Elon Musk casts doubt on whether a 2nd COVID booster helps or hurts. Here's what studies show.

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Source: Yahoo! News

Elon Musk casts doubt on whether a 2nd COVID booster helps or hurts. Here’s what studies show.

Rebecca Corey·Writer and Reporter
Thu, January 12, 2023 at 4:26 PM EST·4 min read

Twitter owner and CEO Elon Musk waded into a discussion about COVID-19 boosters in a tweet on Wednesday, with the billionaire claiming that it “isn’t clear whether, all things considered, a second booster helps or hurts.”

Despite a surge in COVID-19 cases nationwide and waning immunity against the disease, Musk’s remark comes at a time when less than 40% of people age 65 and older have received a bivalent booster, according to the CDC, with officials blaming misinformation for the low number of vaccinations.

Is a second COVID-19 booster effective?

Updated bivalent boosters designed to protect against both the original coronavirus strain and circulating Omicron variants became available in September for people 12 and older, in October for children 5-11 and in December for children 6 months to 4 years old who completed the Moderna vaccine primary series.

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“Evolving evidence from studies suggests that additional protection of the most vulnerable populations, at least for several months, is likely to be achieved through administration of a second booster dose, although follow-up time for these studies is limited,” the statement continued.

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Read more: https://news.yahoo.com/elon-musk-casts-doubt-on-whether-a-2nd-covid-booster-helps-or-hurts-heres-what-studies-show-212606690.html