Balmoral Castle
Two weeks before I traveled to Scotland, I took a Covid 19 vaccine. I had covid about 3 months before and wanted to reduce my chances of getting sick on my trip. Traveling through crowded airports was a particular concern. Here is some advice from a weekly nationally syndicated column To Your Good Health, by Dr. Keith Roach. People often ask me about it so I read it and usually agree with his advice. Following that, there is some information on the latest strain going around and vaccine efficacy.
Dear Doctor: Think you might get COVID on a cruise? Booster shot isn’t a bad idea
It would be very prudent for you both to get the vaccine, especially given your risk factors of being over 65, a little overweight and, in your case, mild asthma. Getty Images (Getty Images/David Sacks)
DEAR DR. ROACH: My husband and I will be traveling to the United Kingdom in July and will be on a ship with about 700 passengers. We are wondering whether it would be smart (or unnecessary) to get a COVID booster before the trip. We are both in our late 60s and have had all of the available COVID shots. (The last one we received was on Oct. 10, 2024.)
I have mild asthma, and we both have BMIs of about 30 with no other health issues. There is so much information and misinformation on these vaccinations, so I would appreciate your educated opinion. — O.W.
At the time of this writing, a new strain (NB.1.8.1) is rapidly spreading in other countries and in North America. It would be very prudent for you both to get the vaccine, especially given your risk factors of being over 65, a little overweight and, in your case, mild asthma. You may very well be exposed on a cruise ship, which is where some of the earliest COVID cases came from.
In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration has recently set new requirements on who can get the vaccine, and they have done so without the input of experts — the basic scientists, clinicians and epidemiologists who should all be giving input on vaccine policies. In short, administrators have removed your doctor’s ability to decide whether you are appropriate for the vaccine.
Since you are over 65, you and your husband should still be able to get the vaccine unless the FDA further restricts the ability to get vaccines. For others in similar situations, I recommend getting the vaccine while you still have this choice.
So far, so good.
Updated COVID-19 Vaccines Effective Against New Strains, Study Finds
HealthDay (6/26, Thompson) reports a study published in JAMA Network Open found that updated COVID-19 vaccines “are keeping up with new coronavirus strains and remain effective for keeping people out of the hospital.” The study “examined the effectiveness of the 2023-2024 COVID vaccines against the XBB and JN.1 Omicron variant waves.” Researchers found the updated shots were associated with a 24% lower risk of ER and urgent care visits related to COVID-19; a 29% lower risk of hospitalization; and a 48% lower risk of ICU admission or death in a hospital. According to the study, the “protection stretched from a week after vaccination out to 299 days afterward.” Although results show that “maximum protection came during the first two months after vaccination, reducing severe cases of COVID by up to 68%,” vaccine effectiveness eventually “waned over time, particularly beyond the six-month mark.”
