As new COVID-19 strains emerge, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises people get updated booster shots. But when is the best time to get a booster if you have had the virus or been fully vaccinated?
Developing Immunity
The CDC recommends delaying boosters until three months after contracting the coronavirus. Yet multiple infectious disease doctors suggest waiting at least six months to a year after infection, depending on age, risk factors for serious illness and tolerance for illness. Getting boosters too soon diminishes people’s long-term immunity, says Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease physician and professor of medicine at San Francisco General Hospital.
