Cincinnati.com: Greater Cincinnati lags in COVID-19 vaccines. So, should you get a second booster?
UC expert says healthy people over 65 should feel comfortable getting boosted
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is updating its recommendations to allow certain immunocompromised individuals and people over 50 to be eligible for another COVID-19 booster if four months have passed since their first. Cincinnati.com reported a handful of the 16 counties in the Cincinnati region lag in the nation in getting boosters, even though most counties lag the nation in vaccination rates. Two counties, Hamilton and Warren, have booster rates just above 50%.
Louito Edje, MD, associate dean of graduate medical education at the UC College of Medicine/Photo/Colleen Kelley/UC Creative + Brand
Cincinnati.com talked to several local experts for a story, including Louito Edje, MD, associate dean for graduate medical education at the UC College of Medicine.
Edje said anyone healthy and over 65 should feel comfortable getting boosted without consulting their primary care provider. But, she added, if there's any question about whether they're at high risk, they should talk to their doctor first.
As for those 50 to 65 years old, Edje said, "We just don't have the data to support everyone getting a fourth dose." But she pointed out that if a person is at high risk for COVID-19, an additional shot is a good idea.
Lead photo/Seth Wenig/AP
Next Lives Here
The University of Cincinnati is classified as a Research 1 institution by the Carnegie Commission and is ranked in the National Science Foundation's Top-35 public research universities. UC's medical, graduate and undergraduate students and faculty investigate problems and innovate solutions with real-world impact. Next Lives Here.
Related Stories
What Is Public Health Nursing? Career path and whether it’s right for you
April 6, 2026
When nurses consider graduate school, many immediately think of becoming a nurse practitioner. But there is another advanced path that is growing in demand, one focused not on treating individual patients, but on improving the health of entire communities: public health nursing.
What is the 'cicada' COVID variant?
April 6, 2026
A formerly rare strain of COVID, BA.3.2, now is showing up in Ohio and 24 other states. Experts say so far it hasn't caused illness any more severe than other strains, but it might be somewhat more resistant to vaccines, as 91.7 WVXU News recently reported. Scientists have nicknamed the variant "cicada" due to its former low profile and current resurgence.
UC opens zebrafish research facility to study infertility
April 6, 2026
The University of Cincinnati is launching a state-of-the-art zebrafish research facility that scientists say could help explain how environmental toxins affect fertility, as WKRC-TV/Local 12 and WLWT-TV/Ch. 5 recently reported.