.
New Omicron COVID-19 Booster Shots could be available as early as September 9 or 10, if Pfizer's and Moderna's bivalent shots, which target the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of Omicron, in addition to the original COVID-19 strain, receive FDA emergency use approval and CDC authorization. The CDC's advisor panel of experts will hold a two day meeting September 1-2, indicating how soon the authorization could occur.
While just over 67 percent of Americans have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19, only 48.5 percent of those fully vaccinated (so less than a third of the U.S. population) has been fully vaccinated and boosted, even though all Americans except for children under the age of 5 have been eligible for COVID-19 vaccines since November 2021. COVID-19 vaccines for kids 6 months-4 years old were approved in June 2022, so kids that age have been too recently vaccinated for the Omicron booster to be worthwhile if it debuts as expected before mid-September 2022.
.
Strategizing When to Get the Omicron Booster
The easiest decision is for those who are immunocompromised or with medical conditions that put them at high risk of severe disease: they'll want to get the new Omicron booster as soon as it's made available to them.
Older adults who were last vaccinated or boosted 6 months or more ago, and haven't had a COVID-19 infection in the interim likely will also want to get the new Omicron booster soon after it becomes available.
But what about otherwise healthy adults and older kids who have been vaccinated and boosted over six months ago: should they get boosted, given that they should be at low risk of severe disease from Omicron, even with the old vaccines and booster?
Each person and family will make its own decision, but our family will likely hold off until early November, not because we don't want the booster, but because of risk/reward. With remote work and face masks still required at our son's school, our day to day exposure risk is relatively low. We won't be doing any major travel until Thanksgiving, and we'd like the maximum benefit from the booster for that travel period. Generally antibodies are at their highest about two weeks after the booster shot, before starting to decline, so we plan to get our Omicron boosters (assuming they're approved as expected) at the end of the first week of November.
On the other hand, those who have major travel, a large wedding, or other event in early October would likely want to get their Omicron booster by mid-September, assuming it's available.
Meanwhile, those who have had a recent Omicron infection, say this past summer, probably will want to wait until it's 4 or more months past their infection to get the new Omicron booster, given the antibodies still present from the recent infection.
If you plan to get the new bivalent Omicron booster, what's your timing strategy?
Recommended Posts
Enovid Covid Nasal Spray Review
The Unusual Omicron COVID Symptom I Didn't Expect
New Zealand: No Pre-Departure Covid Test
If you enjoyed this, join 200,000+ readers: follow TravelSort on Twitter or like us on Facebook to be alerted to new posts.
Subscribe to TravelSort on YouTube for travel inspiration.
Become a TravelSort Client and Book 5-Star Hotels with Virtuoso or Four Seasons Preferred Partner Benefits