New COVID-19 booster shots, specially formulated to fight multiple omicron variants, will be available by fall. An advisory panel for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently recommended approval of the new tailored COVID-19 booster vaccines, and the U.S. government plans to buy millions of vaccine doses for a fall booster campaign. Infectious disease and COVID-19 expert, Dr. Thomas Campbell, ran clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccines at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital on the Anschutz Medical Campus. He is also a professor of medicine and infectious diseases at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
Nurse Giving Vaccination.
“The original vaccines are still very effective in preventing hospitalization and death from COVID-19. They are particularly effective in people who have received the recommended boosters,” Campbell said, “But it’s normal for viruses to change and for variants to develop.”
In the case of COVID-19, multiple omicron variants have spread and become dominant throughout 2022. The original vaccines and boosters did not protect against these omicron variants. The proliferation of omicron variants has prompted the primary vaccine makers in the U.S., Pfizer and Moderna, to create new, tailored versions of their booster shots that will better combat omicron variants. The vaccine makers have pledged to deliver the new doses by mid-October.
People who have not received their first two vaccine doses still should receive the original vaccines. The original versions protect well against most strains of the virus. It’s important to note that no one knows yet precisely which strains of the virus will be circulating this fall or in the future.
“When the new omicron-specific booster vaccines are authorized and delivered, they likely will only be given to people who have already completed a primary series with the prototype vaccine. If you have gotten your first two vaccine doses and are eligible for a booster shot, get it now! And if you’re eligible for a second booster shot, get it as soon as possible,” Campbell said.
The newest variants are highly contagious and are spreading widely now. Adults who are ages 50 and older should get two booster doses. That’s also true for younger people and babies who are immunocompromised or are especially vulnerable to getting severely ill with COVID-19.
There are three main reasons COVID-19 is spreading. First, the newest omicron variants spread much more easily than previous versions. Second, many people are not fully vaccinated. If more people can get fully vaccinated and boosted, the spread of the current variants would decrease. And third, antibodies from vaccines, booster shots or a COVID-19 infection decrease over time, making it easier for people to get infected for the first time or to get the illness again.
Campbell expects that FDA and CDC experts will want vulnerable people including those who are older, immunosuppressed or at risk for bad outcomes if they get COVID-19 to be first in line to get the newest booster shots. It’s possible, however, that federal officials will recommend the new omicron-specific booster shots for everyone, including younger people.
“It’s important to plan for another wave in the fall and winter because there’s a good probability that it will happen,” Campbell said.
“Kids will go back to school. The weather will be colder. The daylight hours will be shorter, so people will be indoors more and having more contact with other people. Then, we’ll have Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years and travel associated with the holidays. All of those patterns point to the continued spread of COVID-19” Campbell said.
So, he encourages everyone to pay attention to FDA and CDC guidance and to stay up to date on vaccines and boosters. Article courtesy of Katie Kerwin McCrimmon with UCHealth.