Booster shots: Experts discuss whether everyone over 50 should rush

Many people eligible for second booster shot don't need to race, experts say Healthy people over 50 can decide when to get an additional Covid vaccine dose based on their individual risk profiles and local transmission levels, some doctors suggest. NBC News

The Food and Drug Administration has authorized a second Covid-19 booster shot for people ages 50 and older, but several public health experts said younger, healthier members of that group don't necessarily need a fourth shot as soon as they become eligible.

"This is one of those where I don’t think anyone needs to race," Dr. Richard Besser, former acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told NBC’s "TODAY" show on Wednesday. "This is one of those things where people should think thoughtfully.

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But Dr. Prathit Kulkarni, an infectious disease expert and assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine, described a sliding scale of vaccination need.

While older adults and those with underlying health conditions should seriously consider the newly available booster soon, others could determine the timing based on their own risks and circumstances, he said.

"There is a difference between somebody who is 51 and otherwise healthy without any major medical problems and somebody who is 85 and has multiple medical problems," Kulkarni said. "Their risk profile from potentially having a bad outcome from Covid-19 is fairly different."

The bottom line is, it depends on individual risk profile: What is your age? What are your comorbidities?" he added. ...

Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, a professor of infectious diseases at the University of California, San Francisco, said  ...if a healthy 50-year-old is eager for a fourth shot, any potential risks of getting another dose are extremely low. ...