As COVID cases continue to rise, the release of an updated vaccine is still more than a month away. This leaves individuals with a tough decision: should they get boosted now or wait?
The current vaccine available, known as the “bivalent” shot, was released last year and was designed to target the highly contagious omicron variant of COVID, which remains the dominant variant to this day. However, studies have shown that the effectiveness of the bivalent shot significantly decreases over time.
Over the past year, omicron has given rise to numerous subtypes, each represented by a combination of letters and numbers. The most common subtypes have been the XBB strains.
The forthcoming booster, set to be available by late September or early October, is a monovalent vaccine specifically designed to target XBB.
Many individuals will have to wait for the XBB-targeting booster to be released because they are not currently eligible for another dose. If they have already received a bivalent shot, they may not be able to receive a second dose. The current recommendation from the CDC is for a second bivalent shot only for immunocompromised individuals or those aged 65 and older.
According to Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease expert at the University of California, San Francisco, “The vast majority of people can wait until the updated COVID shots are available in late September or early October.” However, he advises those who are 65 or older or immunocompromised to consult their healthcare provider to determine if they should receive a dose of the currently available vaccines, given the current increase in cases.
Dr. Sherif Mossad, MD, an infectious disease specialist at the Cleveland Clinic, agrees that those who are eligible for a booster now should not wait since the timeline for the availability of the new monovalent vaccine is uncertain.
For individuals who have not yet received a bivalent dose, there is still time. The CDC recommends one dose of the booster for everyone aged 6 and older. More information on who can receive the new booster shot and when is expected to be provided by the Food and Drug Administration in the coming weeks, followed by recommendations from the CDC, according to Dr. Anand Parekh, the chief medical advisor at the Bipartisan Policy Center.
If you are unsure about your COVID-19 vaccine status, the CDC’s website offers more information.
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