Hey pals! With the pandemic supposedly tapering off, compromised individuals can now receive an updated booster shot for the coronavirus. This sweet move provides some comfort to those at risk of serious illness if they contract the virus. Some people already got updated boosters last year, but people are catching on that the mRNA vaccines have a history of waning protection within months of administration.
If you’re part of the gang who qualifies, then lucky you because you might be able to grab your second booster this week. Vaccine advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are meeting in a jiffy to discuss the second booster. Don’t worry, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky will give it the ok once they’re finished. They’re not about to force anyone to get a second booster, mind you, but the “permissive” policy suggests that you can get one if you want to.
The coronavirus has come a long way, and the omicron variant has spun off into dozens of immune-dodging subvariants. The Post’s Frances Sellers unravels the threat of these new dudes if you’re interested. The updated booster, a.k.a., the bivalent booster, is designed to target the omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5, as well as the original virus. However, officials say that even though BA.4 and BA.5 are strangers, the bivalent booster works just fine on other omicron subvariants that have been going around.
Hot tip for older folks — you can get a second dose of the updated vaccine four months after receiving the first omicron-specific shot. If you have a weakened immune system, then you can snatch an additional dose two months after receiving the first bivalent shot. After that, you can show up for extra doses at intervals decided by your doctor. But younger folks, sorry to say, eligibility for extra doses remains up in the air and will depend on which vaccine you’ve received.
Bivalent shots are the brainchild of Moderna and Pfizer, plus its German partner BioNTech. The FDA is planning some changes to make it easier to switch to a once-a-year vaccination schedule in the fall. That means they’ve retired the initial mRNA vaccines, which they called monovalents because y’all know they target only the original virus, in favor of the updated shots. Ain’t nobody gonna get those monovalent vaccines anymore!
Peter Marks, director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, implores everyone to get vaccinated, even if you’re young and spry. “Covid-19 continues to be a very real risk for many people, and we encourage individuals to consider staying current with vaccination, including with a bivalent covid-19 vaccine,” Marks said at a news briefing.
The tea is that some old folks would love a second booster, but others have gone ghost. Adept researchers at the CDC have discovered that only about 42 percent of people 65 and older have received the first bivalent booster, which is not a lot. Only 20 percent of people 18 and older have gotten the updated shot. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom and Canada are already offering spring booster shots for vulnerable individuals.
Eric J. Rubin, a member of the FDA’s advisory committee on vaccines and editor in chief of the New England Journal of Medicine, opined that it’s a pretty easy call to get an updated shot given the risks of Covid-19. He finds the vaccine’s good rep among the health department a reasonable strategy.
Federal officials admit that extensive data about the booster is sparse. However, the data shows that the booster could benefit serious illness, but the booster’s durability fades some months after the initial vaccine is given. This report doesn’t sound good. A recently published Israeli study of the bivalent booster made by Pfizer-BioNTech showed that those who received the booster had a 72 percent lower risk of covid-related hospitalization and a 68 percent lower risk of covid-related death than those who did not. Sweet!
If you’re planning to travel to Finland or live there, then know that their people who are vulnerable to Covid-19 are thrilled because an unpainted Finnish analysis discovered that the updated booster reduced the risk of hospitalization and death for people 65 and older. But, as mentioned, it’s not peer-reviewed. Sigh.
Unpublished data presented in February at the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel meeting established that bivalent vaccines have been supplying protection against serious illness in adults compared to people who received previous doses of the original vaccine and no omicron-targeting dose. The jury’s still out on this one, folks!
The FDA is planning to switch to a single annual coronavirus shot for most Americans. That change will occur this fall and is intended to coincide with annual flu inoculations. Sounds like the time has come for us to up our multi-tasking game! The FDA hopes the simplified schedule will encourage more people to get vaccinated. Officials will select a reformulated dose this summer after meeting with outside experts in June. Scientists then will suggest which coronavirus strain is the most likely to be circulating in fall and winter.
Marks mentioned that with this move, the FDA hopes to encourage vaccination by switching to a single annual dose. “This is starting to look like what we do for influenza. It is true [the coronavirus] is not the influenza virus, but we are using that public health model to do our best to select what is likely to circulate the following fall and winter season.”
Older adults, as well as those with weak immune systems, can receive two or more bivalent doses. Families with young children who have not finished their initial vaccine series should have a sit-down with their doctors on the number of shots they should get. The exciting news is that the upgraded shot will be free of cost, regardless of your insurance coverage. Yay!
Everybody gets free shots, even after the federal supply runs out, you can still get free shots if you have public and private health insurance. But if you’re uninsured or underinsured, then you might have to cough up more dollars, and those with private insurance need to ensure their physician is in-network. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, a health policy organization, get ready to dig deep into your pockets.
Want to know which omicron subvariant rocks the house? Glad you asked! Currently, XBB.1.5 is so happening, accounting for almost 80 percent of cases being diagnosed in the United States, according to the CDC. Another omicron descendant is XBB.1.6, which is called Arcturus and is spreading rapidly in India. They’re responsible for about 7 percent of US cases. So, take notes!
Serious News: washingtonpost
