{"id":119622,"date":"2024-08-22T23:27:52","date_gmt":"2024-08-22T23:27:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/22\/new-covid-19-booster-shots-have-been-approved-when-should-you-get-one\/"},"modified":"2024-08-22T23:27:52","modified_gmt":"2024-08-22T23:27:52","slug":"new-covid-19-booster-shots-have-been-approved-when-should-you-get-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/08\/22\/new-covid-19-booster-shots-have-been-approved-when-should-you-get-one\/","title":{"rendered":"New COVID-19 booster shots have been approved. When should you get one?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/082224_ts_covid_feat.jpg?fit=800%2C450&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"New COVID-19 booster shots have been approved. When should you get one?\" title=\"New COVID-19 booster shots have been approved. When should you get one?\" \/><\/div> \r\n<br><br><div style=\"clear:both\">\n<style><![CDATA[\n.subscribe-cta {\n  color: black;\n  margin-top: 0px;\n  background-color: #EDD695;\n  background-size: cover;\n  padding: 20px;\n  border: 1px solid black;\n  border-top: 5px solid black;\n  clear: both;\n}\n\n.centered {\n  text-align:center;\n  margin:auto;\n}\n\n]]><\/style>\n<!-- \/wp:html -->\n\n<!-- wp:group {\"className\":\"subscribe-cta\"} -->\n<div id=\"subscribeConversion\" class=\"wp-block-group subscribe-cta\"><!-- wp:heading {\"textAlign\":\"center\",\"style\":{\"typography\":{\"fontSize\":\"2em\"}}} -->\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\" style=\"font-size:2em\">Extreme Climate Survey<\/h2>\n<!-- \/wp:heading -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph {\"align\":\"center\",\"style\":{\"typography\":{\"fontSize\":\"1.1em\"}}} -->\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\" style=\"font-size:1.1em\"><strong><em>Science News <\/em>is collecting reader questions about how to navigate our planet&#8217;s changing climate.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\" style=\"font-size:1.1em\">What do you want to know about extreme heat and how it can lead to extreme weather events?<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:spacer {\"height\":\"20px\"} -->\n\n<!-- \/wp:spacer -->\n\n<!-- wp:buttons {\"className\":\"centered\",\"layout\":{\"type\":\"flex\",\"justifyContent\":\"center\"}} -->\n\n<!-- \/wp:buttons --><\/div>\n<!-- \/wp:group -->\n\n\n<p>Rollout of the new vaccines comes just before a program that temporarily paid for the shots for uninsured people <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/vaccines\/programs\/bridge\/index.html#:~:text=CDC's%20Bridge%20Access%20Program%20provides,access%20for%20COVID%2D19%20vaccination\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">expires at the end of August<\/a>. That leaves about a week for people without insurance to decide whether to get a jab now at no cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf this is your opportunity to get the vaccine, and after that, you aren\u2019t sure if you\u2019re going to be able to pay for it, I would absolutely get the vaccine now,\u201d says Kawsar Talaat, an infectious diseases physician at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s what else to know about the new shots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How are the updated vaccines different from last year\u2019s version?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>They\u2019re the exact same vaccine save for one difference, Talaat says \u2014 the viral strain that\u2019s targeted. Last year\u2019s jabs were aimed at the omicron XBB.1.5 variant that caused the majority of cases in late winter 2022 and spring 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The new mRNA boosters target the omicron <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#variant-proportions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">KP.2 variant<\/a> (also called JN.1.11.1.2), which accounted for an estimated 3.2 percent of cases in the United States from August 4 to 17. Two other omicron variants, KP.3 and KP3.1.1, together make up nearly 54 percent of cases during the same period. Another variant known as LB.1 caused 14 percent of cases. And there is an alphabet soup of other variants circulating, too.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Novavax\u2019s updated vaccine targets the JN.1 variant. That is the parent variant of KP.2, KP.3 and LB.1. The variants differ at only a few spots on their spike proteins, the knobby protein that the coronavirus uses to latch onto and enter cells. But the KP and LB.1 offspring may be a<a href=\"https:\/\/www.idsociety.org\/covid-19-real-time-learning-network\/diagnostics\/covid-19-variant-update\/#\/+\/0\/publishedDate_na_dt\/desc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> little bit more<\/a> transmissible because those changes help the newer variants evade immunity from older versions of the vaccine and from infection with earlier coronavirus variants. It takes longer to reconfigure protein vaccines than it does for mRNA vaccines, so Novavax needed to go with the older version of the virus. In other countries, Moderna is making a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.accesswire.com\/906024\/moderna-receives-us-fda-approval-for-updated-covid-19-vaccine-targeting-kp2-variant-of-sars-cov-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">JN.1 version of the vaccine<\/a>, the company said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is the third time the vaccines have gotten updates to more closely match versions of the virus that are circulating. Each time the virus has been several steps ahead, but the shots have provided protection against severe disease, especially for older people and people with health conditions that put them at increased risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Infectious diseases physician Carlos del Rio says he\u2019d like to see high vaccination rates in everybody over 65 years old because those people are at higher risk for hospitalization and severe disease. \u201cVaccination continues to be one of our major strategies in [managing] COVID,\u201d says del Rio, of Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. \u201cAnd keeping immunity up is important.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When should I get the new COVID-19 booster?\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>Maximum protection against the virus lasts for several months after getting boosted, Talaat says. So \u201ceven if you get the vaccine now, you\u2019re likely to have some protection at Thanksgiving and Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>People who were infected in this summer\u2019s surge are probably still protected from repeat infections, she says, and can wait until the fall to get their updated shot. While it\u2019s hard to predict exactly how long the current surge will last, <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#maps_positivity-week\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">test positivity rates<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#wastewater-surveillance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">waste water levels<\/a> of the virus are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencenews.org\/article\/sewage-key-track-disease-covid-19-wastewater\">still rising<\/a> (<em>SN: 9\/20\/23)<\/em>. \u201cCOVID is still <a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#maps_percent-covid-deaths\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">killing lots of people<\/a>,\u201d Talaat says. \u201cWe may not hear about it any longer, but it hasn\u2019t gone away.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Children returning to school could lead to a fresh round of infections. Just <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/vaccines\/imz-managers\/coverage\/covidvaxview\/interactive\/children-coverage-vaccination.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">14 percent of children ages 6 months to 17 years<\/a> are up-to-date with the 2023\u20132024 COVID-19 booster, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And though more than 80 percent of adults 18 and over have received at least one shot, the number of people continuing to receive boosters has dropped steeply. Just 22 percent of people in this age group <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/vaccines\/imz-managers\/coverage\/covidvaxview\/interactive\/adults.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">received a 2023\u20132024 COVID-19 vaccine dose<\/a>, the CDC reported in data last updated in May.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How long does the shot\u2019s protection last?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Many scientists have investigated that question. One large study examining evidence of antibodies against the coronavirus found that by the fall of 2022 more than<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/mmwr\/volumes\/72\/wr\/mm7222a3.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> 96 percent of people in the United States<\/a> had immunity from vaccination, prior infection or both. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But immunity can wane. For instance, last year, people who got the XBB.1.5 vaccine in Europe had pretty good protection against hospitalization from COVID-19 in the first month or so after getting the shot. The vaccines were about <a href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1111\/irv.13360\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">69 percent effective<\/a> 14 to 29 days after inoculation, researchers reported August 15 in <em>Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses<\/em>. Effectiveness dropped to 40 percent 60 to 105 days after vaccination. Part of the drop in effectiveness was because of the rise of the new JN.1 variants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But protection doesn\u2019t just fall off a cliff. New work offers evidence that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cell.com\/immunity\/fulltext\/S1074-7613(24)00043-8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the shots actually provide long-lasting benefits<\/a>. Scientists performed an in-depth analysis of some 500 people\u2019s immune responses over three years. Their results suggest that while the vaccine spurs an initial antibody boost that tends to fade rapidly, after a few months, antibody levels then stabilize, researchers reported in <em>Immunity<\/em> in March.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Updated versions of the vaccines may up that protection further. Pfizer submitted data to the FDA showing that its updated KP.2 version of the vaccine increased antibody production in mice and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/media\/179144\/download\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">provided better protection against JN.1<\/a> and its offspring than last year\u2019s version of the vaccine does.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Will the booster protect against infection or long COVID?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the biggest misconceptions about these vaccines is that they prevent infection, del Rio says. A common refrain is: \u201cWell, they don\u2019t work because I still got COVID.\u201d It\u2019s true they\u2019re not great at preventing infection, he says, but that doesn\u2019t mean the vaccines aren\u2019t working. \u201cThey\u2019re very good at preventing severe disease and mortality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s still not clear if getting the vaccines will protect people from getting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencenews.org\/article\/odds-long-covid-dropped-coronavirus-evolved\">long COVID<\/a>, del Rio says (<em>SN: 7\/17\/24<\/em>). Some data suggest yes, some suggest no. But, he says, \u201cI think it\u2019s a good idea to get vaccinated if you are worried.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Talaat doesn\u2019t see any real downsides to getting the latest booster. \u201cAll vaccines have some side effects,\u201d she says. People may see the same types of symptoms they experienced with previous versions of the vaccine. Those can include sore arms, headache, joint pain and fatigue. She points out that billions of vaccine doses have made it into the arms of people worldwide. \u201cThey\u2019re very safe,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even if you\u2019re young, healthy and at relatively low risk, Talaat still recommends getting boosted. \u201cWe need to do what we can to protect ourselves and our loved ones,\u201d she says. Talaat plans to vaccinate her two teenagers \u201cbecause their grandparents are in their 80s,\u201d she says, \u201cand I want to make sure that they stay safe as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As for herself, Talaat says, \u201cI\u2019m seriously thinking about getting it next week.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n<br>\r\n<br><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencenews.org\/article\/new-covid-19-vaccine-fda-approved\">Source link <\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Extreme Climate Survey Science News is collecting reader questions about how to navigate our planet&#8217;s changing climate. What do you want to know about extreme heat and how it can lead to extreme weather events? Rollout of the new vaccines comes just before a program that temporarily paid for the shots for uninsured people expires [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":119623,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sciencenews.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/082224_ts_covid_feat.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[606],"tags":[15793,79644,2602,23098],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119622"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=119622"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119622\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":119624,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119622\/revisions\/119624"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/119623"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119622"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=119622"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=119622"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}