The new COVID-19 booster vaccines . These vaccines are bivalent, which means half of the formula protects against the original strain of COVID-19, and the other half protects against the omicron variant. Omicron variants, like BA.5,
Getting an omicron booster is a 'proactive step'
While cases and hospitalizations are down from the height of the omicron surge in early 2022, . Epidemiologist and author of Katelyn Jetelina said this booster provides an update for people鈥檚 immune system defense in the face of an unpredictable virus.
鈥淐oronaviruses thrive in the winter, because of humidity, because of behavior change, and we also see this with the flu,鈥� Jetelina said. 鈥淭his is one of the first proactive steps we鈥檝e taken to try and anticipate what this virus is going to do.鈥�
said the past few years have seen surges in the fall and winter, so the availability of the vaccine now is helpful.
鈥淎fter you get a vaccine, it takes about two to four weeks for all those antibodies to be built in your body,鈥� Chang said. 鈥淲aiting until the middle of the winter, you鈥檝e already wasted all that time. Get it now, so when the cold weather comes, your body鈥檚 ready to go.鈥�
When and how to get an omicron booster in North Texas
Both Pfizer and Moderna have single-dose omicron booster shots available. The at local pharmacies, , clinics and hospitals like , and .
In terms of timing, Jetelina recommends scheduling an appointment for a booster if it鈥檚 been six months or more since a person鈥檚 last vaccination against the virus.
鈥淕et it tomorrow, get it this week, that includes me: I haven鈥檛 had it since last November,鈥� she said.
If someone has had COVID-19 or been vaccinated in the past two to three months, it鈥檚 okay to wait for 鈥渢hat four to six month window, so you maximize and broaden your protection, but have protection into this winter,鈥� Jetelina said.
Chang also said eventually, he expects they鈥檒l be a regular vaccine against COVID-19, much like the annual flu shot.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think anyone really believes it鈥檚 going away completely,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat was a hope at the beginning but I don鈥檛 think anyone believes that truly is going to be the case. It鈥檚 gonna be around in some form or another for a very long time.鈥�
Omicron boosters are part of a multi-layered approach to combat the virus
Jetelina and Chang both said while boosters help decrease the severity of symptoms with COVID-19, getting one shouldn鈥檛 mean an end to masking and testing.
鈥淲e know we can鈥檛 put all of our eggs in a vaccine basket,鈥� Jetelina said. 鈥淲e need to continue to try and keep transmission down like masks indoors during surges, like leveraging antigen testing before seeing grandma, for example, and also really updating our institutional-level interventions like filtration and ventilation.鈥�
Chang said vaccines protect people鈥檚 health, and also safeguard their time, by ensuring they鈥檙e not missing school, work, or trips with family and friends.
鈥淲hen things are bad, it鈥檚 too late,鈥� he said. 鈥淏y the time that vaccine starts working, the numbers are already starting to come back down. So, you鈥檝e actually missed all the protection. The time to get it is now. The time to get it is before things are bad.鈥�
Jetelina said the new reality moving forward is weighing decisions like travel and new vaccines with people鈥檚 safety in mind.
鈥淲e have a very great quality of life, it doesn鈥檛 mean we all have to be locked down, but we need to use these tools smartly to have this quality of life and still protect the ones we love,鈥� she said.
Got a tip? Email Elena Rivera at erivera@kera.org. You can follow Elena on Twitter .
四虎影院 is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider Thank you.
