[ad_1]
With the fall season still about a month away, COVID hospitalizations and deaths in the U.S. are continuing a relatively steep rise—this before even the early days of respiratory virus season.
Clearly, the situation isn’t ideal—certainly not ahead of a holiday weekend.
COVID-related hospitalizations rose nearly 22% from Aug. 6-12, the latest period for which data is available, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Deaths rose similarly—by 21% Aug. 13-19, when compared to the week prior.
Updated COVID jabs—tailored to the XBB.1.5 “Kraken” strain that dominated late last year and early this year—are tentatively slated for a September U.S. debut—though likely not until midway through, or late in, the month.
If you’re behind on COVID vaccinations or due for a booster, should you get one now or hold out for the latest and (maybe) greatest?
“Most people can probably wait until the new vaccine is available next month,” Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, tells Fortune.
Those who are unvaccinated or behind on their recommended vaccinations, however, “should probably complete their vaccine series now.” And those who are at high risk—due to being immunocompromised, elderly, or other factors—should consult with their doctor to make a plan ideal for them, he adds.
People with upcoming travel plans—or who plan to attend gatherings like conferences, weddings, and or other events—should also consider getting boosted now instead of waiting, Dr. Stuart Ray, vice chair of medicine for data integrity and analytics at Johns Hopkins’ Department of Medicine, tells Fortune.
A refresher on CDC COVID vaccine recommendations
When it comes to COVID vaccinations and boosters, if you can’t remember who is supposed to get what and when, relax—you’re normal. (We had to look it up too.)
Here’s a refresher, per the CDC:
- Those ages 5 months through 5 years may need multiple doses of the COVID vaccine to get up to date—including one or more boosters tailored to the BA.5 variant. (These were released in the U.S. around Labor Day of last year.) Just how many shots a young child needs will depend on when they were born and how many doses they’ve already received, if any. Talk to your child’s pediatrician for more information.
- Those ages 6 through 64 need their initial set of COVID jabs (usually two), plus one updated BA.5 booster.
- Those ages 65 and older have the same needs, but may require one additional dose of BA.5 booster, for a potential total of two boosters doses.
- Those who are moderately or severely immunocompromised should discuss their specific situation with their doctor.
Too little, too late?
While updated COVID boosters are mere weeks away, experts point out they’re tailored to a variant that is now nearly extinct—and aside from potentially being too little, some say they’re definitely too late.
New boosters should work against currently leading variants that didn’t exist when they were formulated, experts say—to some extent, at least. They’re expected to provide a measure of protection against severe disease and death. Whether or not they’re any more effective than currently available BA.5 boosters remains to be seen. Regardless, antibody immunity, from vaccination or infection, only lasts three to six months on average, meaning many Americans are likely in need of some kind of renewed protection.
Dr. Eric Topol, a professor of molecular medicine at Scripps Research and founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, is concerned about the impact of September booster distribution on those who are immunocompromised and elderly.
If new boosters were “coming out imminently next week, or by the end of the month, that would be okay,” he told Fortune earlier this month. “But if you wait until September, October, schools are starting. By then we’re already seeing wastewater levels rise. We have a wave that’s brewing now.”
[ad_2]
Source link
