Who Needs to Receive the New COVID Vaccination?

According to US health experts, the majority of people should receive the COVID-19 vaccine update this year. The improved COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna, and their partner BioNTech were approved by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last week. A third Novavax vaccine is still being researched. The vaccinations were approved by American health officials for both adults and six-month-old infants. It was stated that even if a person has never received a COVID-19 shot, they can usually receive one starting at age five. Depending on their past immunization history and history of COVID-19 infections, younger children may require more injections.

Last month, CDC Director Mandy Cohen stated that she anticipates COVID vaccinations to be administered annually, just like flu injections. Not all physicians, meanwhile, concur that yearly exams are necessary for everyone. The CDC receives advice from Dr. William Schaffner, a Vanderbilt University infectious diseases specialist. “You should get a flu vaccine if you’re six months of age or older,” he declared. I think that sounds nice for COVID as well. Dr. Paul Offit, an infectious disease specialist from the University of Pennsylvania, is another advisor to the CDC. He stated that he thinks high-risk individuals should have the vaccinations every year. According to Offit, research has not demonstrated that the revised vaccinations shield people in lower-risk groups from illness.

The revised vaccine targets an Omicron sub-variant known as XBB.1.5, as opposed to the previous year’s dose, which targeted both the original virus and the Omicron version. The pharmaceutical companies also stated that the revised shots are effective against the most recent sub-variant BA.2.86 based on preliminary testing. World Health Organization (WHO) officials recently announced that BA.2.86 has been detected in a number of nations, including the US, Switzerland, South Africa, Israel, Denmark, and the UK. The COVID-19 pandemic is no longer as severe. However, the new COVID-19 variations, according to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, demonstrate that the virus still poses a threat to global health.