Updated COVID vaccines to be rolled out in Hawaii

Sep. 14—The new COVID-19 vaccines targeting the latest omicron variants should be available in Hawaii by next week.

The new COVID-19 vaccines targeting the latest omicron variants should be available in Hawaii by next week.

CVS Pharmacy, which operates Longs Drugs in Hawaii, said it would begin receiving the new COVID-19 vaccines Wednesday, and continue getting inventory on a rolling basis throughout the week.

All CVS Pharmacy locations nationwide are expected to have the new COVID-19 vaccines in stock by early next week.

Dr. Shilpa Patel, chief quality officer of Hawaii Pacific Health, recommends all eligible residents, ages 6 months and older, get the new vaccines to help prevent severe illness, hospitalizations and death.

"It's important because it prevents severe illnesses, " she said. "You can still get COVID, you can still get the flu."

This has been a reason to get the influenza vaccines for decades.

"If you get the influenza vaccine, it prevents severe illness and hospitalization in the majority of the population, as well as death, " she said.

The updated COVID-19 vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna are formulated to more closely target currently circulating variants. They include a monovalent, or single, component, that corresponds to omicron variant XBB.1.5.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday authorized the updated vaccines. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday recommended everyone ages 6 months and up get them.

Though XBB.1.5 is no longer in great circulation in the U.S., studies have shown the updated vaccines to be effective neutralizing currently circulating variants EG.5 and BA.2.86, the FDA said.

They replace the bivalent boosters, which are no longer authorized for use in the U.S.

The FDA said starting at age 5, most people can get a single dose even if they've never had a prior COVID-19 shot. Those previously vaccinated can get a booster at least two months after the last dose.

Younger children get a different number of doses, depending on their vaccination history.

Side effects from the updated vaccines are similar to previous mRNA vaccines.

With fall approaching, Patel recommends both the COVID-19 and flu vaccines for children to help prevent against severe complications of a viral infection.

"I absolutely think this (COVID vaccine ) will become one of the recommended pediatric vaccines as we move forward, " she said, "and there will be more acceptance and awareness around COVID vaccinations. It will be one of the routine vaccines."

Last fall, hospitals dealt with a "tripledemic " of COVID-19, flu and respiratory syncytial virus, and there was an unusually high number of pediatric patients with RSV. Patel does not expect an atypical RSV season this year.

COVID-19 metrics, meanwhile, have been on the rise nationally.

In the past two months, CDC said, hospitalizations and emergency room visits due to COVID-19 have increased across the U.S. Hospitalizations also trended up over the past week, but remain at low rates in most U.S. states.

"Thankfully, we're in a different place with COVID-19 now than we were at the beginning of the pandemic, but COVID-19 is here to stay, " the CDC said in a news release.

On Wednesday, the state Department of Health reported an average of 134 cases per day over the past week, and an average positivity of 13.1 % statewide.

Honolulu County recorded a daily average of 99 cases per day, and a higher average positivity of 15.8 %.

An additional eight deaths were reported, bringing Hawaii's COVID-19 death toll to 2, 009.

Uptake of the previous booster—a bivalent booster targeting the original coronavirus and omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5—was low in Hawaii, with only about 29 % of the state's eligible population having received it.

CDC said older adults and people with weakened immune systems are at greatest risk for hospitalization and death, but that healthy children and adults can still experience severe disease.

The benefits of COVID-19 vaccination continue to outweigh any potential risks, CDC said.

According to officials, the vaccines should be free to most Americans through private insurance, Medicare and Medicaid.

CVS said vaccination appointments for people ages 5 and up are available at CVS.com or via its app, while walk-ins are accepted at some locations.

To find places where COVID-19 shots are available, visit.