As COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations creep up during a summer wave of heightened virus activity, updated vaccines are still likely weeks away.
Why it matters:
- Americans have largely tuned out COVID, but the latest COVID uptick is a reminder that the virus continues to circulate and mutate — though the threat is far below pandemic-era levels.
- Health officials face a challenge convincing a pandemic-fatigued public to get an updated COVID shot, as vaccine uptake has declined with each successive booster.
“The updated COVID shots from Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax are expected to become available in the third or fourth week of September, according to the most recent guidance from CDC director Mandy Cohen.”
They say that, but it likely won’t be widely available till early October.
I have a large gathering beginning October and a trip in December. Guess I’ll be taking the currently available booster.
Seems like these things should be coordinated with kids going back to school every year but idk, not a medical professional.
It would complicate the messaging, but I’d like it if school kids got it in September to tamp down the natural wave caused by them spreading it throughout the community; and adults got it in October to protect them through most of the winter.