New COVID-19 vaccine aims to cut hospitalizations and deaths, especially among older Americans. Everything you … – UCHealth Today

Older people and those who are immunocompromised are strongly encouraged to get their updated COVID-19 and flu vaccines when they come out this fall. Getty Images.

Federal health experts have authorized a new 2024-25 COVID-19 vaccine that they hope will reduce deaths and hospitalizations among the most vulnerable people in the country.

COVID-19 continues to sicken people and still is causing hundreds of deaths every week in the U.S. Its especially dangerous for older adults, many of whom are not up to date on their vaccines.

Thats why medical experts who advise the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) just approved new versions of COVID-19 and flu vaccines and are urging everyone ages 6 months and older to get their annual shots this fall and winter.

The new 2024-25 COVID-19 vaccines will come out in August and September, and health experts hope a much higher percentage of Americans will decide to get an annual COVID-19 vaccine this fall and winter than did last year since vaccines protect well against hospitalization and death.

Our top recommendation for protecting yourself and your loved ones from respiratory illness is to get vaccinated, said Dr. Mandy Cohen, director of the CDC. Make a plan now for you and your family to get both updated flu and COVID vaccines this fall, ahead of the respiratory virus season.

The percentage of people who are up to date on COVID-19 vaccines is relatively low. Heres a snapshot of the data:

To learn more about the newest 2024-25 COVID-19 vaccines, we consulted with Dr. Michelle Barron, UCHealthssenior medical director of infection prevention and control.

COVID-19 is behaving a lot like the flu now. Were seeing increases in cases in the fall and winter months. The severity is usually worse in older people and those who have underlying issues with their immune systems. Thats also true for the flu, and all of these people can get very sick, said Barron, who is alsoa professorat theUniversity of Colorado School of Medicineon theAnschutz Medical Campus.

She strongly encourages older people and those who are immunocompromised to get their updated COVID-19 and flu vaccines when they come out this fall.

She also encourages parents to get their children vaccinated, and younger people can stay up to date on vaccines to protect others and avoid getting sick themselves.

These vaccines are very effective and preventing severe illness, Barron said. And who likes being sick? Not me.

Updated COVID-19 vaccines will be available from Moderna, Novavax, and Pfizer by August or September.

While the worst days of the pandemic are certainly in the rearview mirror, and most Americans have either some natural immunities or have received at least one or two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, people continue to get sick and immunities wear off. So, people can get infected repeatedly, and some are still getting critically ill.

Heres a snapshot of how COVID-19 and flu are affecting people:

Health experts are encouraging everyone ages 6 months and older to get the new COVID-19 vaccine.

These vaccines are very effective. They keep people out of hospitals. They lessen infections and the severity of disease, Barron said. Even if youre healthy, if you have family members or people around you who are vulnerable, getting an updated vaccine is a great way of keeping them healthy too.

The newest vaccines will protect against the JN strains which are descendants of the Omicron version of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19. The newest variants that are circulating and causing infections now are known as the KP variants, and vaccine makers will try to create vaccines that also protect against KP variants.

The newest vaccines are about 40 to 50% effective, which is not perfect. But they help a great deal in protecting against hospitalization and death. Immunities do wane over time.

Due to waning effectiveness, its possible that CDC experts will recommend an additional booster shot for older adults next spring as they did earlier this year.

CDC experts recommend flu shots for everyone ages 6 months or older. There are rare exceptions.

When youre deciding which vaccines you or family members need, its best to consult with your doctor so you can stay up to date on immunizations and avoid getting sick, Barron said.

Yes, its safe to get both your COVID-19 and your flu shots at the same time. In fact, medical experts recommend getting the two vaccines together since thats most convenient for people.

And Barron says vaccine makers are currently testing combined flu and COVID-19 shots. If those prove to be effective, shes looking forward to the day when people can get a single combined annual flu/COVID-19 vaccine.

That would be very cool. Theyre working on it now. Its in clinical trials, she said.

No. The percentage of people who are up to date on COVID-19 has dropped dramatically from 2021 to this year.

The pandemic was a rough time for most people, and Barron thinks many people dont want to think about COVID-19 or dont see it as a major risk, so theyre skipping vaccines.

She strongly encourages people to get vaccinated, but of course, people have the right to make their own medical decisions.

People ages 75 and older are at the greatest risk if they get a COVID-19 infection.

And health experts want to see many, many more of these people getting their updated vaccines this fall or winter.

Dr. Oliver Brooks is the chief medical officer for Watts HealthCare Corporation in Los Angeles and is a member of the CDC advisory committee for vaccines.

During a recent meeting of the advisers, Brooks urged health experts to do more to help get all vulnerable people vaccinated, especially older Americans.

One out of 100 (people) ages 75 and older was hospitalized (due to COVID-19), Brooks said.

While older Americans are vaccinated at the highest rates, COVID-19 infections can be very dangerous for these folks, and a higher percentage of them need to get the newest vaccines.

We need them to be at 99%, Brooks said.

COVID-19 can hit older adults hard. Heres a snapshot of the newest data:

Barron said its typical for people ages 65 and older to need more protection both because older people have immune systems that are not as strong as those in younger people and many older adults get exposed to more infections.

Thats the age when grandkids start popping up, Barron said.

Newborns cannot receive COVID-19 vaccines. And babies cant be vaccinated until theyre older than 6 months. The best way to protect newborns is for moms to get vaccinated during pregnancy. Immunities to COVID-19 and other illnesses also can pass through the breastmilk from mom to baby.

Barron encourages everyone to get their vaccines in the fall or early winter.

During past respiratory virus seasons, COVID-19 infections have peaked in the period from January through March. But its very difficult to time a vaccine perfectly. So, Barron advises people to be practical.

Im a big fan of convenience, Barron said. If youre already at your doctors office in mid-November, go ahead and get your flu and COVID-19 vaccines.

She advises people not to overthink the timing. Just get it done.

Everyones busy. Minimize the number of times you need to go see your doctor, Barron said.

Please discuss vaccines with your doctor. People who are immunocompromised may need extra doses. Your doctor may give one dose early and another three to six months later. The timing will depend on what medications people are on, Barron said.

Earlier this year, CDC experts also recommended extra doses of the 2023-24 vaccine for older people because the new variants that were circulating made it less effective. That could happen next spring. So, if people have any questions, they should check with their doctors.

Youll want to get the updated vaccine. But people who have had a recent infection can wait about three months after their illness to get the newest vaccine.

You can get your vaccine about 90 days after your last COVID-19 episode, Barron said.

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New COVID-19 vaccine aims to cut hospitalizations and deaths, especially among older Americans. Everything you ... - UCHealth Today