![]() But most Americans haven’t had a vaccination in about a year.ĬAN I GET A FLU SHOT AND COVID-19 SHOT AT THE SAME TIME? The FDA did allow seniors and others at high risk to get an extra booster dose last spring. Recent lab testing from vaccine makers and other research groups suggest the updated shots will offer crossover protection.Įarlier vaccinations or infections have continued to help prevent severe disease and death but protection wanes over time, especially against milder infections as the virus continually evolves. Today, there is a soup of different coronavirus variants causing illness and the most common ones are fairly close relatives. As expected, XBB.1.5 has faded away in the months it took to tweak the vaccine. Health officials are optimistic, barring a new mutant. Novavax’s updated vaccine is still under review. Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax all have brewed new supplies, and the FDA on Monday approved shots from Pfizer and Moderna. The COVID-19 vaccines offered since last year are combination shots targeting the original coronavirus strain and a much earlier omicron version, making them very outdated. The updated shots have a single target, an omicron descendant named XBB.1.5. Similar to how flu shots are updated each year, the FDA gave COVID-19 vaccine makers a new recipe for this fall. On Tuesday, a Pfizer official said his company expected to have doses available at some U.S. For the uninsured or underinsured, the CDC is working with health departments, clinics and certain pharmacies to temporarily provide free shots. But federal officials said the new COVID-19 shots still will be free to most Americans through private insurance, Medicare or Medicaid. Locations will be listed on the government’s website. The list price of a dose of each shot is $120 to $130, according to the manufacturers. The new vaccine will be available at pharmacies, health centers and some doctor offices. Camille Kotton, an infectious diseases doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital. “We need to make vaccination recommendations as clear as possible,” said one panel member, Dr. But other panel members said all ages could - and should - benefit. The no vote came from a panel member who had argued that the new shots should initially be recommended only for older people and others at greatest risk of severe illness. The agency’s panel of outside experts recommended the updated COVID-19 shots by a vote of 13-1. The CDC decides how best to use vaccines and makes recommendations for U.S. Younger children might need additional doses depending on their history of COVID-19 infections and vaccinations. FDA said starting at age 5, most people can get a single dose even if they’ve never had a prior COVID-19 shot. The Food and Drug Administration approved the updated shot s from Pfizer and Moderna for adults and children as young as age 6 months. Here is what you need to know about the new COVID-19 shots: Yet only about 20% of adults got an updated booster when it was offered a year ago.ĭoctors hope enough people get vaccinated to help avert another “tripledemic” like last year when hospitals were overwhelmed with an early flu season, an onslaught of RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, and yet another winter coronavirus surge. Still, experts worry that immunity from previous vaccinations and infections is fading in many people, and a new shot would save many lives.Īccording to a survey last month that CDC cited, about 42% said they would definitely or probably get the new vaccine. Hospitalizations have been increasing since late summer, though the latest data indicate infections may be starting to level off, particularly in the South. The severity of the COVID-19 pandemic has faded, but there are still thousands of hospitalizations and hundreds of deaths in the U.S. Pharmacies and doctors offices can purchase them from commercial markets, meaning that private providers may get the vaccine before government agencies do. The COVID vaccine is now a commercial immunization. ![]() ![]() Rita Bacho, Program Manager, Communicable Diseases & Immunizations. So contingent on when they received this then local public health, such as Deschutes County, would be able to get the allocations,” said Dr. “Oregon Health Authority has not received the consignment yet. You can expect to see them in local pharmacies as soon as next week for kids and in two weeks for adults. ![]() The Pfizer and Moderna boosters were approved by the FDA on Monday. Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention endorsed the new shots for everyone 6 months and older and the agency’s director quickly signed off Tuesday on the panel’s recommendation. The newest version of the COVID-19 vaccine is headed to local pharmacies soon.
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