COVID-19: Do you need a second vaccine booster? What to know. – The Cincinnati Enquirer

White House issues warning on new COVID variants

The Biden administration is calling on people to exercise caution about COVID-19, emphasizing the importance of getting booster shots for those who are eligible and wearing masks indoors as two new transmissible variants are spreading rapidly. (July 12)

AP

COVID-19 isonce again surging around the country, asBA.4 and BA.5, two highly infectioussubvariants of omicron, are responsible for a majority of new cases.

Currently, only adults ages 50 and older and a few younger groupsmoderately or severely immunocompromised are eligible to receive a second booster. But what about everyone else?

Here's what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends as we face the latest variant of COVID-19.

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BA.5 may be the most infectious strain of COVID-19 to date, according to Yale Medicine.

The CDC's COVID-19 data tracker Nowcast estimates circulating variants, and it is updated every Tuesday. According to the most recent update, the BA.5 variant currently makes up around 81.9% of cases, while the BA.4 variant is responsible for 12.9%.

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The CDC's tracking map shows that in the Midwest, which includes Ohio, BA.5 is responsible for 83.4% of cases and BA.4 is responsible for 11.3%.

The CDC currentlyrecommends for anyone ages 5 and older to get one booster after completing their primary COVID-19 vaccine series.

Adults ages 50 and older and some people ages 12 and older who are moderately or severely immunocompromised are recommended to get a second booster, and have been able to get one since March.

Here's which vaccines are authorized for a first or second booster dose, and for whom:

Novavax is currently not authorized to be used as a booster.

In June, members of the Food and Drug Administration's advisory panel voted to reformulate COVID-19 booster shots for the fall to more directly target the omicron variant.

No final decision has been made yet about boosters for people younger than 50. The Biden administration and federal officials are still deciding whether to recommend a second booster shot for people under 50 before the fall, when the redesigned boosters that target omicron will probably be available for distribution.

The CDC does not recommend mixing vaccines for the primary series for example, you shouldn't get Pfizer as a first dose and Moderna as a second but people 18 and older can get a different vaccine as a booster.

Children and teens ages 5 to 17 who got Pfizer as their primary vaccine must get a Pfizer booster, the CDC says.

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COVID-19: Do you need a second vaccine booster? What to know. - The Cincinnati Enquirer