Do I need the new COVID vaccine? Will I be eligible? A California doctor explains

Nearly three years since the introduction of the COVID-19 vaccine, a new one could soon take its place.

The vaccines are getting a formula update to address the XBB-lineage of the Omicron variant and are expected to hit pharmacies at the start of fall, according to a U.S. Food and Drug Administration news release. CNN reported in August that the vaccines could be available in mid-September.

This comes as coronavirus hospitalizations are climbing in California, with the number of patients rising to its highest point in five months and positivity rates increasing, too.

New hospital admissions due to COVID are up by 241 statewide from last week, totaling 2,620, the California Department of Public Health reported on its weekly dashboard on Sept. 1. It is using data from Aug. 26. The seven-day test positivity rate went up by 1.6% from the last week, and is now at 14%.

Similar to the previous vaccines and boosters, the FDA will meet to approve the update. Then, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will meet with the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to discuss vaccine safety and recommendations, before the jabs are administered, CNN reported. The meeting is set for Sept. 12.

Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, professor and doctor specializing in infectious disease at the University of California, San Francisco, breaks down what to know about the new vaccine:

Why do we need the new vaccine?

A lot has changed since last fall, Chin-Hong said. This was expected as the virus continues to mutate and change its formula.

Booster shots that have been released are based on the BA.4 and BA.5 variant.

“But since then, a lot has changed and BA.4 and BA.5 (have) long ridden into the sunset and now the vaccine will be a closer match to what’s circulating, which is XBB flavors,” Chin-Hong said.

According to the CDC’s variant tracker, regions including California are seeing variants EG.5 and XBB.1.16 as the most dominant strains as of Sept. 2, with proportions of cases at 28.7% and 11.6%, respectively.

The new vaccine is modeled after the variant XBB.1.5, he said, as it was dominant at the time of discussion. While it’s not the most dominant strain currently, it’s similar to the variant EG.5, also known as the Eris variant.

What are the benefits of getting the new vaccine?

The vaccine will be updated to the latest strain of COVID and will help people avoid severe disease and hospitalization.

Chin-Hong said it may also give some individuals short-term protection against infection.

How many shots do you need?

The new vaccine only requires one shot.

Chin-Hong said it’s like a “reminder vaccine.” Since there’s a high rate of people getting at least one or two shots total and many getting infected, he said there’s no need to give their immune system more than one “reminder.”

“It’s just like waking up the immune system and saying, ‘Hey, I’m still around, remember me?’” he said. “If it encounters it in real life, it will be much more agile in terms of creating that immunity.”

Should people still get the old vaccine?

With cases and hospitalizations increasing, Chin-Hong said people who are most at risk for serious illness or are older than 65 years should still consider getting the original booster if they haven’t gotten a shot or gotten infected more than six months ago.

If you’d rather wait for the new vaccine, make sure you can get Paxlovid to prevent hospitalization.

“In other words, for most people, you can wait. For those who are highest risk, you could also wait but you may want to get (a booster),” he said. “It wouldn’t exclude you from getting the new vaccine later on, even if you got a booster now.”

Who will be eligible for the new vaccine?

Recommendations for the vaccine will not be official until the CDC meets and issues them.

Chin-Hong said he expects everyone will likely be eligible for the vaccine and people should get it like they would get a flu shot.

However, there is more urgency for people over 65 years old or immunocompromised individuals to get the shot. He also advises that people consider getting the vaccine to lower their risk of long COVID, which are long-term symptoms that occur following an infection.

Doctors don’t fully understand who will get long COVID and the risk of getting it is a little bit smaller, he said.

“But it’s not zero.”

If the vaccine is targeting XBB variants, how will it address new variants if the virus keeps mutating?

The virus hasn’t changed that much this year, Chin-Hong said. The XBB variants change with only one or two mutations each time.

Even if the latest variant that doctors are looking at — BA.2.86 — becomes dominant, Chin-Hong said the vaccine should still be particularly good at preventing serious illness, hospitalization and death. It just may not be as good at warding off infection.

How does COVID look now? What are the symptoms?

Chin-Hong said people are getting milder cases, with common symptoms including runny and stuffy nose, headache, fatigue, sneezing, sore throat and coughing.

While some people are getting sick enough to go to the hospital, he said the number is relatively small compared to a year ago.

Last year, on Aug. 28 there were 2,944 COVID-19 positive patients in California hospitals, according to state data. The latest update for this year, as of Aug. 26, there are 1,668 patients.

He anticipates that cases will come down from the rise in the summer, but will pick up again in the winter due to the holidays.

“We don’t know for sure,” he said.

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