The FDA gave the updated COVID-19 booster shots the green light, and the CDC followed suit by approving the use of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines designed to target both Omicron and the older variants of the coronavirus. The dominant BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariants are causing most of the current infections.
We sat down with Dr. Cara Christ, our Chief Medical Officer at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, to answer your top questions and clear up any confusion as the new booster shots roll out.
Q: Who is eligible to receive the new booster shots?
A: Pfizer's updated booster is available for anyone 12 and older. The Moderna booster is available for anyone 18 and older. The CDC recommends that anyone who has not had a booster in the last 2-4 months get the newly approved boosters.
Q: Who should be getting the new booster shots? Anyone who is eligible, or specific groups of people, like those with underlying health conditions?
A: We recommend everyone get fully vaccinated if they are eligible and that includes the boosters at this point. According to CDC guidance, people are eligible if it's been at least two months since they received their last COVID shot, either a booster or their initial vaccine series. You should also make sure you're fully recovered from a recent COVID infection before getting the new booster. Recovery timelines can vary, so check the CDC's recommendations on isolation and precautions for those with COVID-19.
Q: Can you get the Omicron booster shot even if you didn't receive the previous booster?
A: Yes. You can either have this booster as your first booster, or it can be your second or third. The difference between this vaccine and the previous vaccine is that it protects against the Omicron variant, so it is going to provide more protection against the strains that are currently circulating.
Q: Can you mix and match COVID-19 vaccine shots?
A: If you are over 18, it doesn't matter. If you got the first three doses of Pfizer, you could get Moderna and vice versa so long as you meet the age/eligibility requirements. Whichever is available is what you should get in order to be fully vaccinated and protected.
Q: Why is it important to tackle the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants?
A: We are expecting additional COVID-19 surges. As the virus continues to circulate in our community it mutates and changes so vaccines that produced antibodies to prior strains may not have as great of protection against new strains that emerge. This one is built against the strains currently circulating so it will provide more protection than previous vaccines.
Q: We're approaching flu season. Can people get the flu shot and a booster shot on the same day, or does it need to be spaced out?
A: At the beginning of the COVID-19 vaccination period in January of 2021, the recommendation was that you should wait between the two. That has changed. Now you can get the COVID vaccine with other vaccines. We want to make it as easy as possible for people to be protected. So, if you're going to the doctor for the flu vaccine and they also have the COVID vaccine, you should get both.
Q: How long are booster shots effective?
A: It varies based on many factors – such as the strain currently circulating and certain health conditions. The last booster provided a couple of months of protection. The updated booster provides better protection against the strains currently circulating than the original booster. We encourage everyone to follow the vaccine recommendations as they are updated.
Q: A lot of people have 'vaccine fatigue.' How can we address this and encourage continued protection?
A: The communications surrounding vaccines have become clearer, but I think people are fatigued with
COVID in general. The unfortunate thing is that COVID is not fatigued with us. I often say that COVID is predictably unpredictable: we don't know what it's going to do but it's still circulating in the community which allows it to change because viruses are doing what people are doing – trying to survive. It's going to change and the best protection we have right now is this vaccine. You could be asymptomatic and if you're traveling or out in the community, you could transmit it to others. You want to make sure you and your family are fully protected.
COVID-19 vaccines are free to everyone, regardless of insurance or immigration status.
To learn more about the CDC guidance on the COVID-19 booster shots, visit: Stay Up to Date with COVID-19 Vaccines Including Boosters | CDC