Chances are we’ll all need a Covid booster shot this fall. Pfizer and Moderna are already developing modified vaccines that target the original omicron subvariants.
The FDA would like to see the new vaccines offer protection from more infectious BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants.
Dr. John Swartzberg, an expert on infectious disease at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health, hopes the new boosters will offer this added protection.
“So that should allow us to have a vaccine in the fall that will give us broader coverage, and that may be very important,” he said.
Right now, it looks like the new booster vaccines won’t be ready until at least October. And there’s a lot of the Omicron variant out there right now.
That’s why Dr. Swartzberg encourages those in a higher risk group – those 65 or older, or those of any age with underlying health conditions – to get the current booster shots now.
“There’s nothing to suggest that getting a booster now is going to preclude or make it problematic for you to get the booster in the fall,” he told me.
More Info: FDA recommends changing composition of Covid-19 vaccines for use this fall
