Everyone age 6 months and older can get a new shot for COVID-19 this fall and winter season, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday. New formulas from Pfizer and Moderna have been updated to target a newer version of the omicron variant that’s more closely related to current versions of the virus. They should become available at pharmacies and clinics starting this week.
A committee of scientific advisors that gives recommendations on vaccinations voted Tuesday for a wider-reaching COVID-19 vaccine campaign this fall, when the price of shots are no longer covered by the federal government. Instead, private and public insurance, as well as programs for uninsured people, are intended to keep them free for Americans.
While the current burden of COVID-19, including hospitalizations, is considerably lower than it was during the height of the pandemic, there has been a late-summer rise in hospitalizations and deaths. Like other viruses, we can expect COVID-19 infection rates to rise during the fall and winter months when more people are spending time indoors. This will also be the first season an RSV vaccine is available for some adults, along with a new treatment for infants.
The US Food and Drug Administration earlier this year announced a plan to make COVID-19 vaccines look more like annual flu shots, which are updated each year to be the best match for the circulating virus.
Here’s everything we know about the new shots.
What are the new COVID shots?
Moderna and Pfizer updated their vaccine formulas to target a newer strain of omicron, XBB.1.5. They’re both “monovalent” vaccines, which means they’re made after one strain of the virus, compared to the “bivalent” vaccines that rolled out last fall and targeted both the original COVID-19 virus plus another, older version of omicron.
They were fully approved by the FDA on Monday for adults and older kids, and given emergency use authorization for children age 6 months through 11 years.
It’s possible or even likely a third vaccine will be added to the choice pool this fall and winter season: a shot from Novavax is currently under review by the FDA.
Who can get a shot now? When should I get it?
Now that CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen has signed off the recommendation, shots are expected to start shipping out to pharmacies, which means they could be available near you this week.
Adults and kids 5 years and older can get a single updated shot, as long as it’s been at least two months since your last vaccine dose, per the FDA’s rules on the new formulas. For younger children age 6 months through 4 years, the FDA says the timing and number of doses will depend on any previous COVID-19 vaccine they received.
Much of the discussion from the CDC’s committee (called the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices) was on whether to make a universal recommendation and open up access to more people, or whether to focus the recommendation on people who are at much higher risk of severe disease and death, which includes older adults and people with certain underlying health conditions.
We may expect the CDC to offer additional guidance or details on dosages for people who are immunocompromised in the coming days.
Important, how much will the new COVID vaccine cost?
One major difference with the booster this time around, now that COVID-19 is no longer considered a public health emergency, is that vaccines for COVID are no longer funded by the government. However, the cost of your shot should still be covered either through insurance or through a public program, according to information presented Tuesday.
Insurance plans are expected to cover COVID-19 vaccine costs immediately, according to a presentation from Dr. Georgina Peacock, director of the Immunization Services Division in the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the CDC. People who have Medicare or Medicaid should also have the cost of their vaccine covered. Children who are underinsured should automatically be covered by the Vaccines for Children program, which covers vaccines that are recommended by ACIP.
For adults who are uninsured or underinsured, the CDC has something called the Bridge Access Program that will allow adults to get shots for free at participating pharmacies, including Walgreens and CVS locations, as well as local health clinics, according to the information presented Tuesday. When we have more information on which locations will be participating, we’ll include that here.
