Are COVID Vaccines Still Recommended? – Fall 2022 Update

The Current Status of COVID-19 Vaccination

By Sarah Wilczek, pharmacist at Network Health
9/29/2022

We are well into the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic and enough has changed since those early days in 2020 to spark some questions about how dangerous the coronavirus is now in 2022. Are vaccines still needed? If so, who should get them? Do current vaccines protect against the new variants?

These are all important questions to ask. Now, let us provide you with some answers, starting with the basics first.

COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendation

Simply put, getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is still recommended and is one of the factors that can help us get back to our normal routine. If you haven’t yet received the COVID-19 vaccination, it is recommended that you speak with your personal doctor or pharmacist to discuss doing so.

If you’ve been following the news over the course of the pandemic, you’ll know that a number of COVID variants have emerged. Words like Delta and Omicron have now become commonplace, as the various strains of the coronavirus have shifted over the years.

Updated COVID-19 Boosters for Omicron in 2022

But just as the common strains of COVID-19 have changed, so too has the vaccine. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), updated COVID-19 boosters have been formulated to better protect you against the variants circulating most heavily in recent months, such as Omicron. These new boosters have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and CDC for certain ages, with Pfizer being approved for those 12 and up, and Moderna being approved for those 18 and up. Pfizer intends on authorizing its Omicron booster for ages 5-11 in early October.

Should you get these updated boosters?

The short answer is, yes, you should get an updated booster shot if you fall into the approved age groups. When exactly you should receive that shot, however, may vary. Here are some recommendations to keep in mind.

• If you have yet to receive one of the previous vaccine boosters, it is recommended you get the new one.
• If your last booster was 6-12 months ago and you are considered high risk, receiving an updated booster shot is particularly vital.
• Though Pfizer intends on authorizing the Omicron booster for ages 5-11 by early October, children in that age group can still receive the original booster formula.
• If you have recently been infected with COVID-19, you can wait 3-6 months before receiving a new booster.
• If you recently received a dose of the COVID vaccine, the FDA states you can get the Omicron booster as early as 2 months following your last shot.
• If you received your flu shot, regardless of how recent, you can still get the COVID booster.

When Will an Updated Booster Against Omicron Be Available?

As they say, good things come to those who wait, and you may have to wait a little bit to get the updated COVID booster. Be patient and check with your personal doctor or pharmacist to determine if they have received the updated booster. It can sometimes take a few weeks for ample supply to become available, so it wouldn’t be uncommon should you have to wait a little while yet before receiving the updated booster.

Should you have any questions about your Network Health plan in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.

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