By Lynn C. Allison From Newsmax

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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the updated COVID-19 vaccine and experts suggest getting your shots soon to protect against the winter surge of the virus.

 As of Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that the number of cases, hospitalizations, and emergency room visits caused by COVID-19 are rising, according to NBC News. The new shots from Moderna and Pfizer target the KP.2 strain of the virus, a descendant of the contagious JN.1 variant. Novavax’s updated vaccine, which targets the JN.1 strain, has not been approved by the FDA yet.

The JN.1and KP.2 strain have largely faded from circulation, being replaced by KP31.1 which accounts for 36% of all new COVID-19 cases and KP.3, which is responsible for 17%. However, experts say that the target strains and newer variants are all part of the omicron family. The updated boosters should be effective enough to boost immunity and protect people through the rest of the summer surge and into the winter, explains NPR.

Dr. Peter Marks, of the FDA Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, says that while vaccines are not perfect, they can prevent people from getting seriously ill, adding that the new vaccines are “reasonably close” to effectively target the newer strains. He suggests that most people should get their shot in September or October to maximize their protection against the expected winter surge of COVID-19.

Those who have recently had a COVID-19 infection should wait at least two or three months to get the updated vaccine. However, people over the age of 65 or who are at greater risk for serious complications, should consult with their healthcare professional to establish the most beneficial timing.

Dr. Paul Offit points out that getting the new vaccine lessens your chance of getting an infection for about four to six months and to some extent lessens your chance of spreading the virus. Offit, a vaccine expert at the University of Pennsylvania who advises the FDA, says that this advice may not apply to younger, healthy people.

“Were I a 35-year-old healthy adult who’d already had several doses of vaccine and one or two natural infections I wouldn’t feel compelled to get it,” he told NPR.

For those who choose to get the new vaccine, it’s fine to get the flu shot at the same time, say federal officials. People over the age of 75 should also get the new vaccine to protect against the respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. The same recommendation goes for pregnant people and those over the age of 65 who are at high risk of getting seriously ill from RSV.  

Insured people can get all three shots for free through their in-network provider, but a federal program that paid for the vaccines for those without insurance has expired.

Lynn C. Allison 

Lynn C. Allison, a Newsmax health reporter, is an award-winning medical journalist and author of more than 30 self-help books.

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