As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to loom, health experts have shared that another booster shot should become available shortly after Labor Day.
Dr. Michael Osterholm joined News Talk 830 WCCO's Chad Hartman to discuss the additional booster as immunity continues to wane and the virus mutates.
Osterholm shared that the expected booster will be different from boosters in the past as this one will include protection against new sub-variants that have been able to avoid immunity.
"This new vaccine that we are talking about is going to have the old vaccine in it. Plus, it's going to have the BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants in it," Osterholm said. "So it's going to be what we call a bivalent vaccine."
While the booster will become available, Osterholm noted that it isn't known how many people will take advantage of the extra dose.
Be that as it may, Osterholm says health experts have put the shot on the fast track, with around 450 Americans dying daily from COVID.
He says there's a general sense among some who have already received the vaccine that they are fully protected. But, Osterholm says the data show additional boosters offer the best protection from the virus.
"The data is clear and compelling that the additional doses do reduce serious illness, hospitalization, and death," Osterholm shared. "So I will be very interested to see how many people actually take up these vaccines."
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