Updated COVID vaccines coming soon to combat summer surge and expected winter surge – WABE

The Food and Drug Administration is expected to greenlight new COVID-19 vaccines in the next few days to help people protect themselves against the latest strains of the virus.

The new COVID vaccines are designed to ensure that vaccinations are always up to date as the virus is constantly evolving and trying to evade our immune systems.

“The new formulations cover the variants that have been circulating recently,” Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, tells NPR. “So the hope is that the better we can map the strain, the better the protection, and potentially the longer it will last.”

The mRNA vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, which are expected to get the green light this week, target the KP.2 variant. The Novavax vaccine, based on older technology, targets an earlier strain called JN.1.

Even an imperfect vaccine can provide protection

Both of the target strains have already been overtaken by even newer variants, but they are all still part of the omicron group. The hope is that the vaccines will get close enough to boost immunity and protect people during the rest of the surprisingly large summer wave and the one expected this winter.

“The vaccine is not meant to be perfect. It will not absolutely prevent COVID-19,” Marks says. “But if we can prevent people from getting severe cases that end up in the emergency room, in the hospital, or worse – death – then that's what we're trying to do with these vaccines.”

The new vaccines are expected to reduce the risk of COVID disease by 60 to 70 percent and the risk of severe disease by 80 to 90 percent, Marks says. The vaccinations are expected to be available to everyone aged 6 months and older as early as this weekend.

The timing of vaccination could be a personal decision

“Right now we're in a wave, so you want to protect yourself against what's happening,” says Marks. “So I would probably get vaccinated as soon as possible. Because right now the match is relatively good. The greatest benefit from this vaccine is probably going to be against what's currently in circulation. When the vaccine hits pharmacies, I'll probably go online as soon as it comes out.”

To maximize the chances of getting the best possible protection, Marks said, people should wait at least two to three months after their last COVID illness or their last vaccination before getting vaccinated with one of the new vaccines.

Some people may consider waiting until September or October if maximum protection during the winter surge and over the holidays is especially important to them.

“Getting vaccinated sometime between September and early October seems like a pretty reasonable thing to do to maintain protection until December/January,” says Marks. “It doesn't suddenly stop. It's not like immunity suddenly stops after three or four months. It's just that immunity wanes over time.”

Vaccination can help slow the spread of COVID

“In my opinion, everyone should get one of the new vaccines,” says Dr. George Diaz, chief medical officer at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett in Everett, Washington, and spokesman for the Infectious Disease Society of America. “If you are vaccinated yourself, you prevent transmission to other people. That helps reduce the spread of the disease in the community, especially among the most vulnerable people. So you are not only helping yourself, but you are helping others.”

In addition, vaccination reduces the risk of long-Covid disease, Diaz adds.

Others question whether everyone really needs another vaccination, arguing that most younger, healthy people probably still have sufficient immunity to protect them from serious illness because of the many vaccinations and infections they have already received.

“Anyone who wants to get vaccinated should do so,” says Dr. Paul Offit, a vaccine expert at the University of Pennsylvania who advises the FDA. “It's perfectly understandable why someone would want to get vaccinated, because it reduces the risk of mild or moderate infection for about four to six months and also reduces the risk of spreading the virus to some extent.” But for younger people, the math might be different. “If I were a healthy 35-year-old adult who had already had several doses of vaccine and one or two natural infections, I wouldn't feel compelled to get vaccinated,” says Offit.

And despite health recommendations, it's far from clear how many people are interested in getting any of the new vaccines. Only about 22% of eligible adults have received any of the latest shots.

But for anyone who wants the COVID vaccine, they can Get vaccinated against flu at the same timeIn addition, the authorities recommend that all people aged 75 and over also be vaccinated against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The same applies to pregnant women and people aged between 65 and 74 who are at high risk of becoming seriously ill with RSV.

Older at-risk individuals will likely be able to receive a second dose of the new COVID vaccines in the spring or early summer to protect against another wave next summer.

Insured people can get all three vaccines for free if they get vaccinated by an in-network provider, but a federal program that funded the vaccines for uninsured adults has expired.

“We in public health are very concerned about how they get access to protection and are looking for ways to solve this problem,” says Dr. Kelly Moorewho leads the advocacy group Immunize.org. “We know that people without health insurance are the ones who can least afford to get sick – that is, stay home from work or school.”