CDC director says there's no downside to getting a fourth dose now, and that recent omicron infection also provides a boost for the previously vaccinated.

CDC director clears up confusion on 2nd Covid boosters There's no downside to getting a fourth dose now, Dr. Rochelle Walensky told NBC News, adding that recent omicron infection counts as a "natural boost" for the vaccinated. NBC News

The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provided more clarity on who should — or perhaps should not — consider getting a second Covid-19 booster vaccine, saying that a recent infection may in fact act as a "natural boost" in immunity.

People who have had the two-dose mRNA vaccine series plus one booster don't need a second booster if they recently were infected with the omicron variant of the coronavirus, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told NBC News.

"If you've had omicron disease in the last two or three months, that really did boost your immune system quite well," Walensky said, adding that these individuals could wait another two to four months before their second booster.

In the CDC director's first national interview since federal regulators cleared the way last week for adults 50 and older to get a second booster dose of either Moderna or Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine, Walensky said that there are no known safety issues for those eligible for a second booster to get one now, even if they may need another shot this fall....