Written by L. M. Land
Yes, it is being advised that people who are healthy, have already had COVID and are up to date with vaccines should wait for the new vaccine, anticipated to be out in September. Persons with health issues, or who are over 65 may still benefit from getting the currently available vaccine, as it may still offer protection. These decisions should be discussed with your doctor.
It is obvious now that COVID is a virus that mutates rapidly, and it will not be going away. COVID is part of life now across the globe, just like the flu. And just like the flu vaccine, it will need to be updated with the strains in circulation every year.
The COVID vaccine schedule is also being changed to the same rhythm of the flu shot. Every fall, the COVID vaccine will be updated with the current strains circulating in the general public, just like the flu vaccine.
It is hoped that people will easily remember to get the COVID vaccine with their flu vaccine yearly.
Should I get the new vaccine?
Yes! The current vaccine is less effective against the new strains of COVID, the XBB-lineage. The new vaccine, in clinical trials, is proving much more effective with the XBB strains, which is the primary strain now infecting our country.
Nationwide, there is an increase of COVID admissions of 18.8% in the last week (as of 08-19-23). While no one is in a panic about this yet, officials and medical personnel are wary.
COVID testing is no longer tracked by the CDC, but hospital admissions for COVID still are, making it a reliable way to track COVID numbers.
In Michigan there is a 32.5% increase in the past week of confirmed COVID new hospital admissions. Genesee County has a 2.2 admission per 1000,000 rate. This means the actual infection rates are much higher.
The counties with the most increases in Michigan are Barry and Calhoun counties, with new hospital admissions per 100,000 at 8.2. Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Chippewa and Mackinaw counties are next with admissions per 100,000 at 7.5.
What is the difference between the two COVID vaccines?
FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) met on June 15, 2023, to decide what SARS-CoV-2 virus strains should be in the vaccines for the fall of 2023. They will be meeting annually every June to determine the strains used in that year’s vaccine.
The committee unanimously voted that the vaccine would be monovalent, or including just one strain, of a COVID-19 variant, which is XBB.1.5.
The current vaccine is a bivalent, meaning it carries two strains of COVID, which are the original virus and omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5. Neither of these are circulating in the population now, which gives you an idea of how quickly mutations happen.
Why target the XBB strains?
The committee reviewed a mountain of data to decide upon the strain for this year’s vaccine.
XBB strains accounted for more than 95% of the circulating virus variants in the U.S. and the European Union as of early June 2023. The protein sequences of XBB.1.5, XBB.1.16, and XBB.2.3, the currently circulating variants, have spike proteins that appear similar with few amino acid differences.
Moderna has been running clinical trials on the effectiveness of its new vaccine, and they presented their findings at the June 2023 VRBPAC meeting. They have found it is also effective against EG.5 (Eris) and the rapidly spreading FL 1.5.1 (Fornax) variant.
“These new results, which show that our updated COVID-19 vaccine generates a robust immune response against the rapidly spreading EG.5 and FL 1.5.1 strains and reflects our updated vaccine’s ability to address emerging COVID-19 threats,” said Stephen Hoge, M.D., president of Moderna.
“Moderna is committed to leveraging our mRNA technology to provide health security around the world,” Hoge added.
Moderna has submitted its updated mRNA COVID-19 vaccine application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and other regulators around the world. Pending authorization, it will be ready for fall vaccination with sufficient global supply. Messenger RNA, or mRNA, is genetic material that tells your body how to make proteins to attack COVID.
Novavax, as of August 22, 2023, is in the process of submitting their applications for its XBB.1.5 vaccine to regulatory authorities globally, and plans to have it available this fall as well. Their vaccine has also proven to be effective against the same strains as Moderna’s is, although they are different types of vaccines. Novavax’s COVID vaccine will be the only protein-based (non-mRNA) vaccine option available for the fall season.
“We have a lot of confidence in our updated COVID vaccine and are working diligently with global regulatory bodies to ensure our protein-based vaccine is available this fall,” said Filip Dubovsky, president of Research and Development, Novavax.
As of 8-29-2023, the Courier could not find information on Pfizer’s status of availability on their website for their new vaccine.
The XBB.1.5 vaccines have not yet been approved by the FDA, but approval is expected soon.
The FDA will continue to monitor the safety and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines and the evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/774976/Moderna-Clinical-Trial-Data-Confirm-Its-Updated-COVID-19-Vaccine-Generates-Robust-Immune-Response-in-Humans-Against-Widely-Circulating-Variants
FDA Recommendation for the 2023-2024 Formula of COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S.
Recommendation for the 2023-2024 Formula of COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S.
https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#maps_new-admissions-rate-county
https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#maps_new-admissions-percent-change-county
https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#maps_new-admissions-percent-change-state
https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#maps_new-admissions-percent-change-state
