Covid-19 vaccinations have been remarkably effective at preventing the severe disease from the virus. Covid-19 boosters on the other hand have little science behind the recommendations. Months later, the delta variant has complicated the discussion since the virus has broken through patients who had the Pfizer vaccine over 6 months ago according to an Israeli study of people over 60 years old. Pfizer has been pushing the idea of a booster shot being needed for months, although the Moderna vaccine actually showed higher effectiveness against the new variant 6 months later. Israel who received and dispensed many doses of Pfizer had high vaccination rates but also saw a resurgence with the delta variant. On the other hand, they were given more vaccines by Pfizer for third doses. Was this marketing disguised as important health policies we should embrace? In Israel, boosters are being given to those 60 and older who supposedly had a dropoff of immunity. On the other hand, is the long-term immunity from these vaccines going to be only severe disease prevention as a bridge to natural immunity more safely? If that is the case, unless the virus can fully evade vaccine immunity, we shouldn't require a booster unless the effectiveness of certain vaccines is not very good long term. The vaccines are thought to decrease severe illness. Even with breakthrough infections, the illness was less serious. Many anecdotal reports from NJ hospital physicians suggested the worst cases were those who were unvaccinated. After infection even though you are vaccinated, you would also develop a natural immunity as well due to the breakthrough infection. Why has so little been published about the benefits of natural vs. vaccine immunity? Why hasn't there been more information regarding this acquired combined immunity? Is it because that would not serve the growing business models that can result from the sales of yearly covid-19 boosters? The vaccines were not without risk which has been both with one or two-shot regimens and there have been incidents of certain heart and blood clotting issues in small segments of the vaccinated public. On the other hand, the risk of these same issues is much higher after having covid-19 than if you had the vaccine. Nobody has published anything about these risks being worsened with a booster shot, but then again, the risks appear to be higher for similar problems resulting from natural covid-19 infection in someone who was unvaccinated. Also, the risk of feeling ill after the shot is known. Recently, a close relative who is presumed immunocompromised had a reaction causing fevers and illness for nearly a week. There also have been people who developed shoulder problems when improperly injected into the bursa in the shoulder instead of the deltoid muscle. This begs the question; if the virus changed and immunity supposedly waned, shouldn't a different formulation be in a booster and if you do achieve natural immunity after even asymptomatic infection, do you really need a booster? Check out this article from stat news which talks about some of the risks, pros, and cons of a third dose of the vaccine here.