What You Need To Know About The New Covid Booster

Epidemiologist and professor Amira Roess answers frequently asked questions about the newest vaccine for COVID-19.
In the United States, a new COVID-19 booster vaccine has been approved and is recommended for people 12 years of age and older. This new enhancer, called a “bivalent” enhancer, was created to fight the original strain of COVID and to protect against the newer variants of omicron (BA.4 and BA.5).
Epidemiologist and professor at George Mason University Dr. Amira Roess specializes in infectious diseases and answers frequently asked questions about the new COVID-19 booster vaccine. Who should receive the new COVID-19 booster? Those eligible aged 12 and over are encouraged to get the new bivalent souvenir. Eligibility is defined as the period of at least 2 months from the last booster dose or from the original initial series. The FDA has approved two new boosters, one from Moderna and one from Pfizer. Visit the Centers for Disease Control website to find out if you qualify. The numbers are down and fewer people seem to be getting COVID, so why should I get the new booster shot? Disease modelers predict an increase in cases this fall and winter, in part because we’re moving into colder months when we’ll be indoors more and exposed to more viruses. In addition, many people lose their immunity to the virus. People were vaccinated or boosted many months ago, and many were in the spring or summer. This means that they will soon be at risk of (re)infection. Getting the new booster can help reduce your chance of getting infected and can dramatically reduce the chance of a serious infection if you do.
Another important note here is that we are significantly undercounting cases. Many of us use home-based kits and do not report results to public health agencies.
Is now the right time to renew? If you qualify, yes. Now is a good time and you should consider getting the new amplifier. We hear reports of children infected at school infecting members of their household. We will likely see more cases in the coming weeks. Eligible people who receive the new booster can expect to be less likely to get COVID-19, and if they do get infected, they will likely have a much milder case and a shorter duration of illness. This will reduce the chance of spreading the virus to others. How soon after infection can I get the new souvenir? The CDC’s general guidelines suggest waiting at least 3 months from the onset of symptoms or a positive test. We can expect the CDC and the White House to issue guidance on what’s related to the booster in the coming weeks.
Why don’t we know more about the currently circulating variant of COVID-19? The data, although preliminary, indicates that the variant currently in circulation, BA.5, is the most immune evasive we have worked with to date. Individuals are being reinfected with this variant at a higher rate compared to previous circulating variants. Additionally, we see a portion of the population re-infected within 2 months of infection. Because BA.5 became dominant over the summer, there’s still a lot we don’t know. The data suggest that overall, among healthy individuals, severe illness, hospitalization and death are still significantly lower after infection with this variant. How do we deal with this development? First, if you qualify for the new booster, consider getting it. Then try to stay home if you have symptoms, even if your rapid test is negative. We want to avoid infecting others, especially those who are immunocompromised or the elderly.
If you are positive, isolate yourself at home as best you can. The CDC has updated its guidelines to shorten the duration of isolation and quarantine. Once you are out of isolation, continue to wear your mask when around others to further protect them. The good news is that most healthy adults don’t get very sick. However, we want to keep in mind that there are many immunocompromised people in our community who are at risk of serious illness if they become infected.
What you need to know about bivalent boosters for COVID-19 Provided by George Mason University Reference: What you need to know about the new COVID booster (2022 September 19) Retrieved September 19, 2022 from
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