Distribution of a new COVID vaccine that targets the virus more effectively will soon begin after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the shot on Thursday.
The new vaccines are made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna Inc. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention already recommends that everyone 6 months of age or older get the updated COVID vaccine, along with the updated seasonal flu vaccine, so if it’s been at least two months since your last shot, you may be able to get it as soon as it hits pharmacy shelves in the coming days.
According to CDC wastewater data, COVID infection rates were “very high” in the summer of 2024. Part of the summer surge problem may be related to people’s waning immunity from previous vaccines or infections (and the constant emergence of new, more infectious versions of omicron). So as we head into the cooler weather and respiratory virus season, the availability of an updated vaccine is expected to be a useful tool to prevent severe disease.
As COVID transitions from a pandemic to an endemic outbreak (meaning COVID is still making people sick, but in a more predictable way that can be mitigated by available treatments), CDC officials have streamlined their guidance on vaccines and isolation to make it easier for everyone to follow when they have symptoms of the respiratory virus. Here’s what you need to know.
When will a new COVID vaccine be available? How much will it cost?
Probably within the next few days. The CDC recommended the Moderna, Pfizer and Novavax vaccines as a precautionary measure earlier this summer, and now that the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines have been officially approved by the FDA, it’s just a matter of when pharmacies will receive them. The latest vaccines from both mRNA companies target KP.2, which looks more like the version of the virus currently making people sick than the strain targeted by last year’s vaccine.
The FDA has not yet approved Novavax’s new vaccine, but it is expected to become another option later this year.
One change this time is that the cost of the COVID vaccine is no longer covered by the federal government. However, both the COVID vaccine and the flu vaccine should be covered by public insurance, including Medicare. The Bridge Access Program, which offered the COVID vaccine free to people without health insurance, is set to end this month. New measures will be needed to make the COVID vaccine free for adults, but a separate program is in place to make the vaccine free for all children.
What should I do if I test positive for COVID?
The CDC’s new general guidelines focus on what to do if you have symptoms of a respiratory virus or feel sick, rather than on COVID test results. But because treatments vary depending on which virus you have, it’s always best to get a COVID test if you can.
If you are at high risk for respiratory viruses (including complications from COVID, influenza, and RSV), it is especially important to find out which virus you have (through testing and medical attention) and get the appropriate treatment, as treatment varies depending on the virus you have.
If you are an adult over 50 or have a chronic condition such as heart disease, high blood pressure, asthma, or diabetes, you may be eligible for antiviral medications (including Paxlovidone) that can reduce the severity of your illness and your risk of hospitalization. You can get them by calling your primary care doctor or pharmacist, or by finding a Test-to-Treat Center. Test-to-Treat Centers offer free COVID-19 testing and treatment for people with Medicare or Medicaid, uninsured people, people with VA insurance, or people receiving Indian Health Services. It is important to start taking antiviral medications within a few days of the onset of symptoms for the medication to be effective.
For anyone who has or may have COVID-19, the CDC urges them to follow general guidelines for preventing the spread of respiratory viruses when they are sick, including staying home when sick and avoiding contact with others, whether or not they choose to get tested.
The CDC says you can return to your normal activities 24 hours after your symptoms start to improve overall and you’ve been fever-free for 24 hours (assuming you’re not taking fever-reducing medications like ibuprofen). After that, you should take extra precautions like wearing a mask and avoiding contact with people who are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID and other respiratory viruses for five days after your symptoms improve.
This is a change from pandemic-era guidelines that were more specific about when and for how long people should quarantine after exposure to COVID-19 or a positive test result. Why?
“This is an endemic virus, and there is a lot of herd immunity and medical countermeasures available,” Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease expert and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said in an email. “Guidelines should reflect that and be relatively easy for people to apply.”
