New COVID-19 vaccines available in Wisconsin as early as the weekend, approved for all 6 months and older

Wisconsin health officials are encouraging almost everyone ages 6 months and older to get an updated COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes widely available in the coming days, with major pharmacy chains taking appointments as early as Saturday.

Dr. Ryan Westergaard, chief medical officer in the bureau of communicable diseases at the Wisconsin Department of Health, urged Wisconsinites to get up-to-date on their COVID-19 and flu vaccines heading into the fall and winter respiratory virus season, in order to boost immune responses that may have waned since people's last vaccination or infection.

"If someone does come in contact with flu or COVID virus, being vaccinated is the single biggest thing that you can do to protect yourself from getting very sick or requiring admission to the hospital," Westergaard told reporters Wednesday during a media briefing.

The updated vaccines, made by Moderna and Pfizer BioNTech, were approved on Tuesday by the head of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and were recommended for everyone 6 months old and older. The vaccines now are being shipped to pharmacies, health centers and clinics across the country, at a time when COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations are rising nationwide.

The updated vaccines have been found to offer greater protection against the strains of COVID-19 spreading now than do previous vaccines, Westergaard said.

The vaccines were reformulated to target the XBB.1.5 variant, which was the dominant strain of COVID-19 earlier this year and which is closely related to almost all of the strains commonly circulating across the state and the country now, according to CDC officials.

While the vaccines offer the most protection to elderly people and others at high-risk for severe infection from COVID-19, they are also beneficial to younger, healthy people, who can still become severely ill, even without underlying conditions, Westergaard said.

Getting the vaccine also reduces one's chance of getting long COVID, he added.

About 23% of Wisconsin residents received the COVID-19 booster released last fall, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

That is much lower than the percentage of Wisconsinites who got the flu vaccine last year, Westergaard said. He would like to see closer to 50% get the newest COVID-19 booster, but also stressed that most everyone, with rare exceptions, is recommended for the latest COVID-19 vaccine.

New COVID-19 vaccines expected to be available as soon as week's end in Wisconsin

Some CVS Pharmacy locations have already begun receiving the new vaccine, CVS Health announced on Wednesday. CVS did not specify which locations or in which states they are.

In Wisconsin, some CVS locations had vaccination appointments available as early as Saturday, Sept. 16 for the updated COVID-19 shot, according to CVS' online scheduling tool. The appointments are for people ages 5 and older.

All CVS Pharmacy locations are expected to have the vaccine in stock by early next week, CVS said in Wednesday's press release. Children under 5 years and over 18 months can get the vaccine from MinuteClinic locations in coming weeks, the release said.

Walgreens has COVID-19 vaccination appointments available as early as Monday, Sept. 18 for adults and young people ages 12 and up, according to its website. For those under 12 years old, appointments should be available beginning Sept. 29, according to Walgreens' website.

Walgreens might add earlier appointments if vaccine supply arrives early enough at some pharmacies, a spokesperson told the Journal Sentinel.

It is less clear exactly when the vaccines will arrive at local health departments, smaller pharmacies and clinics.

Officials with the City of Milwaukee Health Department, which holds a free vaccination clinic four days of the week, did not know Wednesday when they would receive the updated vaccines.

"Hopefully within the next week or so," said spokesperson Emily Tau in an email.

In the meantime, the health department has paused offering COVID-19 vaccine at its clinics while awaiting delivery of the updated vaccine. The clinic is still offering other shots, including the influenza vaccine.

Hashim Zaibak, the CEO of Hayat Pharmacy, a locally owned pharmacy with locations in the Milwaukee area, said on Wednesday he was unsure when his pharmacies would receive supply of the vaccine. Zaibak said he has not gotten clear answers from drug wholesalers.

People can go to vaccines.gov to find health care providers with the updated COVID-19 vaccine near them. People can also check with their doctor, local health department or community clinic for information.

The new COVID-19 vaccine is recommended for most everyone age 6 months and older

Everyone 6 months and older is now eligible and recommended to receive the updated COVID-19 vaccine.

How many doses of the updated vaccine you are eligible for depends on your age and your prior vaccination status:

• All adults and children age 5 and up may receive one dose of the updated vaccine. It is recommended they receive that dose more than two months after their last dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

• If unvaccinated, children ages 6 months to 4 years old may receive three doses of the updated Pfizer vaccine or two doses of the updated Moderna vaccine.

• If previously vaccinated, children ages 6 months to 4 years old may receive either one or two doses of the updated vaccines.

Some people with immunocompromising conditions may receive additional doses of the updated vaccine over the next year.

Contact Sarah Volpenhein at svolpenhei@gannett.com or 414-607-2159. Follow her on Twitter @SarahVolp.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: New COVID-19 vaccines available in Wisconsin as early as the weekend