Does booster shot protect against Omicron variant? Dr. Mallika Marshall answers your questions – CBS Boston

BOSTON (CBS) – Dr. Mallika Marshall is answering your coronavirus-related medical questions. If you have a question, email her or text her Facebook or Twitter.

Mallika offers her best advice, but as always, consult your personal physician before making any decisions about your personal health.

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Meagan asked, “Should I wait to buy the booster until they figure out if the shot will protect the new variant?”

No, don’t wait. Don’t delay. Get your booster now if you qualify. We don’t know how things will progress with the Omicron variant, and there is some optimism that the vaccine and booster will still provide protection. Meanwhile, the Delta variant is still the predominant variant in the US, and you want to protect yourself from it as best you can right now.

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Bonnie wrote on Facebook, “My grandson turns five in January. Should we try his first vaccination with the new variant now? “

You can’t vaccinate him until he turns five, but I hope his parents will by then. In the meantime, the best way to protect him against coronavirus, including the new variant of Omicron, is to ensure that the adults and older children around him are vaccinated and boosted, if appropriate.

Charlie asked, “Omicron is the 15th letter of the Greek alphabet, so is it the 15th variant?”

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WHO used the Greek alphabet to name the new strains of coronavirus so as not to stigmatize the countries where they were discovered. The first one, identified in the UK, was called the Alpha variant. The next version discovered in South Africa is called Beta, etc. You may not have heard of many of the others because they didn’t turn out to be a big deal. They have continued down the alphabet, omitting two letters so far, including Nu, pronounced like “new” and Xi (pronounced “chee”), which is a common surname.