Your Second Vaccine Dose Is Key Against COVID-19 Variants

• New research shows how important it is to get both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
• A new study showed that vaccine effectiveness rose from 33 percent to between 60 and 88 percent after a second dose, depending on the variant and vaccine type.
• Experts say these findings are encouraging and that as many people should get vaccinated as possible to stop the virus from reproducing.

By now, most of us are very familiar with the new cards issued after receiving our first of a two-dose regimen of the COVID-19 vaccine.

It documents the type of vaccine you received and the date — and it typically has a reminder of when you should get your critical second dose. Yes, you can get the Johnson & Johnson single dose but the vast majority of administered vaccines in the United States have been two-dose regimens.

Recent research confirms that after only one dose of a two-dose vaccine, you’ll only have “a relatively weak immune reaction” against the novel coronavirus.

However, in a more recent study (not yet peer-reviewed), Public Health England (PHE) finds that a second dose does more than shield you from a SARS-CoV-2 infection — it provides powerful protection against coronavirus strains, like the one first detected in India (B.1.617.2).

“We expect the vaccines to be even more effective at preventing hospitalization and death,” said Dr. Mary Ramsay, head of immunization at PHE, in a statement. “So it is vital to get both doses to gain maximum protection against all existing and emerging variants.”