Should you get a COVID shot now or wait for the updated booster?

(WGN Radio) – With more than half of U.S. states detecting "very high" levels of the COVID virus in their wastewater, you may be feeling like it's about time to get a booster shot. But the current state of things leaves cautious Americans in a tough position: get boosted now amid summer travel plans and widespread infections, or hold out just a bit longer for an updated version of the vaccine?

Dr. Jeffrey Kopin, chief medical officer for Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital, weighed the pros and cons in a recent interview with WGN Radio.

The first things to consider are your personal health condition and your age, Kopin said. If you're 75 or older, or have other health conditions that would make a COVID infection more serious, that could tip the scales toward getting a booster now.

But even if you're perfectly healthy, you may still want to get a vaccine sooner if you're about to embark on a big international trip, or otherwise greatly increase your exposure.

"If our friend wants to get vaccinated a week or two before going on the trip," Kopin said hypothetically, "there probably is a decrease in likelihood of getting infected with COVID should our friend be exposed to COVID – maybe as much as 50% decrease in likelihood if the vaccine has been given a week or two before leaving for Europe."

The timing is key, Kopin explained, because right after you're vaccinated, the antibodies that fight COVID become abundant in your body.

"That time period, that's where the antibodies that would attack the virus from attaching to the cells in that person's body would be at their highest levels, and that can help decrease in the likelihood of getting infected."

The vaccine can help prevent you from getting infected, he said, but it's a short window. After a few weeks, the vaccine is still very effective at preventing serious illness, but it isn't as good at preventing infection outright.

An updated COVID booster, designed to target the KP.2 strain, is expected to be released as soon as next month, though the exact timing isn't yet known. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends most people get it with the annual flu shot in September or October.

Last year, people who got the updated formula (instead of just relying on older vaccination) were more likely to stay healthy and out of the hospital, the CDC says.

Ultimately, whether you get a shot now or wait another month or two is a personal decision, Kopin said. It comes down to how concerned you are about getting sick now, and how serious it would be if you got sick.

"For our older friends, and that seems to be over 75, or people who have chronic diseases – particularly those diseases that would leave somebody in an immunocompromised state ... those folks need to really stay up to date on the vaccines and be careful. But if you're younger and you're otherwise healthy, by now in August 2024, essentially all of us have plenty of immunity to COVID and it's extremely unlikely that we'll get very ill if we get infected with the virus."

Listen to Dr. Kopin's full interview in the player below.

Those who choose to hold off getting the vaccine until the new booster shot have other options to boost their protection from the virus. Wearing a mask while in crowds or public spaces can help prevent you from catching or spreading a respiratory illness.