The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved and granted emergency use authorization for updated COVID-19 vaccines that could hit shelves across the nation as early as Monday.
The approval comes as the summer months have seen a rise in cases across the country. The FDA said the vaccines will target the KP.2 strain, which is an offshoot of the omicron variant.
“Vaccination continues to be the cornerstone of COVID-19 prevention,” Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, stated. “These updated vaccines meet the agency’s rigorous, scientific standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality.”
“Given waning immunity of the population from previous exposure to the virus and from prior vaccination, we strongly encourage those who are eligible to consider receiving an updated COVID-19 vaccine to provide better protection against the current circulation variant,” the statement continued.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention previously recommended everyone older than 6 months receive an updated vaccine. That recommendation will carry over to the updated shots set to be manufactured by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. There is no word yet on if Novavax will have updated vaccines approved.
Anyone who has recently had COVID-19 may want to wait three months before getting vaccinated, according to the CDC. The health agency added that people five years or older may get one dose of the updated vaccine at least two months after the last dose of any previous COVID-19 vaccine.
With winter months tending to see an increase in other respiratory illnesses, as well, the CDC has said it is safe for those eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine at the same time as a flu shot or an RSV vaccine.
Dr. Jennifer Bryan, president of the Mississippi State Medical Association, vouched that while updated vaccinations are important, so are other methods of protecting oneself such as masking in certain situations.
“I don’t mask when I go about my day, but if I’m going into the exam room and someone has a 103 fever and is sick, I’m going to mask. I don’t want what they have,” Bryan said, adding that the KP.2 strain of COVID-19 is less lethal but still dangerous enough to make someone severely ill.
“While you might not mask when going to Walmart or the baseball game if you paid a lot of money to take a trip somewhere and you’re going to get on an airplane to stay a week at this luxury place you’re going to travel to, you may consider wearing a mask so you’re not laying up in a hotel room with a fever and not feeling well,” she continued. “There are places that masking makes definite sense.”
Those who are covered by Medicare, Medicaid, or private insurance will receive coverage for updated COVID-19 vaccines. The vaccines will be available at pharmacies, doctors, and county health departments.
Over the past seven days, Mississippi has seen a 7.1% increase in cases compared to the previous week. To learn more about COVID-19 in Mississippi, click here.
