Is a fourth booster shot more effective than three?

Those with autoimmune diseases may be especially vulnerable against COVID-19, with some more likely to develop long Covid than the average population. A recent study reveals that a fourth dose of the Pfizer mRNA COVID-19 vaccine can be more effective at preventing COVID-19 in patients with autoimmune diseases.

Although the existing vaccines have been effective at preventing serious COVID-19 infections and related hospitalizations, there continues to be a risk in contracting the disease due to the emergence of new variants. In this study of patients with autoimmune diseases, aged 18 years and above with no previous record of contracting COVID-19, researchers compared the rates of infection of those with 3 shots of the vaccine versus those with 4 shots.

Results showed that 25% of patients who received 3 doses of the vaccine developed COVID-19, whereas 11% of those with 4 doses became infected. This suggests that patients with 4 doses of the vaccine were only half as likely to contract COVID-19 than those with only 3 shots of the vaccine. Moreover, the study found that those who received a fourth dose of the vaccine also had a “lower risk for COVID-19-related hospitalization and mortality."

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