 这意味着要考虑最新的COVID-19变种以及保护自己和亲人的最佳方法. For some that means a booster shot when it’s time. (If you haven’t yet gotten your primary vaccine series, jump to Why Now? 在第6页.)

疾病控制和预防中心(CDC)建议16岁或以上的人注射加强针. (如果你有中度或严重的免疫缺陷，请先咨询你的医生.尽管人们接种的第一批冠状病毒疫苗在产生对抗COVID-19的抗体方面非常有效, at a certain point protection starts to diminish, 博士解释说. 拉里默县卫生与环境部门的医疗官员保罗·梅尔说. 加强注射有助于进一步“增强”免疫系统中的抗体. 早期证据还表明，加强剂提供了对抗新欧米克隆变种的最佳保护.

他说:“第一种疫苗可以让你的免疫系统产生产生抗体的细胞. “If you re-challenge the immune system, it produces a larger response.”

在科罗拉多州, 如果您年满16岁或以上，并且在6个月以上接种过辉瑞系列疫苗，您就有资格接种加强疫苗, or older than 18 and received the Moderna shots more than 6 months ago. If you got the single Johnson & 约翰逊(J&J) shot more than 2 months ago, you are also eligible. (These requirements are as of December 27, so check covid19.科罗拉多州.gov /疫苗 for any updates.)

值得注意的是，成年人可以选择任何一种增强剂，不管他们过去接种过什么. 美国疾病控制与预防中心建议，任何现有的经批准的COVID-19疫苗都可以作为加强剂(16岁和17岁的儿童除外), who are currently approved only for Pfizer shots). 然而, 一些研究表明，mRNA增强疫苗(辉瑞和Moderna)被批准在美国使用.S.—are more effective than the J&J booster, even if you received the J&J shot as your primary vaccination, Mayer points out. Also, in December the CDC recommended adults receive an mRNA vaccine over J&J due to concerns over rare side effects with J&J.

Mixing and matching vaccines

Medical providers report getting lots of questions about boosters. 特别是, 患者是否应该坚持使用同一品牌的疫苗，还是将不同制造商的初级疫苗和加强疫苗混合搭配使用.

It is really a personal preference, 梅尔说, also a primary care doctor practicing at Columbine Health Systems. “如果你服用了辉瑞系列，你知道它在你的免疫系统中表现良好, then get that booster. The important thing is to get it as soon as you are eligible, so if the Moderna booster is the one available instead, 这样做.”

No matter which booster you choose, be prepared for a possible reaction. 常见的副作用包括头痛、疲劳、肌肉疼痛和淋巴结肿大等. Two-thirds of people who get a COVID-19 vaccine will have some side effects, but the side effects usually resolve within a day or two. That is preferable to getting COVID and potentially suffering worse symptoms, and for much longer, 梅耶指出.

为什么是现在?

As we have seen with the Delta variant, and now with Omicron, 病毒倾向于变异成具有更高病毒载量的更易传播的形式. “突变过程是自然过程的一部分，并将继续下去，”梅尔说. “Our best defense at this point remains vaccination and boosters. Some of the newly approved medicines offer hope as well, though supplies are going to be limited for some months.”

不幸的现实是，接种疫苗的人仍然可以感染和传播COVID, 但如果你经历了一个突破性的病例，你的不良结果的风险要低得多. “这种疫苗在预防因COVID而住院和死亡方面非常有效，它有90%的保护作用，你不会死于COVID,梅耶尔说. “No vaccines are perfect. 遗憾的是，有一些突破性的病例，但总的来说，你最好接种疫苗.”

在本地, 感恩节前后，在uhealth地区医院接受covid -19相关严重疾病治疗的患者中，只有极少数人接种了完全疫苗, according to Ryan Rohman, uhealth Poudre Valley医院和落基山脉uhealth医疗中心的首席运营官. “Across Colorado, 超过80%的成年人接种了冠状病毒疫苗(截至12月底), 但在我们的医院里，我们看到另外20%未接种疫苗的人构成了大多数患有COVID-19的患者.”

Since the effectiveness of the vaccines wane over time, “我们建议接种加强剂，以恢复高度保护水平，防止大多数人患上严重疾病和住院治疗,罗曼说.

A booster not only protects those who have been vaccinated, but it can also add to the immunity generated from natural infection. 这是因为对那些已经感染COVID的人的保护可能会随着时间的推移而减弱, 虽然研究仍在进行，以确定自然免疫通常会持续多久, 即使注射一针疫苗也可以提供额外的保证，让你不太可能患上严重的COVID. 自然免疫似乎对快速传播的欧米克隆变种并不是很有效.

每个人都需要加强免疫的另一个很好的理由是:不再是免疫系统较弱的老年人填满我们的icu. 截至11月中旬，科罗拉多州医院新冠肺炎患者的平均年龄为50多岁. 是的, the parents of kids in school are the ones showing up at the hospital now, which can be traumatic for families.

对于罗曼和他疲惫不堪的工作人员来说，病毒造成的人员伤亡实在是太真实了. “一年前，科罗拉多州向uhealth Poudre Valley医院的医护人员接种了第一剂COVID-19疫苗, 我们迫不及待地想让每个人都接种疫苗，结束这场大流行. 就像我们看到了隧道尽头的光明，但我们仍然在战斗. 仍然在我们的医院里看到病重的病人，他们从来没有想过自己会得这种病，也没有想过病情会这么严重.”

然而, he has hope that with broader access and eligibility to vaccines and boosters, highly effective treatment options, and continued precautions like masking, 距离, 和测试, there will be fewer hospitalizations and deaths.

“Simply put: Vaccines, including boosters, are our No. 这是抗击COVID-19的第一道防线，也是让人们远离医院的最佳工具.”