It’s spring, the season for sweet strawberries, colorful tulips, crisp vegetables — and a COVID-19 booster shot.

Health experts with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend an extra dose of the 2023-24 COVID-19 vaccine for all people in the U.S. ages 65 and older.

To help sort out the details about the new spring COVID-19 booster shot, Dr. Michelle Barron, UCHealth’s senior medical director of infection prevention and control, answers a few common questions, below.

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Who should get a spring COVID-19 booster shot?

CDC experts recommend the booster for everyone ages 65 and older. In addition, people who are immunocompromised also have been eligible for extra doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to Barron.

Why are health experts recommending a spring COVID-19 shot for older people?

At this stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, older adults are having a tougher time when they get a bad case of COVID-19. That’s not surprising because immune systems in older people aren’t as strong as they are in the young, aside from younger people who are immunocompromised.

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Here are some reasons why medical advisors to the CDC recommended a spring COVID-19 booster shot.

• More than half of people who had to be hospitalized for COVID-19 between October and December of 2023 were older than age 65, according to CDC researchers.

• Even four years into the pandemic, people continue to die of COVID-19, and people ages 65 and older have a much higher risk of dying of COVID-19 than younger people. People ages 75 and older were much more likely to die if they contracted COVID-19 than people who were sick with COVID-19 and were 65 to 74 years old.

• Vaccine effectiveness wanes over time, so especially for vulnerable people, it’s great to give the immune system a boost in combating COVID-19 infections.

If I got my last COVID-19 vaccine in the fall, when should I get my spring booster dose?

“You’ll want to wait at least four months since the last time you had a COVID-19 vaccine,” Barron said.

What if I have recently been sick with COVID-19? Should I still get a spring COVID-19 booster dose?

No, if you’ve recently gotten sick with COVID-19, you should wait about three months.

“You don’t want to get your new shot until it’s been 90 days since your last COVID-19 episode,” Barron said.

What if I want to get the newest COVID-19 vaccine that is expected to come out in the fall? Should I wait for that one?

No, don’t wait for the fall vaccine. Unless you’ve recently been sick with COVID-19, you should not wait to get a spring booster dose. 

Vaccine makers and experts at the CDC are planning for newly formulated COVID-19 vaccines for the fall of 2024. Anyone who gets a booster this spring will also be eligible to get a dose of the newest COVID-19 vaccine this fall.

I hear that the effects of COVID-19 vaccines wane over time. Is that true?

Yes. Even though vaccine effectiveness wanes over time, Barron said it’s still tremendously helpful to get COVID-19 vaccines and booster shots because they significantly reduce deaths and hospitalizations.

What do you think about the newest CDC guidelines that no longer require people to isolate themselves if they tested positive for COVID-19 but no longer feel sick?

Barron thinks the newest CDC guidelines simplify things.

“The message I have for all of this is to use good old-fashioned common sense. If you are sick, please don’t visit a grandparent who is older and vulnerable. Also, please don’t spend time with your friend who is just finishing cancer treatments or visit a brand new baby,” Barron said. “All of those people are at risk for having complications if they get sick, regardless of the virus that we’re talking about.”

What are the basics of the newest CDC guidelines for isolation after a positive test for COVID-19?

Medical experts advise people to stay home and avoid contact with other people until at least 24 hours after they have had symptoms like a fever, bad cough or other signs of illness.

Once a person’s fever breaks, they should still be cautious about exposing others since some people can remain contagious later. CDC experts encourage people to use good hygiene practices like frequent hand washing and wear a mask if they’re in crowded indoor settings. It’s also wise to keep your distance from vulnerable people and take steps to be in well-ventilated areas.

What do you recommend as the right approach if people are sick, even if they haven’t gotten tested and don’t know if they have COVID-19, the flu, RSV or a cold?

“If you feel sick, and you’re coughing, sneezing or can’t eat or drink, you should stay home,” Barron said. “Whatever the cause, if you have a fever, you should not be at work or at school until you’ve no longer had a fever for at least 24 hours without taking anti-fever medications like Tylenol or ibuprofen.”

Katie Kerwin McCrimmon writes for UCHealth. She can be reached at Katherine.Mccrimmon@uchealth.org.