New COVID Vaccine Boosters Are Coming, and They're More Effective Against BA.5 Variant
The Biden administration announced its plan to roll out an updated COVID booster in September, according to The New York Times. The best part? The new booster is reformulated to be more effective against the highly contagious omicron subvariant BA.5. Pharmaceutical companies began work to manufacture new booster shots targeting subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 after the FDA advisory committee voted on June 27 to recommend an omicron-specific update to COVID-19 booster vaccines.
The decision comes as COVID-19 cases are on the rise, with hospitalizations doubling since April, and the increase of the BA.5 variant. The move represents a shift in Biden administration and Food and Drug Administration strategy. Initially, officials were prioritizing a push for the second COVID booster shot this summer, but concerns arose over the efficacy of back-to-back boosters in both the summer and fall. Others cited concerns of vaccine fatigue — The New York Times reports that while nearly half of eligible recipients got the first booster, that number fell to less than 30 percent by the time the second booster rolled around.
"I think this is the right call," senior fellow at the Kaiser Family Foundation Dr. Celine Gounder told NPR. "If you get a booster now with the original formulation of the vaccine, this may in fact be counter-productive. It may prevent the second booster dose given this fall from taking and from you developing an immune response to that booster."
The reformulated boosters are expected to come out in mid-September and will likely be available to those age 12 and up at first, then younger children after that.
Who Is Eligible For a COVID-19 Booster Shot?
Right now, boosters are available to everyone age 5 years and older, and as of July 20, the CDC recommended that everyone age 5 years and older should get their first booster after completing their COVID-19 vaccine.
Adults 50 years and older, as well as people who are moderately or severely immunocompromised, should get the second Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna booster. For immunocompromised children and teens age 12-17, it's encouraged to get a second booster of Pfizer-BioNTech, but note that Moderna is not recommended for this group. The recommended wait period between first and second boosters is at least four months.
Important to note is that Johnson & Johnson's Janssen (J&J/Janssen) COVID-19 vaccine cannot be used as a second booster dose. The FDA officially approved "mix-and-match" COVID-19 boosters so people can get booster shots that differ from the vaccine they received originally.
If you are immunocompromised or have a history of severe reactions to the COVID-19 vaccine, you may also be eligible for Evusheld, a medicine given by your healthcare provider to help prevent you from getting COVID-19.
To figure out when you should receive the booster shot, you can use the CDC's COVID-19 booster tool.
— Additional reporting by Maggie Ryan, Melanie Whyte, and Sara Youngblood Gregory