I heard on the news yesterday that the new booster is approved for ages 5 and up. Per the article below we are eligible if under 65.
Everything you need to know about the new COVID boosters : Shots - Health News : NPR
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The new booster is approved and recommended for 6 months and up. Same as the flu shot.
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There does not seem to be any specific recommendation on getting the same or different brand of COVID-19 vaccine. (However, if you only got Janssen before, it is no longer available in the US, and does not appear to have new variant formulations.)
- In favor of the same brand: minimize the (very small) risk of adverse effects if you got that brand of vaccine before without adverse effects (versus a different brand with different ingredients, etc.).
- In favor of a different brand: different brands of vaccines may stimulate the immune system differently, possibly leading to a more robust immune response.
- In favor of a specific brand:
- Pfizer: some younger men may want a lower dose (versus Moderna) to minimize the (very small) risk of myocarditis*.
- Moderna: some older people may want a higher dose (versus Pfizer).
- Novavax: some people may want a “more traditional” protein subunit + adjuvant vaccine over an mRNA vaccine. Some people may see hints that Novavax immune response may be more durable over time than for mRNA vaccines.
*Myocarditis rates were very low with the 2022 boosters – possibly because (a) the Moderna booster has a lower dose than the Moderna original that had the highest rate of myocarditis in its second primary dose, (b) the time interval before booster doses was longer than between the primary doses where myocarditis was observed, and (c) those who had vaccine-associated myocarditis were less likely to get boosters.
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https://www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/whats-new/covid-vaccine-recommendations-9-12-2023.html
“On September 12, 2023, CDC recommended a COVID-19 vaccine updated for 2023-2024 for everyone aged 6 months and older to protect against serious illness.”
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@abasket - thank you for giving that information. I know that you work in healthcare so your knowledge is better than mine!
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The article I read said the new COVID vaccine would be offered free of cost at CVS and Walgreens. Does this mean our local pharmacies won’t have it?
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No. However, it will be be stocked and ordered through the usual pharmaceutical product distribution channels, rather than government distributed, so low volume pharmacies may choose not to carry it.
They will also cost more ($120-130 per dose) than the prices the government was paying (average of $21 per dose for Pfizer and Moderna; $29 per dose for the 2022 BA.5+ancestral boosters*). Most people with medical insurance will have the cost covered by their insurance, like with other vaccines. Those without medical insurance will have to self-pay if they are not eligible for some other subsidy or charity program.
*However, due to the low uptake of the 2022 BA.5+ancestral boosters, the effective cost per dose given was significantly higher than $29, because most doses were unused.
LInk to page which lists US government costs of purchasing COVID-19 vaccines: How Much Could COVID-19 Vaccines Cost the U.S. After Commercialization? | KFF
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I could drive a ways and get CVS appt on Sun or Mon (week before Europe trip). Still deciding - seems a bit close.
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I booked my parent’s appointments for them today for both a Covid booster and flu shot in Bremerton; the earliest shots there were on Monday, 9/18.
They’re traveling internationally for 3 weeks two days later; the shots won’t have kicked in, but it’s far better than nothing, and they’ll get “more effective” so to speak each day. Their doctor also wrote a prescription for Paxlovid, which they are filling and bringing with them just in case, so that they can take it immediately if they test positive.
There were appointments in the middle of Seattle starting Saturday morning for the new booster, and that was the earliest that either Walgreens or the Safeway, Albertson’s, Fred Meyer, etc. pharmacies had the new boosters in stock.
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Just scheduled new Covid booster and flu shot at CVS for us on Saturday morning. We are traveling in early October so very happy to be able to get this done before we travel.
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Seems like it could be worth doing if you can get an appointment in the next few days, the earlier the better. Have fun on your trip!
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I could be wrong but TECHNICALLY we should refer to this new release as a Covid SHOT. Like the flu SHOT. Right? We don’t get a flu booster each year - we get a flu shot!
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Yes, probably just a shot. I’ll just be glad to get it!
there is as of yet no CDC guidance and taking them at teh same time.
technically, they are all vaccines. Flu “shot” has just become part of our vocabulary as its mostly a jab into the arm. (The flu vaccine is also available nasally). A booster is a vaccine that is a smaller dose than the original vaccine.
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While that was true for the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine against the ancestral virus, it is not necessarily true for other vaccines, such as the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
DH and I plan to get it. We are already scheduled (CVS Minute Clinic) to get our flu shots in about 10 days. Maybe the new covid booster will be in by then!
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The Moderna bivalent was a full dose, wasn’t it?
Moderna boosters for adults, including the 2022 bivalent one, contained 50 µg of mRNA per dose.
The original Moderna vaccine against the ancestral virus used for primary series vaccination contained 100 µg of mRNA per dose.
Pfizer vaccine doses for adults contained 30 µg per dose.
The 100 µg versus 30 µg in the original vaccines used for primary series vaccination may have been why (a) some studies noted higher vaccine effectiveness over time for the Moderna over Pfizer vaccine, and (b) myocarditis in younger men was more common with the Moderna than Pfizer vaccine. So if a message could be sent back to early 2021, it may suggest favoring Moderna for older people and not Moderna for younger men.
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