SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – An FDA advisory panel has recommended the department transition to using omicron-specific booster shots.
For more, stream KCBS Radio now.
Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, Professor of Medicine and Associate Dean for Regional Campuses at UCSF, told KCBS Radio's "Ask An Expert" why the updated vaccine would be beneficial.
"The original vaccines were based really on the Wuhan variant in 2020 and they were designed to prevent the worst of the worst, preventing people from dying, preventing people from getting seriously ill, preventing hospitalizations, so the fact that they would prevent any infection was a bonus," he explained.
When the vaccine was first introduced, it was highly successful at preventing serious disease and infection. "Everything was Shangri-La," Chin-Hong said. However, the coronavirus then shifted multiple times. "So much so that the original front guards, which are the antibodies, don't recognize the enemy so well, but the inside bulldogs really remember and they keep us away from the hospital with reminders, which are the boosters," he said.
The omicron boosters may not be ready until mid-fall, but they could not come soon enough.
"It seems that everybody is getting infected," Chin-Hong said. "In the Bay Area where the initial rate (of infection) was much less than 50%, the rate of increase since this recent wave has been such that we are catching up with the rest of the county."
An omicron-specific booster would be more likely to prevent serious disease as well as breakthrough infection, according to the UCSF doctor.
DOWNLOAD the Audacy App
SIGN UP and follow KCBS Radio
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
