What you should know about the new omicron booster shots

Chia-Yi Hou
·3 min read
13

Story at a glance

  • The number of coronavirus cases, especially of newer omicron variants, are still relatively high in the U.S.

  • The new bivalent version of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are now authorized and available.

  • Vaccinated individuals are eligible for this new shot, at least two months after a previous shot.

Nearly two years since the original coronavirus vaccines were given emergency authorization for use, we now have an updated vaccine that can be given as a booster shot. Here’s what we currently know about the new bivalent vaccine, who should get it and when.

What is the new booster shot?

Both Pfizer and Moderna/BioNTech have new versions of their mRNA vaccines for COVID-19.

The updated coronavirus vaccine is bivalent, meaning that it contains the mRNA vaccine for the original strain of SARS-CoV-2 and the mRNA vaccine for another strain. In this case, it is the omicron strain, specifically targeting a part that is found in both the BA.4 and BA.5 variants.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the use of the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech Bivalent COVID-19 vaccines as boosters on Aug. 31, and the next day the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officially gave its recommendation for it.

“The updated Covid-19 boosters are formulated to better protect against the most recently circulating Covid-19 variant,” Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, said in a statement. “They can help restore protection that has waned since previous vaccination and were designed to provide broader protection against newer variants.”

Is it safe?

The vaccine makers have been testing bivalent versions of their vaccines in humans with mRNA developed to target the first omicron strain, also known as BA.1. There was a better immune response in people who got the bivalent version compared to people who got the original formulation, or monovalent vaccine. Side effects were similar to the original vaccines.

This version targeting BA.4 and BA.5 has been tested in mice, but not yet in humans. Because the vaccine is not very different from previous versions, health researchers and experts are confident that the safety profile will remain similar enough to go ahead and authorize it for use. The safety data from the previous version is also relevant because the new version is “manufactured using the same process,” according to the FDA. The data in humans will be monitored as it becomes available.

The new bivalent versions of the vaccine could soon be widely available. Shipments have gone out to locations around the country, and some clinics have reported they have started administering the shots.

Is it effective?

The current data are for trials in mice, which are promising. We’re still waiting for more data to be released.

Who is eligible

People who are fully vaccinated are eligible for this booster shot. People who have also gotten one or two booster shots are also eligible, although the shots can’t be too close together in timing.

Children are not yet eligible for the most part, yet. The Pfizer/BioNTech boosters were authorized for people 12 and older, and Moderna’s for people 18 and older. The FDA has said they will wait on more data before it is authorized for children.

When you should get the shot

The FDA states that people should wait at least two months after a previous vaccination.

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