U.S. Food and Drug Administration may approve new COVID-19 booster shots for Omicron this week, without completing human safety trials. This is according to WION News that believes they may decide based on other inputs, including mouse tests. Other versions have failed to keep up with an evolving coronavirus. Will the new Omicron booster do the job this time, we wonder?
Will the New Omicron Booster Do The Job This Time?
Los Angeles Times took us down memory lane on August 28, 2022, when it recalled hopes raised, and then dashed. Every time we thought we had the coronavirus licked, it bounced back with a new variant. Will this one be different, it hopes.
Or will it at least provide protection from serious disease before a possible infection surge this coming winter? So many questions … including do we really need a booster if we had two already. Here’s what we know for reasonably sure:
- The new Omicron-oriented booster could be available in September 2022. That’s because CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices already booked a slot for the first two days of the month. And they usually have fresh recommendations when they do so.
- Chemical engineers designed the new booster with variant Omicron BA.5 in mind, which dominates infections. The current shots are largely unable to prevent transmission, although they do moderate symptom severity most times. However, expert opinion suggests the booster will be more effective across both dimensions.
When Is the Best Time to Get the Booster?
Los Angeles Times confirms we should have the booster soon as we qualify, and it is available to us. Although some people may decide to wait until October or November, so their protection is at its peak during the holiday break.
Certainly, its protection will be most powerful during the first month after the first shot. Although it should remain at its peak for a further three to four months. But that said, immuno compromised people should have the current booster, if they are five or more months out from their most recent COVID-19 inoculation.
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