Over three years after the pandemic first started, COVID-19 vaccine boosters continue to be recommended as an imperative public health strategy to reduce the negative impacts of COVID-19 symptoms and disease. The latest booster (Moderna XBB.1.5) is currently recommended to eligible individuals aged 6 months or older as it provides better protection against the Omicron XBB variant compared to past booster doses. This recommendation coincides with the fall and winter months when the prevalence of respiratory illness tends to surge.
Despite the importance of vaccine boosters there are very few simple and accessible resources that explain how vaccine boosters work and why they are important. To address this need, South Riverdale Community Health Centre (SRCHC) developed an animation video to efficiently explain in plain language how vaccine boosters work to strengthen your immune system, why they are important and how they can be accessed.
The video also describes four main factors which impact if and when a booster dose is needed. These factors are considered by public health experts and knowledge of them may assist you in understanding why public health guidelines change frequently for some germs, such as COVID-19. The four factors are as follows:
- How long the original dose produced immunity in your body
- How often new strains are identified
- How many people are likely to be exposed to the germ
- How your immune system is working
The video was specifically developed to be universally applicable to all vaccine boosters, including COVID-19 booster doses and annual flu shots. Therefore, we hope that it will serve as a timeless educational resource for individuals seeking accurate information related to vaccine boosters, as well as a tool for primary care providers to educate their clients on the importance of booster doses.
French and Chinese (Simplified) subtitles are available to increase the usability of this resource.
The video may be viewed below or on the SRCHC YouTube channel.