As of September 14, 2023, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has continued to make decisive steps in the ongoing battle to prevent the spread of COVID-19. It has approved the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna mRNA updated vaccines; however, the updated protein vaccine by Novavax is still under review. According to the CDC, “Vaccination remains the best protection against COVID-19-related hospitalization and death” and also “reduces your chance of suffering the effects of Long COVID…”. In addition, according to Dr. Andy Pekosz, a professor in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at Johns Hopkins University, “studies show that the updated vaccine is effective against the variants currently causing the majority of COVID cases in the US…”. This new development provides hope for widespread protection from the virus.
The new shot is being referred to as an “updated COVID vaccine” rather than a “booster” because it “builds a new immune response to variants that are currently circulating” rather than “boosting existing immunity from previous vaccination,” Aliza Rosen writes for PublicHealth.jhu.edu.
The updated COVID-19 vaccine is free for most Americans through private health insurance and Medicare. You can also receive free COVID vaccines at local health centers, pharmacies, and health care providers, through the CDC’s Bridge Access Program. The updated COVID-19 vaccine is recommended for all people at least 6 months old. Health authorities advise that it is especially crucial for those who are at a higher risk of illness to receive the vaccine by mid-October so that they are protected for the upcoming holiday season and large family gatherings. According to Dr. Sandra Fryhofer, a member of the AMA Board of Trustees, “For those age five and older, a single dose of the updated vaccine is all you need to be up to date, regardless of previous vaccination status and even if you’ve never had any previous COVID vaccinations.” It should be noted however that those who are under the age of 5, or those who are immunocompromised may need additional dosages.
Even if you’ve recently contracted COVID, the CDC recommends taking the shot 3 to 6 months after you first tested positive. For high-risk groups, waiting longer than 3 months is not recommended. According to Rosen, you may get the flu shot and the updated COVID-19 vaccine at the same time because “the immune response generated by each vaccine does not change based on whether they are administered at the same time or separately.”
Vaccine-induced immunity is preferable over immunity from infection because it is safer for your body. Some people may experience side effects such as a fever or muscle pain after receiving a vaccine, however, these symptoms usually don’t last more than a few days and are way less severe than the symptoms associated with COVID-19. According to the Mayo Clinic, the COVID-19 vaccines authorized for use in the US can’t make you sick with COVID-19 because they don’t contain the live virus that causes COVID-19. For those who remain skeptical, it is worth noting that, “to date, hundreds of millions of people have safely received a COVID-19 vaccine under the most intense safety monitoring in U.S. history”.
These new vaccines will play a critical role in helping the United States achieve collective immunity, ending the COVID-19 pandemic once and for all.