The good news: If you’ve been vaccinated and boosted with an mRNA vaccine (and millions of Americans have), you likely already know what to expect and how your body may react. In fact, projections show that if the same number of people who get the annual flu shot get an updated COVID-19 booster this fall, it could prevent as many as 100,000 hospitalizations and 9,000 deaths. But for now, the Pfizer and Moderna boosters are the only updated booster options available, and it’s recommended that all fully vaccinated adults get one, as long as it’s been at least two months since your last COVID-19 vaccine or booster. (And it doesn't matter what brand you had before.)ĬOVID-19 is still sending more than 4,000 Americans to the hospital each day, and experts expect the new boosters will help prevent that number from spiking during a time of year when respiratory illnesses tend to thrive. Novavax, another company that brought its two-shot COVID-19 vaccine to the market in June, has said it’s in the process of testing an omicron version of its vaccine initial results could be available this fall. Johnson & Johnson’s booster hasn’t been retooled to target omicron, and the CDC continues to recommend the Pfizer and Moderna options over a J&J vaccine, due to a rare but serious complication involving a blood clotting disorder. Health officials have said that they will work quickly to evaluate the data on the updated boosters for younger populations as it comes in. Currently, Pfizer's booster is authorized for people 12 and older adults 18 and up can get the Moderna booster. with these new bivalent boosters, however, not everyone is eligible for them at this time. One thing to note: Pfizer and Moderna are the only COVID-19 vaccine makers in the U.S. This condition - an inflammation of the heart muscle that can weaken the heart - has occurred mostly in teens and younger adults. Other typical side effects included fatigue, headache, muscle pain, chills, joint pain, diarrhea, fever and vomiting - all were seen with Pfizer’s original COVID-19 booster too.Īnd just like with Moderna’s bivalent booster trial, no adverse events were reported in the Pfizer trial, though experts say they will continue to keep an eye on the rare risk of myocarditis in both Pfizer and Moderna booster recipients. Pain at the injection site was also the most common complaint among people boosted with Pfizer’s updated vaccine about 60 percent of trial participants reported it. No severe adverse events were seen.įor comparison’s sake, the five most commonly reported side effects following a dose of Moderna’s original COVID-19 booster were injection site pain, fatigue, headache, muscle pain and joint pain. About 80 percent of trial participants reported it, followed by fatigue, headache, muscle and joint pain, chills, nausea and vomiting, and fever. Pain at the injection site was the most commonly reported side effect among people vaccinated with Moderna’s bivalent omicron booster, CDC data show. “All of the side effects from a bivalent booster were very similar to what we saw with the regular booster, and even going back to the initial vaccination,” said Andrew Pekosz, a virologist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Looking at the side effects of boosters in these trials, there were no surprises. Experts don’t expect these minor mutations will have any effect on the vaccine’s safety profile. Instead, they relied on data from the first round of booster shots and from a very similar bivalent COVID-19 vaccine - one that targets the original coronavirus strain and also BA.1, an omicron subvariant that “only differs slightly from BA.4 and BA.5,” said Peter Marks, M.D., director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research at the U.S. (This is not an uncommon process for vaccines that need a strain update, much like the annual flu shot.) Health officials approached the approvals for the retooled omicron boosters a bit differently this time around, since clinical trials testing the BA.4 and BA.5-specific shots are ongoing. Here’s what to expect if you go in for the jab. Still, some people have questions about the new omicron boosters, including the side effects they can cause. Health officials are recommending that everyone ages 12 and older roll up their sleeves this fall for the added dose of protection against the illness that has taken more than a million American lives.
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