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Healthwatch: Questions about second booster

Earlier this year the Food and Drug Administration authorized a second booster shot for some people to protect against COVID-19. But who should get these vaccines?

DANVILLE, Pa. — COVID-19 has been part of our lives for more than two years, and it does not appear to be going anywhere. Some doctors anticipate case counts trending upwards over the next couple of months.

"We're seeing the spread of some of the new variants, the omicron subvariants trickling in from New York, where we've seen a lot of cases go up. We're starting to see a few counties in Pennsylvania where that's happening as well," said Dr. Stanley Martin, director of infectious diseases at Geisinger Medical Center.

Dr. Martin says the best way to protect yourself from COVID-19 is by getting vaccinated and boosted.

"Having a booster will help protect you from getting infected. It will help protect you from getting really sick from the infection."

Recently, the FDA authorized a second booster shot for immunocompromised people and anyone over the age of 50. Dr. Martin believes everyone eligible should get a booster shot, but should they get a second booster?

"A large study out of Israel that seemed to show that it did cut down on the risk of complications from getting COVID, the absolute protection from getting infected though was pretty short-lived."

Dr. Martin says the older and more immunocompromised should consider that second booster shot. The second booster shot is given four months after the first one.

You can get more information and schedule a booster at Geisinger's coronavirus website.

RELATED: Here are the latest COVID-19 numbers for Tuesday, May 3

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