The FDA just approved new COVID vaccines. When should you get one? We asked an NC doctor
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved updated COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech Thursday as cases continue to rise.
Case counts are the highest they’ve been in a year, Dr. David Weber, an infectious disease specialist at the UNC School of Medicine, told The Charlotte Observer.
“We have increases in cases, hospitalizations, deaths countrywide, including here in North Carolina. Our hospital, the UNC Medical Center, is running 25 to 30 patients a day with with COVID,” he said.
The surge is happening for two reasons:
- New variants are popping up that natural immunity does not protect against.
- Most of the population isn’t regularly receiving shots, so immunity is waning.
“Most people have not had a COVID vaccine in six months or a year, and the vaccines are really effective for preventing infection and serious disease for only about six months,” said Weber.
Here’s what to know about the updated vaccines (and getting one yourself).
Will the vaccine protect against the prevalent strain of COVID?
Weber said the vaccine will be effective against all strains of COVID, including new variants.
The dominant strain in the US now is KP.3.1.1, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
KP.3.1.1 is estimated to account for 37% of cases over the past two weeks, representing a threefold increase from its prevalence a month ago.
When will the updated COVID vaccine be available in NC?
The updated vaccine should be widely available in North Carolina in September, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services told the Observer in an email.
Where can I get the new COVID vaccine?
▪ Walgreens customers can now schedule appointments to receive the updated vaccine at walgreens.com/schedulevaccine, with availability starting Sept. 6, according to a news release. Additional appointments will be added as daily inventory arrives.
▪ Doses are expected to start arriving at CVS locations within a few days, a pharmacy representative told CNN. Walk-in appointments will be available once the vaccine arrives, and customers will be able to schedule appointments online.
▪ You can also find vaccines through the CDC’s online pharmacy lookup tool at vaccines.gov once COVID and updated influenza (flu) vaccines become widely available, the website says.
Are there any side effects of the updated COVID vaccine?
The side effects for the updated vaccine will be the same as previous iterations, such as soreness, fever and chills, Weber said.
Other side effects include headache, tiredness, muscle pain and nausea, which typically resolve after a few days, according to the CDC.
Who will be eligible for the updated COVID vaccine?
The CDC recommends all people aged six months and older receive an updated COVID-19 vaccine.
Vaccinations are especially important for those at higher risk of severe viral respiratory disease, NCDHHS told the Observer, including:
People 65 years and older
Children younger than 5
Pregnant women
Those with a weakened immune system
Those with certain medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease and obesity
Should you wait to get your COVID shot?
You can get an updated COVID vaccine and a flu shot in the same appointment, Weber said, so you may want to wait until the new flu vaccine comes out too.
A new flu vaccine will be available in the coming weeks that includes three types of flu virus (a drop from four last year) that could result in less side effects, Weber said.
But if you get these two shots in the same appointment, you’ll want to get them in different arms.
Though respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) isn’t circulating in North Carolina right now, patients can also get an RSV vaccine along with a flu and COVID shot, he said.
New guidelines say most people who received the RSV vaccine last year do not need one this year, but Weber said it is recommended for:
- Anyone aged 75 or older.
- Those aged 60 to 74 with chronic medical conditions.
- Pregnant people in their second or third trimester.
This story was originally published August 23, 2024 at 11:44 AM with the headline "The FDA just approved new COVID vaccines. When should you get one? We asked an NC doctor."
