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Bivalent COVID booster appointments are now readily available, but some Americans are delaying their shots in a bid for maximum efficacy.

One of the most common strategies has been to aim for peak protection around the holiday season, getting boosted a few weeks before Thanksgiving, for instance. And those with fall travel plans have thought about taking the shots 2 or 3 weeks before heading out the door.

But will that end up being the right strategy? What if this year's variant appears in late November, as the original Omicron did last year, and is highly immune evasive? Will the delayed booster targeting BA.4/5 still protect against infection in that scenario?

Nearly a dozen experts contacted by MedPage Today weighed in on their own booster plans, and there was no clear consensus on waiting versus getting the shots right away (with the exception of high-risk groups, who generally shouldn't delay, physicians said). Head over to MedPage Today to read more about it.