A few months ago, confirming full vaccination status against the coronavirus was as simple as showing a card or QR code with proof that the required number of shots had been completed within six months.
But as eence grows that the Delta and Omicron variants of the coronavirus are causing breakthrough infections in people who were once considered “fully vaccinated,” momentum seems to be growing to change the definition of that term to include booster shots.
Now, in a world of multiple vaccines with varying effectiveness, and a variety of mixing and matching strategies, it will soon be harder to say who is “fully vaccinated.” Here is what some health experts had to say.
What is the official definition of ‘fully vaccinated’?
For now, U.S. health officials say a person is fully vaccinated two weeks after a second shot of a two-dose vaccine like Pfizer’s or Moderna’s or after a single-dose vaccine like Johnson & Johnson’s.
They have not (yet) expanded that definition to include a booster shot.
How effective is being ‘fully vaccinated’ at this point?
“It depends on what it is you’re trying to prevent,” said Dr. Celine Gounder, an infectious disease specialist at Bellevue Hospital Center who has advised the Biden administration.
A booster is more effective than just the first two shots at preventing hospitalization or death, she said.
If the definition changes, how does that work?
Like so much else since the pandemic started, expect a period of confusion as a patchwork of local, national and international governments evolve at different speeds.
