SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – The CDC has officially given its stamp of approval on the new updated COVID-19 booster that targets the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of the omicron variant.
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The Pfizer vaccine has been authorized for use in people ages 12 and older and Moderna's for people ages 18 and older.
Those who haven't gotten a booster or had a COVID-19 infection in the last three months should go and get this new booster when they can, according to Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos, Director of the Tobacco Treatment Clinic and Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine on KCBS Radio's "Ask an Expert" on Friday.
People who have gotten their booster or had a COVID-19 infection in the last three months should wait another three months before getting the new booster.
"The fact that we are looking at a COVID-19 vaccine that is now more precise with the variances – please understand this is one closer step to converting COVID-19 to what we view with the flu season," he told KCBS Radio's Melissa Culross. "That's a huge win for us."
Those who are unsure if they should get the new booster should consult their primary care physician about any questions.
The new booster seems poised to really make a dent in the BA.5 subvariant’s power to spread and infect people rapidly.
"We're trying to fight mother nature, she has her own agenda," said Galiatsatos. But with the best minds in the scientific and medical fields working on solutions, "I am confident that this will be able to target the BA.5 much more effectively," he added.
Fortunately, BA.5 has not been inundating hospitals and intensive care units nearly as much as previous strains of the virus, which is a sign that the initial round of vaccinations is effective against serious illness.
"These new vaccines targeting more precisely the omicron subvariances – we’re hoping to begin to stop mild infections," he said.
The two manufacturers of the booster, Pfizer and Moderna, are using the same technology to produce their vaccines, so whichever one is available to people, they should feel comfortable getting.
But another manufacturer, Novavax, is also in the process of updating their vaccine to better target omicron subvariants.
The vaccines should just be updated altogether, said Galiatsatos. "It's like right now offering last year's flu vaccine for this year's flu season," he said.
People should also feel comfortable getting both the COVID-19 and flu vaccines at the same time as flu season is just around the corner.
"The only thing I would prepare patients for is that discomfort may be a little more amplified," he said. "So you might want to reach for that Tylenol sooner than later."
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