US authorities recommend additional vaccination against COVID-19: what you need to know

The past three years have taught us a bitter truth: COVID-19 does not pose the same risk to everyone it infects. Now, US public health agencies are trying to reconcile COVID-19 vaccination recommendations with this fact. The edition told in more detail VOX.

Photo: IStock

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices have issued streamlined vaccine recommendations to help people understand what to do.

In particular, the guidelines increase one dose of a bivalent vaccine from booster status. Under the new recommendations, the bivalent vaccine can be used as the first and only vaccine a person receives as a core vaccine.

(Bivalent vaccines are intended for booster vaccination of persons who, as a minimum condition, have previously completed the primary course of vaccination against COVID-19).

The new guidance applies to updated bivalent formulations of mRNA vaccines manufactured by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech. The original series of vaccines that most Americans received earlier during the pandemic are no longer available: previously monovalent formulations from Moderna and Pfizer are no longer allowed in the US, and others such as Novavax and Johnson and Johnson have been used infrequently.

On the subject: Doctors demand a ban on COVID-19 vaccines created by Pfizer and Moderna: side effects lead to sudden deaths

The bottom line: at this point, everyone should have at least one bivalent vaccine. However, bivalent vaccination should only be repeated in people at high risk.

In addition, although previous vaccination with the older monovalent version of the vaccine was a requirement for a bivalent vaccine, under the new recommendations, even people who did not receive any COVID-19 vaccines can receive a bivalent vaccine.

The use of bivalent vaccine in the US is low. Only 42% of people aged 65 and over, who are most at risk of severe illness and hospitalization due to COVID-19, have received the vaccine. Overall, less than 17% of all Americans received the bivalent vaccine. Peter Marks, director of the FDA's Center for Biological Evaluation and Research, said in a statement: "The agency believes this approach will help drive vaccination in the future."

It's worth noting that both the FDA and the CDC have used the wording "may" rather than "should" in much of this guidance. For now, these agencies avoid language suggesting that anyone who has already been vaccinated "should" get another shot. This is because the data on booster vaccinations is not strong enough to tell everyone they need another shot. Instead, the CDC and FDA emphasize who is simply "eligible" for more doses.

A healthy person aged 6 to 64 who has already received a bivalent vaccine

The FDA said that for most people aged 6 years and older, one dose of the bivalent vaccine is now sufficient, regardless of when they received it.

However, the CDC noted that booster vaccinations did not protect against hospitalizations in this age group last fall and winter.

But in recent times, the risk of hospitalization among children and adults in these age groups has been so low, and the protection provided from booster vaccinations has been so fleeting, that bivalent booster vaccination ultimately proved to be of minimal benefit in this group.

If you have never been vaccinated or are just of age to be vaccinated

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has given the strongest and clearest advice for people who have not yet received a bivalent vaccine, either because they have not yet received COVID-19 vaccines at all or have received only the original monovalent versions of the vaccine that were available before August 2022 These people should receive the bivalent vaccine now. This goes for everyone aged 6 and over, and because so few Americans have received the bivalent vaccine, most of them are in this category.

For people who are still not vaccinated, the reason is that even though they may have some immunity against COVID-19 due to a prior infection (most people have been exposed to the virus by this point), it is generally less protective from severe illness than the broader protection that comes from both immunization and recovery.

For people who have received only monovalent versions of the vaccine, the rationale is that the bivalent vaccine provides protection not only against the original strain of the virus, but also against newer versions of omicron, BA.4 and BA.5. While very few of these strains are currently circulating in the US, they are still genetically closer to the current strains than the original virus.

Therefore, a vaccine that trains the immune system to recognize both earlier and later strains of the virus is thought to provide better protection than a vaccine that only targets earlier strains.

If you are 65 or older

People aged 65 and over can also get the bivalent vaccine now, even if they have already received it. For this group, the rationale behind the FDA recommendation is that people aged 65 and over are still being hospitalized for COVID-19 more often than younger people. During the fall and winter, people in this age group who received bivalent vaccines died much less frequently than those who did not. For this group, the FDA recommended waiting at least four months after the last bivalent dose to receive a second dose.

If you are moderately or severely immunocompromised and are 5 years of age or older

According to the CDC, people who are moderately to severely immunocompromised include those who are undergoing or about to receive cancer treatment or organ transplants, people with advanced or untreated HIV and certain congenital immunodeficiencies, and those taking various immunosuppressive drugs.

If you are moderately or severely immunocompromised and are 5 years of age or older, you too can get the bivalent vaccine now, even if you have already received it. (Immune-compromised children under 5 years of age are not eligible for a repeat bivalent dose under the new FDA guidelines.)

There are several reasons for this recommendation. First, this group may not have as strong an antibody response to COVID-19 vaccines. But the other problem is that monoclonal antibody treatments, which used to offer an extra layer of protection for immunocompromised people, no longer work against omicron variants and are no longer FDA-approved except in special cases.

You may be interested in: top New York news, stories of our immigrants and helpful tips about life in the Big Apple - read it all on ForumDaily New York

The FDA recommends that immunocompromised people wait at least two months after their last dose of bivalent to receive a second dose. They also said that people with certain types of immunodeficiency (for example, those who are receiving or about to receive a stem cell transplant, B-cell-lowering drugs or treatment with CAR-T cells, certain types of cancer therapy) may continue to receive repeated doses. every two months. People in this category should talk to their healthcare providers about what's best for them.

Children aged 6 months to 5 years can receive bivalent doses if they are not vaccinated.

Different manufacturers have different dosing regimens and different age thresholds for pediatric versions of their bivalent vaccines: the Moderna pediatric vaccine is given as a two-dose series for children 6 months to 17 years, and the Pfizer vaccine is given as a three-dose series for children 6 years and older. months to 4 years.

Under the new recommendations, unvaccinated children can receive the full bivalent vaccine just like healthy young adults. Meanwhile, children who received a full or partial series of the older monovalent vaccines may also receive at least one dose of the bivalent vaccine. How much they get will depend on how many monovalent doses they received and from which manufacturer. Parents should ask their pediatrician what to do with their child.

Get ready for big changes

This fall, when manufacturers are likely to release updated versions of the bivalent vaccine designed to protect against the latest variants of the virus, the recommendations are likely to change again.

In the meantime, the new guidance lays out a blueprint for most people on how best to protect themselves with vaccines.

Read also on ForumDaily:

No one is safe: a former cybercriminal told how the darknet works

Deadline is approaching: what to do if you can't pay your taxes on time

How to choose an immigration lawyer and avoid fraud

Montana has its own 'Great Wall of China': where did it come from and how to visit it

How airlines set airfare prices and how to buy them cheap

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.