As COVID-19 cases continue to surge, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved updated COVID vaccines from both Pfizer and Moderna on Thursday.
The new vaccines are an update from last year’s shots and aim to keep people better protected by targeting a recently dominant COVID-19 subvariant, KP.2, which more closely resembles the subvariants that are currently making people sick.
“They now cover the strain that is the most commonly circulating strain in the United States, and that’s important because our vaccinations from last year, which, while wonderful, were not targeted to these new strains that we’re seeing now,” said Dr. Jodie Guest, the senior vice chair of the department of epidemiology at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health in Atlanta.
Plus, this year’s shots are available earlier than last year, which is a good thing.
“Having them come out about three weeks earlier than last year is actually better for school. Kids are eligible for them faster, and faculty and staff [are eligible for them] faster as the school year starts, and that’s great news,” Guest said.
What’s more, COVID-19 is circulating at high levels across the country, which makes the timing that much more opportune.
The shots are an important way to decrease your risk of severe disease and hospitalization. Here’s what you need to know about the new shots.
The shots are available to everyone 6 months and older.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the shots for everyone 6 months and older.
The guidance for people age 5 and up is straightforward — you can get the updated shot as long as you’re at least two months out from your last COVID vaccination, Guest said.
For children 6 months to 4 years old, it’s important to talk to their pediatrician to get guidance on dosage and timing, stated Guest, as it depends on a few factors.
The new shots should be available within days.
Pfizer and Moderna will start shipping out the vaccines ASAP, and the shots are expected to be available at pharmacies and doctor’s offices within days.
“Most people will be eligible as soon as it hits their pharmacies or their doctor’s offices, which which could be as early as Monday, and that would be the right time to start getting them,” said Guest.
“There’s zero reason to wait unless you’ve had a vaccination in the last two months,” she added. (If you’ve recently gotten a COVID vaccine, you need to wait two months since your last COVID shot to get this new shot.)
As for those who recently had COVID, some guidelines say you can wait three months after your infection to get the new COVID booster (but you do not have to).
If you don’t know when you’re eligible for your COVID vaccine, it’s best to talk to your primary care doctor. They can look at your health history to determine when you should get the jab.
Lots of people have COVID right now, and if you get sick, it’s important to take precautions.
If it seems like lots of people are either currently sick with COVID or have been recently infected, you’re not wrong. COVID levels are at the highest they’ve been since January of this year, according to wastewater surveillance data.
If you do get sick, it’s important that you follow precautions to keep your loved ones and your community healthy.
“Essentially now they’re doing COVID isolation similar to all respiratory viruses … so, if you have symptoms [or] you have a fever, you should stay home until [the symptoms] are improving and also that you’re fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication,” Dr. Donald Dumford, an infectious disease physician at Cleveland Clinic Akron General in Ohio, previously told HuffPost.
After isolating, wear a tight-fitting mask for five days when you’re out in public so you can keep the virus from spreading.
Washing your hands, wearing a mask in public and gathering in outdoor spaces can help you stay healthy, too, as we head into fall respiratory virus season — as can getting this new shot.
“These were approved almost a month earlier than they were last year, and so now is the right time to get it, because being vaccinated is our biggest way to prevent severe illness and death from COVID,” Guest said.
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