WASHINGTON – The Food and Drug Administration authorized and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that new, updated COVID-19 vaccines for all Americans 12 and above, are now available at local pharmacies.
When asked what makes the new booster different from the previous one, infectious disease expert Dr. Aileen Marty said, “You will get a booster that includes the original formula and it’s going to also include the new formula that covers Omicron BA.4 and BA.5.”
The CVC predicted that COVID will kill an average of about 450 people per day over the coming weeks.
These retooled vaccines are designed to provide better protection.
“For the first time since December 2020, these vaccines, our vaccines have caught up with the virus,” White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha said.
The new Pfizer booster is approved for ages 12 and up.
The new Moderna booster is approved for those 18 and up.
The COVID-19 Response Team says the Biden Administration has been preparing for these vaccines.
“Supply is set to ramp up at tens of thousands of pharmacies, health care centers and doctor’s offices in the coming weeks,” said Jha.
“We’ve seen the last couple of years, there’s a lull this time of year and then there’s an upswing towards late October or early November,” said Marty. “Let’s see if we can dampen this by using these new bivalent boosters.”
CVS and Walgreens Pharmacy locations are receiving the boosters on a rolling basis and are urging customers to make appointments via their apps or online.