COVID-19 Updated Vaccines
It’s the time of the year when people typically receive their annual flu shot, often alongside their updated COVID-19 vaccine. Often referred to as “boosters,” these shots are more accurately described as “updated vaccines” as the term “booster” is often used to refer to an additional dose of a previous vaccine; these COVID-19 doses are different because they are updated to address newer strains of the virus.
For many people, the COVID-19 pandemic is widely considered “over.” However, people still do get COVID-19, and the severity of that illness can vary dramatically from person to person. Even if you’ve had COVID-19 in the past and it’s been a mild case, that doesn’t necessarily mean it will be a mild case if you get it again in the future. In addition, as many of us know, a person can still spread COVID-19 even if they are asymptomatic, so you may be at risk even if you don’t realize it. For this reason, it’s recommended to get an annual updated dose for COVID-19.
This year, here’s what you should know about the 2024-2025 COVID-19 updated vaccines:
Besides the initial dose(s) of the COVID-19 vaccine that became available to the public in early 2021, this is the 4th COVID-19 updated vaccine available to the public.
Not dissimilar to the flu, which also has an annual vaccine, COVID-19 can easily mutate into different strains. This is why there’s many variants of COVID-19, such as Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron. There are also sub-variants of these variants. For example, the Omicron sub-variants currently prominent in the United States are KP.2, KP.2.3, KP.3, KP.3.1.1, and LB.1.
There are three versions of the COVID-19 updated vaccine: Moderna, Pfizer, and Novavax. They are all approved for ages 12 and older.
Novavax is a non-MRNA COVID-19 vaccine that became available in the U.S. in 2022.
These three versions target different specific strains of the Omicron variant, but they are expected to provide protection against related variants as well.
Moderna and Pfizer, which are mRNA boosters, target KP.2
Novavax targets JN.1, which was common in spring of 2024.
Similar to the original doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, these immunizations are best at preventing severe illness rather than preventing infection entirely. They also protect you from developing what is known as “Long COVID,” where COVID symptoms are still present long after a person recovers from the initial illness.
In 2023, over 916,000 people were hospitalized in the U.S. due to COVID, and over 75,000 people died from COVID.
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about receiving the updated COVID-19 vaccines.