Time for another shot? Updated COVID vaccine boosters available, recommended by CDC
Updated COVID-19 boosters, designed to give broad protection against the virus including better protection against the Omicron variant, are now available and recommended by local health officials.
“The virus that causes COVID-19 changes over time and a person’s immunity naturally decreases as well, so we may lose some of that protection,” Dr. Diana Gaviria, deputy health officer at the Washington County Health Department, said in a news release issued Friday. “These updated boosters include components of the original virus strain and the Omicron variant and will add to the mix of protection available against severe illness, hospitalization and death from COVID-19.”
The boosters are for people age 12 and older (for the Pfizer-BioNTech booster) and for those 18 and older (for the Moderna booster) according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In a news release, the CDC said it expects to recommend updated COVID-19 boosters for other age groups in the coming weeks.
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According to the county health department, a person who is eligible for an updated COVID-19 vaccine booster does not need to have one from the same manufacturer that made their previously received shot(s).
The booster announcement comes as COVID transmission in Washington County is rated as "high," according to the health department.
On Friday, the county's positivity rate was 17%.
The positivity rate is the seven-day rolling average percentage of all coronavirus tests performed in an area that come back positive for COVID-19. According to the CDC, the "high" transmission is having 100 or more cases per 100,000 people, which means a positivity rate of 10% or higher.
The data has been used to keep track of the spread and severity of the novel coronavirus, which causes the COVID-19 disease.
But COVID cases continue to be less lethal than they were during the earlier stages of the pandemic, according to local reports.
As of Wednesday, Meritus Health reported having 231 patients at Meritus Medical Center. Only six of those patients were being treated for COVID, and none of them were in the intensive care unit.
Since the start of the pandemic, the county has recorded 38,649 COVID cases and 594 deaths, the health department reported.
'Broader protection against new variants'
On Sept. 1, Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, endorsed the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ recommendations for the updated boosters from Pfizer-BioNTech for people 12 and older and from Moderna for people 18 and older.
“The updated COVID-19 boosters are formulated to better protect against the most recently circulating COVID-19 variant," Walensky said in a written statement. "They can help restore protection that has waned since previous vaccination and were designed to provide broader protection against newer variants. This recommendation followed a comprehensive scientific evaluation and robust scientific discussion. If you are eligible, there is no bad time to get your COVID-19 booster and I strongly encourage you to receive it.”
According to the CDC, the updated boosters add Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 spike protein components to the current vaccine composition. That helps target "variants that are more transmissible and immune-evading."
Meritus planning for more shots
Meritus Health is following the guidelines and recommendations for COVID boosters, according to Carrie Adams, chief operating officer.
"We expect to receive our first shipment of the bivalent booster as early as next week, and will offer it to the community via our COVID clinic at the atrium of the Robinwood Professional Center," Adams wrote in an email Friday.
"Community members seeking this new booster can continue to check for appointments via MyChart, or our website, MeritusHealth.com, where we will post vaccine clinic information as it becomes available."
COVID booster shots for kids
The health department also continues to offer booster doses of the initial Pfizer-BioNTech product to children children from 5 to 11 years of age after at least five months following their primary vaccine series.
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Children in this age group who received an initial series of the Moderna vaccine are not currently recommended for a booster dose, according to the CDC.
The health department offers free initial vaccinations and booster shots. A full list of clinics, including days, times and locations, is available at https://washcohealth.org/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/wchd-covid-19-vaccine-clinics/
Mike Lewis covers business, the economy and other issues. Follow Mike on Twitter: @MiLewis.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Updated COVID-19 booster shots available, offer better Omicron defense
