Updated COVID Vaccines Available Soon: CDC

New COVID-19 vaccines will be available to the public in mid-September, officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Thursday. 

These updated shots from Pfizer, Moderna, and Novavax have been reformulated to combat the XBB.1.5 variant, which has been the dominant strain for much of 2023 so far.

This specific variant has been largely overtaken by newer variants such as Eris, Fornax and a newly detected strain dubbed Pirola. However, there is evidence that these updated shots will be effective against these new variants as well.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and CDC still have to approve these new boosters, and there is a meeting scheduled for September 12 for the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to discuss whether to recommend them. The panel is made up of outside advisors who are expected to recommend the CDC to approve the new vaccines.

Steven Gordon, M.D., chair of infectious disease at Cleveland Clinic, told The Messenger that it’s okay to wait for the new vaccines to be released before you get your booster. 

“Given it is expected to be a better match for circulating strains of the virus, I would recommend waiting for that vaccine,” he said.

Rising cases and hospitalizations are dispelling the notion that the pandemic is over for many. Some school closures have already been reported, and California’s largest primary care provider has reinstated mask mandates in some locations.