Is a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot needed? Lehigh Valley Health Network is helping find the answer. – lehighvalleylive.com

Lehigh Valley Health Network announced it is participating in research to determine the need for a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot.

LVHN is part of Pfizers clinical trial to see if a third vaccine shot will be necessary, as variants of the virus continue to spread.

The health network previously participated in clinical trials for the initial Pfizer vaccine, and participation in the booster trial is limited to those who received the COVID-19 vaccine in the first trial.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health are all involved in research to see if a booster is necessary.

LVHN is hosting a COVID-19 town hall on Facebook Live at noon Thursday, featuring a panel of LVHN doctors. You can watch the session here.

Network officials stress that people should get the initial vaccines; vaccines are approved for people ages 12 and older.

Right now, 99% of COVID cases are occurring in those that are unvaccinated, said Joseph Yozviak, DO, LVHN principal investigator for the COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial. The most important thing you can do right now is make sure you are fully vaccinated with both doses of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or the single dose of Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The number of COVID-19 patients in LVHN hospitals is slowly beginning to rise because of complacency among unvaccinated people, officials said. Hospitalized COVID patients are primarily unvaccinated.

Each person who is fully vaccinated is one less person who might get sick and end up in the hospital, said Dr. Alex Benjamin, LVHN chief infection control and prevention officer. The emergence of the more contagious delta variant in the U.S., including here in Pennsylvania, is also a concern and another reason to get immunized.

To find a vaccine walk-in clinic location or to set up an appointment at a vaccine clinic, visit LVHN.org/vaccines, access your MyLVHN account, or call the LVHN Vaccine Hotline at 833-584-6283.

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Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com.

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Is a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot needed? Lehigh Valley Health Network is helping find the answer. - lehighvalleylive.com