(Carrick Pharmacy News) By September, we can expect to see the reformulated vaccines for Omicron.
These “bivalent” boosters are expected to offer better protection against the Omicron subvariants, including BA.5.
For example: Moderna’s “bivalent” booster includes the original virus strain plus elements of the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 variants.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), BA.5 accounts for over 88 percent of new Covid cases in the country.
Initially, the expected date for these boosters was mid-October but we are looking at an earlier date.
The boosters we can expect will be available from two vaccine suppliers: Moderna and Pfizer.
Moderna is contracted to supply 66 million initial doses of their booster.
Both suppliers have signed options to provide millions more boosters for the months ahead.
Currently the booster recommendations are:
- One COVID booster is recommended for anyone 5 years and older after completing their COVID-19 vaccine primary series, if eligible.
- Two boosters are recommended for:
- Adults ages 50 years and older
- Those 12 years and older who are moderately or severely immunocompromised
Now, according to White House Officials, anyone over the age of 12 is expected to be eligible for new boosters.
According to the CDC, the boosters are approved for those 12 years and older (Pfizer-BioNTech) and for people ages 18 years and older (Moderna).
Another thing to note is, only those who have completed a primary vaccination series will be eligible for these bivalent COVID-19 boosters.
The number or type of previous boosters received will not make a difference, the CDC also notes.
Speak with your local pharmacist if you have any questions.
