The updated booster shots for the Omicron variant are available now

2022-09-07

I was honestly surprised to read that the updated booster shots for Omicron are already available. I thought that it would be at least another month before they were out, but it’s September already and we heard in April that they were being developed. According to the CDC, you can get an updated booster shot if it’s been two months since your last one. People aged 12 to 17 can get the Pfizer updated shot while adults can get Pfizer or Moderna. Here’s more, from People:

A new COVID-19 vaccine booster shot is available at U.S. pharmacies and clinics.

Earlier this week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized updated shots from both Moderna and Pfizer that target both the highly-contagious Omicron variant of COVID-19 and the original coronavirus strain.

The new formula marks the first update to the vaccine since the original shots were rolled out during the height of the pandemic in December 2020. Here’s what to know about the updated vaccines…

Appointments for the vaccines are already being scheduled in some cities, with the full rollout expected in the coming days.

On Thursday, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, paved the way for immediate distribution of the updated vaccine by approving recommendations of the agency’s advisory panel.

The updated vaccines will be free and available at pharmacies, doctors’ offices and community health centers.

People aged 12 and up get the updated Pfizer booster, while people aged 18 and older can get the Pfizer or Moderna booster, according to the CDC.

The CDC suggest Americans wait at least two months from their last COVID shot to receive the new booster.

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

She continued, “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.”

[From People]

People who haven’t been vaccinated yet will still need to get the original vaccine before receiving this updated booster. I checked and the updated Moderna boosters are available now right near me! I’m definitely going to get one as it’s been over six months since my last booster and I’d like more protection against the new variants. Incidentally, the growth of new variants seems to have been slowing down the past few weeks. Experts are unsure about how this could affect the spread in the fall and winter, but I would consider it good news. Science has given us incredible strides against the pandemic, but as we’ve seen time and again, we could have prevented all of this with common courtesy and common sense.

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Photos credit Unsplash/Steven Cornfield and CDC and Getty Images

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