CDC Recommends Updated COVID-19 Vaccine Booster
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending updated COVID-19 vaccine booster shots.
The CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends the updated Pfizer-BioNTech booster for those aged 12 and older and the Moderna booster for adults aged 18 and older.
The updated boosters are expected to provide greater protection against the new strains of the coronavirus.
“The updated COVID-19 boosters are formulated to better protect against the most recently circulating COVID-19 variant,” CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said.
“This recommendation followed a comprehensive scientific evaluation and robust scientific discussion.”
The announcement comes weeks after the CDC relaxed its quarantine recommendations.
Safety and Effectiveness
Walensky said health officials are confident about how effective the vaccines will be against the virus.
Scientists added the omicron BA.4 and BA. 5 spike protein components to the current vaccine composition when they updated the vaccine.
The new boosters, tested on mice, stirred up some controversy in recent weeks.
Various scientists have noted this is not unprecedented, as the flu shot is changed annually without routine testing.
Local Impact
Several pharmacies and health centers across the state are reporting availability of the updated booster shots for residents.
The state’s vaccine portal allows residents to select either the Pfizer or Moderna bivalent shot and provide a zip code to find available locations.
Connecticut had a seven-day positivity rate of 8.97%, with at least one person hospitalized with COVID-19 heading into September.
The state reported 2,764,292 residents are considered fully vaccinated, more than 1.6 million people have received one additional dose, and 360,000 received a second additional dose.
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