LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- As the holidays approach, health officials are urging vaccinated people to get their COVID booster shots.
The CDC recently opened up the booster shots for anyone 18 and older, and now some local clinics and doctor's offices are seeing an influx of patients looking for the extra shot.
The CDC highly encourages anyone 50 and older or with underlying medical conditions to get a booster shot before gathering with family for the holidays.
Doctors at UofL Health say they're seeing more breakthrough cases and are also pushing for boosters. They worry there will be more breakthrough cases as temperatures drop and more more people gather inside for the holidays. Experts believe the rise in cases is tied to the fact that the vaccine's effectiveness has been shown to decrease about six months after the final shot.
That's why Dr. Mark Burns, an infectious disease specialist with UofL Health, urges people to not wait too long to get the booster.
"Everyone who is eligible to get the booster, they shouldn't wait," Burns said. "They should go ahead and get the booster. Because again, these studies have shown, and actually in our real world experience now, that we're having even more and more breakthrough cases. So it is imperative and incumbent upon people to actually get those booster shots to boost their immunity so they can be protected."
The CDC says people 18 and over who received Pfizer or Moderna shots can get the boosters at least six months after competing the 2-shot series. The booster shot does not have to be the same as the original two shots, so people who got two doses of the Pfizer vaccine can get a Moderna booster, and people who got vaccinated with Moderna can get a Pfizer booster.
People who have received the Johnson and Johnson shot are eligible for a Pfizer or Moderna booster, just two months after the original shot.
Burns says recent studies show antibody levels increase in patients who receive the booster, usually within days or a couple weeks after receiving the booster.
For a complete list of locations to receive a COVID-19 vaccine or booster shot, click here.
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