When will NY get new COVID vaccine booster? And will it work on new variants?

A new COVID-19 vaccine booster is expected to rollout next week in New York, providing crucial protection against serious illness amid rising infections and hospitalizations.

Doses of the new booster should arrive at pharmacies and medical providers across the country shortly after a key federal panel meets Tuesday, according to prior pandemic trends and regulator comments.

At the same time, new studies suggest the booster is performing well against all COVID-19 variants currently circulating, including the latest BA.2.86, nicknamed Pirola, as well as long COVID.

Still, health officials are closely watching an ongoing uptick in COVID-19 hospital admissions as New Yorkers return to schools and offices.

The number of New Yorkers hospitalized for COVID has increased about 18% over the past week, reaching nearly 1,400 as of Tuesday but remaining well below levels seen in prior waves, state data show. That number includes 186 patients and 89 patients in the Mid-Hudson and Finger Lakes regions, respectively.

Where will new COVID booster be available in NY?

Authorities, pharmacies, and health providers have finetuned COVID-19 vaccination efforts over the past two years, suggesting the latest booster will be widely available almost immediately after the final federal approvals next week.

Once available, New Yorkers can search online for vaccination providers in their community via vaccines.gov, or call the federal vaccine hotline at 1-800-232-0233.

How much will new COVID booster cost in NY?

After state and federal measures offering free COVID vaccine doses expired earlier this year, concerns have mounted about cost deterring people from vaccination.

Drug makers will charge upwards of $100 per dose of COVID-19 vaccines going forward, but many health insurance plans will cover that entire cost (depending on coverage network specifics). And the federal "Bridge Access Program" will continue to provide free COVID-19 vaccine doses to uninsured Americans this fall.

Still, only 15.5% of New Yorkers are currently up to date on COVID-19 vaccination, state data show, suggesting officials must improve messaging to convince more of them to get the new booster.

How will new COVID booster work?

In a clinical trial, the updated vaccine booster generated a nearly ninefold increase in neutralizing antibodies against the BA.2.86 variant, according to data released early Tuesday from vaccine maker Moderna.

Although extremely rare in the United States, the new variant has a number of mutations in the spike protein targeted by vaccines, which made experts worry that shots and previous infections wouldn't be protective.

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But three studies released since the weekend, along with Moderna's new data, suggest the variant isn't as bad as initially predicted, USA TODAY reported.

Pirola has been detected in New York City wastewater surveillance, suggesting it is circulating in the community, health officials said. But the strain has yet to be confirmed in a positive case anywhere in the state.

Who should get a COVID booster?

Federal officials are urging many adults and children to get a COVID-19 booster this fall, particularly if they are over 65 or have underlying health conditions. White House statements have described it as the same as the annual flu-shot campaign.

Current COVID-19 vaccines do not provide long-lasting protection against infection with COVID-19, but young, otherwise healthy people have generally been protected against severe disease from either vaccination or previous infection.

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Vaccines have been shown to reduce the risk of long COVID, in which people have lingering symptoms such as brain fog and crushing fatigue for months or even years after an infection.

European officials recently approved the new COVID vaccine for use in ages 6 months and older. Their recommendations are that adults and children from 5 years of age should have a single dose of the new vaccine, irrespective of their COVID-19 vaccination history.

U.S. recommendations around age for the vaccine remain unclear, as further details will be revealed following the federal regulatory meeting next week.

Karen Weintraub of USA TODAY contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: When will NY's new COVID vaccine booster be available? What we know